Trying to figure out which Yihua hot air stations are legit/good - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: Cyber Akuma
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 14, 2023, 04:51:26 am
content: I have been looking into getting a hot air rework station for some future projects I want to do that would involve desoldering surface mount components (I am guessing these are not ideal for through-hole and I am better off with a solder sucker/vacuum for those).After Googling and searching on YouTube for quite a bit, the Yihua ones came up a lot for hobbyists, and they are cheaper than I expected, $35-45 seems almost suspiciously cheap. The most common one everyone seemed to recommend was the 858D.However as I looked into the 858D I noticed that there are several ones that claim to be that device but all looked different, I also saw customer reviews warning about flaws that could cause dangerous shocks/shorts:https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R2W9WW1E7W9WEP/https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R33GWOT1ZNP17I/https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R161MQMVW3SG3Z/I have no idea if these are legitimate 858D units or bootlegs, and if the legitimate ones have this issue or not.That's when I ran into the 959D, which seems to be a newer model that supposedly has these issues fixed. It's quite a bit more expensive at around $60-80, still cheaper than I was expecting, but that is nearly double the price of the 858D, and apparently some people complain that it breaks quickly/often?https://www.amazon.com/product-reviews/B08L9BCRN8/?filterByStar=one_starhttps://www.amazon.com/product-reviews/B08BK3M6YW/?filterByStar=one_starOf course, I am not sure how accurate the 1-star reviews can be since people are more likely to complain about an issue than talk about a product that gave no issues, but these seem like a higher number of complaints than normal, regardless, this is why I thought it would be best to ask for opinions here.I did find another 959D that is by another brand than Yihua which has very good reviews... but it also had much less reviews overall. Anyone familiar with this one?https://www.amazon.com/TOAUTO-Station-SMD-Soldering-Extractor-Desoldering/dp/B09J8V52HZ/Is this Yihua brand of hot air rework stations any good? Or should I be looking for something else? I find it suspicious that different brands have similar model numbers, are these all bootlegs of some other known name brand and that is why they are cheap? If so, I wasn't able to find the original brand, I thought Yihua was the original brand. EEVBlog also had a video where they mentioned Yihua is a legitimate brand that tries to stop bootlegs, but all of these Yihua ones looked like bootlegs themselves.A lot of the ones on Amazon are from a place claiming to be "YIHUA OFFICIAL STORE", is this the actual official store? It looks fake to me, like some random bootleg store trying to fool people into thinking they are the official Yihua store on Amazon.In my search of trying to find their official outlets I ran into "yihuaofficialstore" on eBay which I am assuming is fake too. Mostly because said eBay store claims to have the "959D-II" instead of the 959D which they is described as an upgraded model, and it used to cost more (prices on Amazon appear top have gone up on all of these), but I can't find that on Yihua actual corporate page where they list their products, only the standard 959D (which is listed as the "969D/959D").On Amazon the 959D looks different too (Black faceplate with a plastic looking knob) than the one on Yihua's official page (Silver faceplate with a metallic looking knob)Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08BK3M6YW/eBay:https://www.ebay.com/itm/385017671816So I am just confused how, I have tried Googling information for a few days now and can't find any conclusive information on who is official, which if any are fake, if any of the claims about dangerous faults on the 858D or failures of the 959D are real, which storefront if any of these are real, and which of these models are even real or fake.Can anyone help me make sense of all this to try to find a decent budget hot air rework station?EDIT: Also just to clarify, I don't need one that also has a soldering iron. I have a Hakko FX-888D, I just need a separate hot air rework station.

