Metcal soldering station
Ranked 3 of 3 soldering irons by recommenders
People recommend Metcal stations for soldering performance they call night and day, and for reliable, long-lasting builds. Their tips auto-match the proper temperature and need less cleaning.
People recommend Metcal stations for soldering performance they call night and day, and for reliable, long-lasting builds. Their tips auto-match the proper temperature and need less cleaning.
7 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 7
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 2 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 7 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 2 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Reliable, bulletproof, long-lasting build
“It's also why their station are so reliable.”
Comment from 6 Sep 2026 in “Ask HN: Resources to get good at soldering?” “explains why metcals are so bulletproof”
Comment from 6 Sep 2026 in “Ask HN: Resources to get good at soldering?” “Still the gold standard after decades”
Comment from 12 May 2026 in “I hate soldering existentially” Superior soldering performance
“cost less than the much recommended Hakko irons and is orders of magnitude better”
Comment from 5 Sep 2026 in “Ask HN: Resources to get good at soldering?” “the difference in soldering performance is like night and day”
Comment from 12 May 2026 in “I hate soldering existentially” Quality build, gold standard
“It was the cadillac of soldering irons.”
Comment from 5 Sep 2026 in “Ask HN: Resources to get good at soldering?” “Still the gold standard after decades”
Comment from 12 May 2026 in “I hate soldering existentially”
Other soldering irons people recommend
The two most recommended other soldering irons, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pinecil soldering iron | 10 | 1 | 91% | 5 | — | Approved |
| Hakko FX-888D soldering station | 8 | 6 | 57% | 3 | — | — |
| Metcal soldering stationThis page | 7 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
What people said
7 of the 10 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“explains why metcals are so bulletproof”
“It's also why their station are so reliable.”
“It was the cadillac of soldering irons.”
“cost less than the much recommended Hakko irons and is orders of magnitude better”
“I had really good luck with the metcal models. The tips auto match the proper temp, and don't require as much cleaning.”
“the difference in soldering performance is like night and day”
“Still the gold standard after decades”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.