Yet another soldering question

[Phestr]

So, there have been a couple of these threads, but this time I;m asking a specific question.  I have enough money for one of these two items.  Please let me know which you would get if you had to choose.

Exhibit A: http://www.amazon.com/Weller-WLC100-40-Watt-Soldering-Station/dp/B000AS28UC/ref=lh_ni_t?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Exhibit B: http://www.amazon.com/Weller-WP25-Professional-25Watts-Soldering/dp/B000B63BTU/ref=cm_cr_dp_asin_lnk

I'm just a hobbyist, so I can't rally justify spending much more...at least to my wife 

[thetruckinggeek]

Weller WLC100 40-Watt Soldering Station is my vote gives you a broader range on heat shop around like this http://www.amazon.com/Soldering-Station-Features-Continuously-Variable/dp/B0029N70WM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1392272488&sr=8-2&keywords=Soldering+Station same bang less bucks great for light use

[silverslayer]

Spark fun electronics has a 50W hako knock off for 45.00. It's a fantastic iron. It's the one I have/use. I love the thing.

[CraigHB]

Neither.  Those bottom of the line soldering irons/stations have crappy tips and a big part of soldering well is in the quality of the tip. 

You can find some Chinese made stations that take decent tips for about $50.  I would go with one of those before I would go with one of those name brand bottom of the line products.  I would recommend you pony up the extra for a good station, but if you must keep it under fifty bucks, I'd try one of the inexpensive Chinese brands. 

There's always a risk in going cheap, you know, buy cheap, buy twice.  I can't tell you how many times I've done that, went bottom dollar only to go back and spend what I should have in the first place.  A few times I've got a hold of decent products that way and saved some money, though with all the times I've been screwed, it's probably a wash.

The one at Sparkfun looks decent, but I didn't see where there was a selection of tips available and they are on backorder right now.  I went ahead a looked around at Chinese brands just to see, here's one that's less expensive than the Hakko with a wide selection of decent tips;

http://www.howardelectronics.com/Atten/at938d.html

You can probably find a better price on that if you look around.

[methos]

Try here.
http://sra-solder.com/section.php/22/1/soldering_stations/b7cbb5c609afec7e1acac7689af53c53

I've been running the 950 for about 5 years now and it still works flawlessly.

[Phestr]

You can find some Chinese made stations that take decent tips for about $50.  I would go with one of those before I would go with one of those name brand bottom of the line products.  I would recommend you pony up the extra for a good station, but if you must keep it under fifty bucks, I'd try one of the inexpensive Chinese brands. 

Thanks, Craig.  I really appreciate you taking the time to look around for me.

Try here.
http://sra-solder.com/section.php/22/1/soldering_stations/b7cbb5c609afec7e1acac7689af53c53

I've been running the 950 for about 5 years now and it still works flawlessly.

I've been looking at the Aoyue irons, and I'd wondered about their quality.  Between the two of you, I think you may have changed my mind.  I really like the selection of tips and replacement parts on this site, as well.  Thanks for the advice, I'll definitely give this some thought and let you know what I decide (probably the 937+).

[kortt]

I gotta say, I really hated laying out the $100 for the Hakko fx-888d but I'm so glad I did now.  I was using a cheap station and always thought it was my soldering skill that was at fault but after getting the Hakko it was like I suddenly could solder 10 times better LOL.  The tips are amazing, there is little if any temperature fluctuation while soldering, it's just a great tool.

I'm not saying you SHOULD spend the extra, I'm just saying I am glad I DID.  If you do, I bet you will be glad too.

[CraigHB]

On that listing I noticed this;

(Receive FREE AT191 Soldering Iron Thermometer with purchase)

If you don't already have an IR thermometer, a soldering iron thermometer is something that's really handy and it's like a $20 value so it may make using that vendor a better option.  It's kind of critical to calibrate your iron, especially the digital ones.  You really don't want the indicator off more than 20 or 30F.  Selecting the correct temperature accurately can make a big difference in the quality of your work.

I don't know from personal experience about the ATTEN and Aoyue brands, but I think it's probably a safe bet to go with one.  If you want to save some money, there shouldn't be a big contention over quality with those.  The main concern is the availablility of tips and that the quality of them is decent.  Though, I can personally vouch for the quality of the Hakko.  It's quite good.

A digital readout is nice, but not critical.  Still, I'd opt for that feature if possible.

