Another soldering station recommendation

[surfsup]

Xytronics is what i havé its awesome for the price. Check them out for sure.

[angelodp]

Tenma 21-7930 variable temp.... been very reliable. They come up at $45 from time to time.

[azatplayer]

Goot over here.

[Gaz]

+1 on the WESD51. Love it!!!

+2 Best iron I've ever had. Won't have the same issue as your old one. Rock solid.

[Colossal]

Excellent. Thanks again guys for all of the suggestions and feedback. Much appreciated.

[Structo]

A few months ago I wanted a better soldering station so I looked into the Hakko units.
They have discontinued the 936, a long time popular model.

They issued the FX888 which replaces the 936.

At first I thought it looked cheap due to the colors used on it but the reviews were all good for it so I bought it from Kimco.
Free shipping!

After receiving and using it I can say it's the best station I have used.
Heats up fast, recovers very fast and is a quality piece through and through.
The base station is hefty and feels solid.
Not to mention you can buy any of the parts to maintain it.
If you buy one, be sure to order a couple extra tips to take advantage of the free shipping.

There website is very slow so be patient for it to load.
$80

http://www.kimcodistributing.com/store/ ... ENT_ID=439


[img:484:428]http://www.hakkousa.com/AHPDirect/images/FX888-23BY.jpg[/img]

[John_P_WI]

The techs and engineers here at work use Metcal systems. I wish I could afford one of them, they use RF energy to heat the tip which is almost instantaneous. The irons also sense the "load" and give the appropriate amount of heat.

A very nice system I will say.

[Colossal]

The techs and engineers here at work use Metcal systems. I wish I could afford one of them, they use RF energy to heat the tip which is almost instantaneous. The irons also sense the "load" and give the appropriate amount of heat.

A very nice system I will say.

John, they look really nice. Pricey too, but nice!

[Decko]

Hi Dave,

I have a Weller 80 watt. Very good unit.

Where do you dial yours in at?

What is your technique?

Danny[/b]

[Colossal]

Hi Dave,

I have a Weller 80 watt. Very good unit.

Where do you dial yours in at?

What is your technique?

Danny[/b]

Hi Danny,

I have the Weller WTCPT which is 60W. You can change the temperature by changing tips. I usually use quite a fine tip. I really like it, except for the design of how the heated element is fixed to the handle. It appears that other Wellers have a locking collar that holds the element down much more securely. That said, I've never had a bad joint with the WTCPT.

My technique (when cleaning) is to scrub excess solder off the tip vertically, but I think what has done me in is "pulling" the tip across the brass brillo pad while rotating the handle slightly, which puts stress across the element and more importantly, the two little screws which hold it in place. When I get up some momentum soldering on a project, I think in retrospect I am fairly aggressive in this which has contributed to failure. As others have noted, probably time to consider improvements to my technique. I always have a clean, shiny tip though and as I said, no problems with soldered joints.

Dave

[NickC]

Hakko 936 here. Love it!

[Masco]

Been using Wellers for 25 years, I've had a few that have had those screws start to back out/strip.

[gktamps]

I have a Weller WTCPT that has gotten pretty dodgy after 20 years, so I replaced it with a Swiss Army Knife of stations - an Aoyue (pronounce that, I dare you) INT 768 ESD safe reflow/rework station. It's bulky, but has an adjustable digital power supply, hot air wand, soldering iron and stand, with a big digital display. I was doing some work on tiny SMD radio transmitters at the time, so needed the reflow capabilities. Overkill for amp building, but I love it, and the hot air wand is perfect for heat-shrink tubing or roasted marshmallow snacks.
Greg T.

[johnnyreece]

Another fan of xytronic here. I have one of the old versions with the dial temperature setting vs. the newer digital readout, but I'll keep using this one until it dies.

[washburnmemphis]

After receiving and using it I can say it's the best station I have used.
Heats up fast, recovers very fast and is a quality piece through and through.
The base station is hefty and feels solid.



[img:484:428]http://www.hakkousa.com/AHPDirect/images/FX888-23BY.jpg[/img]

Just got mine about a week ago. Thoroughly impressed.