Need a soldering station - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: bpye
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 12, 2014, 03:14:17 pm
content: As per the title I am looking for a new station as my previous crappy non temperature controlled iron finally died. Looking to buy something that should last for the forseeable future and so I'm happy to spend up to around £200, which seems to put me in the range of the FX951 and Ersa I-Con Nano. The former has only one supplier over here which isn't ideal (Dancap) and they don't seem huge. Ersa sells through Farnell and Conrad which is certainly more encouraging for the future. Between the two irons they seem quite similar with the FX951 having the slight advantage with the newer style tips and switch based standby. Between the two, or other irons what would be best? Of course if they are far too much for a hobbyist then I'm not opposed to saving money either.

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 12, 2014, 03:20:13 pm
content: WelcomeBeen in the same spot myself.Spend time waiting for advice and purchase in good time.In the meanwhile get any reasonable mains pencil type that will do for now and give you handy portability in the future.

author: Sebastian
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 12, 2014, 10:00:24 pm
content: I have the icon nano and I highly recommend it in that price range. My school recently bought some as well and they are used frequently but it looks like they hold up quiet well.The selection of tips is also good, as you already know. I don't know the other station you are talking about, so I cant give you good advice on which one to get, I would get the one with better supply of accessories tho.

author: bpye
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 12, 2014, 11:30:48 pm
content: Quote from: Sebastian on July 12, 2014, 10:00:24 pmYeah that's been my thought, the Hakko FX951 has the heater and sensor integrated into the tip which supposedly provides better thermal performance, but also increases the cost of tips and as I said they are less available. I guess I was wondering if the better performance outweighed that or not, I suppose it's just based upon what you demand using it. Either will be a huge step up from what I've used so far though, that's for sure.

author: nanofrog
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 13, 2014, 11:11:11 am
content: Quote from: bpye on July 12, 2014, 11:30:48 pmHow does the Hakko come out cost wise vs. the Ersa?I see prices for the tips and such, but the value in the area I'd expect for the station itself is weird (198-79; is this supposed to be 198.79GBP ?). Assuming this is the case, it's more than what I've seen the Ersa Nano go for, but you do get the extra features and tip technology.I'm generally a bit wary of single source suppliers (cost & availability concerns), but Dancap's prices don't appear to be gouged on their end IMHO (not horribly off US prices). Not far off than what some brands for standard plated tips go for either (i.e. Weller). Not as convenient, but worst case scenario, you could get tips from the US if it comes to it, so it's not as huge of a ding in this case as it could be IMHO.FWIW, I'm not too keen on how to change tips on the Hakko. Seems a bit on the tedious side to me (perhaps it's a means to drive sales of extra grips that slide onto the tips to make changing faster and more convenient). Owners of the Ersa say it's quick and easy, so that might be important to you. Past that, the devil will be in the details, and those probably won't be noticed unless you get to trial both of them before making a final decision (i.e. what feels most comfortable and intuitive to use). That said, either will certainly work well, and satisfy your need for a good quality station.

author: bpye
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 13, 2014, 11:26:16 am
content: Quote from: nanofrog on July 13, 2014, 11:11:11 amI think the Hakko comes out just above if Blundell are cheaper as I've seen people say, from Conrad or Farnell it's much the same price. Something that I have realised is that despite being a conventional iron the heating element on the Nano is by no means inexpensive, how often would you end up having to replace it? Someone here is selling an Ersa Icon 1 so I've enquired about that also, depending on how much they want for shipping it could be cheaper than either.

author: nanofrog
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 13, 2014, 05:42:19 pm
content: Quote from: bpye on July 13, 2014, 11:26:16 amNot very often IME on a quality station, so long as it's not being abused (don't beat on it or push sideways on the element with a lot of pressure sorts of things). So you should be able to get years of service out of it before it's retired (could be anything from you just want something else to it's dead and cannot be repaired for some reason).If it does die, you could even discover it's a wash cost wise to buy an entire new iron for the station rather than just the element (that way with my Weller WSP80).

author: TopLoser
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 13, 2014, 05:57:05 pm
content: I've still got a pile of new Weller stations and irons at 50% off list price if that helps?WD1, WD2, WD1M, WD2M, WR2 stationsWSP80/WP80 ironsWMRT tweezersWMRP micro ironsDSX80 desoldering toolsWX1, WX2 stationsWXMP micro ironsWXMT tweezersPlus a load of new Pace gear at 50% off as well, 1 2 or 3 output stations with/without air/van. Irons, tweezers, desoldering tools.

author: bpye
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 13, 2014, 06:24:18 pm
content: Quote from: nanofrog on July 13, 2014, 05:42:19 pmWith what TopLoser just posted, would you recommend the WSP80 + WD1 as that comes out at pretty much the same price as every other option I've considered.

author: nanofrog
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 13, 2014, 07:25:14 pm
content: Quote from: bpye on July 13, 2014, 06:24:18 pmThat's what I use (also have a WMP iron, and the stand that connects to the base <option on this station rather than standard>).If the price works out, I'd say give it a serious look, as it will certainly do the job.Do note that Weller does have some issues, but they can be lived with. My biggest issue, is with the variable tip quality for the LT series (what that iron uses). There are 3rd party tips out there that gets around this problem though, should you need to seek out alternatives (duds run ~1 in 3 for me, which is what I expect from a no-name supplier based in Asia, not a tier 1 product manufacturer).Here's a couple of threads that might be of interest:Weller WMD-3 repairDissolving soldering tips by Weller?