Recomend a Solder/Desolder Station around $200?

[brethin]

Im looking for a Soldering/Desoldering Station for personal use (like maybe a couple of motherboards a month). My budget is around $200 and I am a bit new to soldering.

Basiclly I want to be able to do cap replacements and light work and want to aviod using a solder sucker etc. Any thoughts would be most welcome.

[ratdude747]

Re: Recomend a Solder/Desolder Station around $200?

i personally like the xytronic 258.

note- its an iron, not a station, but its temp controlled and the tips are high quality. i use mine a lot, maybe 1-2 1hr sessions a week. not to mention they go fore around $30 a pop. id also recommend getting a decent stand for it. idk about you, but for what you are doing, id go with the 258.

[Krankshaft]

Re: Recomend a Solder/Desolder Station around $200?

I have never used a desoldering station so I can't attest to how well they work.

I just use desoldering braid it takes some skill to use it though.

If you're serious about a desoldering station in that price range I think the only brand you could afford second hand is Xytronic. That's desoldering ONLY the soldering/desoldering combos are way more expensive.

I'd invest in a good soldering STATION first.

The Hakko 936 is a good entry level station at around $80 while if you want something more advanced with more tip choices you have the digital 70W FX-951 that I use at around $250.

[Krankshaft]

Re: Recomend a Solder/Desolder Station around $200?

Scratch that check this out:

http://www.howardelectronics.com/xytronic/988d.html

Around $299. The soldering iron looks like a Hakko 936 clone the same slender pencil form.

[ratdude747]

Re: Recomend a Solder/Desolder Station around $200?

I have never used a desoldering station so I can't attest to how well they work.

I just use desoldering braid it takes some skill to use it though.

If you're serious about a desoldering station in that price range I think the only brand you could afford second hand is Xytronic. That's desoldering ONLY the soldering/desoldering combos are way more expensive.

I'd invest in a good soldering STATION first.

The Hakko 936 is a good entry level station at around $80 while if you want something more advanced with more tip choices you have the digital 70W FX-951 that I use at around $250.

idk. i was using the xytronic 258 last night, (yesterday, i got it a new stand like i said i should) and i was impressed. my job went well. Considering that my solder sucker was out of commission (snapped lock ring), i didnt screw up uch. i solved the sucker problem by putting a sewing pin in a pair of mini vise grips... it was easy as pie to clear solder holes... and the gaming mouse i found at goodwill ($2, bad usb cord) works again! no desolder station needed. i DO recommend getting either a high quality spring sucker (all metal body and tip holder, the vellman high quality sucker is a good one, my model) or a bulm sucker (can be a pain). never used desolder braid, ive wanted to try it but its consumable, which is a turn off to me. i like reuseable.

[larrymoencurly]

Re: Recomend a Solder/Desolder Station around $200?

The Hakko 808 desoldering gun is around $160 at Fry's, and Fry's has had the Hakko 936 soldering station on sale for $60 a couple of times in the last few months (maybe because Hakko has discontinued the 936).

I've read of people taking the $11 Radio Shack desoldering iron and souping it up with either an electric vacuum pump or by increasing the amount of heat delivered to the tip by wrapping the part above the tip with insulation and cutting the pipe to the sucker bulb and splicing in a short piece of silicone hose to act as a thermal break.

[ratdude747]

Re: Recomend a Solder/Desolder Station around $200?

fixed the sucker, impressed as always. i may never buy the 808 even if i had the money... NOT!

i bet the 808 is a snap to use!

[Toasty]

Re: Recomend a Solder/Desolder Station around $200?

http://www.circuitspecialists.com/prod.itml/icOid/7789

[brethin]

Re: Recomend a Solder/Desolder Station around $200?

Thanks Toasty that looks like what i need. Just wondering how reliable it is and who makes it.

[Toasty]

Re: Recomend a Solder/Desolder Station around $200?

I'll let you know what I think of their stuff. I just ordered:

http://www.circuitspecialists.com/prod.itml/icOid/9750

and

http://www.circuitspecialists.com/prod.itml/icOid/7343

Their CSI house brand, Aoyue, and some of the BlackJack SolderWerks stuff all looks like it comes from the same manufacturer... HKFA, LLC.

Toast

[brethin]

Re: Recomend a Solder/Desolder Station around $200?

Ok I bit the bullet and ordered one. They even through in a extra gift for me a DMM.

http://www.circuitspecialists.com/prod.itml/icOid/8883

Thanks again Toasty for the help.

[brethin]

Re: Recomend a Solder/Desolder Station around $200?

