Soldering iron/station for a beginner - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: ChrisHigs
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: May 01, 2014, 02:47:12 pm
content: I'm planning to do some soldering work soon, mainly starting a build of a quadcopter which will require a bit of soldering, battery connectors and probably smaller PCB stuff. Probably some RPi and Arduino stuff to at some point.I've been looking at various stations for the last week but can't decide what to get. I keep thinking I should get a cheap station such as the Tenma 60W from Farnell for about £40. Then I change my mind after reading some reviews and think I should get something like the Hakko FX-888D which is better quality, likely to last longer and better for tips but not sure if the expense (£98 edit: that's 98+vat :O more like £120) is worth the extra for what could be occasional use. The saving of the other I could put towards good solder/flux and some other bits.I'm not a complete novice. Used my dad's ancient 20W never looked after soldering iron with the original tip with limited success and used to a bit of pipe soldering in work with a blow torch.Or should I just get a cheap iron to practise with for now?Any thoughts or suggestions for other models to consider?

author: NegativeONE
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: May 01, 2014, 03:14:00 pm
content: I'm using Weller WHS40 and it serves me well. You can get it on TME for about £70 incl vat and shipping to UK (in Farnell price isredonkulous).http://www.tme.eu/pl/details/wel.whs40/stacje-lutownicze/weller/whs40/#

author: ChrisHigs
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: May 01, 2014, 05:48:25 pm
content: Thanks. I'll have a look at one of them. I'd prefer to buy from the UK in case there are any problems. Most places as you say are redonkulous. Good wordManaged to find it somewhere for £78 in the UK. It doesn't seem to get the best reviews on Amazon, mostly due to the noisy transformer though but also the tips and screw holding them. Will it be much better than the Tenma from Farnell? And how much power am I likely to need? That is 40W. Gonna be soldering some 4mm cables/connectors.

author: nanofrog
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 01, 2014, 06:20:11 pm
content: Personally, I'd recommend sticking to a good quality name brand (Hakko, Ersa, Weller, JBC, Metcal/OKi). Unfortunately, they tend to be expensive. Even the FX-888D goes for ~135GBP from dancap. Be careful with the units from the US, as they're not 230V models (need a step-down transformer, or modified with an appropriate internal transformer & change the plug).Found a new AD2200 listed on eBay.co.uk (here), and if you don't mind used, an Ersa Analog 80 (here; this one comes with some extras, such as tips, a solder pot for tinning wire, and solder sticks for the pot) that are very reasonable for what these stations are. If you're after new, the JBC would be hard to beat on price/performance ratio (quite expensive otherwise). The JBC is a discontinued model, but the T245 iron itself is still in production (replacement for the 2245, and fits), as are the tips, so no worries there.The Ersa Nano would also be worth considering if your set on new, and don't want the JBC, but it's more expensive (still in production; ~178EUR is the cheapest I've seen, and some sell it as high as ~240EUR IIRC). This seems to hit a nice sweet spot in value/performance in the EU market, but given the linked JBC's price, the JBC would be the way to go IMHO.Any of these would serve you extremely well, and perform better than the FX-888D IMHO. One even for the same money.

author: ChrisHigs
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: May 01, 2014, 08:20:55 pm
content: I'm definitely not opposed to buying a second hand one if the quality is going to be good. They're probably a bit more than I was hoping to spend though (and be able to get past the wife)What about Oki irons? A couple of PS-900s with all the bits or a couple of PS-800s without the iron, just the base.

author: nanofrog
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 01, 2014, 11:01:21 pm
content: Quote from: ChrisHigs on May 01, 2014, 08:20:55 pmOKi/Metcal would be fine as well. Just realize that these, as well as Thermaltronics (Weller makes one, the WTCPT, and Hakko has announced the FX-100), are Curie Point based stations (temp is set by the tips), not temperature controlled via a knob or up/down buttons. So if you need different temperatures, even for the same size & profile of tip, you'll have to buy multiples to get the temps you need.As per getting a used station, I'd recommend getting one that has everything you need already to make it work (base and iron at a bare minimum). Buying the pieces separately tends to end up too expensive IMHO, and can also take quite a bit of time as well. Also make sure that tips and spare parts are still available before buying.

author: ChrisHigs
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: May 02, 2014, 06:44:42 am
content: I thought I had read somewhere that the Oli/Metcal irons temperature is set by the tip. And yes, definitely easier and probably cheaper to get it all together.Thanks for the help. I'll keep looking and try and decide what to get.

author: GreyWoolfe
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 02, 2014, 01:59:39 pm
content: I'm with Nanofrog. If you are going to do a fair bit of soldering, don't cheap out. Stick with the name brands and you can't go wrong. Granted, it isn't used everyday, but my Hakko 936 has been here for about 6 years now and I have 100% confidence that when I turn it on, it will just work. I even have my original Hakko tips. I haven't replaced any yet, just added different sizes. The added bonus for me was that I bought it for a project I took on for my company repairing Dell LCD monitors with Crapxon capacitor issues, so I was able to write the purchase off on my taxes as I work from home.

