Soldering station with thin iron - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: ShadowReaper
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: November 09, 2013, 05:45:33 pm
content: Hello,i am looking for a soldering station. I have seen some expensive stations and I liked the thin soldering iron(-pencil), that they had. Are there any cheaper stations for hobbists with such an iron?Thank you

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 09, 2013, 05:46:59 pm
content: The iron that comes with the Hakko FX888 is not the thinnest out there, but it is quite light and comfortable to hold.

author: madires
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 09, 2013, 05:55:12 pm
content: Or maybe ERSA i-CON pico (€140) or nano (€230).

author: nanofrog
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 10, 2013, 01:46:10 am
content: Budget?Location?Would you be willing to buy used (might even be able to get a better station this way for the same funds)?

author: ShadowReaper
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: November 10, 2013, 01:51:04 am
content: Budget:about 150€ (200$)Location: Europe, but I don't mind getting from US, as long as there is a 220v version

author: nanofrog
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 10, 2013, 02:10:29 am
content: Quote from: ShadowReaper on November 10, 2013, 01:51:04 amCan you give the actual country (would help with eBay)?And does that figure have to cover postage & VAT?For used, you could look for brands such as Weller, Ersa, JBC, OKi/Metcal (these aren't temp adjustable; temp is set by the tip), Pace, and Hakko. Just make sure they have all the parts (power + iron at a minimum, and that tips are still available). Some of the old Weller or Ungar could be a problem for example, as the parts & tips have been discontinued for some models.IF you buy a station from the US, it's almost certainly going to be 120V. Possible to use in 220V countries, but would either need to be modified with a 220V transformer, or use a step-down transformer. Not horribly expensive, but it does add a little additional cost and consumes space.

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 10, 2013, 02:45:13 am
content: And just how thin do you want the iron to be?

author: quarros
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 10, 2013, 04:51:51 am
content: The thinnest hand pieces for soldering are either Weller or Metcal products, but unfortunately neither of them is fitting the criteria of your budget goal.http://www.weller.de/products/product.php?pid=4772http://www.okinternational.com/Hand_Soldering_Systems/id-MX-H1-AV/Metcal_Advanced_Soldering_and_Rework_Hand-piece_The only one that comes close in price is the:http://www.okinternational.com/Hand_Soldering_Systems/id-MFR-H1-SC2/MFR_Soldering_Cartridge_Hand-pieceIt is compatible with the cheaper MFR series but still waaay out of your goal.

author: M. András
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 10, 2013, 08:27:35 am
content: that weller thingy is 270euro ffs he said 200. and you didnt even get a station for it. but its a nice pen design but you cant press it hard onto a solder wick the tip itself is a flimsy metal tube which bends 55w max power but with a big tip only. for that 200 you could check for a jbc all in one station too those are thin too

author: willb
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 10, 2013, 08:44:14 am
content: The Pace HW100 is fairly thin, but is certainly not cheap if buying new. However, with some patience, these can be found on ebay for well under 200$.

author: quarros
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 10, 2013, 07:35:31 pm
content: Quote from: M. András on November 10, 2013, 08:27:35 amWell I stated that it is out of the intended budget... Sorry if I emphasized more on thinness than price.Anyways the most viable option(in my personal opinion)for getting a relative cheap usable pencil type soldering station that is close to the intended budget is either a used MX500(I got mine for 150 EUR, with holder, handpiece, and 1 tip), or a new Thermaltronics TMT-2000. The drawback with this is the price of additional tips and the fixed temperature. Well you can't have your cake and eat it.

author: John Coloccia
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 10, 2013, 10:30:36 pm
content: Nothing wrong with a used Hakko...FP-102, FM-202, FX-951, etc. They all have comfortable, thin irons.