I'm in the market for a new soldering iron. I've heard good things about Hakko, but they look a little pricey. Any other good ones that don't break the bank? Or is it even that big a deal?
>>969813
Just got a weller. Its great, although I'm not quite good enough to testify.
>>969813
yes, that soldering iron is the best their is anyone who says otherwise is probably a JIDF shill
I've used the Hakko FX888D and the Weller WES51 They are about the same price. I prefer the Hakko. It feels better in the hands and the included wire brush really extends tip life, though you can buy them separately.
Over all, it depends on what you're going to be using it for. I do lots of SMD work so having something hot with clean tips is crucial. If you're only using for misc doodads and wire terminals, a 25 to 40 watt Weller will do. They are 40 burgerbucks and under.
I'm an eternal shill for the AOYUE 2901, because of 4 reasons:
1) Quick-swap tips. You're never going back when you get used to them.
2) Ridiculously high thermal capacity since the tip and heater are the same unit
3) 15-second warmup with any sane tip
4) Value for money
Cons are:
1) Chinese; quality varies. Be prepared to repair it at some stage.
2) Stock iron wire is always only 1 meter
3) It has a beeper and it is too loud.
4) Tips are large and expensive, and prone to requiring cleaning of the elctrical connectors every now and then.
The thermal capacity of these is just stupid since most of the thermal resistance between heater and tip is removed. I have one of these at work because none of our usual Wellers/Hakkos can handle PC motherboards and other ultra high thermal mass jobs. With the 2901, you basically set it to 300 C and the tip bloody well stays at 300 C until you turn the station off.
It's a case of "you get what you pay for" cheap out on your soldering iron you'll have a bad time. I have a fx-888D and I use the weller equivalent at my school's lab. I like the digital readout from the hakko but prefer the analog knob on the weller, past that it comes down to preference. I do believe the hakko has some neat options for irons from the manufacturer like hot tweezers and such.
Either way, keep your tips clean and any of the irons in that price range will give you years of reliable service.
Any recommendations for a britfag on a budget? I don't use it that often but I'm beginning to see the downsides of an unregulated iron.
I have the one that OP posted. Have used many brands over the years. That Hako is quite respectable. You may need to calibrate the temp reading on it (at lease i had too for mine). It was brand new and about 100 bucks CAN. If your buying it online you may want to look over there solder tip user guide and order other size tips you may need as I did this after the fact and had to pay shipping twice. BTW I work in electronic manufacturing so I do have some year experience using soldering tools. The Hako is for personal use.
>>969862
in the uk hakko and weller are shockingly expensive, and antex is too expensive for what you get.
under fifty quid a chinese 936 clone is your best bet. aoyue will be decent. WLX are textbook chinese shit, you need to pop the case and shake out the gremlins before you use it.
i bought a 80w weller and it is the best. i highly recommend for mid range quality. bit pricey but well worth it
All you fags talking about soldering stations and not even mentioning solder. A good techie can solder with the cheapest shit from the DIY store (not talking smt work here) as long as he uses good quality solder and preps the job properly.
Oldfag here and I started repairing computers at chip level in 1978.
Multicore lead solder ftw - never found anything better.
>>969813
I love the irony here.
The only time you would need some fancy soldering iron is if you do really sensitive work.
If you are doing such sensitive work, you should know enough to be able to make a temperature controller.
If you know how to make a temperature controller, why would you spend $200 for one?
>>969830
>I'm not the only /pol/tard here
>>969813
xytronic>hakko imo (and the opinion of the multimillion dollar electrical manufacturing company i work for)
>>969813
It's a nice station. Went from firestarters to this, and have been pretty satisfied.
Tips cost a bit and there's no replacement water sponge though.
Used to work at a factory 10y ago, can't remember the brand, but the thing that made the soldering units goof was 1) enough power 2) power was regulated by a feedback from the tip. The tips were expensive, around $50 each. Worth every penny tho to the firm, soldering was a breeze with them.
>>969837
Don't the chinese stations have a terrible heat value calibration?
If you are in europa, then i can recommend the Ersa brand, because the Hakko might be expensive to get your hands on. I got the I-Con nano last summer and i love it so far.
why does everyone still recommend the gay funky yellow-blue piece of shit?
just look at this hot piece of ass
it warms up in like less than 10 seconds, and the tool is so small and light its super comfortable.
>>970049
Everything ^^^ He says, plus clean the tip EVERY time you pick up the iron and every time you put it down. A clean iron is the primary key to successful soldering. Be anal about it.
![IMG_0209[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/7aEHnGR.jpg "IMG_0209[1].jpg")
>>970617
Not the AOYUE 2900 series, since they use a pretty novel temperature sensing scheme where they measure the resistance of the heater in order to determine the temperature of the tip.
