MB-6582 ate my soldering iron... or ...What Soldering Iron should I get

[lief138]

So there I was happily soldering away when all of a sudden the solder wouldn't melt. So I looked over at the temp display and it was off. I fliped the switch and tried a different outlet and even checked the fuse. Nothing. I then figured I might as well take it apart and see if anything looked wrong. Nothing obvious. SO now I think I might be the first person to have the wilbabeast eat their soldering iron???

So Sad.

Who is going to give me the magic link for some inexpensive iron that dont suck. My last one was Weller EC2002M. I got it used and lasted me for a couple years now. I went online and i would perfer not to spend 130 for another one, but I might unless someone has some better ideas.

Common folks y'alls can find some cheap stuff out there, help a brother out.

Lief

[Twin-X]

I think this one should do the job for you  ;D

[stryd_one]

A good weller will generally last pretty much forever (of course there are expendables like tips and elements etc)

I use a hakko clone that's freakin identical to the real deal (like, same factory style... i love china). I've been slowly replacing it's (still working) parts with genuine hakko, now it's hakkenstein with clonespares. I guess if you use credit you could just get the hakko outright, pay the interest instead of buying a clone, and get no clonespares.

I scored it from ebay but it's tricky...there are a lot of hakko-alikes out there, as opposed to clones... Look closely at the faceplates, only one of the clones i've seen (my one) is exactly the same, which of course stirs rumour of them being OEM.... interestingly, mine looks like this:

and is a 60W iron, the same as a 936..... but the website shows them looking like this:

http://www.aoyue.com/en/ArticleShow.asp?ArticleID=371

and says theyre 35W

and then if you look at the aoyue 950, which is the same thing with the tweezer-handle

http://www.aoyue.com/en/ArticleShow.asp?ArticleID=369

and they're 60W hakko 936's like mine

I kinda get the feeling they were made to change that for some reason ;)

Whatever you get, just don't kiss it!

[Wilba]

This is what I use:

http://www.dse.com.au/cgi-bin/dse.storefront/487df36200dc1d28273fc0a87f9c06e4/Product/View/T2250

I like it. The "soldering pencil" bit looks identical to stryd_one's photo, and it has a similar metal stand and sponge holder.

[lief138]

OK

Twinny, that looks great! Is it ESD safe?

Wilba, that dudes name is Dick :)

Stryd do you have any opinion of how the hakko 936 would compare to Weller WES51? They both seem to be right around $90 plus shipping but I could pick up the WES51 locally for 110 tonight on the way home from work. What says you? Anyone else is also welcome to pipe in.

http://www.all-spec.com/1/viewitem/wes51/ALLSPEC/prodinfo/w3path=cat&s=GAWA&kw=WES51?gclid=CNOc6-bIxJQCFQNaFQodTSUSFQ

[Twin-X]

can't you buy spare parts for your weller?

I know i can for mine. I have an old one a wecp-20

[arumblack]

I use a hakko Clone Kinda like Stryd's. Got it here http://www.mpja.com/productsdirect.asp?dept=480&main=79&item1=15860+TL&item2=15845+TL&item3=15140+TL&item4=15141+TL

It's the anlaog one for 39.99( 3rd section down the page). Came with a spare heater cartridge. the site says it is 40w, not 60 though. Works every bit as good as the hakko I have at work, and uses the same tips and parts.

[lief138]

OK back agian...

Twinny: I would love to fix this bad boy but I have no idea what is wrong. I took it apart and looked at the guts. I didnt notice anything visual. I also gave it the highly scientific 'sniff' test which it also passed. Perhaps this will be a project for when my skills get a bit better.

arumblack: That looks great. I like 40 bucks alot better than 100+ Ill go for it. Thanks a bunch. I guess I have to wait for the mail now.

thanks everyone

[arumblack]

The heater may have gone out. Not sure what it should ohm but if you test it and it is open or short it's probably bad. The Elements on the Laminators I have to work on are usually around 10 Ohms, not sure if that would be anywhere near the rating of your weller though. Not sure about where or if parts are availible for that Iron either, but I would assume they were at one time.

