i have a Weller WESD51 that's about ten years old and gets a decent amount of use. i've never replaced the tip and it hasn't shown any signs of needing to be replaced.

If your soldering iron looses its Umphh simply re-tin it and it will be good as new. I have used this process for 10 plus years and still have the same tips.

I don't recall ever having a tip wear out. However, using it as a pry bar is a different thing. They don't like that.

I apparently let mine get too hot or something once and lost a huge hunk of the tip. Still use it but should probably replace it soon.

The type of tip you use and how often you use it will determine how long your tip lasts. Narrow tips used a lot won't last long. The tip physically deteriorates.

I use a cheap Weller iron with a narrow tip and have to change it every few months. I fix pins for a living, so I use it a lot. If you're not sure, get a new tip. They're cheap and new tips make solder melt like butter. The sooner you're playing the game, the better.

In the past 6 years, I’ve replaced one tip, chisel type, and I use my iron literally every day. I keep it tinned, particularly when I turn it off.

I don’t replace mine often, but I do buy cheep ones. Over time I find they bend a little or the tip warps, then I just plop a new one in for what cost me a few cents. I’m also still using the cheap iron that came in a tool kit I bought about 30 years ago. Probably about time for me to spring for something a little nicer.

One of my wellers' tips is 32 years old and still works fine. (Granted, it's the iron I rarely use)

The only time you really need to replace the beefier tips is if you're in the habit of leaving your iron on for long periods of time, idle. People at work absolutely used to *KILL* tips by coming in, turning on their soldering station, and letting it sit most of the day idle. (Rarely do we solder....)

It got so bad the parts guy refused to provide any more tips. Soldering with a tip with plating gone is no fun unless you like juggling molten balls of solder.

I do the same, clean the tip then add some solder before i put it in the holder and turn it off. I don’t use mine as often as some folks on here but mine looks great. I have spare tips (somewhere) that i’ve not needed in 5 years. I prefer the smaller screwdriver type tips, i’ve never used a pointed one.

Using Pb solder, my tips last a very long time (Hakko FX951, cheap orange Weller station) and replacement is usually due to physical wear rather than loss of coating.

Using Pb-free (rare, because I hate working with the stuff) they seem to deteriorate much faster.

Regardless, the key is to forestall oxidation and physical wear of the tip coating for as long as possible.

What I have found that works for me:
Always use good quality solder; I have had the best results with Kester, Multicore, and AIM (Cardas “quad eutectic” is the absolute best I’ve ever used, but it’s tailored to audio gear, expensive, and severe overkill for a pin). Also make sure the tip stays tinned and shiny at all times, particularly if left hot for prolonged periods (if your soldering station has a “sleep” function like the Hakkos, definitely use it), and tin before powering off. Finally, clean the tip with a sponge moistened with DISTILLED water only (very important, especially if your tap water has high mineral content), and use the abrasive brass wool type cleaners sparingly (only when the tip can’t be tinned adequately after a couple of swipes on a wet sponge).

A genuine hakko lasts a long, long time until I drop the iron or mangle the tip in some accidental forceful way. Can last through 50lbs of solder rolls if I am super careful. I usually replace when they get a burr and start scratching the PCB material.

I don't use wet sponge to clean. Just the metal shavings stuff. Also have a bad habit of flinging excess solder with burn flux off the tip into a trash can.

Great vid, thanks for sharing

Hakko tips have been the best for me regarding longevity. I only use the brass to clean and never use a wet sponge, even with distilled water it led to premature tip failure.