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geekhack Marketplace => Great Finds => Topic started by: Parak on Fri, 24 July 2015, 01:36:54

Title: Some professional soldering stations
Post by: Parak on Fri, 24 July 2015, 01:36:54: In case you solder a /lot/ and actually want something of higher quality than normal with better tip choices:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/161772208518
http://www.ebay.com/itm/281757077819
http://www.ebay.com/itm/281757070978

The hakko is okay, but in terms of actual thermal recovery, heat up time and ease of use the Metcals win (but at a higher price). Typical tips for either are somewhere around $10-$15.

Datasheet for the Oki: http://www.farnell.com/datasheets/12273.pdf
Title: Re: Some professional soldering stations
Post by: XMIT on Fri, 24 July 2015, 06:01:41: I use a Weller WES51. Great bang per buck. It's what my college had in the electronics labs.

I've got my eyes on a professional vacuum desoldering station now.
Title: Re: Some professional soldering stations
Post by: Touch_It on Fri, 24 July 2015, 16:07:05: I need to get one down the road sometime. I've used cheap walmart and radioshack irons and they are ****. I borrowed some older weller iron from work and even with that the difference was night and day. I was quite surprised. seems these sold quick.
Title: Re: Some professional soldering stations
Post by: REVENGE on Sat, 25 July 2015, 05:15:38: Quote from: XMIT on Fri, 24 July 2015, 06:01:41
I've got my eyes on a professional vacuum desoldering station now.
I just used and returned a ZD-985. It's a very useful tool, but be prepared to do a lot of annoying servicing of the heating element / nozzle.
Title: Re: Some professional soldering stations
Post by: Parak on Sat, 25 July 2015, 14:49:21: Quote from: XMIT on Fri, 24 July 2015, 06:01:41
I've got my eyes on a professional vacuum desoldering station now.

If you have access to a compressor, it's hard to do better than a Metcal MX-DS1 handpiece for desoldering. The top end stations that it comes with are the MX-5251 and MX-5250, but they're not for the faint of heart in terms of cost. Without a compressor, you'd probably be looking at a Pace ST115 or similar, which also usually runs a nice chunk of change but as a bonus allows for a decent hot air option too.