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new soldering station suggestions

new soldering station suggestions

Old 07-03-2014, 05:59 AM
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Default new soldering station suggestions

So I left my soldering Iron on all night 😕 and it just isnt working anymore. So its time to upgrade. I had the weller 40 watt station and it has worked great for the last couple years, but Im thinking I want a different brand. There are so many out there, what are some good budget minded $50-75 systems?
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Old 07-03-2014, 06:06 AM
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Ive had this for 2 or 3 years now and its been a great tool. Heats up to temp in about half a minute.

Its a knock off of the hakko 936, you need to get a chisel tip (just like you would with the hakko) for rc duty. http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...arehouse_.html
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Old 07-03-2014, 07:10 AM
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Spend a little more and pick up a hakko. Anything else you will regret in the end.
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Old 07-03-2014, 07:37 AM
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Hakko is not a budget purchase. The 926 is discontinued so you're stepping into a $100+ station if you don't want a knock off that's just as good.

The $18 I spent on the HK station has been money well spent... probably the best value I've spent money on in this hobby since the 90's.

You can also get a wrap for the hakko 936 and look pro

Here's a review on the HK site that sums it up...

I have been soldering for 50 years professionally, and have just purchased the Yihua 936 soldering station from HK. The Yihua 936 is a good Hakko 936 copy/clone (the Hakko 936 has been a great soldering station that has been in commercial service for over 15 years). I have both the Hakko 936 and the Yihua 936, they are almost identical physically, however there are some differences, different color, the connectors for the soldering iron to the control station are opposite in gender, and are not interchangeable. The soldering iron holder w/sponge for the Hakko is made of metal; the Yihua appears to be a high temperature plastic. For either the Hakko or the Yihua 936, soldering iron assembly’s and tips are very low cost and available on e-bay. You can buy an iron assy. for under $6.00 and tips for $1.00 ea. When purchasing an Iron assy on e-baY, contact the seller prior to purchase and ask if the for sale iron is compatible with your Yihua 936 station, and that it is 50 watt, as there are several variations of the 936 iron, when searching for the replacement, search for "936 handle". I have tested the Yihua 936 station for temperature accuracy and stability, it under idling conditions holds /- 10DegC of set point, which is good for this type of station. The Yihua 936 appears to be a good solid soldering station and a real bargain.
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Old 07-03-2014, 07:46 AM
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Hakko fx-888, about 90 bucks. We spend more on motors in this hobby.
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Old 07-03-2014, 07:58 AM
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Definitely Hakko. I love my 936. If you can find one used, that might be a good option. Otherwise their new stuff is just as good, albeit a bit goofy looking.
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Old 07-03-2014, 07:59 AM
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Knock off of the Hakko is not a good bet. I have 3 buddies that purchased that junk, and ends up using my station, Hakko 936. Purchase a Hakko with extra tips to 3mm you have what needed for soldering the RC hobby. I like the Hakko cuz it heats up quickly, with in 20sec. Turn the temp down or turning it off. Skins are available if you want it. My Hakko is 6 years old, best thing to invest something that last more then a couple week.
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Old 07-03-2014, 02:20 PM
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I bought the hako knock off from hobby king. It wasn't bad for the money but it just didn't get hot enough. I didn't realize this right away and had a few cold solder joints come apart. Mostly on larger 5mm plugs and larger 10 gauge cheap wire. If it doesn't get hot enough u will struggle to get enough heat to the solder joints. The longer ur heating it up the more heat it transfers to unwanted places like your esc or even your poor hand that's holding the wire! Lol . The knob may have said I was getting 750-800 degree heat but it was nowhere close! I didn't realize this till I borrowed a friend's soldering station one time. Then it was clear.

I bought a trak power soldering station was like $69 and worth every penny! No more problems! Gave away the other one to a kid from the track who didn't have any soldering iron at all. I highly recommend the trak power model. If ur into doing good soldering u need good tools!

My buddy has the genuine hako and it works great to. Not noticeable better tho. Trak power has the best value by far and a 5 year warranty I believe.

