Hi all,
Do you have some recommendations for a soldering station that would meet my needs?
I’ve been into hobby electronics for a few years, doing mostly analog audio projects but recently got into repairing and repurposing broken electronics (Bluetooth earbuds, speakers, USB cables and such).
I’ve been using a cheap Parkside(LIDL)-rebranded “generic Chinese product” (I came across the exact same model on AliExpress, in different colors); which has served me well until now but has a few flaws that I can’t be bothered with anymore. Mainly: -it takes ages to get hot. -the cable going from the station to the iron is super thick and stiff, which is annoying as hell…
I would like it to be the least expensive possible, while being good enough I’d be happy with it for the foreseeable future.
I have been looking at these:
Newer tech, “expensive” tips (8-10€)
And wondering how these “newer” types of iron compare to stations, what are the main drawbacks?
Thanks a lot in advance for any input, Please be gentle if you think I’m an idiot :)
Edit: changed the “Smolderin” in title to “soldering”
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Weller used to be a great brand
Have you also checked Farnell where you are? They’ve always stocked good stuff
Modern cartridge style heaters are definitely worth the extra price. I have a Pace ADS200 myself and it’s great but a bit expensive.
I’ve heard good things about the Pinecil so definitely recommend that instead of any older style iron.
The Pinecil is nice for small projects and accurate work because of its size. It heats up in just a few seconds, and fits nicely in the hand. It’s USB powered, so you need a USB-C PD power source to run it, ideally with a long enough cable that it won’t get in your way.
If I had a need for frequent soldering, I would get one of the high-power models with a small pen, or at least one with a better cable. I like the Pinecil a lot, it’s really good at what I need out of it, but I think it needs some work before it becomes a good professional tool.
It also has a normal power jack, so you don’t have to use USB.
Yeah, one of those tiny barrel jacks. But it doesn’t come with an AC adapter, so you have to find one that matches.
Solder one on an old laptop power brick or get an adapter to run it from a 20V power tool battery.
You can use the Pinecil to solder a new wire onto itself!
That’s where my biggest hesitation lies: old style or cartridge. I hear that they’re better but I’m concerned about life-expectancy. Do you know how well those all-in-one tips age?
My tip is still fine, it’s seen at least weekly use for the 4 years I’ve had the iron. I don’t think spending 20 every 5 or so years is bad if it were to die soon
Oh Nice thats not bad at all
I’ve used my old Aoyue 968A+ rework station for 10+ (maybe going on 15, not sure) years now and I’m very happy with it. It has excellent power in a comfortable grip with standard tips so you can switch around easily enough (although I just have a small point tip which is a good allrounder). It has enough power to deal with floodfill and ground planes without crashing the temperature, but still enough control to not overshoot and go way too hot.
It has fume extraction, but that’s kinda weak, they just added it because they could I guess. The suction bit can get in the way, but it’s easily removed when it does.
The best part is it also has an excellent SMD rework hot air, again with a comfortable grip and lots of tips included. It’s easily adjustable in both temperature and airflow. I use it to pre-heat (and add heat) when soldering large components, for example on old retro motherboards. This way I can get away with lower temperatures when desoldering stuff, preventing lifting pads or damaging traces. It works great for SMD as well, but for larger PCBs I combine it with a cheap hotplate I modified to pre-heat the PCB.
It’s Chinese made, but made well, more of a high-end Chinese model and is easily gotten for around $150. I’ve used it for thousands of hours and it has never let me down.
Hmmmm I wasn’t thinking of getting hot air which I’ve never used, but could be worth getting for the future.
Can you completely remove the suction bit and cable?
Thanks for your input!
Yes you can very easily remove the suction bit and the cable. I always leave it unless it gets in the way, it sucks pretty good. When it gets in the way I remove the bit only, which is super easy to do and leave the cable so I can put the suction back again. Just don’t expect it to be a replacement for an actual good fume extractor, I always use both a dedicated extractor as well as the ventilation in my office/electric workstation. Breathing solder fumes is pretty bad in the long term.
Nice! Sounds very handy, I actually didn’t know this type of extractor existed.
Get yourself the Pinecil V2. It’s cheap, open software and open hardware, works with USB-C so you can power it with a power bank with Quick Charge or Power Delivery, and it works beautifully. The tips are admittedly not cheap, but they’re great because the ceramic element is welded to the metal so the heat is transferred quick and efficiently. Oh, and they sell the spare parts. AFAIK you can get it directly at Pine64’s website, but probably also on Ali.
I suffered with 15w and 25w RadioShack irons for a decade. Pitted tips, insulation melted to the barrel, friggin trash.
For my birthday I got a Hakko fx888d. I wish I’d got it 10 years ago. They sell the iron and the tips at microcenter, and I got an assortment while I was there. Well, they used to. Last time I was there, three electronic components were on closeout…
My point it, it’s $150 well spent. I didn’t dig too deep researching irons, but knew that hakko was a classic. I think anything with a temperature sensor and adjustable output and easy to find parts will make you very happy.
Pitted tips 🥲 I know your pain. I ended up taking it off but I was going to write I’d like to not go over 150€, so this is perfect. Thanks for your input!