I ended up getting this soldering iron for my wife.

They must have paid attention to all the bad reviews, this iron works great! Really.

- The holder is now all metal

- It gets plenty hot, in-fact you will want to dial it down some.

- I found the tip to be very reliable and stays tinned, cleans easily

$19.99

http://www.microcenter.com/product/391342/Low-Cost_Soldering_Station