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Decent Soldering Station Finally

decent soldering station

Finally, I bit the bullet and spent some money on a decent soldering station.

For years I have struggled with cheap soldering irons. I don’t do a lot of soldering, but enough that I should have bought a decent soldering station years ago. The issues are mainly around temperature, tip size and cleaning. Cheap soldering irons are usually rated by wattage rather than temperature. They tend to be either too hot or not hot enough. Cheap soldering irons usually provide large tips that make fine placement difficult, especially with printed circuit boards. Cheap soldering irons usually provide only a small sponge for cleaning the tip between uses.

The model I chose sells on Amazon in Canada under the name WeberDisplays 939D+ and costs CDN$65 including shipping. It comes with a replacement heating cartridge, six different tips, and a brass wire sponge for cleaning. What’s more, it has a digital temperature control and heats very quickly.

Under the hood, this soldering station appears to be made by a Chinese company Anoyue. It is very similar to the Circuit Specialists soldering station. These Chinese devices are functional clones of similar stations made by the premium supplier Hakko.

Decent Soldering Station Early Experience

The 936D+ arrived from Amazon in a few days and everything was present and correct. I really appreciate the ability to set the temperature of the iron, something I have never experienced before. It heats up reasonably fast, taking about 20 seconds to rise to 275C. Thereafter, raising the temperature just took a few seconds.

I think I will have much more success with home made printed circuit boards because of the fine tip and the temperature control. My early experience is good. Given my limited use, this new tool will hopefully last a long time and perform well. Here is a short video demonstrating a similar unit.

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