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Parts Express Soldering Station Advice?

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milo63 said:
I've got a ~$100 credit at PE and my 1986 vintage Weller soldering stick needs an upgrade.

Recommendations for a new guy?

Stahl DDSS?
https://www.parts-express.com/stahl-tools-ddss-digital-display-soldering-iron-station--374-300
Click to expand...

I currently us a Hakko FX-888d and an FR-300 desoldering pump. So I can’t comment on that particular station, but I can say I won’t ever be without an electric soldering pump again. That thing is worth it’s weight in gold.

That being said, if you can wait until it’s in stock in May and pay the extra $58 I would want to see what this guy is all about. I think once you use the electric pump you’d agree. Now, if you already have one then I’m sure the one you linked would be great.

https://www.parts-express.com/stahl...-digital-solder-and-desolder-station--374-400

Looks like a nice combo!

Dan
 
milo63 said:
I've got a ~$100 credit at PE and my 1986 vintage Weller soldering stick needs an upgrade.

Recommendations for a new guy?

Stahl DDSS?
https://www.parts-express.com/stahl-tools-ddss-digital-display-soldering-iron-station--374-300
Click to expand...
I've been using this station for a few months now. It replaced the non LED display model I had for about 8 years. The old one developed a short in the soldering iron cable and burned out the transformer. I also bought a set of tips back then. Not one of them ever wore out. So far I'm happy with the new one.
 
Just an observation,but the soldering pencil provided with that station bears a remarkable resemblance (especially the vented barrel-nut assembly) to a Chinese-made knockoff of a Hakko pencil.The Chinese item has an abysmal performance and reliability record.Also,there is no record of the existance of a ''Stahl Tools'' company.

To my mind,life is too short to have to deal with the frustration and dissatisfaction caused by working with poor quality tools,regardless of how inexpensive they are.

For the money,a Hakko FX-888D is an excellent choice,provided that you purchase it from an authorized Hakko dealer.
 
arts said:
Just an observation,but the soldering pencil provided with that station bears a remarkable resemblance (especially the vented barrel-nut assembly) to a Chinese-made knockoff of a Hakko pencil.The Chinese item has an abysmal performance and reliability record.Also,there is no record of the existance of a ''Stahl Tools'' company.

To my mind,life is too short to have to deal with the frustration and dissatisfaction caused by working with poor quality tools,regardless of how inexpensive they are.

For the money,a Hakko FX-888D is an excellent choice,provided that you purchase it from an authorized Hakko dealer.
Click to expand...
I agree I use an Edsyn loner and a hakko 808. Have not lifted a trace or solder pad since. I used an xtronic for years. Huge mistake.
 
That Loner station was a once in a lifetime investment that you will never need to replace,and I don't know too many people outside of manufacturing that are familiar with them. I love the Edsyn,and was seroiusly considering one before I got the Hakko,but that baby just takes up a lot of real estate on the bench that I couldn't afford.
 
Well I would say the fx-888d as well as I absolutely love mine, but the OP is trying to use his credit at PE. Milo63, the desolating pump you posted might be okay, but I’ve never been a big fan of the manual pumps. Having the electric vacuum pump in the fr300 totally changed the desoldering game for me. If you can swing it I would recommend the fx-888d and fr-300 combo and use your credit on another item you may want. Otherwise my suggestion would be the combo piece I linked to in my first post. I had a Stahl tools iron back in the day before I bought the Hakko. The Hakko was a big improvement, but the stahl did exactly what it was supposed to and never skipped a beat. I think the consensus at the techtalk forums is they make pretty decent stuff.

Dan
 
Thanks Dan, I agree. So, I'll save my PE bux for something else and go buy a Hakko.

Thanks for not letting me buy something that would make it harder to be a noob.
My local Fry's Electronics has Hakko tools, those fakes on YT took some effort to build.
 
saabracer23 said:
I currently us a Hakko FX-888d and an FR-300 desoldering pump. So I can’t comment on that particular station, but I can say I won’t ever be without an electric soldering pump again. That thing is worth it’s weight in gold. . . .
Click to expand...

Have you used the Hakko FR-300 on heavy duty stuff like tube gear with 4 or 5 leads and a big glob of solder on a single tab of a terminal strip screwed to a chassis? I'm wondering if it's going to have enough oomph to liquify big joints that sink lots of heat.
 
Lavane said:
I've been using this station for a few months now. It replaced the non LED display model I had for about 8 years. The old one developed a short in the soldering iron cable and burned out the transformer. I also bought a set of tips back then. Not one of them ever wore out. So far I'm happy with the new one.
Click to expand...
Just to update on the burned out Stahl I had for 8 years. The cable on the iron burned though due to a cat chewing on it. I had to order a replacement iron for the new station due to the cat chewing through it again. Luckily I saw it this time before I turned the station on. I now have to keep the iron unplugged and put up when not in use.
 
I have the cheapy Stahl, had it for a couple years, haven't had a problem with it. The only complaint I have is the location where the cords are attached, somewhat unwieldy. At some point I'm going to a solder/desolder station with front mounted cords.
 
c.coyle said:
Have you used the Hakko FR-300 on heavy duty stuff like tube gear with 4 or 5 leads and a big glob of solder on a single tab of a terminal strip screwed to a chassis? I'm wondering if it's going to have enough oomph to liquify big joints that sink lots of heat.
Click to expand...

The 808 will usually do it, but if I run into something excessively horrible I have added the heat from my soldering iron to the mix. Usually that only happens on can caps, trying to get them unsoldered from the chassis. Tube sockets and terminal strips are not a problem, but anything direct to the chassis is dicey. I wouldn't expect the FR-300 to have a weaker heater than the older 808 does.
 
For those who haven't seen a Hakko FR300 desoldering gun in action, I made a short video a while back showing the use of it for removing components from a PC board. I wouldn't work without it. As for the question about desoldering big tube amp solder joints, I have not used it for that. But I have used it to remove the large wires from big filter caps on Marantz receivers and it does a very nice job. Takes a couple of seconds longer than removing a capacitor lead, but it doesn't seem to struggle with the larger joint.
Steve

http://audiokarma.org/forums/index....0-desoldering-gun-video.741463/#post-10049493
 
gadget73 said:
The 808 will usually do it, but if I run into something excessively horrible I have added the heat from my soldering iron to the mix. Usually that only happens on can caps, trying to get them unsoldered from the chassis. Tube sockets and terminal strips are not a problem, but anything direct to the chassis is dicey. I wouldn't expect the FR-300 to have a weaker heater than the older 808 does.
Click to expand...

Thanks. That's exactly what I was looking for. I swallowed hard and ordered one. EDIT: Actually, the FR-301.
 
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c.coyle said:
Have you used the Hakko FR-300 on heavy duty stuff like tube gear with 4 or 5 leads and a big glob of solder on a single tab of a terminal strip screwed to a chassis? I'm wondering if it's going to have enough oomph to liquify big joints that sink lots of heat.
Click to expand...

I have and it works great, also good for large ground planes on boards. I do sometimes throw the 888 tip on if I need a little extra heat.

Dan
 
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