Soldering Station

Pinball Wizard

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 20, 2010
Messages
3,084
Reaction score
407
Location
Baltimore, Maryland
So I'm starting to consider getting a high-end soldering station with the vacuum solder sucker, but was curious for some opinions on what model should I buy... Essentially, I saw one used in person once and also got to take it for a test drive and now I have been wanting one. I finally have room on the workbench for one as I have been cleaning up a lot lately and it is making me focus on some of the more involved game projects I have, and zooming through some cap kits I have. Suggestions, comments, concerns?
 
Get one you can get spare parts for.

I standardized on Pace units, others have Hakko, etc...

Just stay away from cheezy units unless someone here has one and has been happy with it.
 
I bought a Hakko de-soldering station years back and it sucked, one time...

I went back to the 10" desoldering tool and and a Weller 25 watt adjustable temp station after that.

Whatever you get dont cheap out. Theres nothing worse then a shitty soldering station when you need it to work.
 
I have the Hakko 936 soldering station, and it has worked great. I have an Aoyue 2702 rework station that doesn't work as well. It does everything (solder, desolder, hot air rework), but it doesn't do anything particularly well. The soldering function isn't as good as the Hakko, so I don't use it at all. The hot air works ok, but I don't have anything else to compare it to. The desoldering gun has mostly been disappointing. I can't even finish a cap kit without having to clean it out most of the time, so that makes it pretty inconvenient. I really liked it in the beginning, but the cleaning and maintenance makes it less usefull than a soldapullt.
 
Yeah, I have not interest in buying the cheap crap, I would rather buy the good stuff once and have no frustration. Case in point, tired of cheap meters dying or leads breaking, I bought a Fluke 179. Another example, saw the many reviews on EPROM programmers and was smart enough to buy true USB. I am looking to get a mid-range to high-end one that won't give me any issues.
 
You cant go wrong with Fluke. I stopped buying crap meters in the late 80's and bought a Fluke 87 that I still have and it still works perfectly.

You get what you pay for...
 
Pace!

I've got a Pace Soldering Station.. It's the $275-375 priced one that just has temp control, an iron, and a stand.. Best tool I've ever owned hands down.. Heats up super quick, tips aren't cheap but you can use many brands of them.. So it can be affordable..

Made in the USA :)
 
I've got a Pace Soldering Station.. It's the $275-375 priced one that just has temp control, an iron, and a stand.. Best tool I've ever owned hands down.. Heats up super quick, tips aren't cheap but you can use many brands of them.. So it can be affordable..

Made in the USA :)

I've got a Pace soldering station as well. Great iron for sure.
 
Weller 30 or 35 watt iron and a Soldapullt for the win.

About $75 out the door and a lot easier to move around.

Use that extra money to get some other equipment.
 
I use Pace exclusively on my bench. Your welcome to come down and give them a try.
I have two MBT-250 rework stations and two PPS25A digital soldering stations. Replacement parts are no problem and there is a dealer not too far from you. Here is the info on the dealer. If you call or go there ask for Liz.
Marks Electronics
11215 Old Baltimore Pike
Beltsville, MD, 20705
Headquarters
(800) 446-2228 Phone
(301) 595-5040 Phone
(301) 937-0491 Fax
[email protected]
This reminds me, I need to order my consumables for the year. I spend around $200 each year on tips, filters, etc and it lasts me all year. I use these every day so thats not too bad.

As far as the tips on the pace solder iron, I have yet to wear one out. The temperature control on these units are so precise you dont get heat spikes like the cheap irons do. Not to mention it heats up to operating temp in a couple minutes and stays there even under constant use. The desoldering tips wear out, all of them do. Pace sells a heavier duty desolder tip but I have never tried them. I get quite a bit of use out of the regular duty ones.
 
Last edited:
I'm using primarily Hakko parts - 936 for soldering, 599 tip cleaner, 808 for desoldering. I just got the 808 based on rave reviews; the rest of the setup I've used for years and love it - temperature controlled, fast startup, and local stores carry extra tips/parts.

LeChuck
 
I don't use a soldering iron every day, but still want a good one. I fell into the Wells Temperature controlled ones because that was what my Dad used and he gave me his. I absolutely love this iron. No knobs, no fuss. It's always the right temperature for 60/40 solder. It was built to melt that stuff and they even have a patent around this temperature control so anything else that is out there is a copy of this design. My Dad's eventually broke because I dropped it and broke some pins off the pen plug, so I just replaced it with a more modern version and couldn't be happier:

http://www.amazon.com/WTCPT-Tempera...63/ref=sr_1_41?ie=UTF8&qid=1325990742&sr=8-41

I really cannot comprehend why you would need to spend anymore than this for a great soldering iron. This thing does what I want it to and that's all I can ask. If you spend more, and don't do this for a living, why would you need to spend anymore? Can someone enlighten me on this? This soldering iron flat out rocks and it is ALWAYS the right temperature. It's an amazing device. So, why spend more on something else? I guess the pen is larger because of their patent temperature control, but other than that, I don't see what the differences could be.
 
Last edited:
I cannot comprehend why you would need to spend anymore than this for a great soldering iron. This thing does what I want it to and that's all I can ask. If you spend more, and don't do this for a living, why would you need to spend anymore? Can someone enlighten me on this? This soldering iron flat out rocks and it is ALWAYS the right temperature. It's an amazing device. So, why spend more on something else? I guess the pen is larger because of their patent temperature control, but other than that, I don't see what the differences could be.

#1 a patent doesn't have a thing to do with quality or function. It simply protects your design, good or bad from duplication.
#2 Weller soldering irons are piles of shit. Solder with a Pace and you'll understand the difference. It's like comparing a Bentley to a AMC Reliant (lots of patents on that lemon)
#3 "always the right temperature"..
Right to lift traces, pads and sweat pipes.
 
I threw away several wtcpt wellers a few years ago. I went through a couple heaters on them in very short time and cut my losses. The pace irons are far superior.
 
#2 Weller soldering irons are piles of shit. Solder with a Pace and you'll understand the difference.

I've got one of each manufactured iron and I have to say they are both great and both have their places on my bench. I use the Weller about 75% of the time vs the Pace but when I need the Pace its right on the money.
 
i love my cheap hakko 926 esd safe station with 907 iron. next on my purchase list is a 808 desoldering gun.

I hear the xytronic and pace units are very nice, but they cost a pretty penny as well.

total i paid $50 shipped for my station and brand new iron (i got a micro iron with my station as well).
 
Sorry I am Just a Pace guy.

Why? I use to repairs for a nation wide computer company. After 5 years of being used every day by myself and other techs. It's is still working.
 
Back
Top Bottom