I think there's some advantage to having a separate soldering station and desoldering iron. I would highly recommend my setup:

Weller WES51, $85:

http://www.amazon.com/Weller-WES51-Analog-Soldering-Station/dp/B000BRC2XU/ref=sr_1_2

Hakko 808, $175

http://www.amazon.com/Hakko-Desoldering-Kit-With-808/dp/B000ARPULW/ref=sr_1_1

These 2 tools have paid for themselves many times over. I can also recommend this retailer for both items:

http://www.tequipment.net

If I had the money, I'd be getting Hakko.

LTG : )

I bought the Hakko 808 last year on the recommendation of 2 friends, and I was mad at myself for waiting 10 years to finally buy one. It would have saved me countless hours.

if your gonna get a hako 808 might as well pair it with an fx-888 soldering iron instead of the weller

http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/B004M3U0VU

Hakko makes great products.

http://www.amazon.com/Hakko-FX888-FX-888-Soldering-Station/dp/B004M3U0VU/ref=sr_1_2

For a soldering gun is great...highly rated.

That desolder they make is just sick. Brother has one and it works like gangbusters on boards.

You cannot beat the Hakko 808 desoldering gun. I use the Hakko FX951-66 Soldering Station but if $$ are a concern, tequipment.net has the 888 for about $75.

@BloodyCactus - I'll definitely get that when my Weller dies.

Definitely get one of them brass scratchy pad things for tip cleaning.

LTG : )

I use chisel or screwdriver tips in the following sizes: .0625", .125" and .187".

I forget the size, but also get the next size tip for the Hakko 808, and a cleaning pin for it. Get some extra ceramic filters.

Pretty sure I got the 2.4 hakko tip...seems to be a good size for most of the work i do, just normal soldering and board pins.

Hakko 888 comes with brass scratchy stuff.

I bought the inexpensive one from pblife, I think next time I will drop some coin on a nicer one. but the one I have does indeed melt the solder, a hakko desolder gun is a must have in my opinion.

I like my Aoyue set-up.

pcb_001.JPG

If you want a solder/desolder setup in the $200 range I'd agree that the combo of WES51 and Hakko 808 is pretty unbeatable. If you want to get a truly awesome iron that's a joy to use, pick up a used Metcal MX-500p. I used a Radio Shack iron for a while, then a WES51 for years before finally shelling out for a Metcal, and I can't believe I waited so long. The instant-on heating, ability to quickly melt solder on even large ground planes, pencil-like grip, easily swappable tips and (optional) talon/tweezer handles are all awesome.

I really like this one and it was a tremendous value!

http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/just-got-a-new-and-first-soldering-station

My preferred ones are the WESD51, the digital version of the WES51, and the Aoyue 474A+, the knock-off of the Hakko.

// Error: Image 67113 not found //

I have this station and it works really well. The low end of the temp is not used much but the Quality is awesome.

Metcal is the shit for sure. That's what the bench guys at work use and they are powered up 16 hours a day, 6 days a week.

I've got an older Metcal that is both solder/desolder in a single station. Hate to think what it would cost to replace it, LOL.

I've been meaning to pick up a desolder kit. This thread has prompted the search. So far this is a decent deal with accessories that I have found for the 808. Doesn't have any tips, but has the tip cleaner, tip cleaner pin, filters, free shipping, auth dealer. Not sure if I am going to get the 888 station yet..

ebay.com link: NEW Hakko Desoldering Gun 808 5 808 Kit P w Pump Factory Authorized Distributor

I'd be happier with the same price/seller on Amazon over Ebay.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000ARPULW/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1

I've used all the major brands, and I've never had smoother soldering or longer lasting tips than JBC. This set was $1000 five years ago. It's what I use at work and at home. If I didn't already own it, I'd offer $200 and see where it got me. It's probably worth close to $300 but I'm cheap and it looks well used. If you've never used soldering tweezers, they're freakin' awesome.

ebay.com link: itm

Uh, yeah, this iron pretty much rocks the house. And for the price, you can't beat it. Sturdy as can be, portable if you need it to be, and is very simple in the layout of the control(s).

Looks like the amazon price doesn't include the extras that is included on the ebay link. Pin cleaner, ceramic filters, etc

I have to back Aoyue. I can never remember the exact model of mine without pulling it out. 701A+ maybe?
Its a bang for your buck type of station, but its not cheap at all. Its just not as expensive as other stations, which are maybe better for those doing everyday work. I might only break mine out a few times a year.

Getting a proper desoldering gun made life so much easier, especially with the seperate temp controls on that & the iron. Now I'm less hesitant go to through bands & reflow or replace header pins just for the hell of it, because its easy.
Oh man, I remember trying to remove chips or sockets with my $10 radioshack 30 watt iron. Just a nightmare. The cheap manual desolder guns, or desolder braid, or the pump... all those things work, technically, but they can't often pick up 100% of old solder, which for old pinball boards is not very helpful.

