so my recent attempt at soldering LED strips with an old transformer pistol type solder made me look for some new options. It should be used primary to solder cables around house (like the LED strips in kitchen) and occasionally some electronics soldering including flashlights.
Im looking for something that runs hot enough to handle even thicker solder joints, what minimum wattage should I look for? Also would you go for a soldering iron only or for a soldering station? Feel free to recommend some tried and well liked models.
I have a Hakko clone and it has been wonderful over the last years:
The 60W version is strong enough to solder copper elements and even works on car electronics/wiring. Think I paid about 23 $US on ebay for it. The handle looked fragile, but after 2+ years there were no issues.
It will depend on if you think you will ever need a hot air station. If you intend to do any smd work with smaller components its a life saver.
The 936 linked above is hard to beat for the money. I have had one for probably 6 years and it still works great.
If you wanna get something with the hot air the 862d is decent. https://www.ebay.com/itm/2-in-1-Soldering-Iron-Rework-Stations-SMD-Hot-Air-Gun-Desoldering-Welder-862D-V/222399754713?
The 862D is a older model, they do offer newer models with a few more options but are basically the same.
If you are serious about soldering then move on up to a quality station like the Pace ADS200. https://www.tequipment.net/Pace/ADS200-8007-0578/Soldering-Stations/
I have had several china soldering stations and the ADS200 makes soldering a lot easier and is well worth the money but it’s not easy on the wallet.
There is also soldering stations that have the heating element made in the tip that tend to heat up faster and have better heat control similar to the ADS200. https://www.ebay.com/itm/FX-951-Solder-Iron-Electric-Rework-Soldering-Station-with-T12-k-Iron-Tip-Holder/142931300244?
These tend to work better than the older models with the tip separate from the heating element.
If you buy a quality iron then you can buy a cheaper hot air station off ebay for under $30 if you decide you need the hot air.
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My advice would be to buy the station with what ever features you think you might need in the future and spend your money only once to get the station that fits your needs now so that you don’t have to buy another down the road.
It really depends on how much you are willing to spend to point you in the right direction.
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Some good info in this thread. Solder Station
Thanks for the incoming tips! As I shop mostly through BG, i did not find there the 936 model. However there is perhaps a newer one: YIHUA 937D How about that one? I dont plan to use a hot air station in near future, so an universal soldering iron / solder station is all what I need.
There is also this one that looks almost the same like YIHUA: YOTEC 967 , is there any difference?
Also which “must have” accessories would you recommend? At home I have a small box of 30+ years old resin and some tin soft solder wire.
I got a… forgot the brand, AEIOUY or something, offa Amazon that’s quite nice, and cheap. Gets nice’n’hot when cranked up, can hit a mcpcb hard’n’fast to (un)solder wires to it no prob, too.
Solder… try some and see if it still melts nicely or if it oxidised too much. And sticks to electronic goodies without balling up. Should still be good with adequate flux, though.
I wanted to get a soldering iron/station that can use standard Haiku tips. Can get the real thing ($$:money_mouth_face: or knockoffs, and I found that the knockoffs suit me just fine, ’though I never did any A/B comparison. You don’t want to get locked into proprietary tips.
Those “3rd-hand” thingies come in handy, but the cheap one I got from GB was/is a real POS, so avoid that one. It “works” as long as I tighten the thingies reeeeeeally tightly or use pliers, but look at ’em wrong let alone try budging ’em and they start flopping around.
The linked Yihua is the device I have with more power, a digital display and more accessories. The price appears high, try finding a coupon or wait to see how it levels out after Christmas (before next weeks’ treehugging session every shopping item appears gold-plated). you could also look for youtube reviews or try sourcing the device via other platforms and more local warehouse options (mine came through a local ebay shipper with Asia prices).
The accessories: see whether you like them, the items are typically not that expensive but are “packaged in” to make it more expensive. I saw that copper cleaning unit for just a few bucks.
I’m not sure but I believe there all made here. http://yihua-gz.com/Products.asp?sortid=265
I think you can order them with what ever name you want on them if you order enough of them.
Never seen anyone confirm that though. Look around there on the Yihua site, you will see many different types that can be found on ebay and other places that look exactly a like with the same specs but with a different name. There are several in the 2 in 1 category.
It can use real T12 tip and heat up very quickly, faster than most usual weller or hakko soldering iron which I have used before. The only better iron I have used is very expensive metcal RF soldering iron.
:+1: If I was spending less than $50 that be the brand I would try. I have never owned one but have seen a lot of good praises from people that do.
I had forgot about this one, it was mentioned in another thread here somewhere.
It, surprisingly, works quite well. I’ve been using the same soldering iron for 3 years now, and the tips haven’t failed me… yet.
I do take care of my tips though. I’m always at a conservative 330-360C, use a brass cleaner. shut off the iron the instant I don’t need it anymore, etc.
My most-used iron is nowadays a butane-powered one. Which is also a decent hot-air gun. And very inexpensive.
Though I do own far-far better, for a quick job I just get it out of my travel-toolbox, and crack-on, instead of unpacking my better stuff, which could turn into a 30 minute or 1 hour session before it is all done.
But I do have some experience, and my particular butane iron has delicate responsive controls. The tip is heated by a catalytic process, not a flame. And can go from massive power, to just a trickle, in seconds. But I have to control that myself, rather than rely on electronics. Mine has a little push-button to turn it up and down, as well as a knob to do the basic setting.
Essential accessories: tip cleaner, spare tips in every size don’t be too lazy to change them around, even run two irons for efficiency, good solder (lead free for touching up lead-free joints, and leaded for starting from scratch, in 0.3mm diameter for SMD, flux (inactive, plain rosin, and active, and very active for joints to metal), solder sucker and de-soldering braid. And bottle of 50:50 isopropyl alcohol/DI water, for cleaning with a bristle artist’s paintbrush, then inspection under a high magnification loupe.
That should get you started. Not expensive either. The soldering station investment is by far the biggest, but maybe you don’t need a “station” at all. Just a decent iron (they are still made and work just as well as they always have).
Never liked the “soldering guns” though. Horrible.