[lief138]

Well I guess it could be the heater, but the problem is that the digital temp display was not on. This is the only power indicator on this thing. I double checked the fuse but it looked fine. I tested the fuse to confirm there was connectivity on both sides and there was. Other than that I am at a loss. I have been poking round online and it seems like I could conceivable have a bad or blown transformer. Who knows? Plus the ironic part is, if their was something wrong with the internals I would probably need a soldering iron to fix it :)

[seppoman]

yeah the third one on that link looks quite nice, also the Ayoue and Hakko ones are supposed to be good.

Beware of all these irons where you can see a metal plate screwed to the upper part. These will typically break if you e.g. use a bit of force while desoldering etc.

Also, don't spend any extra money for digital displays, they only start to make a little bit of sense if you've got a very expensive station and are soldering extremely fragile stuff. For all the cheap stations, this is just a show-off gimmick.

If you're really serious about soldering, I'll recommend the station I'm using now - the Weller WS81. In contrast to most cheap stations it has real heat regulation, i.e. a temperature sensor. The iron has a very powerful heater while at the same time being very compact, light and handy. It heats up to temperature in only about 8 seconds, you can hot-swap the tips, the cable is very flexible and soft. So in one word, it's perfect. I know the price tag is a bit shocking for us hobbyists, but I've spent about 150 Euros for a new one on eBay and I've never regretted it.

I won't say you can't do a good solder job with a cheaper iron, but if soldering is fun to you, a really good iron will make everything even easier, better and more enjoyable.

S

[nILS]

I bought an ERSA 15W cheapo soldering iron about 6 years ago and it works really nice for me - I never had any problems with SMT parts or anything. Fits into any budget, too :-) I think I paid ~15€ back then.

[lief138]

Well I just ordered the Hakko cheapo from the online. Hopefully Ill get a good one. If it works for stryd and arumblack, I should be good.

Fossi: That one could also double as a weapon ;)

Seppoman: I dont understand what the metal plate you are refering to is. I didnt get that right?

I noticed that that place had 40X2 lcds for $10. I dont think thats a great price but maybe good for someone.

Ok thanks everyone once again.

[seppoman]

I dont understand what the metal plate you are refering to is. I didnt get that right?

e.g. the first two irons on that MPJA link have that - on the junction between the grip and the metal shaft.

S

[arumblack]

I have a Real Hakko 936 (Non ESD) at work and the cord to the iron is a bit more flexible. Heat up times for both are generally under a minute. Never really timed it, I turn it on, go wet my sponge, stuff a few components and it's ready to go. I agree that the Digital display is pretty gimmicky at this price point. I really have no regrets.It is way better than anything I ever got at radio shack.... Allthough, if someone wants to give me a nice Pace or Metcal unit, I wouldn't say no.

[julienvoirin]

WELLER WELLER WELLER WELLER WELLER WELLER WELLER WELLER WELLER

anyone blue.(WECP20)

[lief138]

Well I got my solder iron in the mail the other day. I will say it weighs half as much as the weller did. Also, the cord to the iron itself is much less flexible. I will definately need to get used to that. I gave it a work out by soldering the sockets and headers on the pcb and it gets plenty hot to the touch. I had to hold the iron far back on it. I think I need some insulator or something. I had it up at around 350c is this too hot?

Other than that it worked just fine. No problem staying hot and the tip was alot finer than my old tip which was more like a flat head screw driver. It seems alittle cheap compared to my old one but other than the heat it works great.

Thanks everyone.

[Enth]

I think this one should do the job for you  ;D

Bigger is better right? ;D

I think I myself will go for used WECP-20, if I can grasp enough monies that is.

