X-Tronic 9020 - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: megahz
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2013, 08:48:37 pm
content: I was looking at good digital rework and soldering stations, and I ran into this? should I get it? It is a brand new soldering station, came out in November 2012 so there are no reviews on youtube, and from general comments on it from Amazon, it doesn't seem that bad. The previous version of this soldering station/hot air rework station, the X-Tronic 4040, had good reviews, so should I get it?http://www.amazon.com/X-TRONIC-9020-XTS-SOLDERING-STATION-EXTRACTOR/dp/B00A2VQA24/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1364762767&sr=8-1&keywords=xtronic+9020

author: megahz
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 04, 2013, 11:04:05 pm
content: I just got the X-Tronic 9020, and I love it, the soldering iron is an exact copy of Hakko, in fact the extra heating element that came with it was a Hakko. I don't know about the Hot air though, I have never had an electronics hot air gun before, only the ones that are not for electronics. Costumer service is great, during shipping one of the Hot air nozzles were damaged so I sent them an email and they replied in 1 hour!! That's record time, and they are sending me a replacement for free! I love this station so far, even though its pretty big, and if you want to buy it here is the link (I am not associated with X-Tronic, I just rly love the station)http://www.amazon.com/X-TRONIC-9020-XTS-SOLDERING-STATION-EXTRACTOR/dp/B00A2VQA24/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1365116555&sr=8-1&keywords=xtronic+9020

author: nanofrog
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2013, 12:03:47 am
content: Quote from: megahz on April 04, 2013, 11:04:05 pmIt may say Hakko, but that may not actually be the case.Hakko's products are faked as well as cloned, including consumables such as tips and heaters. There's posts out there that have done comparisons of both the item in question and packaging it came in, and it can be hard to spot.Here's a few examples:Faked 936:http://www.head-fi.org/t/531570/is-this-a-counterfeit-hakko-936Faked 900M series tips:http://www.badcaps.net/forum/showthread.php?t=23302(you'll need to make an account to see the pics, and may also notice that some of the posters are also members here).They may work just fine, so this is just to let you know, not rain on your happiness with your new station.But because of stuff like this, I don't trust a brand label without question anymore, especially if the source is eBay, dealextreme, ... where it's likely their products are sourced from China. One way to try and avoid getting fakes, is order from an authorized distributor (and even that's not a 100% guarantee either, as they get duped from time to time as well).

author: megahz
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2013, 12:58:15 am
content: X-Tronic is a U.S company, and the stuff is made in China, But I still love the station regardless

author: nanofrog
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2013, 01:30:20 am
content: Quote from: megahz on April 05, 2013, 12:58:15 amPlease don't misunderstand, I'm not disparaging your purchase. Just trying to make you aware that though it may say "X brand", it may not be in reality. Nothing more.These days, it's absolutely up to the buyer to be sure of what they're buying, especially if it's based on a particular brand/label. Thus what we might think a bargain, may or may not be. I see it as a crap shoot, but the odds are against us as a general rule in my experience (the buyer).One exception if you will, would be finding the actual manufacturer if a product is actually rebranded (such as discovering a tool maker's source, such as Schmitz for electronics pliers that get rebranded as CK, NWS, and others). Not a fake, just cutting out the middle man and their profits if you will.

author: megahz
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2013, 01:32:07 am
content: Well I found the same heating element and Hakko accessories on the Hakko website, and they say Hakko on it so... the goot wick that I got with it is fake tho, that means I now have 2 rolls of fake goot wick

author: megahz
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2013, 01:52:39 am
content: anyway If I do end up just getting a piece of crap it does have a 1yr warranty