beginner hot air station & fume extraction suggestions

[OriginalDan]

gday looking at hot air stations for a beginner, learning to fix up 80s/90s motherboards/gpus, try some synth diy projects etc
currently got a Hakko FX888d with a Pro'sKit SS-331H on the way as it appears TS1513/ZD-915s are discontinued :/

seems the most recommended is the Quick 861DW around $400ish AUD on Aliexpress but difficult to figure out what is/isn't genuine, but the rossmann store amazon link is $535aud shipped.
there's also the clone 'Best BST-863' for $300aud some youtube videos mentioned a bit better build quality than the Quick but i can't seem to find much more to back that up.
step down from that would be the Quick 857DW+ around $170
and cheapest option being 858D with its endless clones ranging $70-$100 with all the horror stories around here probably best to avoid it.

since motherboards soak up a lot more heat, not sure if should go cheaper options or the 'buy once cry once' route
it's surprising as a total noob that a proper hot air setup costs more than a soldering & vaccum desoldering setup combined.

also fume extraction, any fan recommendations to run straight out a window? or links to your DIY solutions? since id be using both lead free/lead it's a must to get fumes outdoors.
house I'm in was built in the 50s so certainly not the best for air circulation
i thought of this T1297 micron fan thats on an arm, attaching a short vent hose to some sort of wooden frame to make it removable, trying to find a way to solder in the winter or when it's raining so i might have to get creative with wood/3d printer.

any suggestions is greatly appreciated.

[SmallCog]

I've got the micron extractor on my work bench in the corner of an open plan office environment.

Presume you realise that there's no lead in the fumes?

I added lights to the inside of the hood as it was casting a shadow on my work.

You could look at inline bathroom fans if you want to move a lot of air a long way to get it outdoors, link is an example of the type of fan not a recommendation as to a model or good price.

https://www.bunnings.com.au/deta-150mm-inline-exhaust-fan-kit_p0246590

I've seen them used in a small workshop to provide solder fume extraction. This was a manufacturing environment where the soldering was always done in the same spot so the suction point was fabbed out of PVC pipe and rigid over the work station.

[Gazza2]

Ive got the Jaycar TS1645 hot air station Ive used constantly for the last 3 years and has been getting the job done. I considered the quick, but it takes up more bench space, and I could grab the TS1645 off the shelf. The quick has a bent nozzle selection, heat presets and more airflow, but Ive not run into anything the cheaper unit cant overcome so far. I opened it up when I first bought it, and the build quality is excellent. I also use the Jaycar TS1580 fume extractor, it does a good job and replacement filters are cheap and easy to obtain. I also can recommend the Jaycar QC3193 digital microscope for micro soldering on the cheap. I picked one up to repair my sons Nintendo switch, with the intention of giving it to him if it was useless, but Ive been using it solidly ever since. Its been far better than using a magnifying glass, and because its so small and light, you can head rotated 180 degrees to raise it up on a box for a larger viewing area, or sit it on larger boards to access the center. I also have the Hakko fx888, I love it and have a large selection of tips for it.

[OriginalDan]

Presume you realise that there's no lead in the fumes?

yeah it's more general fumes I'm worried about lead free solder seems to kick off a lot more fumes, had asthma as a kid so just trying to take extra precautions since my setups in a bedroom for now.

I added lights to the inside of the hood as it was casting a shadow on my work.

You could look at inline bathroom fans if you want to move a lot of air a long way to get it outdoors, link is an example of the type of fan not a recommendation as to a model or good price.
https://www.bunnings.com.au/deta-150mm-inline-exhaust-fan-kit_p0246590

thanks didn't think about adding a light, forgot to mention it doesn't need to go a long way, small work area right next to the window.

ah some sort of bathroom exhaust is a great idea, looking through bunnings maybe something like this 100mm Wall Cowl at the window ducted to a micron or something similar, would that mean it doesn't need the charcoal filter?
might be the cheaper route,  i do miss having a garage lol.

