Soldering station - advice ? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: Johndowacc
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 10, 2013, 08:34:58 am
content: Hi guys,I am a first year Uni student (EE) and now I am looking for a good soldering station for general use. I am looking for something in the price range of up to 60pounds /100$. What do you think about these :http://www.amazon.co.uk/60W-PROTECTION-SOLDERING-IRON-STATION/dp/B004X25LW8/ref=sr_1_1?s=diy&ie=UTF8&qid=1362902215&sr=1-1http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fixpoint%C2%AE-Digital-soldering-temperature-fixpoint/dp/B001G2LVE0/ref=sr_1_8?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1362900958&sr=1-8http://www.amazon.co.uk/Toolcraft-ST80-D-Digital-Soldering-Station/dp/B003A5UVVA/ref=pd_sim_sbs_ce_2Thanks for your help!

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 10, 2013, 08:43:24 am
content: The main thing to keep in mind when buying a no-name or uncommon brand soldering station is the tips.You want an iron that takes good quality tips produced by a good company.A no-name soldering station with a good quality tip (eg hakko) will perform very well.

author: Bored@Work
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 10, 2013, 09:05:21 am
content: First and last ones are probably rebadged ATTENs, the second one is a Zhongdi. All prices seem to be on the high side for these stations.If you can't get a good brand and have to choose between those I would prefer the Zhongdi over anything ATTEN, although that particular Zhongdi is an old model. If you can instead get a real soldering station I wouldn't touch any station from your list.

author: Amarbir[Lynx-India]
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 10, 2013, 09:22:39 am
content: Quote from: Johndowacc on March 10, 2013, 08:34:58 amSir ,Some brands and models to consider ..1 : Weller WES51 should be in stock with many people in uk .2 : Hakko FX-888 " Though EOL You can still get it "3 : Goot PX-501 The one i was sinces ages .

author: Johndowacc
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 10, 2013, 12:00:37 pm
content: Thank you for your help !HAKKO FX-888 seems like a good choice...the problem is that I don't know if I am buying a genuine one or not (especially when in the description I read something like"manual only in Chinese")... I prefer using amazon.co.uk but for some reason most soldering stations there are unknown brands... Is it really worth spending more money on soldering station like Weller WES51 considering that I am still a student and I don't really need something great... By the way as far as I know toolcraft is a German brand, does anybody have any experience with it ?

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 10, 2013, 12:23:00 pm
content: You can still get the 936 clones very cheaply. They take standard Hakko tips, replacement parts are plentiful, and the control circuit uses jellybean parts.

author: Amarbir[Lynx-India]
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 10, 2013, 12:28:11 pm
content: Quote from: Johndowacc on March 10, 2013, 12:00:37 pmSir ,Do Some Research before you answer the posts .The fx-888 and the weller seem to be priced same and so is goot .If you ask me i will say go for goot .Its there on toolboom and many sites with delivery to all countries .I Personally Do Not Sell Most items internationally even being a dealer and i am never biased .I made a small blog to quench my thirst of electronics - >www.lynxchandigarh.com.I am still adding stuff in the top menu's like about us and all ,But i have posted a few Hindi/English Video Blogs .The PX-501 i use is years old might be 10+

author: flolic
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 10, 2013, 12:33:56 pm
content: Any 936 clone with original Hakko tips. Fake tips looks good, until you compare them with original. Original ones perform magnitude better.

author: Amarbir[Lynx-India]
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 10, 2013, 12:38:18 pm
content: Quote from: flolic on March 10, 2013, 12:33:56 pmWell,i Do Not Recommend It .The Wand In The Goot Is 80 WAtts Also

author: G7PSK
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 10, 2013, 12:52:01 pm
content: Try Circuit specialists Europe, I got a soldering station from them and it turned out that the tips at least were Ayoue.I have had the unit for a year now and not had any trouble with it, not been able to fault it at all really. Circuit specialist also stock spares for what they sell.http://www.circuitspecialists.eu/

author: Bored@Work
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 10, 2013, 02:21:11 pm
content: Quote from: Johndowacc on March 10, 2013, 12:00:37 pmToolcraft is a label that Conrad slaps onto cheap tools they get from Asian OEMs. Just like Conrad slaps their Voltcraft label onto cheap Asian instruments to make them look more valuable. It is just a marketing gimmick, not a brand with any real pedigree.This Toolcraft thing there is likely an ATTEN AT204D or a similar station from that series. ATTEN in turn has a nasty habit to copy the look of other manufacturers, so there is a small chance that Conrad got the station from another OEM, but I doubt it. ATTEN's copies are popular because they are cheap.

