Wanting a decent soldering station >$200

kcfreeloader

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I'm looking for a soldering station. I'm really searching in the $100-$150 range but might entertain anything up to $200. Probably want digital temperature control. I do mostly cap kits and maybe some board repair. I don't think i will really need any surface mount capabilities. Any recommendations?
 
I'm more or less in the same boat as you, except I'm looking around the $100 range. I'm currently looking at this:
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3132686

Radioshack iron, I know, so I'm a little leary but the reviews aren't bad (other than people complaining about finding tips). It is a rebadging of a Madell at201d.

I'm sure there is probably something better in your price range though. Just throwing that out there.
 
I bought an Aoyue 937+ Digital Soldering Station from Amazon last year and am very happy with it. I do PCB and cap kit soldering mostly. It has digital temp control and heats fast. The temp control is in C only, but it's not that big of a deal. The handle of the iron does get a little hot after about 30 minutes of use, but other than that I've had no issues.

Oh, and the best part: it's under $55 right now on Amazon.
 
I bought one of these about a year ago: http://cgi.ebay.com/Solder-Station-...098?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item563e976ab2

I only have 2 complaints about it:
(1) a red LED power on lamp would be nice. You need to look at the LCD screen to see if it is still on. I left it on overnight once :eek: because I didn't look at the screen closely enough
(2) The power cord should go out the back so the iron stand could go on either side (it is freestanding, but on my bench it is more convenient on the left which is where the powercord comes out).

Neither of these is really that significant. It works great, heats up very quickly and holds the temp extremely well. I don't really know how I lived with RadioSh*t soldering irons before I got this one.

Don't let the low cost fool you, this is an industrial strength soldering station. I use it for cap kits and board work all the time.

ken
 
I have a Rat Shack on on my bench..Its fine, although the holder has sorta melted.. Tips are a problem, but mine has lasted 2 years so far..
 
Thanks for all the replys.


D Roy: Unfortunately, i don't buy from my local Radio Shack anymore due to the new owner. I could go on, but that would be a whole new topic. I'm so disappointed in all the Rat Shacks everywhere. They used to be great for getting caps, resistors, project boxes and whatever. Now all that is condensed down to a little storage bin and i don't know what it is they are trying to be. Maybe the technology store from 5 years in the past. I smell failure.

delroy: I've had weller stuff, no reason to dislike it, just wanted to try something different, but i will keep that model in mind.

Raikus: That model sounds very tempting. Good price too!

YellowDog: That machine looks very slick. I'm a bit worried about the tips though. Is it compatible with any others?

mcandrewsoun: I've had good luck with the rat shack stuff as well, i just want to try something a little more high end. Plus see above.

coil1002: It looks like your model has been replaced by the Hakko FX888 Soldering Station. It too looks like a very tempting unit. Wish it was digital though.




So it looks as though i'm leaning toward the Aoyue 937+ or the Hakko.
 
I have the Hakko 936 too, it's great.

It doesn't have digital, but it does have temperature adjustment.
 
I also have the Hakko 936 and highly recommend it. I even like their Hakko 808 desoldering gun and am always tempted to buy one every time I walk into Fry's. lol
 
Thanks for all the replys.

YellowDog: That machine looks very slick. I'm a bit worried about the tips though. Is it compatible with any others?

In a previous thread, someone said they were compatible with one of the major brands. I think I got 10 when I bought it and so far I'm still using the original "pencil" tip with no signs of wear on it. So I am not worried about replacements.

I have gone through a brand new 1 lb spool of solder and about another 1/4 lb of a previous spool since I got it. So it does get a pretty good workout.

ken
 
I've been very happy with the PACE units that I have.
 
i bought one of these when it first came out, along with a spare iron and a selection of tips.

http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/21-1590&CAWELAID=445475968 ( different face plate but same thing)

I literally wore the iron out before the tip went bad, so im on iron 2 and still going strong. That first iron went thoguh hell man. Have not touched my spare tips, and i dont think ill need to.


It was money wel spent in my book( periodically this goes on sale for $60, $70, $80 if you find the promo code)
 
i have a Weller WESD51 and it's pretty darn nice. heats up to temp in about a minute (someday i'll have to time it,) recovers fast, seems very solidly built, and easy to find replacement tips and pencils for. i don't have a infrared thermometer so i can't say how incredibly accurate it is but it seems close.

when i picked it up it was running $130 directly from Amazon. the price has jumped about $40 but there are still sellers on Amazon and elsewhere that have it in the $130 range.
 
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I may upgrade eventually, but I'm currently using an old Weller WTC series iron. Temp controlled by swapping tips. It's an old industry workhorse design, very durable and reliable. For desoldering, I snagged a Hakko 808, and my god has it made life easier.

The WESD51 looks very nice too. Considered the Xytronics 8800, but the desoldering tips don't come big enough for the .156 header connectors I'm constantly doing.

I've heard mixed reviews on the Ayoue stuff, which are all Hakko look-alike knockoffs. Some people love them, some people find they aren't reliable even as a doorstop. I do like the layout of the 701, and wish I could get a real Hakko 701 here in the US.

Pace is what all the techs at my job use, very good, very expensive for a rework station.

-Hans
 
+1 for the Hakko 936. i picked up a used Hakko 936 base, a Hakko iron, and several tips from ebay for 40-something shipped a year or so ago. it works great and you can find replacement tips online pretty easy. i think the Hakko's are popular in some of the RC circles & they pop up used and in pretty good shape on ebay regularly. the 936 isn't digital, but i didn't want digital -- just one more thing to break. heats up very fast.
 
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