I would personally stick to the bigger names of soldering stations. hakko weller etc just because you can buy tips for them just about anywhere.

I bought a weller wlc 100 from sears when they had it on sale for $40. I think they're usually $50.
http://www.amazon.com/Weller-WLC100-.../dp/B000AS28UC

I also tried one of those special tip cleaners that look like steel wool, save your money and time. the sponge works 10Xs better

if you want your tips to last forever and keep getting hot fast be sure to tin your tip when you're done. tinning is basically covering it with solder and letting it cool with it on the tip.

tinning is also what you should do to all the parts before you try to solder them together. and your tip. it makes it hotter and transmits it's heat to the parts faster.

this guy has a great 2 part video how to properly solder

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPD1AIov6tY