Review: TMC 08-100D Solder Station

YellowDog

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I recently picked up one of these from Ebay (link):

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I have been very pleased with it. It heats up rapidly, it remembers the last temperature setting and it stays within a few degrees of that setting very well. So far, I have only used the pencil tip with it, so I can't comment on the other tips. But the pencil tip has worked very well for me so far.

Setting the temperature is easy, there are some presets and the readout switches between C & F with a click of the switch. Moving the temp up or down just takes pressing and holding the button. There are two readouts on the display. One for set temperature and the other for actual temperature. So simple a caveman could do it.:viking:

The downsides to it so far have been minor.
1) the solder sucker they send with it, in a word, sucks. The Radio Shack one give much more pull and works much better.
2) In the picture it looks like the soldering iron holder is attached to the main unit, but it is not. I am probably going to get some double stick tape and attach the two. I am tired of the iron holder "walking" across my desktop every time I set it back in.
3) Like many "low mass" tips, it takes a little technique to get the pads hot enough to solder/desolder when they are attached to the ground plane or very thick traces on the circuit board.

Overall, I am quite happy with it. It is not a $300 Pace or Hakko unit in quality, but I hope I don't have to drop it on the floor very often. And it didn't cost $300.

The Ebay transaction went very smooth. Just BIN and it will show up on your doorstep a few days later. It was reasonably well packed and survived the shipping process without any issues.

ken
 
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How was the cost compared to a similar Aoyue unit? I would have to say I would probably go with an all in one solution from them before another brand. Within the price range of their offerings anyway. :D
 
Ken - the problem is how do you get replacement tips and heating elements for this unit?

My Radioshack Digital Solderer - I can get replacement tips and ceramic heating elements through RS.
 
Ken - the problem is how do you get replacement tips and heating elements for this unit?

My Radioshack Digital Solderer - I can get replacement tips and ceramic heating elements through RS.

There is a web site and an order form in the package.

I wouldn't trust RS any further than I could pick up one of their stores and throw it. I bought a RS soldering station (the dual wattage one) as a stopgap measure. Asked about the tips and was told "not a problem" they are "over on the shelf". Except that they weren't. Half of the soldering irons and stations they continue to sell have had the tips discontinued. When I went back to the store I bought it from, the same guy that sold me the soldering station told me that "the tips for those were discontinued years ago". This was about 3 months after I bought it. All he wanted to do was sell me a new soldering station.

ken
 
How was the cost compared to a similar Aoyue unit? I would have to say I would probably go with an all in one solution from them before another brand. Within the price range of their offerings anyway. :D

From what I can see on Ebay the prices are comperable, but the shipping will kill you. Most of them seem to ship from China.

Also I really like the digital temperature display. It has been my experience that a lot of the board problems I end up fixing come from people without a temperature control (or one of the dials just marked cold and hot) and they crank it up too much and burn the solder pads off the boards.

I was looking for an all in one solution, but budget reared it's ugly head. So I opted for a soldering only station. I can live with a solder sucker for now. Once the lottery pulls my numbers, then it is going to be game on. :D

ken
 
I like having separate desoldering and soldering stations. I relate that desire back to when multimedia PCs first came out. I hated it when one component went out you had to replace the entire motherboard :)

(Yes I know you could install expansion cards but it just made the back of the pc look fugly :) )
 
Great deal - Price /performance continues to be my mantra. My first soldering iron was from a wood burning kit when I was 6 or 7. Now I use Metcal. If you like the iron and a specific tip, make sure you buy enough extra tips. Once you get a soldering technique down with a specific tip, you will appreciate that all you have to do is replace it and they work the same way.

I can't emphasize enough how useful a desoldering station will be - that's worth saving up for. It will save you a great deal of time if you are going to be replacing ICs. I went for quite awhile before I got one and spent a day and a half kicking myself for not getting one sooner. In the meantime, the vacuum pumps like soldapullit are workable, just keep them clean and keep the gasket greased with petroleum jelly for maximum vacuum.

Bill
 
Great deal - Price /performance continues to be my mantra. My first soldering iron was from a wood burning kit when I was 6 or 7.

No Sh*t. That was my first soldering iron too! Mine was out of a Cub Scout wood burning kit. Used to be able to get the replacement tips from the scout store. I only retired mine about 2 years ago (after 40+ years of service. I gave it a little gold watch and a pension :D).

I can't emphasize enough how useful a desoldering station will be - that's worth saving up for. It will save you a great deal of time if you are going to be replacing ICs. I went for quite awhile before I got one and spent a day and a half kicking myself for not getting one sooner. In the meantime, the vacuum pumps like soldapullit are workable, just keep them clean and keep the gasket greased with petroleum jelly for maximum vacuum.

Bill

I will probably get one at some point. If I don't put one together myself first. I have a vacuum pump out in the garage that will suck a golf ball down a garden hose. I just need to rig it up to the desoldering iron that I bought a while ago that looks like an interracial marriage between a soldapullit and a soldering iron and I'm set.

I use silicon grease from my dive kit to keep the o-rings working. Petroleum jelly will eventually destroy the o-rings.

ken
 
Nice. If I didn't already have a Hakko 936 (link) I'd pick one up.

I'm excited about another new toy I just got today for the workbench...
 
I got mine this weekend and have to say I am loving it so far. For the price this thing really is great. If you contact the seller and buy outside ebay you get even more stuff. Got the unit with extras an extra handle and six more tips for $90 shipped.

How is yours after a few weeks Ken?

Mod, how are you liking that desoldering unit? I am thinking of ordering one of those next and would like to hear your impressions so far.
 
Thanks for the review, I am currently in the market for a new soldering station and am still debating if I should get a budget model like this or an Aoyue or just plunk down $30 more and get the Weller WESD51.
 
I don't know about anyone else, but my biggest complaint about the knockoff irons is the short cord on the iron. My Hakko and Wellers all have nice long cords, but my Aoyue has a kinda short one, and it seems most cheap ones are the same. I'd gladly pay a couple bucks more to get a cord that's just a little bit longer. It's not unusable by any means, but just makes it a little uncomfortable, and forces me to keep the soldering station kinda close rather than keeping it out of the way.

DogP
 
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