I also use a WESD51 and a Hakko 808, thankfully I haven't had to use the 808 much yet though

Yes!

I'm willing to pick up an FX-888D. You can never have too many soldering irons.

Hakko 808 is sweet. The first day I got it I did switch matrix chips replacement that went so smooth I will never turn back.

Rancegt,

I have a JBC solder station and just love it. Heat transfer is best I've ever used. How is the JBC doesolder station? I currently use a Pace MBT 250 for desolder and its great. The JBC doesn't look as solid as the Pace to me. Does it have the great heat transfer of their solder rigs?

Mike O.

Sadly I don't have the desoldering station. The one linked there is just a pencil and tweezer station. I'd like to try the JBC desoldering station but I wouldn't use it enough to justify the cost. Either way, I think a gun type tool probably makes more sense for pinball. Here's the desoldering gun that I use for work, and it's great but expensive. It also doubles as a hot air pencil, which I use about as much as the vacuum.
http://www.howardelectronics.com/den-on/sc7000.html

There is a JBC rework station on Ebay right now that they're asking $399 for. It's a base to power up to three tools including a pencil, hot air wand (included), and desoldering tool (not included). I thought about making a play for that until I realized buying the desoldering hand piece is another $400.

The Hakko FX-888 is sex in soldering iron form. If anyone is on the edge of picking one up, do it. I haven't plugged in another single iron since I've gotten this one. It's a joy being able to replace and resolder 0.5mm fine pitch SMD chips.

The Aoyue 937 from Amazon is about the best bang for the buck I could find a few months back and was recommended as a good value option by pinsider Herg (the maker of the OCD LED Controller). He has one and uses it a lot and is happy with it. So far I have been happy with mine after a few uses.

http://www.amazon.com/Aoyue-937-Digital-Soldering-Station/dp/B000I30QBW/ref=sr_1_1

A year or two back there was a deal on used JBC AD2700 units on eBay. It was stupid-money for an iron ($180 used, $400 new), but its performance is amazing. Flows solder 3 seconds after power-up, very fast recovery so even the biggest blob of solder can be melted with ease, and when docked in the cradle the power to the tip is off (instant sleep mode). With a full set of different tips this is my do-everything unit.

Still interested in the Hakko FX888 or a better mobile iron as the JBC is a tank to move around.

+1 on the Hakko 808. I have one and would not go without it.

Here's a pic of the JBC. There's a new model with digital display.

image.jpg

And the absolute must for tip cleaning. Ditch the water and sponge.

image.jpg

+1 on the JBC AD2700. For a soldering station it is the best.

Mike O.
Team-EM

Also loved my hakko 808 until it died. The hidden bad side of hakko is parts availability and prices, but the 808 sure kicks ass when it's working.

Currently using a Xytronic 8800. The soldering side is great, the desoldering side is good but not fantastic. Eventually I'd like to upgrade to a higher level rework system though.

-Hans

Hans, if you ever need parts for a Hakko 808 then go here http://www.tequipment.net/Hakko808-ReplacementParts.html they have just about everything you would ever need to fix your Hakko 808, and in stock also. I have ordered a lot of stuff from them and they are great, fast and free shipping on most items.

I have a brand new Hakko FX-888 Soldering Station (http://www.amazon.com/Hakko-FX888-FX-888-Soldering-Station/dp/B004M3U0VU) That I have not opened and am not using if anyone is interested.

This is what I use also they are great.
I solder for a couple hours a week for the last couple years.
The WESD51 is still going strong.

I would recommend these videos from the eevblog:

http://www.eevblog.com/2011/06/19/eevblog-180-soldering-tutorial-part-1-tools/
http://www.eevblog.com/2011/07/02/eevblog-183-soldering-tutorial-part-2/
http://www.eevblog.com/2011/07/18/eevblog-186-soldering-tutorial-part-3-surface-mount/

Great videos for beginners and surely also for some more experienced soldering iron users.

I ordered the Hakko 808 and the FX888D which is the digital version of the 888. Should have them today and pretty excited!

I bought same one that pinballife sells(Velleman) but got it alot cheaper on Amazon for 17 bucks free shipping. Gets the job done.

I've been using this quite a bit and for $83 it's tough to beat at twice the price:

I was using a cheapo Rat Shack 15/30 watt stick iron but it started being unreliable so I got the generic version of a Hakko 2 in 1 station for doing SMD work. Not that I do that kind of work, I don't, but for standard soldering and quick hot air if you need it, it's great. It's a Kendal 852D++, for 86 dollars shipped to my door I'm liking it.

First try on the 808. Nice. Here is the 888-D

image.jpg image.jpg

Just as a side note, setting the board on that bag doesn't offer you any esd protection, if that's why you laid it on there.

Were the burn marks there before you started? If not, you're running it too hot or holding it there too long.

Mike O.