author: ddavidebor
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 10, 2013, 04:12:00 pm
content: I've an atten digital station.The quality is very good for the price, and the tip are good, cheap and simple to find.I prefer it to the old weller i also use.

author: jpb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 10, 2013, 04:57:15 pm
content: I assume that you are in the UK.The Hakko 888 is very good but out of your price range. There is only one dealer in the UK and that is DanCap:http://www.dancap.co.uk/soldering/fx888.htmlThe price for the 888 is £88:18 + £10 p&p + VAT which comes to £118 which is roughly double your budget (I know this because I'm looking at buying a soldering stationat present and trying to decide between the Hakko 888D and the Esra i-Con nano which is even more expensive).My suggestion would be to scrape and save to get the Hakko (Birthday and Christmas presents for the next ten years perhaps!) as I think if you get something less for £60you'll end up wanting to replace later anyway.

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 10, 2013, 05:06:20 pm
content: Quote from: Johndowacc on March 10, 2013, 12:00:37 pmYou could consider the Antex TCS230, a standalone temperature controlled iron:http://www.antex.co.uk/product.asp?strParents=&CAT_ID=180&P_ID=828Antex is a brand with an established history in the UK so you should not have any trouble getting a genuine item, spare tips will be readily available, and the price is quite reasonable at £55.

author: KJDS
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 10, 2013, 07:33:35 pm
content: It's been a long time since I've used a cheap soldering station.I really like JBC, but I also like having a good range of different tips, so for home use can't justify them. I suspect if I did more soldering than I do then I'd find a way to make the man maths work. Instead I stick with a pair of Metcal SP200s. I like having two because removing SMT parts becomes trivial. The bits for the Metcals aren't cheap, but there's a good selection readily available at a sensible price and they do manage to get good heat into small bits quickly, not as fast as a JBC but quickly enough for home use.I've used many Wellers over the years, but for really small work they never quite got it right, and their little irons, whilst not brilliant for small stuff are poor for big stuff. For really big stuff, their big irons are as good as any I've used.I did have a quick play with an Aoyue recently and that seemed to work ok but wasn't something I'd choose to buy.

author: Amarbir[Lynx-India]
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 10, 2013, 07:49:25 pm
content: Sir ,Goot i found here ->http://gsmserver.com/shop/equipment/soldering_assembly/by_brands/goot/

author: Johndowacc
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 10, 2013, 07:50:34 pm
content: Quote from: jpb on March 10, 2013, 04:57:15 pmWell, if I can justify the difference in price between Hakko and some of the other stations I can give some more money...The point is that I am still a beginner (1st year student) so I need soldering station from time to time for trivial soldering (nothing special). So far nobody said what is the real advantage of buying good brand soldering station (apart of the obvious -reliability )...I found this :http://www.bestofferbuy.com/Genuine-HAKKO-FX888-70W-Soldering-Station-AC-220V-p-78181.html?currency=GBP&utm_source=gbase&utm_medium=cse&utm_campaign=gbase_uk&gclid=CIaN5r_08rUCFUbKtAodNWoA6Ait is for 73 pounds and free shipping. The word "genuine" in the description is what makes me think that it might be far from genuinebut 73 pounds still sounds reasonably if it is really genuine... Apart of that from what I can see from the pictures it doesn't really look like something of good quality... Probably because of the crappy design but since so many people say that it is a good one maybe I will go for it.The other option is to buy something from USA amazon and wait 2 weeks for delivery....P.S Thank you all for your replies ! : )

