Blackjack Solderwerks

[Radamus]

Hello. I'm in the market for a soldering station (got a full summer of construction ahead of me). Circuit Specialists is a local business for me so I was thinking I'd get one of their soldering stations that everyone recommends. The two that people typically recommend are sold out. The xytronics $40 one is gone, as is the CSI (analog and digital). The blackjack solderwerks iron seems to be really similar to the CSI unit and it comes with a free fan. Of course, I have no idea if it's what I need, but the price is good. Anyone have experience?

And, on a side note, it took me a little while to realize that I have been to their warehouse and I would say it would be hard to find a less informed and less helpful staff. Their prices for certain things aren't bad, but they certainly don't focus on in-store sales. That probably doesn't affect anybody else out there, I just thought I'd share. 

Any help is appreciated.

Edit: The link, http://www.circuitspecialists.com/prod.itml/icOid/9747

[aron]

Looks good to me. Good assortment of tips too!

[nelson]

Does the american government just subsidise everything?

I mean, there's no way I can get a soldering station like that for that price.


I'd buy it in a heartbeat, if the shipping didn't make it pointless.

I use a xytronics temp controlled station that cost me close to £100, and didn't come with a fan.

[Barcode80]

no, we are just an unreasonably bargain based economy. prices in europe and other countries are what we like to call reasonable[/], and thus have no place in america. we prefer unreasonably cheap to the point of breaking a business here.

[MikeH]

I'm really thinking I need a new soldering station too.  I've got a decent 35W iron but I realized recently that I need something I can adjust for higher heat.  I've been working on an amp and my ground buss is like 12 or 14 gauge copper wire and it literally sucks heat away so fast my iron can't solder to it.    

My solution was to break out my spare iron and do a sort-of 'chopstick' maneuver in one hand while applying solder with the other.  Yes, it was just as much of a pain in the ass as it sounds.

[jefe]

Does the american government just subsidise everything?

I mean, there's no way I can get a soldering station like that for that price.


I'd buy it in a heartbeat, if the shipping didn't make it pointless.

I use a xytronics temp controlled station that cost me close to £100, and didn't come with a fan.

If it makes you feel any better, I paid about $90 for my xytronics station.

[MannequinRaces]

I just purchased this Xytronic one from Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/XYTRONIC-AUTO-TEMP-379-SOLDERING-STATION/dp/B0002UU8YQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1240599670&sr=8-1

I haven't used it yet but it got great reviews!

[nelson]

I just purchased this Xytronic one from Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/XYTRONIC-AUTO-TEMP-379-SOLDERING-STATION/dp/B0002UU8YQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1240599670&sr=8-1

I haven't used it yet but it got great reviews!

Bastard.

[Radamus]

Thanks for so many replies, guys. That Xytronics one is the one I originally wanted, but the circuit specialists are out of stock of them and they removed it from the stock list all together. The picture's still there, but the name is currently "0" and the link leads no where. I emailed them to see if they were getting more in, but no response thus far. As I said, I'm well aware of their sub-par customer service, at least in person, so I'm not too surprised.

Does anyone know how the other one compares? It looks really similar to one of the other popular soldering stations, but it confuses me a little that this one, for the difference of five dollars and a solder fan, hasn't moved nearly as many products. I've heard stories of solder stations falling apart, and I don't want that to happen. I also figure the free DMM (won't have to borrow my dad's anymore) is a good thing if I buy a couple plastic cases or something.

I guess the question goes like this: Is this soldering iron going to do what I need for a long time to come, or should I look elsewhere online for the Xytronics model? Driving to Mesa can be a pain, but it beats waiting for shipping.

[gmr1]

I just purchased this Xytronic one from Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/XYTRONIC-AUTO-TEMP-379-SOLDERING-STATION/dp/B0002UU8YQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1240599670&sr=8-1

I haven't used it yet but it got great reviews!

It's a good one. I've got several years of almost daily use out of mine, and it's still going strong.

[MannequinRaces]

I just purchased this Xytronic one from Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/XYTRONIC-AUTO-TEMP-379-SOLDERING-STATION/dp/B0002UU8YQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1240599670&sr=8-1

I haven't used it yet but it got great reviews!

It's a good one. I've got several years of almost daily use out of mine, and it's still going strong.

Sweet!  Glad to hear that!

[MannequinRaces]

Thanks for so many replies, guys. That Xytronics one is the one I originally wanted, but the circuit specialists are out of stock of them and they removed it from the stock list all together. The picture's still there, but the name is currently "0" and the link leads no where. I emailed them to see if they were getting more in, but no response thus far. As I said, I'm well aware of their sub-par customer service, at least in person, so I'm not too surprised.

Does anyone know how the other one compares? It looks really similar to one of the other popular soldering stations, but it confuses me a little that this one, for the difference of five dollars and a solder fan, hasn't moved nearly as many products. I've heard stories of solder stations falling apart, and I don't want that to happen. I also figure the free DMM (won't have to borrow my dad's anymore) is a good thing if I buy a couple plastic cases or something.

I guess the question goes like this: Is this soldering iron going to do what I need for a long time to come, or should I look elsewhere online for the Xytronics model? Driving to Mesa can be a pain, but it beats waiting for shipping.

I was also going to purchase mine from Circuit Specialists and I emailed them asking when it would be in stock.  The response I got was that it was being discontinued so that's why I ordered from Amazon!

[MannequinRaces]

I just purchased this Xytronic one from Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/XYTRONIC-AUTO-TEMP-379-SOLDERING-STATION/dp/B0002UU8YQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1240599670&sr=8-1

I haven't used it yet but it got great reviews!

Bastard.

Yes, yes I am.  Sorry to hear my friend that you can't get the prices we pay.  I know that shipping costs are a pain!

[Radamus]

From what I'm hearing, no one has tried the blackjack solderwerks. It's tempting because you can easily replace the soldering iron and the heating element, and the free fan and DMM are also tempting. I know that there's no way to have reviews of a product if no one's used it yet. Maybe I'll try a google search and see what the rest of the Internet is saying about it. I'll report back if I find anything.

Update: apparently, no one else really sells this thing. And just as a heads up for those of you complaining about being in Europe, there's a circuit specialist Europe site as well, I think it's circuitspecialists.eu . Hope that helps out.

[Radamus]

So, I checked the circuit specialist website again and the CSI units are back in stock. Does anyone have an opinion on one of those? I read that they're pretty nice in that you can replace all the parts, but does anyone have experience?