The big downside with the 2900 series temp sensing is that you will have calibration variance between different tips (all of the 10 or so that I have are within about 30 C), so you should ideally measure all your tips to get an idea of how hot they get compared to the front panel. I personally have never had an issue with this, though, since it's pretty obvious if your tip is too hot or too cold, since the regulation loop is so fast and accurate. It's not like the generic cheap-o irons where the regulation inaccuracy is caused by bad thermal bonding.
You probably want to calibrate it before you use it though, but you should do that with a brand-name station as well.
>>971490
Does that thing have a similar tip mounting scheme to the AOYUE 2900 series, where you just rip it out and shove another tip in?
>>970055
>The only time you would need some fancy soldering iron is if you do really sensitive work.
Not true. In my opinion more expensive soldering irons shine when doing stuff that sucks the heat away from the tip, such as large groundplanes.
I personally have used
>>971490
>>969837
>>969813
i own a weller ws81 anniversary edition (pic related), because of the special edition it also has the stop and go soldering iron holder that stops warming if you place the soldering iron in said holder. When i bought it it was just as expensive as the regular version.
and have also used a JBC CD-2BE.
I have used various other aoyue and weller stations, but i wont go into those.
The weller and JBC are clearly leagues ahead of the other soldering irons mentioned. I personally do not like the feel of the Aoyue at all, if i have to go between the hakko and the ersa, i'd go for the ersa because of its small footprint and comfortable dimensions. In the EU it is also less expensive than the hakko. Keep in mind that the 'nano' is not mentioned for nothing, pretty much only usable for smd/throughhole stuff, no wires or (big) ground planes.
Eventhough the JBC is more expensive (150 to 200 euros more expensive) for most work it works just as good, no notable difference in quality (feel differs, but is not better or worse perse, just different).
However, the JBC really shines when it comes to large thermal surfaces, eventhough it officially has less power than the Weller, for some reason it outputs that heat much more efficiently, and can heat up a VERY large thermal pad in no time at all.
Another JBC advantage is that it heats up in literally 3-4 seconds (whereas the weller takes 10-12 seconds), and that it has quick change tips.
I'd recommend the JBC over the weller if you often do very large thermal mass things, otherwise i'd pick the weller. But it's a matter of choice, whether you personally think the quick change tips and quicker warm up time are worth the 150 euros extra to spend.
What no one has mentioned thus far but makes a big difference in soldering iron feel, is that the cord should be made from silicone (the really flexible stuff) so it does not get in the way, and wont melt when touching it accidentally.
>>971584
>no wires
should be no 'large' wires, i.e. diameters of more than a few mm
>>971576
It has this tip fastener that you twist on and it clamps down by grabbing the tip on the bulge.
After you remove the fasteners, the tips slide off easily.
Its probably difficult to find counterfeit tips, but the two original ones I have, albeit expensive, have showed no signs of degradations over 3 years of occasional hobby use.
>>969813
I have one that I guess is a step down from the one pictured(has a dial rather than the display). Mine is great, heats up really fast, the tips seem to last a fair bit. Comfy to hold as well.
>>969813
generic chinese 936 soldering station should be fine
source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIab66EgfHM - BigCliveDotCom
The temperatures might be off from the ones you choose on the dial/on the display, but you could always calibrate it if it's a big problem, otherwise just keep it at a setting you're comfortable working with.
The solderbits are cheap, readily available, and the only real problem could be desoldering bigger components, due to less thermal mass than a bigger iron.
i am looking for a cheap station too, in germany you basically have the following choices in order of quality:
1. No name instabreak china shit
2. Xytronic, solid made in taiwan stuff
3. Hakko 888 solid quality and the distributor offers great service
4. Weller / Ersa, at least the Ersa stuff iis overpriced and quality is declining
5. JBC really super high professional quality
A FX-888D is 130 Euros here in germany, bit pricey but i have decided to go with haakko, simply because the distributor offers really great service, otherwise i would haave gone with XYtronic and if money was not an issue i would buy a JBC and have it buried with my dead body
>>971720
Beat me to it. 936 in it's digital variant is a plus
Metcal at work, Hakko 936 at home. Curious to try the Ersa shit.
Anyone tried these?
http://www.circuitspecialists.eu/csi-premier75w-digital-temperature-controlled-solder-station-with-75w-soldering-iron/
I'm thinking of getting one of these as my first actual station. I have a Weller iron, but it runs a bit hot for my liking.
Bought a Hakko 926 on eBay for about the same price as what looked like a newer less well-built Weller. Temperature needs to be calibrated, but other than that it's a solid piece of kit.
Definietly get the Hakko
Heats up fairly quickly, presets, separate iron holder, and a good price.
