I'm surprised that a soldering iron cost you so much. You could probably get a soldering iron for £5 today.
Not a great one by any means, I certainly wouldn't be doing SMD soldering with it, but adequate for through hole and point to point wiring. It probably won't last as long either.
My old man has a couple of soldering irons for the 70's that still work great. You'd be paying over $100 for the same iron these days.
He also still has the same roll of solder that he had in the 80's. A kilogram of solder lasts a long time. In fact, most of his electrical tools from the 80's are in good condition and get regular use.
It was a really nice Weller one that was temperature controlled so it was worth it at the time. The other option available was a new Antex one for more money which was rubbish. The Weller was still working fine when I sold it in 2001.
I’ve got a newer Weller TCP station now that gets used for everything from 0603 SMD devices through massive capacitors. Cost around $300 (more than a Hakko) but was worth it as it’s absolutely bomb proof and a pleasure to use for extended periods.
Most of my equipment now is from the 1970s and 1980s. It’s cheap, reliable and easy to repair if it does break.
Modern lead-free solder is excellent, but most hobbyists who never buy solder only have a roll of historical lead-free solder from when it was crap, have awful experience with it, and pass that experience on. You can still buy leaded solder everywhere today and the flux is not as nasty as the ancient ones. Make sure you don't mix the two as lead-free solder doesn't like to stick to leaded and vice versa. So for repairing old stuff leaded solder is still important, but it's no longer a compromise to use lead-free. Also, wash your hands after soldering!
Not a great one by any means, I certainly wouldn't be doing SMD soldering with it, but adequate for through hole and point to point wiring. It probably won't last as long either.
My old man has a couple of soldering irons for the 70's that still work great. You'd be paying over $100 for the same iron these days.
He also still has the same roll of solder that he had in the 80's. A kilogram of solder lasts a long time. In fact, most of his electrical tools from the 80's are in good condition and get regular use.