Cheap soldering station suggestions for a UK student!

[eljoantonyn]

Hello!

So, I’m in the East Midlands studying a Comp SCI course which involves some soldering (pi based projects) and of course, diyaudio. Can you guys recommend any cheap soldering station like in Aliexpress?
Do I have to go with weller or hyko for some basics stuff?
Budget £50 btw

Thank you so much!

 

[DontHertzMe]

You definitely don't need Weller / Hakko / JBC for basic stuff. The cheap units are getting better and better.

Have a look for Ksger and Quicko T12 stations on Aliexpress - they're surprisingly competent for the money:
SDG #072 Best Low Cost Soldering Station - QUICKO / KSGER T12 STM32 907 - YouTube

If you can stretch your budget a bit the Aixun T3A is really good:
SDG #221 AiXun T3A 200W JBC T245 Compatible Soldering Station - YouTube

 

[Flied Egg]

I just buy the cheap Soldering Stations usually with 5 tips that you see on ebay.

I have had two of these in 20 years of occasional soldering - however the makers come and go so I can't advise a particular make.

937D Soldering Iron Station Hot Air Digital Welding SMD Tool Stand W/5 Tips 45W 6924517893020 | eBay

 

[richb]

Or you could DIY!

DIY solder station temperature controller

(Although you'll need a soldering iron to make this......)

Been running very nicely on my bench for a while now. I have even made a PCB shield for this project

 

[nigelwright7557]

I bought in a couple of Maplin soldering stations.
Both packed up pretty quickly.

Bought a cheapo weller iron and that burned out tips in 3 days as it was getting far too hot.

Then tried an Antex 30 watt iron and that has been really good.
Just right temperature and tips last years.

 

[abraxalito]

+1 for Antex, that was my first iron as a youth. Glad to hear they're still going strong down in Plymouth.

 

[kipman725]

Get a ts100 soldering iron performance is better than irons that use separate heaters and tips.

 

[eljoantonyn]

Thanks for the suggestions guys!
I liked that Aixun the most but its a bit costly.

What about this one at amazon?
Atten AT937 Soldering Iron Station with Stand 50W Temp 200! 480! Steel Heater: Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools

 

[eljoantonyn]

Get a ts100 soldering iron performance is better than irons that use separate heaters and tips.

This one?
Mini Electric Soldering Iron TS100 65W Station Digital OLED Screen Adjustable Temperature with Solder Tip|Electric Soldering Irons| - AliExpress

 

[eljoantonyn]

+1 for Antex, that was my first iron as a youth. Glad to hear they're still going strong down in Plymouth.

The cheapest one is like 17 I guess.

 

[Flied Egg]

It helps if you have more than one type of tip for the various jobs you will encounter.

 

[eljoantonyn]

How about this then! I'll get a good one later.

Soldering Iron Kit 19PCS, Welding Tools 60W LCD Screen, Adjustable Temperature with Digital Multimeter, Tips, Desoldering Pump, Coil, Tape, Stand, Wire Cutter for Electronics Maintenance : Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools

 

[phase]

That looks like a great deal for what it is!

 

[kipman725]

This one?
Mini Electric Soldering Iron TS100 65W Station Digital OLED Screen Adjustable Temperature with Solder Tip|Electric Soldering Irons| - AliExpress

yep it needs a 24V supply as well and you will need a few different tips. I like to have a fat tip for heavy jobs, a wedge tip and a fine tip. Performance is just a bit worse than a METCAL which is very impresive!

 

[kipman725]

there is also a community iron clone of the TS100:
PINECIL – Smart Mini Portable Soldering Iron - PINE STORE

 

[russc]

Thought Maplin were out of business but they are still going online.
I've had this for many years & tips/spare elements readily available.
Soldering Stations | Maplin
ATTEN AT938D

 

[russc]

Also get one of these -
Search results for: 'tip cleaner' | Maplin
(Probably available cheaper on Ebay).

 

[eljoantonyn]

Sorry for not following up! I was working graveyard shifts in a warehouse and had no time
BUT, I made some money and can afford better stuff now! Also, I have an amazon discount programme as a perk from the work.

Now that I think more about soldering, I think I'm gonna do lots as I'm gonna set up a DIY CCTV camera system for my house which involves a lot of soldering. So, a reliable but adjustable temperature soldering iron would be great.

So, I'm going for well-known brands.


So, what about this Weller, the WE 1010?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Weller-Professional-1010-T0053298399-Temperature/dp/B07CHZ132F
and this Hakko, HAKKO FX-888D?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/HAKKO-FX-888D-Soldering-Station-70W/dp/B077B9Q6SJ
Maybe I don't even need a soldering station if this variable tempearature soldering iron from Antex work as it is supposed to!
https://www.antex.co.uk/products/precision-range-soldering-irons/tcs50w/

 

[tomchr]

See if you can dig up a Weller TCP soldering iron. They used to be ubiquitous across engineering, manufacturing, and repair labs across Europe. They tend to run forever and can be repaired if they don't. My first temperature controlled soldering iron was a Weller TCP. I bought the hand piece and holder and powered the iron with a 24 V transformer that I created from a 30 V transformer by removing a couple of windings. I think I was in 8th grade (late 1980s) and didn't quite have the cash for a full soldering station. I still have that iron and it still works, though I now use a METCAL MX-500 that I picked up during the 2008/09 recession.

Tom

 

[tomchr]

I think the newer version of the TCP is the WTCP. That's a pretty good all-round soldering iron too. If you expect to do a lot of SMD work, the WES-51 may be more your thing.

Tom