Wall Lenk LG400C 400/150 Heavy Duty Watt Soldering Gun

This thing is the best soldering iron I’ve ever used and have been using these for over 40 years. No nonsense solid performance. Doesn’t heat up insulation at least with 18 ga and up. The light isn’t great but I don’t need a light so I don’t factor that in. This feels and performs like it will last the rest of my life. And this replaced my snap on soldering iron which was very expensive but old. This blows it away!

Best Soldering Iron I have evr used. Highly Recommend. Made Jobs so much easier

The trigger is on or off. I took a new one and first checked the resistance when pulling the trigger with no electricity. It shows 36 ohms of resistance with trigger pulled. There is no multi-stage of any type in the trigger. Also the bulb in mine was busted right out of the box. It's a 7 watt conventional bulb with the same screw in base as the old wall night lights and really old Christmas lights for your home.About this multiple heat thing. I realize they say it's automatic and many have complained that it gets hot super fast (which it really does) and then they have issues with it not continuing at that heat level. Supposedly they are 400 watts until hot and then 150. Though mine is brand new it does not do anything in which it states about wattage and heat.1. Pull the trigger when plugged into AC and it pulls 257 watts immediately. In approx. 10 seconds the tip is glowing red hot and all solder is completely burned off the tip unless you are dissipating heat into something or let off the trigger. Mine does not drop in wattage to 150 at all. Due to heat though the wattage does drop to about 237 watts. Heating elements increase resistance when they get hot. Maybe if I continued long enough holding the trigger it might drop in wattage but I don't want to burn the thing up because I can't return it being I live in Central America.Pros:Gets super hot super fastRetains heat in the tip so you can let off the trigger and continue to use it for a bit.Very strong build quality using thick bakeliteDecent cord and lengthCons:Trigger pull would be fatiguing with a lot of use. It's harder than normal to pull.Light is poor at best and it is not mounted inside the gun. The socket free floats internally so the bulb will break because it's very thin glass if dropped or hit.Wattage is nowhere even close to what is advertised (though it gets crazy hot fast)My test shows there is no dual wattage at all. The only change in wattage is due to resistance in the heating element as it gets hot.Note: I feel the dual wattage rating is solely based upon the element getting red hot and so the wire within the element uses less power (watts). That is a good thing in one way because there is no mechanical thermostat that could go bad. We are all aware of duty cycles and honestly, that puts this thing way above any other large gun I have used. I did not break open the element. Maybe it does have a thermostat but when something turns red hot for soldering I'm letting off the trigger.Update:The owner manual states 1 minute on and 4 minutes off. That is a 25% duty cycle.When the gun is room temp it will pull up to 325 watts. With the trigger pulled for one full minute the tip was red hot the whole time. The wattage started at 325 and ended 60 seconds later at 180. I was wrong in saying it was way off the mark in my first post.

Okay, I am an electronic technician and know how to solder. Very good at it. There. Now, years ago my dad had a Weller that you could throw across the garage and run over and it JUST WORKED. Every time. These days, the Weller soldering guns are garbage. If you are a Weller rep and want to show me I am wrong, send me one that works more than once and I will give it a test. I have had 3 in the last few years and am always having to reseat the tips or bang it on the ground to get it to heat. Lots of buzzing and sporadic heat. Blah!I used the Wall Lenk LG400C 400/150 Heavy Duty Watt Soldering Gun to repair a wire bundle connecting 5, 12 gauge wires together and it worked great. All the while working under an ATV laying on the ground and working upside down. You really want it to work there so you can get out from under the ATV. I was melting solder in less that 10 seconds from the time I pulled the trigger. Just wonderful to have a tool that works. If it quits later, I will repost on this.

this is a great soldering gun. The tip will heat up to the high temperature very rapidly. None of that annoying buzzing as with other types of gun. It heats up just as if it were a 400 watt pencil iron. The work light is a bit dim, but that is not an important feature to me.The tip will heat up and then adjust wattage, maintaining the temperature. The tip is like a very large soldering iron, and is not replaceable.... the entire heating assembly would need to be replaced if you need to replace the tip (and that can be expensive). There is only the one tip, so you won't have options like a cutting tip or a flat tip, etc. The cord is a 2 wire cord, not grounded.The trigger seems to have a long pull, but there is only one power setting - the unit will adjust automatically, so you don't have a high and a low setting. The grip is a bit larger than the smaller other brands, and it is not nearly as heavy (this is quite light in weight). Feel is very sturdy however. It's hot enough that it is almost too much for 12ga wire and a battery terminal - when heated up, it solders very quickly (Which is what I wanted).The reason for the low review - the description CLEARLY states that this comes with TWO (2) TE Tip Assemblies in the case, and this is incorrect - it is only one. This same brand is sold elsewhere, for $20 less, which is a better deal. With 2 tip assemblies, the $80 price tag is a good deal, with the ONE in the box, it is not a good deal for the money.Still a great soldering gun, but watch for better prices in other packages.

Pros: Heats up quickly. Completely silent when on. Not very heavy. Light isn't very bright, but works ok. Heating cartridge element lasts longer.Cons: More expensive to replace the element cartridge when it eventually burns out. Tip is large and better suited to bigger work. Trigger spring has too much resistance which can make your finger tire out from holding it on.