author: slavoy
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 14, 2023, 07:19:42 am
content: It all boils down to a simple thing: you get what you pay for. The 858D model is sold by various Chinese (and not-Chinese) brands under a thousand different names and colors. The process of finding the least faulty version is not worth the effort compared to the value of the station itself.These cheapest hotair stations can often fail shortly after the initial use. Finding a unit that will work reliably for a long time is a matter of luck. I was fortunate to have that luck myself, but some of my friends did notThey have low power and airflow, making them suitable for working only with small components. The handle with a built-in fan is delicate, and sometimes even a minor drop from a low height can cause it to break internally. It cannot be considered a well-constructed device, regardless of the branding or labels on the casing. But it works... sometimesIf you want to buy it, do it at a local store so that you can quickly exchange it in case of any issues.Quoteyeye, only official yihua is legit and the bestQuoteA decent budget station starts from around $150 and it has a built-in turbine fan. Here are some examples (links for reference, I'm not advertising a specific store):https://pl.aliexpress.com/item/1005004652095560.htmlhttps://www.diyfixtool.com/products/atten-st-862d-lead-free-hot-air-gun-soldering-station-for-pcb-repairhttps://www.diyfixtool.com/products/quick-857dw-lead-free-hot-air-heat-gun-soldering-rework-stationhttps://www.diyfixtool.com/products/rf4-rf-h2-lead-free-hot-air-soldering-rework-station-for-smd-bgahttps://www.diyfixtool.com/products/quick-859d-hot-air-gun-soldering-station-for-motherboard-maintenancehttps://www.diyfixtool.com/products/quick-857d-lead-free-adjustable-hot-air-gun-soldering-rework-stationhttps://www.diyfixtool.com/products/quick-957dw-led-display-hot-air-gun-smd-rework-station-with-air-nozzle

author: Berni
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 14, 2023, 07:32:35 am
content: The popular models are all a lottery pick.We bought a few at work. So to make sure it is a good one we first bought 1 unit. Received it and it seamed good. So we went and bought 3 more of them from the same seller, even using the repeat order button to make sure it is the same listing. The 3 units that arrived had completely different guts compared to the unit we first got. They ware of worse construction and the handle would only detect the stand in one orientation.The chinese are copying each other in making these popular products, producing ones that look identical outside and carry the same model number, but the similarity is purely visual.

author: Haenk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 14, 2023, 07:54:05 am
content: I have one as well, and it comes with a holographic Yihua warranty sticker. AFAIR it was purchased from a german official importer via amazon.de.It was still very cheap (I think around 75 EUR , for soldering iron, hot air and PSU combined).At least for ebay Germany, there seems to be an official seller account; that's probably the way to go (and avoid sketchy Aliexpress sellers, even if it's a bit more expensive).

author: Cyber Akuma
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 14, 2023, 07:59:00 am
content: So, if the problem is that official Yihua products are good but there are a lot of bootlegs out there, how do I find the official stores? Do they not have an official business site or storefront?

author: liaifat85
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 14, 2023, 11:28:55 am
content: Here are some reviews of this product. Looks average:https://www.amazon.com/YIHUA-Soldering-Conversion-Temperature-Correction/product-reviews/B07SCPZJYS

author: Cyber Akuma
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 14, 2023, 12:14:27 pm
content: I don't need one that has a soldering iron too, I already have a Hakko FX-888D, I just need the hot air part. Sorry, I probably should have mentioned that, didn't consider that there are stations that have both in one, edited my initial post to mention that.

author: Veteran68
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 14, 2023, 01:27:42 pm
content: My first hot air station was a Yihua-branded (don't know if it was legit?) 858D. It was okay but struggled with many jobs. I wasn't sure if it was me and my technique since I'd not done much hot air work before, but it could be frustrating to use. I finally upgraded to the Atten ST-862D and it was a night & day difference. Almost effortless. The Atten or the Quick 861DW will work so much better. And neither are necessarily "pro" level tools either (you can spend a LOT more).Can you use it? Sure. Starting out, on a budget, we all have to compromise performance and features. You mention the 888D, another example of a budget upgrade from a cheap fixed temp pencil iron that pales in comparison to a pro-level soldering station. But those are expensive and hard to justify for most beginners. So learn and "make your bones" on a cheap Yihua and 888D, then treat yourself when budget allows and see just how much better life can be.

author: LinuxHata
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 15, 2023, 09:46:27 am
content: I had several Yihua stations.Quality wise, this is another, average quality chinese product.The worst thing in my opinon is, that all these have automatic sleep function, which can't be turned off. You can only adjust the time before the sleep, but can't completely turn it off.

