I've used those $8 soldering irons from RadioShack for decades. They suck. I've always wanted a "real" soldering iron station but could never see myself dropping $250-$300 on a Weller. I found the Hakko FX-888 on SparkFun for $100. It looked pretty cool and had some great reviews. I then found it on Amazon for $80. My wife picked it up for me for Christmas. I've already used it and it's great.

https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10553

http://www.amazon.com/Hakko-FX888-FX-888-Soldering-Station/dp/B004M3U0VU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1358169813&sr=8-1&keywords=hakko+fx-888