The International Cessna^® 170 Association

George,

My first thought was Grainger, but someone beat me to it. If that doesn't work, try McMaster-Carr item 7720A7. It doesn't say it's a Weller, so it may be a knockoff, but I've always gotten good quality stuff from them. It's advertised to be 200/300 watts and sells for $57.26. Not sure about shipping cost. Good luck!

Miles

Newark Electronics claims to have several Weller D650's for about $75.00.

Yes, these sort of suppliers are mail-order-pay-extra-for-shipping-and-wait. I am grumbling because there seems to be no walk-up-and-buy-it-retail that exist these days for products unless they are chinese junk.

George what did you find wrong with the Radio Shack model 240 watt soldering gun?

BTW when you find your Weller with the cracked case it will still work fine wrapped with duct tape to hold it together. Mine is going on at least 20 years in that condition.

The Radio Shack is another chinese-looking version,.... except it uses a proprietary tip that is kinda small.

Yeah, my Weller works well. I just don't know where I put it. (I've had so many jobs to do in such a short time that I haven't been putting things back where they belong.... I've been piling them up on 3 different work benches and don't see it anymore.)

Yep, ...same story....that's the 260 watt model, and it's only available plus-freight-and-wait.

I'm not phoo phooing your fustration with the Chinese junk George. We are all experiencing it. Funny thing is most of us can remember the same fustration with Japanese junk years ago and now the products are among the best in the world. Maybe if we continue to purchase the Chinese junk they will eventually get their quality up to our standards. Unfortunately when that happens, we have to be concerned what happens to our American production. We better watch our 6:00

It's already happened to our Amercan products. I guess that's the point of this thread.... one can no longer easily find quality American products.

Back in early 1971, my job as a CFI included an entire group of Japanese student pilots. When I pointed out to them that "Made in Japan" meant "shoddy product"... they were shocked. (It was the early days of quality control improvements over there... within months Japanese products were already becoming highly respected. I bought a Toyota Corolla later that year and was really impressed with the quality, amenities, and perfomance of that car, which cost less than a third of the cheapest, stripped-down Dodge Dart.)

My dedicated union-member (electrician) Dad was disappointed in my selection of a foreign-built automobile. Thirty years later, I now see his point. The Japanese, Chinese, and Arabs own us. (Gulf-War-One: Kuwaiti young men dancing in Cairo discoteque: When asked by CNN reporter as to why they were partying in Cairo instead of back home fighting the invading Iraq army: "We have the Americans for that.")

Of course you have to order it, but Amazon.com has both the D550 and D650 listed. Just ender Weller D650 and it will come up. They state they are in stock.
They are actually sold through 'Tool Source' which is one of the companies that sell through Amazon.
I am constantly amazed what you can get from Amazon. Just about anything you can think of, and they tell you if the item is in stock or not, and often, where to buy a used one. I buy most of my DVD's used and save a lot of money.

George,
Damn. This says alot about your personality. You know what you want and will not settle for less. Says alot good about a man. I know what's like to need a specific tool your comfortable with, and do the job right, then not be able to find it. I wish you luck.

The shipping is about equal to the outrageous 8.25 % tax here in Texas. I'd rather give UPS or Fedex my money than some damn government that just blows off our tax dollars.

N171TD wrote:The shipping is about equal to the outrageous 8.25 % tax here in Texas. I'd rather give UPS or Fedex my money than some damn government that just blows off our tax dollars.

Sales Tax is ALSO charged. Just because you pay for something mail-order does not relieve you of sales tax.

George,

I checked and Walter A Wood Supply has the D550 in stock for $45.99 and can order the D650 for $62.99. They will ship or I could bring it to Petit Jean if you don't need it before then.

Harold

As I answered your PM .... I don't have any difficulty finding one by mail order. That's not my complaint.

No thanks....(but thanks for the consideration Harold.)
gh

PS I found my D550 and have ordered a replacement case. Anyone needing a LEft SIDE case....I'll have a used one available soon. (Bruce?)