Is Velleman VTSS5 a decent soldering iron? (EDIT: Ended up buying Hakko 926)

[wraper]

I was considering the WES51 as well.

No I am not "Stuck on the 936".  But I don't think I want a cheap portable iron with an improper soldering iron holder, probably with a pvc cord, which many people are saying are getting errors.  That one isn't servicable like the 936 is.

Bakon have silicone cable. Most of the errors AFAIK are because of the bad electrical contact with the cartridge. Can be fixed by bending the spring contacts a little bit.

[wraper]

I was considering the WES51 as well, but it's only 50W compared to 60w of 936. 

936 is 50W station. 60W is power consumption from mains.

[Vtile]

I read the sponge / brasswool.. Well I still haven't seen a good commercial sponge system (which doesn't mean there wouldn't be one). The brasswool holders seems to be better design, but those I haven't encounted offline, since I'm not working on the industry and at home I'm using cheap Ikea Stainless pot scrub stuckt to the center of my most used solid core assembly wire spool.

Btw. What people think about these TENMA (these seems to come under different brands, without any noticiable differences). The original cord is awfully stiff and the handle piece isn't nice and short. http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/TENMA-21-1590-/21-1590
I bought one like 10+ years ago, it do have served nicely on hobbyist use, especially after I replaced the original "PVC" cord to flexible rubber one.

[RayRay]

Also read people are having problems with the quality of the Wellers.

Well, you'd never find any product that has 100% positive reviews, there will always be someone who is either not satisfied (or have happened to have gotten a bad unit), in general though, Weller is a very reputable brand and has good quality control.

But I don't think I want a cheap portable iron with an improper soldering iron holder, probably with a pvc cord, which many people are saying are getting errors.

Personally, I think the minimal stand it comes with it is fine and is good enough, but that's subjective I guess.
It does come with a flexible cable though, and errors wise, I've read that some people fixed the issue by simply replacing the tip, but wraper may also have a point on this subject.

That one isn't servicable like the 936 is.

To be honest, pretty much any soldering station is "servicable" (as long as the the person servicing it knows what they're doing!)
For novices though, I agree that 936 is more servicable (purely because you can get spare circuit boards for it)
As said before though, even if you purchase it second hand, you have no way of knowing for 100% whether it's an original or a replica.
And most replicas don't use the A1321 (but A1322) and you wouldn't be able to use those spare circuit boards for it.
So if in doubt, just settle for a replica (that is said to be using A1321), or at least try to look at the sticker on the cover.
The original 936 (or a decent replica at least) should have a 3A transformer (vs 1A on A1322 ones)


Edit: And on a related note, The Bakon 950D supports US electrical voltage (It's 100-240V), but it comes with an EU power cable by default, so you'd have to either get an adapter (or simply cut the EU plug, and put a US one instead if you know how to go about it)

[ebastler]

I read the sponge / brasswool.. Well I still haven't seen a good commercial sponge system (which doesn't mean there wouldn't be one). The brasswool holders seems to be better design, but those I haven't encounted offline, since I'm not working on the industry and at home I'm using cheap Ikea Stainless pot scrub stuckt to the center of my most used solid core assembly wire spool.

Personally, I have a slight preference for the metal wool (too lazy to go and wet the sponge... ). But the most important thing to me is that the sponge or wool are held in a stable, chunky holder. Not one of those lightweight metal cups that slides around whenever you touch it with your iron!

Beware of these,


look for something like this:

[Vtile]

I read the sponge / brasswool.. Well I still haven't seen a good commercial sponge system (which doesn't mean there wouldn't be one). The brasswool holders seems to be better design, but those I haven't encounted offline, since I'm not working on the industry and at home I'm using cheap Ikea Stainless pot scrub stuckt to the center of my most used solid core assembly wire spool.

Personally, I have a slight preference for the metal wool (too lazy to go and wet the sponge... ). But the most important thing to me is that the sponge or wool are held in a stable, chunky holder. Not one of those lightweight metal cups that slides around whenever you touch it with your iron!

Beware of these,


look for something like this:

Same reason I did swap to steelwool, the sponge were always dry and it is typically so slow to use. Would need a beefier sponge and make a slit to it and good heavy holder to work as should.

The wire spool is actually pretty good wool holder and it is always on the workbench anyway. Smells a bit when you accidentally hit it with the iron, but other than that works nicely. Plus it is heavy enough that it wond slide all over the place.

[DimitriP]

0% chances of getting a clone /almost as good /cant' tell the difference from the real thing
Built like a tank and most of the time priced accordingly:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/USED-Pace-MBT250-Soldering-Station-w-PS90-SX100-/262834502024?hash=item3d32283988:g:2GUAAOSwLnBXWYQs

[rstofer]

Dave didn't seem too happy with the Yihua 936 even considering the $16 price:


I have a Hakko 936 that I have been using for 13 years.  Works well...  When I decided to buy a soldering station for my grandson, I went with the Hakko FX888D.  Sure, it's 6 times as much money but I think it is probably a much better unit.  It certainly has better ESD characteristics.

It's worth having a couple of different tips and I would skip the conical ones altogether.  A BC or BCM tip should be perfect for drag soldering.  I don't have one.  What I do have are a couple of the Shape D tips.  They also work for drag soldering and just about everything else.

https://www.hakko.com/english/tip_selection/type.html

The soldering station will be one of the most used tools on the bench.  It really needs to hold up its end of the deal.