author: Cyber Akuma
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 05, 2023, 10:07:00 pm
content: Sorry if this is a bit of a necropost. I am still looking into this, but I admit I have also been looking into the Atten since it can be close in price to the 959D.... CLOSE in price, but that's what worries me.On places like Aliexpress or Rossmans' store (where I first found out about this thing) it's closet to $200... but on a place I never heard of but several are recommending called diytfixtool it's nearly $100 less... how can it be that much cheaper without it being a clear bootleg of a device that is already a bootleg of a bootleg? Is the diyfix version missions additional tips or components or something? Are there even bootlegs of this since it has become popular since I see several places on Aliexpress selling it?Shipping charges are admittedly all over the place, but so are what tips it comes with.

author: Veteran68
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 06, 2023, 12:08:23 am
content: Quote from: Cyber Akuma on August 05, 2023, 10:07:00 pmdiyfixtool.com is known as PhoneFix, which is a well-known dealer in the repair space. However they are also known to gouge on shipping, as many AliExpress sellers are known to do -- advertise a bottom dollar price, then stick you with shipping. To confirm, I just added the ST-862D to my cart for $136 (a great price!) but shipping is $70, bringing the total to $206 delivered. This is about what you can buy it for everywhere else with free shipping. I paid $203 for it from AliExpress last year.I once was shopping for an articulating microscope arm & mount for my digital microscope, and found one at PhoneFix for only $69 that I had seen elsewhere for around $120. I excitedly put it in my cart and got to the shipping calculator, guess what -- $52 shipping.

author: Cyber Akuma
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 06, 2023, 01:19:49 am
content: Quote from: Veteran68 on August 06, 2023, 12:08:23 amI see, I had never heard of them before. So then this means this is a trusted storefront and isn't actually associated with Atten.QuoteYeah, I tried selecting checkout just to see how much it would be and it was $70 for me too.QuoteStrangely, a lot of the ones I saw on Aliexpress had free shipping. Also to add to the confusion, that PhoneFix site seems to have a storefront on Aliexpress... or someone is claiming to be them. And confusingly they seem to list the same Atten ST-862D five times over at slightly different prices, which makes me wonder if this is just someone claiming it's them selling counterfeit parts.If it is them, it's about $15-30 cheaper than the diyfix site after shipping, and you can even choose to include all four straight and three bent bits at once:https://vipfixtool.aliexpress.com/store/1101310486/search?SearchText=ATTEN+ST-862DQuoteFunny you brought that up, about a year ago I was shopping for a microscope and I had someone recommend I just build one by getting a camera, lens, stand, and screen. I was able to get a very good deal on a microscope camera and several lenses... but I have NOT been able to find a decent stand anywhere for it. Doesn't help that some of the lenses have a larger radius than most ones people use. Even on Aliexpress wasn't able to find anything decent.The eBay links I used to purchase them are long dead, but I think I found the same parts on Amazon.... for a lot LOT more:https://www.amazon.com/HAYEAR-Industrial-Electronic-Digital-Microscope/dp/B07NSNQSGKhttps://www.amazon.com/Microscope-Accessories-C-Mount-0-7X-4-5X-Magnification/dp/B0BWH9KDP8?th=1https://www.amazon.com/Microscope-Accessories-C-Mount-0-7X-4-5X-Magnification/dp/B0BWH9ZD7K?th=1https://www.amazon.com/Monocular-Adjustable-5X-150X-Magnification-C-Mount/dp/B07K59DZ1SNot to hard to find ok-ish 7 inch screens, but I can't find a decent stand to attach those to, especially anything that fits the first two lenses, the third one seems to be more common but it's not as good as the other two.

