A temperature controlled soldering iron is a hand tool that provides heat to melt solder. It consists of:
- heating element
- iron tip
- handle
The heating of electrically powered soldering iron is accomplished by running an electric current through a highly resistive wire made of nickel and chromium.
This wire is wrapped inside the heating element. It has a very high melting point and does not oxidize easily. During the manufacturing of soldering iron, different wattages can be achieved by changing the number of turns of nickel-chromium wire that is wound around a central core.
The most popular in the USA
![Weller WE1010](http://soldering-irons.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/WE1010-Weller-Soldering-iron-300x190.jpg)
Weller WE1010 solder station
![Hakko beginner soldering iron](http://soldering-irons.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Hakko-beginner-soldering-iron-300x222.jpg)
Hakko FX-888D soldering station
![](http://soldering-irons.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/WLC100-Weller-beginner-soldering-iron-300x291.jpg)
Weller WLC100 (cheap solder iron)