Dave at the eevblog uses a cheapie
and he seems to think it works pretty good.
BTW anyone interested in electronics should check out his
youtube vids and
forum.
I bought an AOYUE 909, but only because it has an adjustable DC power supply and extra soldering iron all in one. I can't remember what I paid, but to be honest I like the iron on it better than my Weller. It heats up way faster, but I haven't tracked down different tips for it - if they exist. It is a 220 volt unit so I use a step up transformer, this may be why the iron heats up faster, not sure, but they do have 110V units.
Checking ebay it looks like $200 is average and that sounds like about what I paid two years ago.
Mine came with a few different nozzles, but it uses a standard nozzle type so buying other types is easy though not really necessary for hobbyist use.