Cheap hot air stations, Atten 858D vs. ripoffs - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 28, 2017, 08:34:02 pm
content: I'm looking at cheap eBay hot air stations. Dave reviewed the Atten 858D, it looks reasonable for the occasional use I'd be putting it to.On eBay there's "Atten" branded stations like the one Dave reviewed for about $80 and a whole load of others that look exactly the same as the Atten but cost half the price.Question: Are the others the same on the inside or are they feeble deathtraps that will last 20 minutes?

author: GreyWoolfe
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 28, 2017, 08:53:55 pm
content: I have a Yihua 858d that I think I paid a little over $40 USD shipped. Works fine for the occasional use I give it. It works great on heat shrink tubing.

author: don.r
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 28, 2017, 08:57:30 pm
content: I have an actual Atten 858D. Its probably no better than the clones. Simple small linear xformer and a paper PCB. Of "interesting" note is that while the tip of the air gun is grounded, the case itself is not!!!

author: boffin
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 28, 2017, 09:16:07 pm
content: I have a sigma R700, which looks exactly the same. Paid C$75 for it from Amazon. The PCB on mine is a little different than Daves, and the case is actually grounded on mine -- it all comes to a common nut on the transformer - now(in fareness the grounding lug already existed, I just made the wand go to the nut instead of the PCB for safety.)

author: KL27x
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 29, 2017, 04:41:11 am
content: I have a generic 858D. There's no name brand on it, just "858D" on the front. It cost me <$35.00, shipped, about a year ago. It works perfect. I replaced a $200.00 hot air station with it, as I like this one much better. I have used it quite a lot, hand flowing 500ish QFN chips with it, already. If it died tomorrow, I'd buy another one just like it. Build quality is sold. It always behaves exactly as expected. No quirks. The soft shutdown has always worked without any issue or jiggling of the handle to activate it.I bought another 858 analog, for even cheaper. This one has some minor issues. First off, the housing is all plastic, instead of sheet metal. And the plastics on the hot air shooter thingie don't line up exactly right, like they didn't get the mold just right, but they didn't bother fixing it. But so far, it works just fine, too. I haven't used it for anything delicate; it does garage duty.My 200.00 Chinese name brand "X tronic" lasted a few years before I had to replace the heater element. This is a minor hassle. On my 858's, I'd probably just buy new ones. These things are blowdryers; not rocket science..

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 29, 2017, 10:32:55 am
content: OK, cheapo it will be!Thanks for all the answers.

author: bitseeker
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 30, 2017, 06:02:38 pm
content: Fungus, for a look inside many variants (they've been changing over time, too), you might want to check outhttps://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/youyue-858d-some-reverse-engineering-custom-firmware/if you haven't already.

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 30, 2017, 07:31:51 pm
content: Quote from: bitseeker on August 30, 2017, 06:02:38 pmLooks like the Youyue is the one to go for.Edit: Or not... somebody got one that isn't AVR poweredhttps://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/youyue-858d-some-reverse-engineering-custom-firmware/msg1058136/#msg1058136

author: lem_ix
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 30, 2017, 08:36:13 pm
content: Got a BAKU 858d just a few days ago, it worked fine and the case was grounded. There was a problem though, the nozzles wouldn't fit on the tip (screwless model). One side of the handle tip wasn't notched properly and none of the 3 nozzles would fit. Got it for 45 EUR from a local seller and will get a replacement but maybe consider a model with screws to avoid any surprises.

author: bitseeker
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 30, 2017, 11:27:46 pm
content: Quote from: Fungus on August 30, 2017, 07:31:51 pmYes, it seems the AVR-powered ones are being replaced with the Samsung microcontroller. However, there are some adapter PCBs to put an AVR back in.

author: KL27x
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 31, 2017, 03:28:23 am
content: QuoteMaybe you just didn't have the right pliers and/or hammer?Having use both types, I prefer the twist on/off types, even if they require some help. Basically, a friction fit is all you need. I don't think a malformed/missing groove would have stopped me. That's not even a speed bump; just a small pothole.

author: lem_ix
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 31, 2017, 11:11:53 am
content: Got a warranty and concerned about unreliable electronics, no hammering for a few monthsFume extractor I got from them exploded the first time i turned it on. Baku stuff is popular with cellphone repair shops here so tons of local stores that import from China. Better ones give 6 months warranty which is kinda ok.

author: KL27x
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 31, 2017, 08:07:39 pm
content: I'm apparently in a very small minority of western consumers, to be sure.As a child and teenager, and even probably into my mid twenties, I recall being fascinated with "newness." A factory new ANYTHING, seemingly untainted by human hands, was something intrinsically better than anything used or repaired or modified. I would be quite upset for something with visual defect, to the point of returning something for a replacement. This newness only happened once, and it should be perfect. Any alteration by myself would make it less new.I am not sure what happened. But newness has no meaning to me, anymore. And I don't buy the cheapest hot air station on the planet to put it in on display under glass. Even if an issue occurred with the electronics later, that should still be covered if the nozzle set has the little bump reduced on one side, with, say, a steel rod anvil and a hammer. I have pretty good guess that these stamped sheet metal nozzles cost under a dollar each to mass produce, at any rate. If they were to complain about the alteration during a warranty return, I would gladly send them an invoice for my time to fix them. And/or charge them more for putting them back to original shape.Heck, my 500.00 + microscope came with defective threading on the light ring adapter. I never spoke a word to the company or the distributor. 5 minutes to warm up the glue gun, and it was right as rain. Was their vacuum injection molding machine set incorrectly that day? Would a new one be perfect? Or would the best ones be barely functional? I don't really care to invest my time to find out when I can make the thing work in 5 minutes.

author: oolloo
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: November 30, 2018, 10:19:15 pm
content: Quote from: boffin on August 28, 2017, 09:16:07 pmI just got mine, its a samsung chip , all the back end stuff , fuse, ac cord, and wand cord are held in with hot glue, which isn't sticking to the grey textured case. I'm also in canada did you get on amazon.ca?which mod board you use?