Well used it at least a dozen times so far and I am very happy with it. Thanks again for the suggestion Toasty. BTW what did you think of the items you ordered?

[Toasty]

Re: Recomend a Solder/Desolder Station around $200?

I am very pleased with both the hot air and desoldering stations. They have performed well and I would recommend them to anyone looking for an inexpensive solution.

Desoldering station: I have found the 1.0mm and 1.5mm tips to be the most heavily used. I suggest purchasing spares of each when ordering a new machine. Also, a spare heating element and filter spring. The filter spring captures the liquid solder but can be a pain to get clean. I found that applying some silicone grease inside the spring allows the solder to be cleaned out much more easily.

Hot air station: Works very well and has been a real boon to removing SMD's especially when packed in tightly on a board. The supplied nozzels are adequate for what I'm doing, but you might consider additional sizes and shapes depending on your application. They offer 46 additional varieties. The same suggestion here in buying a replacement heating element at time of purchase.


Toast

[sceva]

Re: Recomend a Solder/Desolder Station around $200?

I am looking for a station, and am leaning toward a Weller WES51. I can get a new one for about $99. But I am a little tempted to save about $40 and try one of the ones from circuitspecialists, maybe one of these models:
http://www.circuitspecialists.com/prod.itml/icOid/9749 or http://www.circuitspecialists.com/prod.itml/icOid/8396. But then I get worried that it will be hard to find parts for in the future.

I wonder how Toasty's machines are working after a few more months of use?

[Toasty]

Re: Recomend a Solder/Desolder Station around $200?

Both the desolder station and hot air units continue to perform very well. As I said previously, I recommend that you purchase additional tips and spare elements up front. Saves spending UPS freight for a $3 part.

I do not have their soldering stations. I'm still using my Weller WTCPN station from 30 years ago. Elements, tips, and other misc parts continue to be available.

Toast

[stj]

Re: Recomend a Solder/Desolder Station around $200?

weller = $$$,
they are comedians when it comes to pricing.

those tcp magna-stat iron's cost about £70 ($110) to replace - just the iron, no psu!!!

[smason]

Re: Recomend a Solder/Desolder Station around $200?

I still have my Weller WTCP I bought in 1979. I think I paid $89.00 for it, back then that was a lot of $$. I replaced the tip once in the last 6 years or so.
Still works very well, while my Hakko 968 (freebie back in 2002) is dead (new element and sensor on the way)

[Toasty]

Re: Recomend a Solder/Desolder Station around $200?

Weller = LONG life. Ya gets whatcha pays for with them.

Top quality at reasonable prices then and now, at least in the "pro" line of equipment. Not that there aren't other comparable irons today, those choices/competitors did not exist when I made my purchase. Ungar was around back then. They also made quality pieces and had a huge variety of tips and attachments. They were more costly than Weller and they didn't offer a temperature controlled station. Radio Shack even had decent irons then.

I still have my Dad's dual heat Weller gun from the 50's along with a Wen in a tin box that was my Grandfather's. LOL

Toast

[Toasty]

Re: Recomend a Solder/Desolder Station around $200?

@sceva - re: the Weller WES51

Personally, I do not care for the "pencil" style irons. Much to thin for my hands and I find the handles are always uncomfortably warm. I like the -style- of iron similar to what Topcat sells at Badcaps store: https://www.badcaps.net/store/index.php?cPath=28

It's a larger grip and much cooler. My Weller station goes a step farther and sets the grip sleeve back a 1/4". It also sits up on internal ribs that contact the barrel of the iron so there is some air circulation.

Identical to the WTCPT station: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg.../-/B00004W463/
or the WLC100: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg.../-/B000AS28UC/

Just my 2¢

Toast

[stj]

Re: Recomend a Solder/Desolder Station around $200?

well it's down to the psu with magna-stat irons,
a friend runs them and was burning out the magnetic switch twice a year till he fitted current-limiting resistors to the power sockets.
(his workshop has a central psu running 4 irons)

it looks like the weller base has a limited current design.
----

now as for the newer wellers with the thermocouple in them - total shit.
i had // have a pair of DS801 desoldering stations with the DS80 irons.

the DS80 is the same as the tcp other than the button on the handle, and the magnetic switch is replaced with a thermocouple.

those thermocouples are total shit - 4 failures in 2 years!!!

i replaced the shit DS80 iron with a DIA80 xytronics iron and changed the socket on the base in the end - no more problems!

in my experience xytronics stuff is way better built than weller stuff.


btw, ungar = weller.
and weller is a division of cooper-tools.