Last edited by Justinb86; 07-03-2014 at 02:21 PM. Reason: typo
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Old 07-03-2014, 02:23 PM
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Bottom line your electronics aren't cheap for your car. Why use knock off second rate equipment to install them? It's not worth the risk IMO
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Old 07-03-2014, 02:37 PM
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Were you trying to solder with the mini tip that came with it? If so, it doesn't matter what iron your using, a tip that small will not transfer enough heat.

I have soldered many esc's (most all of them Tekin) with it and it gets more than hot enough with a medium chisel tip to get a good joint in a couple seconds not allowing much time for heat to transfer to the board.
I have a fried that bought a track power station as well and it does the same thing... solder. No better, no worse.

Geezatek, Like I said, I'm going on 3 years with mine and have no issues. It has cost me about $6 per year of use and getting cheaper lol. Not sure what happened with your buddies to not work after a couple weeks but my friend and I both got one and they are both going strong to this day.

OP
Spend the big bucks if you want, you asked for a budget station and I gave a suggestion. I can say from experience that all you need for any RC soldering job is the knockoff and a hakko tip that's at least 3mm. I hope to post in this thread another 3 years from now that my $18 knockoff is still working
A $100+ station will work as well... just depends on how much money you want to spend to achieve the same results.
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Old 07-03-2014, 02:49 PM
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Originally Posted by fq06
Were you trying to solder with the mini tip that came with it? If so, it doesn't matter what iron your using, a tip that small will not transfer enough heat.

I have soldered many esc's (most all of them Tekin) with it and it gets more than hot enough with a medium chisel tip to get a good joint in a couple seconds not allowing much time for heat to transfer to the board.
I have a fried that bought a track power station as well and it does the same thing... solder. No better, no worse.

Geezatek, Like I said, I'm going on 3 years with mine and have no issues. It has cost me about $6 per year of use and getting cheaper lol. Not sure what happened with your buddies to not work after a couple weeks but my friend and I both got one and they are both going strong to this day.

OP
Spend the big bucks if you want, you asked for a budget station and I gave a suggestion. I can say from experience that all you need for any RC soldering job is the knockoff and a hakko tip that's at least 3mm. I hope to post in this thread another 3 years from now that my $18 knockoff is still working
A $100+ station will work as well... just depends on how much money you want to spend to achieve the same results.
It is true that the OP said budget BUT his price range is in the $50 to $ 75 rang and the Hakko can be had all day long with some due diligence for $100.00 ish . A lot closer to what he was asking for in comparison to a $ 18 iron . Fact is , you get what you pay for in the long run . Pay nothing , get nothing . Pretty simple . The law of averages are what they are and it sounds like you ended up of the "lucky" side . I would not speculate that same scenario for EVERYONE.
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Old 07-03-2014, 03:14 PM
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True, but there are multiple threads on RCT where people have had the same experience as me with that station. Not one that has had a negative experience other than Justin's two friends.

So far for me the fact is that I have got way more than what I paid for. I would think there should be some kind of failure rate with those but I don't think there's one review on HK saying their's bit the dust. Maybe Justin's friend should he the first verified buyer to do so?
If you want a gucci looking station, get a hakko wrap for it
If my budget was $75 and I could get a tool to do the job for $18...

Anyway, OP will get what he wants to get, I hope for him that he takes the extra saved money and puts it towards track fees
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Old 07-03-2014, 04:36 PM
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Yeah fq!!!! Tekins I use soldering station for. I bought another tip for it, The pin style tip was to small. 3mm did ok. The 5mm chisel tip Flawlessly, with other soldering project. The 936 maybe discontinued, but I think you can find one through EBay. The clones your gamble, or else purchase to new Hakko, you still wont make a bad decision of Hakko.
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Old 07-03-2014, 04:59 PM
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Replace it with another Weller. My Weller Soldering station is over 20 years old.
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Old 07-03-2014, 05:05 PM
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Did I win a prize or something?
I would always agree that a quality piece like a hakko is not a bad decision. I made a decision to go the cheap route, so far years later still not a bad decision.

This is the good & bad of it side by side with the hakko, you or anyone else may or may not take a few minutes to watch it on your phone while having a beer but this is a good unbiased opinion (as is mine).
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TP0etU7mTwU

That's all I have to add to this thread, enjoy your 4th of July guys.
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