I took a closer look at the tips for the ATTEN 938D and Aoyue 937+.  It looks like they both can use the Hakko 900m tips which is the same tip the Hakko FX888D station takes.  These are really high quality Japanese tips widely available so that's a big plus for those two Chinese brands. 

Looking at power output, the 938D is 60W and the 937+ is only 35W.  Usually 35W is enough, but the higher power can be required when doing jobs that take more heat like soldering atomizer connectors.  Here are manufacturer links that show specs on these stations;

http://www.aoyue.com/en/ArticleShow.asp?ArticleID=374

http://www.atten.com/product/at938d-soldering-station/

[Mandro]

I've been using an Aoyue936 for the last 7 months and so far it's been great. It's the only soldering station that I've used so I can't compare it with anything else.
Before I bought the Aoyue station I had a cheap stick type soldering iron that only got used about once a year.
If I would have known that I'd be using my station so often, I probably would have bought a more expensive one but so far I've got no complaints with my cheap Aoyue. I just wish I'd bought a more powerful version.

[thetruckinggeek]

This is the one that covers it all

http://www.ebay.com/itm/853D-3-in-1-Soldering-ReWork-Station-Solder-Iron-SMD-Hot-Air-Gun-DC-Power-Supply/171237684696?rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222002%26algo%3DSIC.FIT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D261%26meid%3D4826316676803433976%26pid%3D100005%26prg%3D1088%26rk%3D5%26rkt%3D5%26sd%3D221132115140%26

[CraigHB]

Definitely could use the hot air station at times, but the built-in DC power supply is a bit odd.  For something that complicated that cheap on eBay, I wouldn't take the risk.  Really high likelyhood of quality issues.

I've actually been looking at some inexpensive hot air stations.  They're typically a lot more more expensive than soldering stations.  The name brand ones are pretty expensive, but I've seen Chinese brands that are relatively inexpensive.  Probably just go with a cheapo if I do buy one.  It's not something I would use all that often, but I don't know.  It's a great way to do reflow.

[thetruckinggeek]

A friend of mine has this and loves it he not a modder of e-cigs he is a electronics junkie and cnc nut I am happy with my weller and I can run down to his place and use his hot air station if I need one he said he likes the power supply for his bread board and RND work   

[methos]

Hey Craig. Check that link I posted earlier. I have the 852A and it works wonderfully to reflow BGA chips. Not bad priced in it.

[Phestr]

This is the one that covers it all

That might be a bit much for me.  For right now I'm happy to solder through hole components, and I'm not sure that I'll ever go for the smaller work.  Craig, I like the Atten especially with the thermometer and the higher output.  Definitely food for thought.

[CraigHB]

Hey Craig. Check that link I posted earlier. I have the 852A and it works wonderfully to reflow BGA chips. Not bad priced in it.

If I do get a hot air station, that would probably be along the lines of something I'd start with.  So yeah, that's a good one.  Just don't know how much I'd use one at this point, but if I start reflowing stuff a lot, I could use the crap out of it.

[Phestr]

Okay, I bit the bullet and bought the Atten.  As soon as it gets in, I'll let you know how it works out. It's gotta be better than the Ratshack special, right?

Thank you all for your inputs. I love this forum 

[Phestr]

So I got in the Atten, and works a dream.  The only problem is I'm not getting enough heat to the tip.  I have the standard tip that came with it, but it's pointy, and I get better heat on the side.  I understand it's all about surface area, so what tip should I be getting?  And is it worth it to get tip tinner, or just keep tinning with solder?

[CraigHB]

I had that problem with the Hakko.  The regular fine tips were just too long and too much heat was lost from the base to the point making the tip pretty worthless for fine PCB work.  It's ironic since that's what you use a fine tip for.  I ended up going with the shortest, finest tip available.  It has an angle on it, but that's actually helpful.  It's the T18BR02 tip.  I believe the Atten can take the Hakko tips.

For heavier work you can use a fatter tip, but in any case, the shorter the better.  That's one thing about my Weller station is the tips it takes work really well for fine work so I still use the Weller mainly, but the Hakko comes in handy for rework.  It still works well, but the Weller has a slight edge on it.  The tips on the Weller really hold their heat from base to point.

I've never actually used a "tinner".  I always just wipe the tip with the brass wool or wet sponge then apply wire solder, rinse and repeat as required.