There is a $16.50 off coupon on the weller digital soldering iron. It has been sitting at $109 for a long while, and this coupon brings it below $100
https://www.amazon.com/Weller-WE1010NA-Digital-Soldering-Station/dp/B077JDGY1J
(Topic ID: 291628)
Gloucester Township, NJ
How do these compare to other cheaper models with digital readouts? Some with very good reviews under $50.
Quoted from joetechbob:How do these compare to other cheaper models with digital readouts? Some with very good reviews under $50.
No idea. I don't think I'm seeing any familiar brand names. Most of it is probably knock-off equipment. I saw one comment where someone said they couldn't find replacement tips.
Two reasons why I stick with a more well known brand is because they are tried & tested, and replacement parts are available and likely to continue to be available.
Heck, with my hakko desoldering iron, the heating element and plastic shell are new (it has met the floor in a rapid and unexpected fashion a couple times...oops). If it was a cheap knock-off, I probably would not have been able to repair it.
Quoted from joetechbob:How do these compare to other cheaper models with digital readouts? Some with very good reviews under $50.
I bought a $50 soldering station on ebay a few years ago with digital readout, variable temperature, and hot air rework gun. It's amazing. I've used it a ton and it still works really well. I don't think it's necessary to spend a lot on a soldering iron.
Quoted from cp1610:get good stuff are buy it cheap 5 x and be with out we you need it.
I justify it by thinking: I’ll be working on several $300+ boards that are mostly irreplaceable. Why cheap out on soldering equipment that could potentially overheat the boards and ruin them?
I’ve got a couple weller stations from my grandfather that he used in the RCA manufacturing facility back in the late 1960s. Temp controlled, and still work today. I can still very easily find parts and tips for them.
Muskoka, ON
Thanks. I have a ~$200 Hakko desoldering iron as well, which is amazing. But have just a $40 knock off temp controlled iron. Works really well so was just curious what I was missing.
RE working on expensive boards. I splurged on the desoldering side as that's where I had ruined a pad/via or two in the past.
Quoted from ForceFlow:No idea. I don't think I'm seeing any familiar brand names. Most of it is probably knock-off equipment. I saw one comment where someone said they couldn't find replacement tips.
Two reasons why I stick with a more well known brand is because they are tried & tested, and replacement parts are available and likely to continue to be available.
Heck, with my hakko desoldering iron, the heating element and plastic shell are new (it has met the floor in a rapid and unexpected fashion a couple times...oops). If it was a cheap knock-off, I probably would not have been able to repair it.
My cheap knock off desoldering station ran for 5 years, till I knocked the gun off my workbench.
Took some looking around, found out that you could still get the heating element made under a different brand. It runs just fine.
Buddy had a hakko he bought at the same time. A year or two later it was discontinued. It broke, he had to upgrade to the current model because you couldn't buy parts.
So no, brand names do not always mean you can get parts to repair. Knockoffs are not instantly trash if they break.
Quoted from dung:It broke, he had to upgrade to the current model because you couldn't buy parts.
Which Model? I've had the FR-300 for many years, and even though it was discontinued 3 years ago, parts are still readily available--I just checked. With the older 808, it looks like hakko itself doesn't list the parts on their website any more, but distributors still seem to carry them.
Quoted from dung:Knockoffs are not instantly trash if they break.
I didn't say that. I just said it was more likely that parts wouldn't be available. That's usually because it's not worth the time & effort to stock and sell parts for a cheaply made item. Plus, the knock-off brands don't really care about reputation too much. The main reason customers are attracted to the product is the low price. Then if they happen to start getting a poor reputation due to quality issues and sales start decreasing, they just rebrand and start again.
Quoted from ForceFlow:Which Model? I've had the FR-300 for many years, and even though it was discontinued 3 years ago, parts are still readily available--I just checked. With the older 808, it looks like hakko itself doesn't list the parts on their website any more, but distributors still seem to carry them.
I didn't say that. I just said it was more likely that parts wouldn't be available. That's usually because it's not worth the time & effort to stock and sell parts for a cheaply made item. Plus, the knock-off brands don't really care about reputation too much. The main reason customers are attracted to the product is the low price. Then if they happen to start getting a poor reputation due to quality issues and sales start decreasing, they just rebrand and start again.
Alot of the knockoffs are older versions of mainstream brands. Often times they are sold under multiple names but from the same factory.
To each their own but i like my knock off station. Ive used the hakko gun. It works but is a pain.
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