Ive got the Jaycar TS1645 hot air station Ive used constantly for the last 3 years and has been getting the job done. I considered the quick, but it takes up more bench space, and I could grab the TS1645 off the shelf. The quick has a bent nozzle selection, heat presets and more airflow, but Ive not run into anything the cheaper unit cant overcome so far. I opened it up when I first bought it, and the build quality is excellent. I also use the Jaycar TS1580 fume extractor, it does a good job and replacement filters are cheap and easy to obtain. I also can recommend the Jaycar QC3193 digital microscope for micro soldering on the cheap. I picked one up to repair my sons Nintendo switch, with the intention of giving it to him if it was useless, but Ive been using it solidly ever since. Its been far better than using a magnifying glass, and because its so small and light, you can head rotated 180 degrees to raise it up on a box for a larger viewing area, or sit it on larger boards to access the center. I also have the Hakko fx888, I love it and have a large selection of tips for it.

Can't find much info on that TS1645 seems its also sold as "Duratool D03167" in the UK, usually cheaper to bypass jarcars markup by ordering direct from china but i can't find any listings unless its under another name or this model isn't sold locally.
found one ebay review
of the duratool claiming it doesn't have temp monitoring and other issues? unless that specific one was a dodgy clone. Do you use it primarily for soldering or have you desoldered larger parts fine?
i guess the benefit is jaycar being a physical storefront to go to if there's any issues vs shipping stuff back.
also thanks i might get that microscope.

[TheWildMan]

I just went through trying to find a beginner fume extractor that worked.  It seems there is a difference between getting the rosin/flux fumes out of your face and filtering them out.   Because of similar sensitivities, I decided to get a remote exhaust fan and duct it to my bench (but I also need to install a bathroom exhaust fan close to where my bench is anyway).  This takes the fumes outside since it is so difficult to filter all the little nasty bits.

I found this article I think in this thread which helped me decide to exhaust outside instead of filtering or simply extracting out of my work area (fan keeping the fumes out of your face).

I also bought a Mechanic brand Quick 861DW clone locally from a repair place.    Here is the one I was going to purchase before finding the Mechanic locally.   I am really curious how it performs since I couldn't find any local reviews.   I will post back once I get it in a few days. The shop I am buying from has a good reputation, so it will be interesting.

[Electro Fan]

I just went through trying to find a beginner fume extractor that worked.  It seems there is a difference between getting the rosin/flux fumes out of your face and filtering them out.   Because of similar sensitivities, I decided to get a remote exhaust fan and duct it to my bench (but I also need to install a bathroom exhaust fan close to where my bench is anyway).  This takes the fumes outside since it is so difficult to filter all the little nasty bits.

I found this article I think in this thread which helped me decide to exhaust outside instead of filtering or simply extracting out of my work area (fan keeping the fumes out of your face).

I also bought a Mechanic brand Quick 861DW clone locally from a repair place.    Here is the one I was going to purchase before finding the Mechanic locally.   I am really curious how it performs since I couldn't find any local reviews.   I will post back once I get it in a few days. The shop I am buying from has a good reputation, so it will be interesting.

The Mechanic brand looks like a Quick married a Hakko.  Hope it works as well as those two combined.   

[HobGoblyn]

I’ve got (or will have on Saturday) an Atten ST-862D as a Christmas present from my lovely wife.

Spent ages comparing various models, Louis Rossmann did a comparison of the Quick and the Atten that finally sealed my choice

https://youtu.be/wYCmU6jMLo8

[RayRay]

Hot air station: bakon bk880 is pretty good,  it's available in both 110/220v versions, it's $60-65 on aliexpress and is compatible with the standard 850 series nozzles (the screw-on nozzles) meaning you'd have a wide variety of em to choose from. It does have three cons though, firstly, the buzzer, it got an internal, high volume buzzer which is super anoying (I personally desoldered it on mine) and the second one is that it only comes with a Chinese manual, however, you can find operating instructions on the following youtube video:
Last con is the cable between the stationn to the handle, how to put it, it's not super soft silicone, but it's not overly stiff or tangly either, personally, I think it's adequate and isn't worth replacing.

Fume extractor: I don't use one, I came up with an alternative solution instead, I use a 120MM PC fan connected to a 12V 1A AC adapter. If you're lazy, you could solder the wires to the fan & use heatshrink, but what I did was, I've soldered a female DC jack to the fan wires, so I could easily connect/disconnect it from the AC adapter when needed. I typically place it 15-20 CM away from the board I'm working on. It works really well at moving the fumes away, so they don't get in my eyes/nose.

[RayRay]

Oh, and as for a microscope (which I saw you're also interested in), I highly recommend G1200, it can be found on aliexpress for $67-70. You can get one with a rechargable battery, or without one. I've recently used it to swap out an 8 legged SOIC chip across two boards, and it definitely made the job a lot easier.