i am in the market for a good soldering iron
how many watts do i need. any recomendations?

thanks shane

What are you soldering? Specifics????

Get a large soldering IRON. I was given one that was the size of a small billyclub & it worked better than any soldering gun I ever had as it would get so hot that it would heat the wire & melt the solder so quick that there wasn't time for heat to wick along the wires & melt insulation but still use a pair of clips that look like part of a nail clipper on either side of your work to wick away as much heat as possible.

They normally come in 25 and 40 watt sizes. I use the bigger one for most wire work and it's not to much. You will also want to get a decent stand/holder for the iron while it's heating up and not being used when hot.

i am mostly soldering auto/stereo wiring.

shane

I like the butane irons.
No cord,easy to use in all locations.
Some kits come with different tips even one that
you use for shrink tubing.

Get something that is adjustable.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=96375

thanks for the info guys, looks like i have more shopping to do.

Get a solder station and you'll not be disappointed. I've been soldering with the same Weller solder station for 30+ years. I only had to fix the ac cord. It’s very helpful to have a place to set the iron when not in use. The better stations sense the tip heat and turn it down between solder joints, which extends tip life dramatically.

http://www.amazon.com/Weller-WLC100-Soldering-Station-Hobbyist/dp/B000AS28UC

I use one of the bernzomatic butane soddering irons now. Truthfully, I just use the butane torch to sodder wires together, then slip over the heat shrink tube and hit it with the torch again, works great and the small torch tip doesn't burn the wire insulation very far so it works well like that. Have not tried in on a circuit board yet.

Keep in mind that what you're soldering will determine the wattage. Smaller work (resistors, diodes, speaker wires, etc) will be fine with a 35W but if you want to put new wires under the hood 14, 12, 10 gauge), you'll need a big honkin' IRON. (I found that out when I tried to solder wires...the Radio Shack special just ain't getting the job done.)

In any case, always remember to prep the tip before you use it, without a good tinning, the tip will not perform.