Soldering Station Deal

[DougH]

Didn't know if anyone had seen this:

http://www.amazon.com/Stahl-Tools-Variable-Temperature-Soldering/dp/B0029N70WM

I needed a new tip for my xytronics and initially I couldn't find a replacement since it is discontinued. (Have found replacements now but anyway...)

So impulsively I ordered this one from Amazon and am pretty happy with it. It's a budget iron, but have heard reports of them lasting for years. The main trick is that the temp control taper is weird, and the usable temp range is from 2:00 to max. It takes a little longer to warm up than my xytronics unit but otherwise works fine. $15 for a temp-control station is not bad and for another $5 you get an extra set of tips. (Another $5 for desoldering pump- I got all three.)

This is a good entry-level temp-controlled station if you're on a budget.

[Paul Marossy]

Wow, that is very inexpensive for that type of soldering iron.

[Pigyboy]

Hey, I have one of those. Be very careful of the three funny screws that attach the heating element to the plastic handle. They heat up and melt the plastic and the whole end starts to flop around. Putting too much pressure on the tip can speed up this process. The cool thing is every time the soldering iron goes south I score another cheapie and graft it into the controller unit.

[Rodgre]

I have one of these, bought for $14 from Parts Express. It's handy, but basically no better than your typical non-temperature controlled Radio Shack special. I find that I leave the temperature control pretty much maxed most of the time, turning down only when it's on "standby". It seems to take forever to heat up as well.

I finally broke down and spent the money on a Weller WES51, which I could have bought sooner with all the money I've spent over the years on cheaper soldering irons and "stations" like this one. It's night and day. Heats up super fast, has a more usable operating range where I don't seem to need to turn it up so high to do most jobs.

My $.02

Roger

[petemoore]

  The one I have with the bakelite holder ring [shown] is greatly preferred to the old one, the iron would attach to the spring thing holder and wouldn't release as easy as the holder slot...aggrivating, the bakelite insert fixed it...no grab at all with it [perfect].
  Tip lasts ok and the 1/8'' chisel choice works really good.
  Numerous projects [including some amps] later, it's in great shape still, doesn't get quite as hot or as fast as the first one, but then the element doesn't go bad as fast either...just about right.
  12.88 for the second one, on sale...gotta watch the prices change 3 times a week these days, they oscillate, based on your daily timing choices may include:
  Regular price
  Special price
  Closeout price
  Sale Price
  Supersale Price
  Clearance special price
  Coupon code price
...I think that's most of 'em.

[DougH]

I have one of these, bought for $14 from Parts Express. It's handy, but basically no better than your typical non-temperature controlled Radio Shack special. I find that I leave the temperature control pretty much maxed most of the time, turning down only when it's on "standby". It seems to take forever to heat up as well.

I finally broke down and spent the money on a Weller WES51, which I could have bought sooner with all the money I've spent over the years on cheaper soldering irons and "stations" like this one. It's night and day. Heats up super fast, has a more usable operating range where I don't seem to need to turn it up so high to do most jobs.

My $.02

Roger

I much prefer my xytronics 379 which was only $40 when I got it a few years ago. It's light years ahead in quality. But with the chisel/screwdriver/whatever tip, the stahl really works fine. It doesn't take as long to heat up and I can turn it down a little when I'm not using it and it heats back up fairly quickly when I need it. I don't know if it was the "stock tip" or just my misunderstanding of the usable temperature range, but it was frustrating the first time I tried it. But now it is working really smooth. I don't run it at max either- 75% or a little less is plenty.  I think for someone starting out without a lot of dough, college student etc, this is a good deal.

[petemoore]

  they do seem to last longer when not turned up all the way and left to blaze away. Cool the tip with some cold solder or turn it back down for longest performance.

[Pigyboy]

I am sure you all know this but to increase tip life always clean tip on sponge, apply small solder bridge, solder 1 joint, clean tip and apply a liberal amount of solder so the tip stays completely coated while not being used. A bare, hot solder tip is prone to disintegrate. I worked at General Dynamics years ago and we had to pass a 2 week long solder school and be re-certified every year as we worked on missiles and stuff that flies.  Unbelievable amounts of research and development has gone into soldering techniques and we know nothing is as as pleasing or as aggravating as an iron that works right or does not.

[.Mike]

I have a soldering station that is pretty much like the one in the first post of this topic. It's the ZD-99 from MPJA.. It's okay. I actually have two of them. The first one had a similar problem as Rodgre mentioned-- below full clockwise, it wasn't hot enough to solder, and at full clockwise, it was way too hot. There was no middle ground.

I got the second one a few weeks ago. I had opened the first one up to change out the handle, since I had bought a replacement when I originally got it in January of 2009, and I was hoping the replacement handle would make the temperature adjustment more usable. I noticed there was a trimpot in there. I wasn't sure what it did, or how it was supposed to be set, so I emailed MPJA, explained the problem, and asked them if they knew how the trimpot was supposed to be set. I must have caught them on a good day, because they offered to send me a whole new soldering station if I would pay for the shipping. I thought that was more than fair, considering I had the thing for a year and a half. The new iron works much better-- the adjustment knob actually has a range where I can solder, instead of the hot-as-hell/way-too-cold of the first one.

I did notice that the first iron's control pot had a click switch when turned fully counter-clockwise, and the new one doesn't. I wonder if there are quality control issues with these that are slowly being worked out. Oh, and these stations look remarkably similar to the Weller WLC100. The box to the one I just got even shows a red variety that is available. I bet they're just rebranded from the same factory.

Mike

[ViolenceOnTheRadio]

Those are pieces of crap, I went through 2 of them and my 8 dollar 40 watt radio shack iron lasted longer which was only about a year anyway. The screw on collet to hold on the tip for that design eventually starts to spin the flanged on cylinder encapsulating the heating element and the heating element wires can be twisted without your knowing and break.

Death of the first.

So they sent me a replacement under warranty.
This one just burnt up tips like crazy, just like the first one. At the cost of new tips needing replaced so often, I decided not to bother and bought a radio shack iron which in a years time, went through 3 tips. The budget station could burn one up in maybe less than 2 months of semi frequent use.

I still have it and till likely pull it open and solder in a cheap 60 watt iron with replaceable tips that merely needs a set screw to change them out. Those tips are mighty cheap and I suppose with the mod, it might actually be worth the money I spent a few years ago on it. Without the mod though, it's going to burn a hole in your pocket because of the cruddy design.
Also, the tips tended to unscrew in the middle of a job.

[Wild E]

I recently picked up an identical unit locally for around $18. It's an MPJA model 15860-TL, but it looks the same as the Stahl. I only used it once so far to desolder some parts from an old radio and exchange a pot in my Odie. It did take a while to heat up, but around 3 o'clock on the dial was enough to get the job done. I liked it better than my ratshack iron, but that one needs a new tip.