A good soldering station for us who can't get the cheap Hakko FX-888? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: Agurkmix
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: July 01, 2013, 12:38:04 pm
content: Hi.I'm looking for my first proper soldering station, having only used old Weller's which have performed ok, but not very good on temperature control.I see many recommend the Hakko FX-888 or 888D, but I can't find it with a decent price when it comes to the 230V-version with the EU-plug.Do I simply dish up the extra cost for the 230V Hakko, or are there any good alternatives in the Hakko 110V price range?

author: Spikee
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 01, 2013, 03:29:41 pm
content: I consider JBC as the best but they are expensive. My JBC CD-2BC station beats all the wellers and other soldering stations i have ever used. But at the price of 350€ you have to ask if it is worth it for you. JBC can get you a free demo unit trough your local dealer.LINK:http://www.jbctools.com/cd-2bc-soldering-station-for-general-purposes-product-710-category-1-menu-1.html

author: chibiace
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 01, 2013, 04:29:15 pm
content: did you try any weller magnastat irons?, i found the temperature on them to be ok.get a jbc if you think you will be doing alot of soldering, they have a huge range of tips.the hakko is a solid unit though but both the analog and digital versions have flaws in the design. that lack of power indicator is very annoying on the analog version but i would still recommend it over the digital.save up if you have to. watch some reviews in the meantime, if its a tool for life. go for quality no doubt.

author: tld
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 02, 2013, 08:01:52 pm
content: Quote from: Agurkmix on July 01, 2013, 12:38:04 pmGiven your nickname, I'm going to assume you're Norwegian, or close by.If that's the case, then there's a decent soldering station at Clas Ohlson, for 599,-. I'm fairly certain it's a Hakko clone, but don't hold me to it. I own what I think is a previous non-OEMed version of the same. It's not fancy, but it does the job, and it does it surprisingly well.Also, Elfa will be more than happy to sell you a Weller WHS 40 for NOK 666,- plus taxes. Note that they do occasionally offer fairly steep discounts, I think I got my soldering station for about half off.- tld

author: ddavidebor
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 02, 2013, 08:49:36 pm
content: Atten at60d, resonable quality and super cheap

author: poorchava
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 03, 2013, 08:23:45 am
content: Xytronic LF1600/LF2000/LF3000.Price is more than ok, quality is ok (based in LF1600 that I have). It's only worth to replace crappy capacitors and you're good to go. Obviously there's no comparison to JBC or Metcal, but the price for Xytronic is around 4x-5x lower than for JBC/Metcal (at least in EU).

author: brainwash
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 03, 2013, 05:14:46 pm
content: What about the Ersa iCon Pico?

author: poorchava
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 04, 2013, 07:11:38 am
content: Depending on the funds available Ersa may be the way to go - it's a reputable company. On the other hand Pico is only like 40W, so not suitable for heavy work (large groundplanes, heavy gauge wires etc)

author: brainwash
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 04, 2013, 08:49:17 am
content: It says 80W max power:http://www.ersa.com/index.php?modul=entry&id=347&entry_id=5060&sub_id=347&max=1&cont=&cont_add=My old iron is starting to chew the tip and I cannot find any replacements, I am also on the lookout for a nice station.