https://www.testequity.com/product/10063340-8007-0597 $2700 earth dollars 😳 this is not a hobbyist purchase ![Sad :(](https://www.eevblog.com/forum/Smileys/default/xsad.gif.pagespeed.ic.L3FGyzQrjB.png)
Duh. It’s a professional soldering system by a company specialized in professional soldering systems. The hobbyist has never been their target demographic.
The predecessor model (MBT350) is similarly priced.
MBT360 PSU is $1700 (just psu), ADS200 is $375 w/ iron. A 5x increase for a chunkier transformer, some extra control electronics (are they still using ancient microprocessors?) and a vacuum pump is a little much. Yeah they aren't hobbyist grade but going from commercial temp to industrial/mil temp components isn't *that* much of a jump especially considering the low tech HMI.
While I wish their multichannel stations were cheaper, the fact is, they’ve done extremely well for decades with their pricing model. The main reason for the big price jump is that the ADS200 is priced lower than its predecessors were. (Pace expressly said the ADS200 is aggressively priced.)
If you ask me, all (name brand) commercial soldering stations are “overpriced” for what they are: power supplies with smartish thermostats. But the pricing works for the market, and with the big brands you’re also paying for reputation.
Nobody said anything about mil-spec components.
You don't even get an Accudrive sodr-x-tractor!
Nobody Only Hakko makes a cartridge heater desoldering system. AccuDrive is Pace’s (second-generation) cartridge heater standard. Regardless of what heater and thermal feedback technology they use in their desoldering systems, theirs works really well, which is why they can charge what they do. The fact that they came up with that system decades ago only speaks to how good their original design was.
~$1k PSU only would make sense for 3 accudrive channels + pump.
To you. But not to them, and not to the market.
I *want* to support USA manufacturing and development but an fm-206 psu has 3 channels, a pump and hot air for ~500 less. JBC is cheaper and better!
I’m sorry, are you high?
![Shocked :o](https://www.eevblog.com/forum/Smileys/default/xshocked.gif.pagespeed.ic.CrwtrNUjLO.png)
JBC is excellent. But they’re certainly not cheaper up front (not even close), and they’re far more expensive in terms of consumables (by a substantial margin).
Edit: I’ll be damned, Hakko’s is a cartridge. Thanks, Shock!