author: electronics man
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 02, 2014, 08:20:29 pm
content: How about this its realy nice i have one and i love ithttp://www.rapidonline.com/Tools-Equipment/Xytronic-LF-389D-60W-Digital-Display-ESD-Safe-Soldering-Station-518346

author: staxquad
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 02, 2014, 09:29:44 pm
content: Quote from: nanofrog on May 01, 2014, 06:20:11 pm185.00GBP? and it doesn't even come with a T252 or T210 iron or tip(s)a used JBC AD 2700 can be had for 70GBP to 120GBP, usually with an iron and tip, has an upper temp of 400*C while the AD 2200 is limited to 370*C. (ground planes and no lead ability?)example of previous ebay sales of AD 2700 in the UKJBC Advanced AD2700 Soldering Station with 2245 Handpiece and Fine Tip Good Condsold for £87.00http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/JBC-Advanced-AD2700-Soldering-Station-with-2245-Handpiece-and-Fine-Tip-Good-Cond-/181109985015?nma=true&si=vbD10km4n%252F7boggD5H62sOMGwxY%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557Winning bid:£115.44http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Soldering-Iron-Station-JBC-Advanced-AD2700-with-2210-handpiece-and-very-fine-tip-/281173667475?nma=true&si=vbD10km4n%252F7boggD5H62sOMGwxY%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

author: nanofrog
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 02, 2014, 11:16:15 pm
content: Quote from: staxquad on May 02, 2014, 09:29:44 pmListing states "New: A brand-new, unused, unopened and undamaged item in original retail packaging (where packaging is...". If a buyer is concerned about missing parts (iron & tips), which I would be if I were in the UK and in the market, contact the seller and verify whether or not it's actually there. Seemed common sense to me, but I guess not.My mistake.Regarding it's top end temp limit of 370C, it's not as critical with JBC as it would be with other brands due to the iron's ability to pour heat into a joint IMHO (don't usually have to crank a JBC like others on ground planes for example, and I mean decent brands such as Hakko, Weller, ... temp controlled stations). 350C is pretty common set point for lead-free from what I've seen (use myself also FWIW), so even though there's less head-room if you will (only 20C vs. 50C if for some reason there is ever a need to crank it up), it can still handle it for most use IMHO (assuming an appropriate tip is being used).As per past eBay sales, that's wonderful for those that got the winning bid, but there wasn't any such listing at the time I checked. At least the one I linked is still far less expensive than buying new from elsewhere, such as janelonline.com.Main idea was to propose looking for good quality used stations instead of overpaying for an entry level Hakko or a new unit that was similar in price to what an FX-888D goes for in the UK (dancap) that would also provide better performance, such as an Ersa Nano (just need to shop around from what I understand). Based on the OP's response, the basic message was understood.

author: dannyf
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 03, 2014, 01:03:46 am
content: QuoteNot a bad idea, given that the cheap ones cost you just a few dollars.QuoteI think you should look for one with temperature control. They tend to help with the job and prolong tip's life. No need to get a fancy one - $50 tops for a basic unit. Even a clone works just fine.Once you have more experience, you can get a more expensive one.Another alternative is to build your own but without a solder, that's hard to do,

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 04, 2014, 10:45:18 am
content: 936 clones are cheap, really cheap...http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__19239__Soldering_Station_with_Adjustable_Heat_Range_AUS_Warehouse_.htmlJudging by the reviews the quality varies but at that price you'd just buy another one or two to fix a broken one...

author: GreyWoolfe
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 04, 2014, 03:28:51 pm
content: Quote from: amyk on May 04, 2014, 10:45:18 amWhy would you do that? I don't want to go cheap and have to buy a couple of extra to get parts to fix the first cheap station. It's not just about price, it's about total cost of ownership. I don't want to be worrying if it will work every time I turn it on, and I certainly don't want to have others on hand for parts to take the time and aggravation to rebuild it. That time and aggravation quickly overtakes the savings. I would rather suck it up initially and buy something of quality. Then there is no aggravation and time lost. I don't know about the rest of the world, but here in the US there is a proliferation of "dollar" stores that sell cheap crap that people love and get to go back frequently to replace because it is cheap crap. At some point you will exceed the cost of quality with the numerous trips, time and gas wasted and the multiple purchases. Just buy the best you can afford and if necessary, wait a little longer, save up some extra money and get the quality. (Ting, Ting) that's the sound of my 2 cents being thrown into the pot (again)

author: nanofrog
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 04, 2014, 05:34:07 pm
content: Quote from: GreyWoolfe on May 04, 2014, 03:28:51 pm+1The good stuff may be expensive, but it lasts a long time. Long enough it's cheaper over time vs. cheap crap, and it performs better as well. So I prefer to save up and be patient (used or new) for items that will get a lot of use, since it really does pay off in the long run.And a soldering station falls into this category IME, as would highly used hand tools for example.Items that are rarely used/one project type of situation OTOH, may warrant a much less expensive product. A preheater might fall in this category for example, as it's not used on every soldering job. The name brand units are rather expensive (~$300 for aHakko FR-830, and they can quickly go up from there), so a$50 Tenma from MCMis much more appropriate for a hobbyist IMHO.All about finding the right balance IMHO, but I don't see cheap irons/stations as a good balance at all IME, even for the EU market's higher prices and taxes.