Yep the big boxes do sell weller stuff. But a good place to know is Sam Ash's parts department on the top floor of Sam Ash (on 48th near 7th ave) has lot of parts for the diy'er. They have all the weller irons and a multitude of tips, plus they have tons of nice tools and connectors, heatshrink, cable, techflex, etc. All the guys in the parts department know me on a first name basis.