Soldering & Desoldering Stations

[jkokura]

This Christmas I'm getting a new Soldering/Desoldering station, and I'm looking for options. So what do you have? What do you like, what don't you? I'm on a budget, but I don't mind looking around for various options.

Jacob

[pickdropper]

I have a Weller with a WP80 handle and WD1 power station. 

What I really like:
- It heats up quickly
- The sleeve that holds the tip can be changed while hot (I use this all the time)
- There is a microswitch in the handle and it times out if I don't use it for a user-specified amount of time.
- It's temperature adjustable with 3 different presets that I can switch between on the fly.

What I don't like:
- It's rarely a problem, but it's still a ceramic element soldering iron.  It's not as powerful as a Metcal

In addition to the Weller, I also have an OKI/Metcal station.  I currently only have Tweezers for it, but I can get an iron for it.

What I like:
- It heats up really quickly
- It's RF-based so it is super beefy.  It seems to have an endless supply of power, even on difficult ground planes.

What I don't like:
- No temperature adjustment; temperature is determined by the tip.  This is the nature of the beast with Metcal, but some will find it not to their liking.
- While you can change tips when it is hot, it involves using a thick rubber pad; it's not as smooth as the Weller.  The upshot is that the back of the tips aren't very hot, so you aren't terribly likely to burn yourself if you are careful.

In the end, the Weller is great and gets the job done for me and I suspect it would be all you need.  The Metcal is just a beast, but it may or may not suit your needs exactly.  I know that some of the folks at work don't like using anything other than Metcal after getting used to them.

[GermanCdn]

B&E electronics have the Digital Hakko FX888 (or whatever the new model number is, I dont remember it off the top of my head) for $99.  Hard to go wrong with that.

[jkokura]

I have a Weller, and so many people like the Hakko gear, so thanks for the reviews.

I also need a desoldeirng unit, and I was hoping for an all in one station if possible. Any ideas on those?

Jacob

[pickdropper]

I have a Weller, and so many people like the Hakko gear, so thanks for the reviews.

I also need a desoldeirng unit, and I was hoping for an all in one station if possible. Any ideas on those?

Jacob

The problem with the all-in-one stations is that they are either A) Chinese or B) Expensive.

I know a lot of folks like the no-name Chinese ones and they certainly are cheap, but I wouldn't trust them to have replacement parts for too many years down the road.

All of the majors will sell you a rework station that also has a soldering iron built into it but they usually aren't cheap.  If you want a hot air rework, it's less expensive than if you need a vacuum pump solder sucking rework.

If you do want a vacuum pump, I'd recommend Hakko or Metcal.  The Wellers are VERY expensive and I'm just not that impressed with them.

My recommendation would be to get a good soldering iron station and then try and find a used, but not abused desoldering station on eBay from one of the main manufacturers.

Or you can get a Chinese one, get some extra tips and nozzles and just assume that you'll get a couple of years out of it.  They certainly are cheap enough.

[stevie1556]

I've got one of these. It's one of the Chinese ones, and cost about £60 I think. Only thing is it doesn't have a desolder function, but the unit itself is excellent and I wouldn't hesitate to buy another one.

[irmcdermott]

Not the cheapest, but not the most expensive either, i've been using this station for a year now and really, really, like it. Aoyue 701A++

[rullywowr]

I'm using:
Soldering: Weller WES51D
Desoldering: 472D with 807 pencil handpiece

[selfdestroyer]

Im using:

Weller WESD51 and never looked back. Its been a work horse for over 4 years.

Cody

[pickdropper]

I'm using:
Soldering: Weller WES51D
Desoldering: 472D with 807 pencil handpiece

That's a nice combo.

[rullywowr]

I'm currently using:
Soldering: Weller WES51D
Desoldering: 472D with 807 pencil handpiece

Thanks man!  I've been really happy with both.  I also have a (cheap chinese - about $60 USD) Atten 858D hot air rework station which works great on SMD.

Here are some stock images...

858D Atten:


472D Hakko Desoldering Station with 807 handpiece:


WESD51 Weller Soldering Station:






That's a nice combo.

[chuckbuick]

Here's what I'm using.  X-tronic 8080.  When I started doing my projects at home I got this model because I wanted a power supply as well.  And the price is right.  They have quite a few models that might better suit what you are specifically looking for.  Don't let the X-Tronic USA name fool you.  They are made in China, at least mine is.

I've mostly used just the iron.  I've used the rework gun for a few SMD projects that I soldered with paste but for chip removal I've preferred ChipQuik.  The power supply display reads about .1v high vs. a couple multimeters I've tested it against.  I've had it about 1 year and no problems yet.  But it doesn't get worked a lot either.

http://xtronicusa.com/home/

[jkokura]

Not the cheapest, but not the most expensive either, i've been using this station for a year now and really, really, like it. Aoyue 701A++

Ian, I'm thrown off by that little attachment on the soldering iron. I would worry it would get in the way when I'm working in tight situations. What does the little attachment do and is it worth it?

Jacob

[irmcdermott]

Not the cheapest, but not the most expensive either, i've been using this station for a year now and really, really, like it. Aoyue 701A++

Ian, I'm thrown off by that little attachment on the soldering iron. I would worry it would get in the way when I'm working in tight situations. What does the little attachment do and is it worth it?

Jacob

That little attachment does come off. When you are using the soldering iron, you can turn on a fume intake and that sucks the fumes right up. It's just held in by a little screw. Just loosen it and it slides right out. The clips that keep the intake "hose" and wire for the iron are incredibly cheap and break easily. If you never plan on using the fume intake, you can remove that tube completely, or do what I did and replace off the clips with little zip ties.