Hey folks,
I have been using my Weller TC201 for 25 years now. I have used it for soldering from pipe fittings to 0402 chip resistors (Not with the same tip!).
Now it seem that I go through a tip a week for fine soldering. Nothing has changed in the way I solder, but I was told Weller was sold and assume that the tip quality has plummited to increase profits. With that said, what would be a good replacement manufacturer/iron with long life, that won't cost many hundreds of dollars. It will be mainly for fine SMD and wire soldering.