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 10, 2013, 08:25:56 pm
content: Quote from: Johndowacc on March 10, 2013, 07:50:34 pmA solderingstationoffers no advantage at all, apart from being bigger and taking up more room on your bench.What you really need in an iron is temperature control, and most stations have this, as do some standalone irons like the Antex I mentioned.With temperature control you can adjust the tip temperature so it is just right--hot enough to activate the flux, transfer heat to the joint, and make the solder flow freely, but not so hot that it burns the flux, lifts traces from the board or damages sensitive components.The nice thing about temperature control is that it can feed a lot of heat into the job when needed, but automatically dial the heat flow back and keep the tip at the right temperature when the heat is not needed.

author: Johndowacc
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 10, 2013, 08:41:38 pm
content: What about the power ? Should I get 50w or 80w ? I intend to do mostly small electronics soldering so I guess 50w should be more than enough but the price difference is not big anyway so maybe I should get 80w soldering station? I just talked with a friend who is using toolcraft station and he said that so far he didn't have problems with it...If anybody has experience with toolcraft, please tell us your opinion : ) The other one which I am considering now is Weller WHS40 Z. I probably won't risk buying hakko from China considering the possibility to end up having some cheap fake...I have no idea why most of the good brand soldering stations are not widely available in the UK or if they are they are more expensive than the same thing in the US(amazon.com)...

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 10, 2013, 09:57:30 pm
content: 50 W would be OK for small electronics soldering.Is there a reason you are not responding to my Antex suggestion? If you have a reason for not liking that idea that's fine, but you don't seem to have acknowledged it either yes or no. That iron would be readily available and the price is good.

author: Telstar
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 10, 2013, 10:17:07 pm
content: Quote from: IanB on March 10, 2013, 08:25:56 pmIf the power is enough, he can find in UK the JBC regulated iron for around 60£ IIRC, but I remember it's only 50W. Google it.

author: potatogun96
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 11, 2013, 03:28:52 am
content: Even though the Hakko FX-888 is expensive, it was well worth it. I bought one and couldn't be happier. It is overkill for my needs, but it works amazing and will last 30 years.

author: ddavidebor
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 11, 2013, 06:10:11 am
content: Oh a thing... Be sure that the solder doesn't look like the one in the atten-98zd.There are a lot of chinese good quality solder station with this sucking solder that will burn your hands and broke into 1000 pieces.Be sure if you pick up a chinese station that it has a solder like the atten 938d

author: midasgossye
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 11, 2013, 06:32:12 am
content: I would suggest a hakko soldering station. The price/quality is THE best!

author: iamnothim
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 11, 2013, 07:18:34 am
content: I love my 888.I'm a novice and it is very easy to work with for both new work and rework.It comes up to temp quickly and is very accurate. I noticed this between rework and new work.Because I'm a novice the separate holding/cleaning stand is great.As clumsy as I am, I'm not going to knock it over.The integral cleaner amazes me..... Sponge, rubber scraper, and the wire wool.Well thought out and easy to use, esp. for a beginner that loses track of where the iron is.

author: Eonir
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 11, 2013, 08:49:58 am
content: Many people use cheap chinese 936 clones. They are repairable, have tons of tips available, they're cheap.If you want to perhaps save a bit of money on your station and have it functional until you earn some money on a better one, sure, you could buy one of these.Just don't expect them to work for too long. I once bought one that worked for a whole few minutes out of the box - the temperature sensor was broken and it burned its heating element. It wouldn't take a lot of effort to put failsafes in your device to prevent that sort of thing from happening. But unfortunately, I have yet to find a well designed soldering station that's cheap.If you want to buy something that will work for many years, stick to brand names!

author: Markybhoy
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 11, 2013, 04:53:46 pm
content: I use a Xytronic Station and have had no issues with it. For your budget you could get a Xytronic LF-389D from rapidonline.

author: andreiu21
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 11, 2013, 05:15:41 pm
content: I can recommend the "I-Con Pico" from ERSAhttp://www.tme.eu/en/details/ersa-i-conpico/soldering-stations/ersa/i-con-pico/I used it all summer long at my local CB radio repair shop where I worked as repair guy, and starting from soldering smd stuff until desoldering massive metal shields with great thermal mass inside radios, and I was very impressed of the station's capabilities.It's true that the price is a bit higher, around 200$, but if you really use it daily, it makes difference.

