What wattage soldering iron do I need for electronics?

For general electronics and PCB work, 60–80W stations are the sweet spot across the reviewers we read. Higher-wattage cartridge stations (120W+) using JBC-style C210/C245 tips deliver max power on demand and recover faster, which specialist subreddit consensus prefers for lead-free solder and ground planes. Sub-40W pencil irons can struggle with larger joints.