author: Solder_Junkie
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 06, 2023, 09:09:28 am
content: I've had an 858D for some time and it is OK. As others mentioned, there are many "look alikes" around. Do check the earth connection and opt for one with nozzles that are secured with screws, some appear to be just push-on and may stick or fall off...eBay listings in the UK are around 30 GBP (37 USD) delivered, inc tax, from UK shipping addresses. Some have just 3 nozzles, some more. The smaller nozzles are useful if removing a single resistor or capacitor.For occasional home use the 858D is fine. I also use mine with heatshrink. I have given up using hot air to solder most parts, now I only use it where the component has an underside pad and then I tin the board with a soldering iron, add a thin coat of paste flux and heat with hot air. Hot air is really the only realistic way to remove SMD parts, for assembly I tin one pad and use an ordinary temp controlled iron. Solder paste has a short shelf life and some tend to produce a lot of microscopic solder balls...SJ

author: u666sa
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 06, 2023, 05:59:16 pm
content: Quote from: Cyber Akuma on August 05, 2023, 10:07:00 pmWhatever you looking into, keep in mind that you need hot air, solder iron, fume extraction, and several times a month desoldering gun. All that has to fit on your table and be readily accessible at any time. Getting it all separately will get your table crowded quick. Look into this station, I have to recommend it, since I've been using it since 2014, I'm in love with it!https://www.sra-shops.com/sra-solder-1/soldering-equipment/aoyue-2703a-all-in-one-digital-hot-air-rework-stationAs a matter of fact, when you guys mentioned Yihua I was likeWhy not Baku or YaxunAny other station from Aoyue will be excellent as well, just make sure soldering iron cartridge based. I think it's a must in 2023.P.S. if you go this route, keep in mind there is a setting that allows fast temperature ramp up, the default setting from factory is slow

author: Cyber Akuma
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 07, 2023, 12:16:15 am
content: Quote from: Veteran68 on August 06, 2023, 12:08:23 amIn further response to this, I just had someone warm me that this site does not actually seem trustworthy:QuoteI didn't realize the site was only one year old, is it really a well-known dealer if the site only came up a year ago? The other things they mentioned about some of the sketchyness of the site also worries me.

author: Veteran68
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 07, 2023, 02:57:28 am
content: Yes, PhoneFix as a brand/supplier is well known in the repair community. They're mentioned a lot in the repair forums and YouTube channels, and I don't recall hearing anything unusual about them. I feel pretty sure they've been around longer than a year, but I can't swear to it.I've never ordered from them personally. I don't care for the inflated shipping game, so when I'm shopping with China sellers I tend to stick with AliExpress, Banggood, and Temu and those sellers who sell for a reasonable price with free or reasonable shipping. I've ordered from all of them for years and have never had an issue. Temu has been my favorite since they became popular in the past year, they just don't yet have the broad selection of tools and components that AE and BG have.

author: Cyber Akuma
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 07, 2023, 09:20:16 pm
content: Since this discussion has changed to talking about the Atten, but most new people posting are understandably just seeing my initial post and talking about the Yihua, should I just start another topic about the Atten or would that be a bit spammy?

author: dazz1
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 28, 2023, 09:39:20 am
content: HiI am also looking at hot air rework stations. I brought a NT 761DW unit from Aliexpress. I paid a lot and got crap.Having made the mistake of buying from Aliexpress, I plan to do the same again. I should explain that I buy a LOT of stuff of Aliexpress and as long as I don't buy the cheapest stuff, the quality is generally good. So paying so much for the NT 761DW was an unusual disappointment. Usually paying more gets more.I want the hot tube type. The 858D is not an option for me.Quickhttps://www.aliexpress.com/store/1103116008?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.4.690920abbgZWMyseem to offer a range of heat guns but quality is not known.Yihuahttps://yihua.aliexpress.com/store/401349?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.108.7550549aciIlnPalso offer a range of products, but again, quality unknown.At present, I favour the QUICK 859D+ model.The QUICK 857DW+ is a slightly cheaper/simpler version.Thoughts? Experience?

author: Veteran68
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 28, 2023, 12:50:27 pm
content: Quick is going to be a tier (or two) above Yihua on the quality scale. Quick's 861DW ruled the roost as the best bang-for-buck hot air station for years, even among professionals, until Atten unseated them with their ST-862D. Not to say some Yihua products aren't good enough for some uses, but IMO they don't compare to Quick.

