You should consider the purchase of a soldering iron as an investment, rather than an expense. A good soldering iron will not only save money by lasting longer than an inexpensive iron, but if your time is worth anything at all to you, it will save you much needless annoyance and wasted effort.
All of the tips we sell for these irons are plated tips. This means that the tips are covered with a special alloy, which resists corrosion. If the tips are wiped occasionally on a wet sponge, they should last many times longer than a copper tip. Obviously, they should not be filed or sand-papered. When you are finished soldering, you should wipe the tip clean, and then apply some solder to the tip and allow it to melt and remain there. This is called "tinning" the iron, and prevents an accumulation of oxides forming while the iron is not in use.
It is of the utmost importance to understand that a soldering iron should not be plugged into the outlet continuously. The iron should be plugged into an outlet which is equipped with a switch or wattage controller.
We know you will be delighted with any one of these soldering irons, and will realize many years of excellent usage from it.