author: Amarbir[Lynx-India]
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 11, 2013, 05:38:32 pm
content: Quote from: IanB on March 10, 2013, 08:25:56 pm,Well what are you talking about ? .The soldering station offers no advantage ? .Let me clear this .There are two type of soldering stations with and without transformer .The Goot PX-501 i quoted before is without one .The with transformer one has better isolation to mains and even less tip leakage .The other matter of fact is that When the tip is actually giving its heat to a large ground plane your product will have no juice in it to handle that also . The thread starter was asking that whats the difference between 50 watts and 80 watts the thing is that the 80 watts wand will not blow your pcb tracks as you can temperature control the same .The Advantage would be that when you need the power you will have the juice .There are many people selling old brand name stations and wands everywhere grab one of these .Put a brand new tip and enjoy life .If you will follow this great remember me sometimes that there was a guy who gave you the right advice ,if not then remember me more thinking oh god i wish i had done what he said.I would also recommend you plato USA tips for all type of stations .They have and make kick ass products .you will not regret this at all .

author: dvdt
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 11, 2013, 08:12:44 pm
content: I have a Aoyue 906 SMD soldering repairing station, with soldering iron and hot air. I like it because i can use hakko tips.

author: shadowcomputer
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 11, 2013, 10:01:13 pm
content: Some people already recommended the Weller WES51. I would recommend spending the extra and getting the Weller WESD51. It's more money but the digital temperature display is really nice to have. With the analog one you have to guess what the temperature is. If you ever need to solder temp sensitive parts it will be worth having.

author: Johndowacc
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 11, 2013, 11:22:20 pm
content: Thank you, guys. I really appreciate your help ! I will probably go for Weller WHS40 Z or the version with digital temp. display.. I still think it is above my needs but I guess I won't need to replace it in near future so it should be a good investmentAbout the Antex soldering iron - I actually prefer having soldering station and their cheapest is 135 pounds which is much more than what I intend to spend on soldering station.

author: peterthenovice
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2013, 05:01:35 am
content: http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-3-in-1-853D-Rework-Soldering-Station-Air-Gun-Solder-Iron-DC-Power-Supply-Set-/370723158665?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5650d27a89Is this station any good?

author: commerou
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2013, 08:24:46 am
content: I use a weller ws51 which is very nice, I am currently saving up for a Weller WD2M and a weller wmrp

author: nanofrog
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2013, 11:29:29 pm
content: I have a Weller WD1 + WMP + WP80. But if I had to do it over again, I'd either go for the Hakko FX-951 on the less expensive side, or go with JBC (both have heating elements in the tip). My reason for this, is due to a decline in QC from Weller as of late (mine's been fine so far, but the reports make me nervous considering the cost of repair parts).

author: blewisjr
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 14, 2013, 08:11:07 pm
content: Has anyone had a chance to try out the new Hakko FX-888D. Looks like it is the FX-888 but digital instead of standard dial display. Was thinking of picking one of these up.http://www.hakkousa.com/detail.asp?CID=49&PID=5085&Page=1Only $108 seems like a good deal.

author: mariush
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 14, 2013, 08:34:49 pm
content: Adafruit has the non-d version for 95$ :https://www.adafruit.com/products/303Sparkfun has it for 100$https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10553And you can get the new one on eBay from a good seller for 92$http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hakko-FX888D-23BY-FX888-Digital-Read-out-Adjustable-Temp-Soldering-Station-/380553856557?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item589ac7062dAnd the old one from same seller at 83$ :http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hakko-FX888-23BY-FX888-Soldering-Station-Replace-model-936-12-/380578774054?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item589c433c26Not including whatever shipping fees ebay charges/.

author: nanofrog
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 15, 2013, 02:26:03 am
content: Quote from: blewisjr on March 14, 2013, 08:11:07 pmI looked at a .pdf copy of the manual, and though it's not the nicest way to control a digital station, and is missing some of the nicer features (i.e. sleep), it's usable IMHO, and the price is right for a good station for a hobbyist (without spending an arm+leg).But as mentioned, the analog versions are still available as well, so you still have a choice ATM between the two. Just don't wait too long if you prefer the analog model.