Cheap Soldering Station?

[Vikki]

My Weller tcp irons have all died and the cost of spares made them not really viable for repair....looking for a lower end soldering station, anyone any suggestions...as long as its low voltage..are these Chinese ones on ebay worth the bother?
Vikki(uk) ;D

 

[Sredna]

Check Hakko or Aoyue (Hakko copy).

Im very content with my Aoyue 936.


Best,

Anders

 

[s2udio]

My Weller tcp irons have all died and the cost of spares made them not really viable for repair....
Vikki(uk) ;D

Always had weller , and always will....... the cost of spares seem expensive but ....you will never get a better iron than a weller magnasat TCP
RS have the cheapest spares at a very reasonable price...some other UK Websites have ridicously priced spares ,
IF YOU'RE Scrapping them (you must be mad) send them to me !
As always you buy cheap you get cheap !

 

[pvision]

I bought this two days ago:

http://uk.farnell.com/tenma/21-10115-uk/soldering-station-60w-220v-uk/dp/2064549

It's early days but it seems nicely made and Farnell appears to be the cheapest supplier. 

Nick Froome

 

[gar381]

Love my Hakko but..

We dumped our old Wellers at work
for these cheap Tenma stations that
Nick is talking about.  These are a

"GREAT BANG FOR THE BUCK"

Highly Recommended for those who are
on a budget!!  I think we paid around $50
in the US for these guys.

GARY

 

[SSLtech]

I've used Weller, and I had a couple of TCP's, a brace of electronic temperature control models, and a 9000 desolder station.

Now I have Hakko, and that's all I use nowadays. They're less expensive, but actually BETTER. -I have a Metcal at work but that's expensive, so I'm ignoring that.

I've also got some Tenma stuff, but the Hakkpo wins because parts are readily available, yet INEXPENSIVE.

Hakkos are easy to keep working, -primarily because you very rarely have to repair them.

If I had a dollar for every time a Magnastat had stuck on, leaving me with an iron that started to glow cherry red... I'd have enough to buy a VERY nice lunch!

NEVER been let down by a Hakko. -the Tenmas are ok if youreally want inexpensive, but the Hakkos are significantly better, while still not being expensive. -Some of the Aoyue copies have reportedly caused a LOT of problems. -In my opinion, the Hakkos are so affordable that there's zero point buying a less reliable copy.

 

[pvision]

Hakkos seem to be a ridiculous price in the UK. The Tenma was in stock at Farnell, and cheaper than Maplins, so I thought I'd give it a whirl

Time will tell...

 

[ruffrecords]

I have a Weller WTCP51 and it is great. However, I cannot seem to get replacement bits to fit it anywhere. I found some that should have been compatible at CPC but the don't fit. ANyone else had this problem?

Cheers

ian

 

[CJ]

how much soldering do you do?

not very much?

you might consider a soldering pencil, hard to break and pretty cheap,

do not like anything new so we use a Weller TC 202 pwr supply with the TC201 pencil,

magnetic temp control, tips still available on ebay and elsewhere,

if you turn them off and on as needed, they last forever,

if you  leave them on overnight by mistake, then they burn out after a while,

had the same tip for about 30 years, the new ones do not seem to hold up very long, which is why we use the really old stock, the plating on the new tips seems to burn off quickly now, lead free tips were lasting about 3 months,

and of course we use good ol Kester "44", high octane rosin and plenty of lead,  ;D

 

[thermionic]

Did you get a station, Vicky? Surely this must be a clone / too good to be true: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/B270A-220V-ESD-SAFE-Electronic-Iron-soldering-station-HAKKO-936-AQ28-/121291251971?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item1c3d85a103 

??

If it's legitimate then it must be the ultimate iron bargain. I have an Weller WSD81 and a 936. The 936 is bomb proof. When it comes time to change the WSD81 I will probably go the Hakko route.

 

[okgb]

When I just had a pencil , I'd simply file the tips sharp a few times til there was nothing left.

 

[njm]

http://cpc.farnell.com/duratool/zd-931-89-3106/soldering-station-esd-bs-plug/dp/SD01120

I've got one of them. Had it about 4 years, daily use. I've just replaced the element for the first time. CPC stock spares, tips and elements for under 2 quid. The soldering iron stand included is crap! It detaches though

 

[dirtyhanfri]

I use a Hakko 936 and It's fine, paid around 40 euros for it and I'm pretty happy.

 

[LeeYoo]

When I just had a pencil , I'd simply file the tips sharp a few times til there was nothing left.

Tips should never be filed, because you remove the plating.
Only old copper tips were filed into shape, because copper desolves into tin.
Plated tips should last years, when used 10 hours a day.
Leo..

 

[Vikki]

Great thanks for your thoughts and ideas, not purchased anything as yet....
Noticed this one on Ebay, no iron bits though
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/312086-936-Electronic-Soldering-Rework-Station-400-Degrees-Temperature-Control-/291045808647?pt=UK_Home_Garden_PowerTools_SM&hash=item43c3ae9a07
There was a good article on a simple diy solder station using one of the yellow made in China Irons, but i can't seem to find the article now....
Regards
Vikki(uk)

 

[thermionic]

Although the 936 is 50w whereas the WSP 80 / WDS81 is 80w, speaking as a user of both, I have to say that in terms of reliability and general usability the 936 does about 99% of what its weller rival does, at about a tenth of the price. The Weller's thin, which gives it an advantage in tight spots, but that's pretty much its main advantage bar the additional watts. For about £15 extra I'd be inclined to get the branded Hakko iron, although even at that price I am a little bit dubious about whether it's real. Having said that, Dirtyhanfri seems happy with the 936 at 40 Euros, so maybe these irons are genuine?

For what you're going to save, personally, I'd opt for the 936 over a DIY solution.

 

[thermionic]

the new ones do not seem to hold up very long, which is why we use the really old stock, the plating on the new tips seems to burn off quickly now, lead free tips were lasting about 3 months,

Curious... This mirrors my experience with Weller. The old Magnastat seemed to last yrs on one tip, even with heavy use. My much newer digital Weller goes through a tip in around 3 months...

 

[Vikki]

Dropped on one of these at a car boot sale £3 brand new......
http://www.antex.co.uk/soldering/standard-soldering-irons/tcs230/
Feel quite chuffed...
Vikki(uk)

 

[ruffrecords]

Dropped on one of these at a car boot sale £3 brand new......
http://www.antex.co.uk/soldering/standard-soldering-irons/tcs230/
Feel quite chuffed...
Vikki(uk)

You cannot beat a car boot bargain. I used a 25W Antex for years for transistor stuff; I still have the iron, but it is not meaty enough for my tube work. The 50W one you have looks ideal.

Cheers

Ian

 

[Rochey]

Keep an eye on ebay and circuit specialists. There are combo hot air and hakko compatible soldering irons for less than $100. Love the hot air - good for repair, reflow and heat shrink.