Looking to get a temperature controlled soldering station

I am looking to get the above to replace my old & very basic non temperature controlled Duratool 40 watt iron.
Thinking of getting one of the many Hakko 936 clones & some genuine Hakko tips.
I can get this clone from ebay UK for £27 delivered ($33) 312087+936+Station+re+travaillage+de+soudage+60W+contr%C3%B4le+temp%C3%A9rature... for sale online | eBay
Just wondering if there are any better prices around or any coupon deals available before pulling the trigger ?

I have the Aoyue 936 off ebay, paid around 25$ shipped for it, the prices are different depending on stock, seller, and so on. This device was by far one of my best investments because I found the temperature control to be quite accurate on mine. Any hobby mod like RC, flashlights, drivers, … can be done with this. Car mods can be done if the wire isn’t too heavy.

also, I would check the regular sites like Hobbyking (they had a deal once for a very low price, forgot how much it was).

I am in the UK so it will be either ebay UK, Amazon UK or one of the Chinese sellers although unless there is a BLF discount available with one of the Chinese sellers then the £27/$33 delivered price of the one in my link seems to be a good price ?
Does Hobbyking have a UK store as if not then shipping would kill any deal.

Hobbyking have a UK warehouse, you can select the product and then the warehouse location (price will change depending on warehouse/shipping location). Depending on deal it might be cheaper shipped from UK or NL or international.

Yes just tried that.
Item is shipped from EU warehouse.
The soldering station is cheap at £18.50 but shipping is £12 so £30 or $37, although it is only £3 dearer than the one I linked to on ebay which TBH looks completely different.
This is the one on Hobbyking https://hobbyking.com/en_us/soldering-station-with-adjustable-heat-range-with-eu-plug.html

that is the one I have, very good item. However the item description says both 60W and 45W. I believe those are different models so I would clarify that before making a purchase.

I have just done online chat with Hobbyking & been told that the iron itself is 45 watt but that the stations total power consumption is 60 watt.
What wattage is your iron ?

60W for the iron itself, I don’t know how much the overall consumption is and never measured it. There are probably many different models out there. Mine was through ebay.
There are also similar models with a LED display for the temperature, or the buttons for adjusting. More or less similar content with different packaging.

Another question, my present iron is just 40W non adjustable, what sort of temperature should I be setting one of these adjustable temp irons at ?

I always adjust mine on the left 45-55% of the scale, namely between 200°C - 350°C. With the correct flux this is sufficient for MCPCBs and up to 18-20 AWG.

As you have discovered these clones are pretty much the same guts so prices are pretty much the same across the board from manufacturer to manufacturer. $16.00-$29.00 for the item itself then the rest is shipping costs! Have a look on Aliexpress there costs are cheaper on the shipping cost so it might be worth having a look if you are in Europe and having it shipped?

I recall a warning to check these things, make sure you don’t have 110v on the metal case …. always a good thing to watch out for.

Polarized wiring and plugs seem not understood by many Chinese manufacturers.

After watching this video review 936D digital soldering station test and internal look. - YouTube I am very tempted to buy the station that I originally linked to 312087 936 Station re travaillage de soudage 60W contrôle température... for sale online | eBay.
It seems to have a few advantages over the normal Hakko clones with a dial to select the temperature & is the same sort of price if not cheaper for us in the UK.

I really like this unit: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/New-arrived-high-quality-Digital-LCD-Electric-soldering-iron-110W-CXG-DS110T-Adjustable-temperature-same-as/32643992944.html

CXG DS110T, uses Hakko 900L tips.

Cheers ^:)

Maybe this list of solder melting points help:

Thanks The Miller, funnily enough I had just read that :+1:
Oh & seasons greetings to you & your family from Mr & Mrs headlight:-)
Before I pull the trigger on the digitally controlled station does anyone know of any downsides to it over an analogue Hakko clone ?
Watching some youtube reviews/tear downs of analogue Hakko clones compared to this digital station it seems that this digital one has a bigger transformer allowing the iron to reach the set temp quicker & re-heat during use quicker & also temp calibration seems easier (& accuracy seems very good) as it is done using the 2 up/down buttons on the front panel as opposed to having to adjust a trim pot (internal ?) with a screw driver.

Has there been a group-buy lately for a soldering station? I would be interested in a good looking Hakko clone if a coupon became available.

The big cost is good tips —- which aren’t simple things.

I’d love to join a group buy of real Hakko tips, if anyone finds a source of the little wedge tips best for our purposes.

’oogle it: soldering tip construction - Google Search

The cheap ones corrode — get holes in them — awfully fast, in my experience.

Quality tips last a very long time if taken care of. This is why I only buy OEM tips for my Hakko and Weller soldering stations.

That being said, if you can afford $100, get yourself a Hakko FX-888D soldering station from an authorized dealer because there are fakes out there that suck.

Disclaimer: I have no experience with cheap Chinese soldering stations so I can’t comment on those. Some might be good, and I’ll bet lots of them suck.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Electric-soldering-iron-LCD-Adjustable-temperature-Digital-Electric-Soldering-station-EU-plug-Replace-FOR-936-Soldering/32466646102.html

For 900M tips. I'd get one of these for myself no doubt…

Cheers ^:)