New soldering station: "old" branded stations vs "new cartridge" Chinese ones - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: freethrow
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: June 30, 2025, 02:12:45 pm
content: My home lab old soldering station is about to die, so it's time for a replacement.I do 80% TH, 20% SMT. So many people are fan of the T12/JBC clone stations, which are "new" cartridge technology. However, I'm not fully convinced about the quality control on those stations, and given that usually you get them through Aliexpress, getting any kind of warranty is impossible; but the price is very low.I'd prefer to go with a station from a well established brand, but in any case here are the candidates:Ersa icon pico MK.2: I've used the MK1 at the university some years ago, really liked the low tip-handle distance. Too bad the MK.2 now is more expensive.Ersa RDS80: cheaper. Longer tip-handle distance. Big ass tips (really, they look huge on photo!).KSGER T12: incredibly cheap (around 40€ from Aliexpress). Active tips. Short tip-handle distance. QC is totally random - some people got it with different specs. Grounding is random. Uses a SMPS.I didn't pick Hakko on purpose because my old station was a FX888 clone and I didn't particularly like the shape of the handle.So, which station fits best my needs? I'd really like to have some feedback on the RDS80, since I've never used one.

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 30, 2025, 09:52:52 pm
content: Plenty of discussion here that you can easily search through. RDS80 sounds old tech and people were ranting against it here recentlyhttps://www.eevblog.com/forum/beginners/soldering-station-361633/https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/soldering-station-jbc-ersa-or-weller-decsions-decisions/Ksger T12 IS a clone station so not sure why you included it in your list if you are not willing to consider those.icon pico is not ESD safe, and not super powerful (68W), but should be fine for most use cases. I think the nano is more recommended:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/ersa-i-con-nano-and-nano-mk2-differences/No mention of budget or what you are using it for.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 30, 2025, 10:00:21 pm
content: Forget about RDS80, it's an outdated junk. Performance of KSGER depends on the quality of cartridges. Some are decent, some are shit. I-CON is better that genuine HAKKO T12, for better performance you'd need one that uses C245 cartridges and use genuine JBC cartridges. Some clone cartridges might be good too, but it will be hard to figure out without testing them yourself.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 30, 2025, 10:07:57 pm
content: Quote from: thm_w on June 30, 2025, 09:52:52 pmUnless you use huge tips, something larger than 5mm chisel, it's not even possible to push more power through the tip (JBC is not an exception). With more power at best you get a bit faster temperature recovery at expense of overshoot.

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 30, 2025, 11:29:09 pm
content: Quote from: wraper on June 30, 2025, 10:07:57 pmmx5200 will pull 80W from the wall into a 1.8mm tip (STTC-137) onto copper, about 60W of that is heat, zero overshoot. You can try some shorter "power" tips and you might see higher numbers.As I said, 68W from the pico is enough for most use cases but as usual OP doesn't provide enough info to give a conclusive recommendation (budget, use case).

author: ndarjo21
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 30, 2025, 11:41:21 pm
content: is powered by smps and linear transformer matter? about overshoot and temperature recovery? is separated winding and one winding in secondary side of transformer matter too?

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 01, 2025, 12:21:35 am
content: Quote from: ndarjo21 on June 30, 2025, 11:41:21 pmnoQuoteToo much overshoot might damage the part, if you are dealing with high spec equipment. But more overshoot usually means faster temperature recovery, so, some overshoot is usually worth the tradeoff.QuoteThat would only be relevant for a dual handle station. You only use one iron at a time generally, so I'd say it doesn't matter.Probably better to watch some professional reviews:https://www.youtube.com/@sdgelectronics

author: ftg
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 01, 2025, 10:22:20 am
content: There is also the fun issue of some 210 and 245 stations pushing some pulsed DC to the tip, apparently due to how the tip is driven.Outside of it having potentially destroyed some RF transistors and MMIC's I have no major complaints of the Aifen A9E I have.I posted some scope pictures and video here:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/aixun-t3a-misbehaving-on-grounded-pcbs/msg5957093/#msg5957093If I can't figure out a fix for it, I think it will be relegated to soldering just wires and grounds.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 01, 2025, 11:03:40 am
content: Quote from: freethrow on June 30, 2025, 02:12:45 pmI have no idea why Ersa bothers selling the RDS80 anymore. It’s an ancient model with slow heating, large tip-to-grip distance, and obnoxiously stiff cable to the iron.Don’t bother with the icon pico: as others said, it’s not ESD-safe. The icon nano is.Because all electronics have gotten more expensive over the past few years, the Mk2 costs more than the Mk1 did. But the Mk2 tips are cheaper, so you’ll save money in the long run.I prefer the usability of the “big” icon stations (accelerometer-based sleep, power switch on the front, backlit display, better/more menu options without needing a PC to configure). I own the icon nano mk1 at home, but if I were choosing one today, I would have gotten one of the “big” models. I chose an icon 2V Mk2 at work.

author: freethrow
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: July 02, 2025, 01:24:04 pm
content: Well, thanks for the replies! RDS80 is out of the game then.Additional information:Budget: max 200€The station is for my home lab. I already have other tools at work.I'd like some quality. And a station that can last many years (10 years at least would be great)Except for occasional repairs, I usually work on dual layer pcbs onlyAs I said initially, I do 80% THT - 20% SMTAbout ESD: my home lab isn't the most compliant from this point of view (no mat on the bench, no wristband...), so I don't think it would really matter. And, to be honest, I would trust more a station that is certified non ESD safe over one that claims it is without any certification (any reference to Chinese brands is purely a case... but I remember a JBC-style station that pushed out enough current from its tip to turn an LED on, despite being marketed as ESD safe).

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 02, 2025, 05:10:20 pm
content: Quote from: freethrow on July 02, 2025, 01:24:04 pmI think “I haven’t taken any ESD measures so far, so I won’t take any going forward” is a bad idea. Get an ESD mat (and ground it properly) at a minimum. This isn’t expensive.200 euro is a tight budget for a good name brand station. Unless you consider getting a used one, which I don’t consider a bad idea at all. It just requires some patience.(To give you an idea of the kinds of savings that can be achieved, I got a Pace desoldering station for under $150, including around $100 in new tips and supplies, for a model still available new at the time for around $1100.) Just avoid Weller: it goes for way too much on the secondhand market. People pay absolutely stupid prices for used Weller.

author: freethrow
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: July 03, 2025, 09:16:11 am
content: I've never took used stations too much in consideration, mostly because too often you would find old, destroyed Wellers for which people are always asking too much (as you said). But now I've seen that for the same price of a new I-con pico MK2 (about 185€) I can get a barely used I-con nano MK1. Perhaps this would be the best choice...About ESD: I totally agree with you. My lab at work is fully ESD compliant, with ESD floor mats, bench mats, separate grounding posts etc., so I'm not a total novice about it. But if we are talking about a home lab, personally I think things should be more relaxed from this point of view. I will get an ESD mat in any case, since I'm restructuring my home lab.