author: u666sa
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 28, 2023, 01:45:00 pm
content: Quote from: Veteran68 on September 28, 2023, 12:50:27 pmHave a look at WEP 993DM, it's same as Yahiua, analog or different branding, whatever. You can get same hot air branded as Yahiua in different color. So matter of color preference. Reviews on youtube show it to be great. I think it's on par with Atten and Quick. It caught my eye because of display -- really next gen thingy, colorful and informative. Plus it has same type of blower as Quick and Atten. All 3 stations are the same essentially, more or less.Now I wouldn't get it, I think, because it takes space on the table. I prefer 3-in-1 stations, where in one brick you get everything.

author: dazz1
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 28, 2023, 08:05:54 pm
content: Quote from: u666sa on September 28, 2023, 01:45:00 pmI only found the Yahiua 993DM version on Aliexpress.I did find the WEP 8509 but out of my price range.Usually on Aliexpress, the more you pay, the better the quality. There are no bargains. If you pay less, you get less.

author: Veteran68
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 28, 2023, 08:40:50 pm
content: Quote from: u666sa on September 28, 2023, 01:45:00 pmThey can be the same design and even out of the same factory, but still vastly different quality processes. When it comes to whitelabeled Chinese manufacturing, your brand pays based on the tier of QC and quality of components you choose. You can also add your own tweaks and customizations to the base design.Take the ubiquitous DT830 DMM. They are all of the same basic design, but you will find variations in build quality. Some have no fuses. Some have glass fuses. Some have ceramic fuses. Some have insulated current shunts offset from the back of the jacks, while others have bare shunts directly over the jacks that could potentially be shorted. Some have holsters. Some have on/off switches. Some have a battery test mode. Some have better leads than others. Yet I expect many of these variations come from the same factory and are built to different brand specs.Best (BST) makes a clone of the Quick 861DW that seems to be pretty widely regarded, although I don't know if it's built to Quick's QC standard.

author: KungFuJosh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 29, 2023, 01:07:55 am
content: I think Aoyue is also a big step above Yihua. I've been using the Aoyue 2703A+ since 2017 and it's been great.I wrote a review if you're interested in my experience with it:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/aoyue-2703a/msg4953856/#msg4953856

author: u666sa
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 29, 2023, 07:20:20 am
content: Quote from: KungFuJosh on September 29, 2023, 01:07:55 amI have it. The hot air part is older tech, fish tank, instead of newer blower. So quick, atten, wep, yahiu, with a blower are going to be much faster at taking off chips. Then there is solder iron tech. Either it bothers you or not, tips are T12 rip off, in fact you can mod it to use T12, which makes them rather large in today's world. Even the smallest tip is big.I was thinking about getting atten + the new rip off jbc, forgot how it's called, micro soldering iron and tweezers. But we talking about doubling the space things take on my table, on one side I would have soldering irons, and on the other side hot air, essentially think about having two 2703A+ on both sides. Weird. So far so good, nothing new is needed, but it is a planned future "upgrade".You really want to avoid this type of lol --

author: KungFuJosh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 29, 2023, 01:43:53 pm
content: Quote from: u666sa on September 29, 2023, 07:20:20 amYeah, if you need micro stuff, that might be a different story. I really like the tip system though. It's nice that if the heater fails, you just replace the tip. I don't care if they copied somebody else, as long as it works...and it does.The best thing for me is that it all works in a relatively small package. I didn't want 6 boxes on my bench, it's already overcrowded. A faster blower would be nice, but you could replace that internally if you wanted. Maybe they'll offer a new version eventually.The thing I dislike the most, is the suction tip attached to the soldering iron handle. I removed that and I'm gonna get an external fume extractor. I don't do anything smaller than 1mm tips, but getting the tip into tighter spaces was annoying until I cut off the extractor tip.

author: YTusername
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 16, 2023, 08:13:49 am
content: I got my Yahiua 993DM last month. Although I have used it with one circuit so far, it looks really good for the price. The build quality is very good.Quote from: LinuxHata on July 15, 2023, 09:46:27 amIn Yahiua 993DM, the stand-by is only activated when the gun is placed vertically on the holder. Also, there is a button on the gun handler that trigger on/off the stand-by mode.