[Smithy]

Bump! Im seriously thinking about buying one of those hakko clones, my old crappy 15w antex just isnt cutting it for me anymore.

mine looks like this:

and is a 60W iron, the same as a 936..... but the website shows them looking like this:

http://www.aoyue.com/en/ArticleShow.asp?ArticleID=371

and says theyre 35W

Is yours the aoyue brand Stryd?

The 936 is only 35W but the 936A model is the 60W version.

The other clones include a CSI-Station1A

and the Kada 936D

I'm seriously thinking of buying the Kada, or else the Aoyue 936 from here

Both have free shipping, but the Aoyue is only the 35W version, and the Kada is the 60W version, its cheaper, and has a Numeric display for the selected temperature, (the led blinks once it reaches it).

Im really leaning towards the Kada more, ive ordered quite a few things from deal extreme before and find them reliable each time.

What do you think?

[Smithy]

You might find this video interesting too, its a video of the Kada assembly line in their warehouse in china:

Notice that they produce different brands in the same warehouse!  ;)

More videos in their

Gotta love china!  ;)

[stryd_one]

Yeh mine's an aoyue 936A. I noticed a while ago, that they've since been re-named, so they have a 936, and then <some other name> which is the 936A, but with a less-hakko-ish name for international distribution. My guess is that hakko were not comfortable with it being so close ;) Check out their website to get that name, it might give you a few more options.

With stuff like this, at least with the 'el-cheapo' types, I try to avoid digital stuff like the kada 936D - just seems to me to be more susceptible to breakdown/harder to fix in that situation.

The clone on the headfi site is actually a clone, as opposed to what is almost surely a re-badged hakko from the same factory (the aoyue 936A) - you'll notice small differences in the casing and handle etc.

The ebay one you saw is still from the same factory but I guess probably not so nice as the (suspected) hakko rebadge. I'm not sure if the genuine hakko parts will go in that one?

[philetaylor]

If you have plenty of cash, I would second Julien's vote for Weller. My Weller TCP 24v station is still going strong after 20 years and all spares are still readilly available (just bought a new element for the iron).

I have never been a fan of variable temp stations as I find they are often too cold or hot and difficult to get 'just right'. The way that Wellers work is a specially formulated manetic 'slug' on base of the tip whose magnetic properties change at a certain temperature causing power to be cut to the element (via a magnetic switch). It is a simple and (I think) elegant system. If you need higher temp, you use a higher temp bit :)

The downside is that you will pay more for a replacement Weller TCP iron than you would for a whole station from other manufacturers :(

Cheers

Phil

[stryd_one]

If you have plenty of cash, I would second Julien's vote for Weller

Seconded - if you can afford to go non-clone, it's a good idea.... if... ;)

[lief138]

Well my clone works great. No problems yet. It does have a cheaper feel then the Weller but I attribute that to the lightness of the case. The weller was much heavier. Either way it was been working great. Thanks Stryd.

I still hope someday to figure out what went wrong with the weller and fix it....

[Smithy]

Alright, i did a lot more research into this, and id be pretty confident in saying that the aoyue, and other clones, definitely are not OEM, but rather damn good clones regardless.

People who compared them side by side, reported that the Hakko will heat up much faster too.

Aparrently they do not have a real ceramic heater, like the Hakko has.

This guy opened a few clones up to see, as well as a genuine hakko:

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=205141

This probably explains why most Aoyue 936's come with a replacement element included when you buy them, as they dont cost that much to make.

Still though, at the price you pay ive heard excellent things about them, that you couldnt get a better soldering station at that price.

Stryd:  I noticed that the Aoyue 936A has a tilted face plate, and different grooves around it, compared to the Hakko.

As well as having the lead connected on the opposite side and a power switch on the front.

The kada however looks much more like the Hakko, except for the fact it has an numerical LCD.  :P

I'm still sort of leaning towards it, that gimmicky LCD just has me sold! haha!  :D

The extra 25W will be a good advantage too.