"Trying both" to see their advantages is a waste of time.
Any time that a group of well-established folks in a community disagree on what tool they use you're best off trying all to see which ones are best. I'll claim that for common sense, but if that's not good enough for you -- it's my personal advise.
Please google and provide information on any professional soldering stations that come with a gun.
Since you said that soldering guns are only good for electronics, and since soldering stations are primarily for electronics, that's an odd suggestion to make.
Someone stated that they use a "five pound foot long" 100 watt iron. Respectfully, I submit that this iron was purchased in 1946 or you got it from Harbor Frieght.
You
quoted what I said, and you still missed the fact that I said it was probably over
one pound? Debate all you want, but please be accurate.
(Judging from the AC cord I think your 1946 estimate is a bit late, by the way).
Here is a link for the current state of affairs in 100 watt irons:
http://www.anythinginstainedglass.com/tools/ironsInland.html
or just google inland 100 watt soldering irons.
We'll all just have to take your word for it that a $20 soldering iron is "state of the art".
Please cite the advantages of the soldering gun. Is there a variety of tips available? Just what is the "utility" of the soldering gun?
I'm can't do so enthusiastically, because I think they're second best. But they're hardly useless. If there is one advantage over any non-temperature-controlled soldering iron: you pull the trigger, and before you've taken a breath the solder is melting. You can't do that with a soldering iron.
It is interesting to note that based on what soldering experience that you have that you have determined that the gun is best, and that anyone who has a different experience than you does not know how to maintain a soldering gun correctly, and therefore, could not possibly know as much as you do on the subject.
Having used soldering guns for over 35 years, knowing what they're good for and what they're lousy at, and given your rejection of them for this job, I do indeed find it pretty easy to suspect that perhaps you weren't using the gun correctly.
But you ask about my experience:
I'm 49, and I've been soldering as part of hobby work and for pay since I was at least 12. I've used a variety of trigger-operated soldering guns, irons of various wattages both temperature controlled and not, soldering "shoes" heated with oxy-acetyline torches then applied to the work, and torches both acetylene and propane. I've soldered circuit boards, electronic connectors, structural parts of model airplanes, applied lead for old-style auto body work, soldered stained glass, and soldered copper pipes for plumbing. In addition I've got some experience with brazing steel to steel (which is a lot like soldering, except your work glows in the dark), and some small experience with casting small model parts from lead and solder. Oh -- and I've soldered sheet metal both for model airplane fuel tanks and heavier gauge structural sheet metal work.
So yes, I do feel like I'm qualified to speak on this subject, perhaps more than the average Joe, and on the relative merits of the tools that one might bring to bear.
I "do" and have done a lot of soldering. I raced slot cars on commercial tracks for a number of years. Commercial slot cars do 3-5 second laps on a 155' banked road course depending on the class that is running. Solder to slot cars is what glue is to model airplanes. You are required to make precise, accurate and strong electrical and mechanical joints that withstand the stress of racing. Frequently you have to solder between heats to replace a burned up motor. The iron is left on for the entire race. Go to your local commercial track (if you have one) and see what the guys there are using.
Here is the link to serious soldering equipment:
http://www.e-slotcar.com/catalog/32
or just google e-slot cars and look in the soldering section.
See any guns in there?
So, you've soldered dinky little wires onto dinky little motors, and you don't like soldering guns. I can understand that -- before I used a soldering gun for that particular job I'd probably heat a nail in a candle and see if I could tin it (or just drive the nail into my forehead as a less-painful alternative to attempting such a job with such an inappropriate tool).
But soldering wires onto prepared tabs is considerably different from soldering sheet metal -- which I know, because I've done a lot of both. What
relevant soldering experience can you cite? What have you soldered with trigger-operated guns? How long have you been soldering with guns, and did you just try once then stop using them, or did you
really try to work out the process? What variety of methods have you used to solder thin-gauge sheet metal, and what do you feel are the relative merits of each method? How many different things have you soldered, and do you have a feel for what tool is the best for each different material?