Soldering tips for electronics
Updated: 21 October 2026
A through-hole resistor and a tiny pad both get called electronics, and they do not want the same face. Soldering tips for electronics are a match between the joint in front of you and a tip your iron can hold. Too wide, and you bridge the next pin. Too fine, and the pad soaks the heat before the solder flows. This page stays with that choice for the listings on the [soldering tips comparison](/hub/soldering-and-welding/soldering-tips). No wetting test was run. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
A through-hole resistor and a tiny pad both get called electronics, and they do not want the same face. Soldering tips for electronics are a match between the joint in front of you and a tip your iron can hold.
A through-hole resistor and a tiny pad both get called electronics, and they do not want the same face. Soldering tips for electronics are a match between the joint in front of you and a tip your iron can hold. Too wide, and you bridge the next pin. Too fine, and the pad soaks the heat before the solder flows. This page stays with that choice for the listings on the soldering tips comparison. No wetting test was run. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Shape | Face | Series | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Hakko Hakko T18-D32 chisel 3.2 mm | Chisel | 3.2 mm | T18 | 9.2 | about £6.08 | View offer |
| Alternative |  Saipor Saipor 10-piece 900M-T-B | Cone | about 1.2 mm | 900M | 7.6 | about £6.99 | View offer |
| Best value |  KTPCN KTPCN 14-piece 900M tip set | Mixed chisels and cones | 0.8D to 3.2D | 900M | 8.0 | about £7.99 | View offer |
On this page
The joints you actually solder
Wire leads want a chisel on the pad and the lead together. Ordinary through-hole pads want about 1.6 mm to 2.4 mm. Fine SMD wants a point on one pad. A ground-plane header wants a wider face on one pin at a time. The T18-D32 is 3.2 mm, about £6.08, 4.7 from 582 reviews, and reviewers prefer it to the needle the station arrived with. On a dense header that face is how bridges start. KTPCN’s about £7.99 bullets run from fine cones to a 3.2D chisel. Hanglife stops at 2.4D.
A plain shape guide
D means chisel. On Hakko’s scheme 1.6D is about 1.6 mm and the T18-D32 is 3.2 mm. Start at 1.6 mm or 2.4 mm for a typical pad. The Saipor 900M-T-I is a needle, about £6.99, even though the shape cell says chisel. The Saipor 900M-T-B is a cone a reviewer put at about 1.2 mm, and the bore was larger than the stated 4 mm. That cone is a fair SMD spare on a 900M iron and a poor choice for a ground wire.
Lead-free solder and tip temperature
Lead-free alloys, common in newer gear, need a higher set point than leaded solder, and a tip left there between joints grows oxide. The Saipor conical page says at least 50,000 joints. That figure is not from this comparison. A Saipor needle buyer reported tips that blackened almost immediately, and a Hanglife buyer said the coating eroded quickly at 400°C. Tin the face as soon as it is hot, drop the set point when you pause, and replace a tip that will not wet.
Where console tips stop being board tips
SOOZR at about £12.99 is a multi-hole head on a 936 adapter for PlayStation, Xbox and Switch sticks. Four reviews average 4.4: one PS5 repair, and one that says the tip does not last. Gosknor at about £14.99 adds C245 and 936 adapters, then a bullet describes a whole iron and a station. The only rating has no text. C245 is its own family. For boards and wires, both ASINs are a detour, and the chisel label on SOOZR is the wrong description.
What else has to be right
The T18-D32 belongs on the FX-888 class and the FX-600. The packs belong on 936-style nuts, and 6.5 mm is not 6.0 mm. Seat the tip, tin it on first heat, and do not file it. Those steps are on how to change a soldering iron tip. For a first board, use KTPCN at about £7.99 on a 900M iron, or the T18-D32 plus a later finer T18 on an FX-888.
Common questions
What tip shape is best for through-hole parts?
A chisel about the width of the pad, often 1.6 mm to 2.4 mm. Touch the pad and the lead together, and feed solder into the joint. The Hakko T18-D32 at 3.2 mm suits larger through-hole parts and is wide for a crowded board. KTPCN bullets include 1.6D and 2.4D. A HANZMQIYJJ 1.6D only helps if the 6.0 mm sleeve fits.
What tip should I use for a small SMD part?
A fine cone or a small chisel, so one pad is heated. On a 900M iron the Saipor 900M-T-B, put by a reviewer at about 1.2 mm, is the cone here, with a possible loose bore. The Saipor 900M-T-I is the needle, with a blackening complaint. On a T18 iron the captured D32 is too wide. Order a narrower T18 rather than a 900M point.
How do I choose chisel width against pad size?
Keep the flat no wider than the pad you mean to heat. A 1.6 mm chisel on a 1.6 mm class pad is the usual hobby match. The T18-D32 at 3.2 mm covers a larger tab and will bridge the next pin if you lay it across a header. The codes 0.8D, 1.6D, 2.4D and 3.2D are widths, not quality grades.
When do I need a bevel tip?
When you drag solder along a straight row, or tin a lead that a flat chisel approaches badly. The bevels in the Hanglife and KTPCN bullets, from about 1C up to 4C or 5C, are that tool. Start smaller. A wide bevel carries a lot of solder and will short a fine connector in one pass. A single resistor or a wire joint stays on a chisel.
Does lead-free work need a special tip?
It needs a tip you can tin, at a set point high enough to melt the alloy and no higher while you pause. These listings do not document a separate tip alloy for lead-free solder. They do show oxidation when tips are run hard: blackening on a Saipor needle pack, and coating loss at 400°C on Hanglife. HSE’s concern is rosin smoke, including on lead-free wire that still uses an active flux.
What is a minimum two-tip kit?
One chisel for heat and one cone or needle for access, both in the series your handpiece accepts. On a 936-style iron, take those two from KTPCN at about £7.99 rather than ten of one needle. On an FX-888, the T18-D32 covers the wide chisel at about £6.08, and the finer T18 is not its own ASIN in this capture.
Related pages
Sources
Sources taken from the research digest. Listings were checked on 20 October 2026.
- Hakko UK — T18 series tip shapes (retrieved 20.10.2026)
- Hakko UK — T18 soldering iron tips (retrieved 20.10.2026)
- Hakko UK — 900 series soldering iron tips (retrieved 20.10.2026)
- HSE — Solderers and asthma (retrieved 20.10.2026)
- HSE — SR20 Rosin-cored solder (retrieved 20.10.2026)
- Electronics Stack Exchange — Hakko tip compatibility (retrieved 20.10.2026)
- amazon.co.uk listings in this comparison (retrieved 20.10.2026)