[JenniferG]

My BF had a nice soldering station, which he says "is gone now".. he just can't find it.  I asked him what make/model and he said he didn't recall (I think it was a gift from family member or something).

But I found the soldering iron holder for it in the garage!  All metal.. very nice!   Looks just like this one:



What soldering iron was this stand originally made for?  The Hakko 936? 

Wow if he had a Hakko 936 and lost it, I am gonna be sick!

Needless to say the soldering iron stand is now part of the decor of my budding electronics workbench -- which is currently the kitchen table!  (I see this stand alone selling for over $40 on ebay).

[rstofer]

My BF had a nice soldering station, which he says "is gone now".. he just can't find it.  I asked him what make/model and he said he didn't recall (I think it was a gift from family member or something).

But I found the soldering iron holder for it in the garage!  All metal.. very nice!   Looks just like this one:

What soldering iron was this stand originally made for?  The Hakko 936? 

Wow if he had a Hakko 936 and lost it, I am gonna be sick!

Needless to say the soldering iron stand is now part of the decor of my budding electronics workbench -- which is currently the kitchen table!  (I see this stand alone selling for over $40 on ebay).

I don't want to snitch but it matches my Hakko 936

[JenniferG]

Well I'll have a decent soldering station now.  Just won this old Hakko 926 of ebay -- allegedly in great condition.  Won it for $38.49 including shipping.  Gonna clean it up and retrobright the yellow plastic to make it look as new as possible.  Love the retro look of it -- has some character. 

I'll probably be using the Hakko 936 soldering iron stand (previous post on this page) with it instead of the one that hangs off the side.

[Zero999]

Well I'll have a decent soldering station now.  Just won this old Hakko 926 of ebay -- allegedly in great condition.  Won it for $38.49 including shipping.  Gonna clean it up and retrobright the yellow plastic to make it look as new as possible.  Love the retro look of it -- has some character. 

I'll probably be using the Hakko 936 soldering iron stand (previous post on this page) with it instead of the one that hangs off the side.

Good. Please let us know how you get on with it. Often it's better to buy second hand of a well known brand than a new cheap unknown brand.

[wraper]

Won it for $38.49 including shipping.  Gonna clean it up and retrobright the yellow plastic to make it look as new as possible.

I'm still amazed how people are ready to pay this much for filthy prehistoric unit which is not even ESD safe version.
Just imagine buying a car, driving it for 20+ years to the death, and then selling it for 40% of the new car price. In the same class, from the same manufacturer, and more like 70% of the new price when discounts do happen.

[RayRay]

I'm still amazed how people are ready to pay this much for filthy prehistoric unit which is not even ESD safe version.
Just imagine buying a car, driving it for 20+ years to the death, and then selling it for 40% of the new car price. In the same class, from the same manufacturer, and more like 70% of the new price when discounts do happen.

Well, it may not be ESD safe (in terms of anti-static materials), but it's grounded as far as I'm aware of, so should be good enough.
Now, set that aside, you shouldn't underestimate a product just because it's old!
It's still a highly reliable station, a true workhorse, and there's nothing wrong with it (plus you can still easily find spare tips & heating element for it too) Also, Dave (EEVBlog Admin) has a 926 himself, saw it in several of his videos, so if he approves, that should tell you something!

[JenniferG]

It's not going to look filthy when I'm done with it. Gonna look quite gorgeous actually   The faceplate is in excellent condition and can easily be cleaned.  And I can make that plastic look like new with some hydrogen peroxide cream & UV light.

Also, if Hakko still made the FX888 I would of bought it for $100 (despite its Fisher Price color scheme).  Regarding the FX888D, I like a dial to control temperature, not a quirky digital push button interface controlling me.   And I heard Weller was having quality control problems with WES51.

To be honest I saw no other option than to buy used in this price range.

[RayRay]

I think you've made a wise choice overall! 
It's vintage stuff, but solid as  a rock.
And once you have that faulty tip replaced, it should serve you quite well.

[usagi]

i love my hakko 936.

a hakko, used or not, is a great choice.

[rustybronco]

I bought a nice used Hakko 936 (genuine) with the correct aluminum iron holder off Ebay for $21.37 USD. As there wasn't an iron included with it, I have since purchased a clone 907 handle with the 'silica' grip and silicone cable for an additional $9.99 USD. When it arrives and depending on which heater it comes with, I'll more than likely purchase an original (possible clone??) A1321 element to install in the Fakko handle.

Someone mentioned that people are still willing to purchase these old units instead of it's more modern replacement, the FX888 D, I respond by saying, if you can by one in good shape for less than half the cost of new and it works almost as well as? why not. I've seen these regularly go for less than $45 USD including the correct iron.

Regards,
Dale

[pishta]

mine never gets hot enough. I cant even use desoldering braid with it.

[lordvader88]

I have one since it was CHEAP. Fine enough for a lot of stuff tho, especially if u don't use it that often.
But yeah it's time for me to either make my own circuitry, or buy a better one.

1 thing about the vellman is I did a quick search for new tips for it on ebay, and they aren't very common it seemed (thats how I remember it anyways).