I have been browsing through forum for a bit already trying to wrap my mind around more mature soldering gear and chemicals as I decided to invest a bit in the soldering rig. I don't solder daily, mostly I solder some plugs, so cup terminals and wires, but I would like to have something to be able to replace a cap and such (no micro-soldering) and general through-hole replacement (I would to build some DIY audio amplifier in the future). I would like to use this as a chance to deliberate with you on maybe guiding me through my misery as I am just now finally getting in knowing with some good practices, which change the way I solder from doing and hoping for the best to start understanding what is what.
So far I used very cheap irons (two of those directly plugged in the wall and one poor little 30W station, improper tips (conical, where chisel tips would be perfect), no name solder, no extra flux,...) and even though things are doable just find, I found working with these tools feel somehow unreliable, not knowing an actual temperature, unknown temperature accuracy, a long waiting time for them to heat up felt like an eternity and comfort, oh man, those thickkkk handles...and so and so on.
SOLDERING STATION:I am in EU, my first point of interest was Hakko FX-888D, great feedback, features and quality, albeit a bit wonky UI and controls; after some research I found them at Batterfly or TBK (Germany) at around 110€, which looks reasonable and not that far from US pricing. But then, down the rabbit hole I found myself 5 days later on goshing over JBC CD-2BE (399€, tax+shipping included), so I have obviously hit myself very hard and now I set myself a budget for a station + iron + 1-2 tips (hopefully bundled)
anywhere from 100 to 400€ (a bit broad I know). But along the way I developed an appreciation for set-back (accelerometer or switch in the stand), direct-heating so cartridges instead of just tips and that automatically got me to this 300+€ game.
Which leads me to three candidates:
1. Ersa Icon 1 (~340€ for it + 1 extra tip)
2. Pace ADS200 (~350€ for it + 2 tips)
3. JBC CD-2BE (~400€, 2 chisel tips included)(I feel comfortable paying for any of these)
I have stumbled upon Pace ADS200, mainly thanks to Shock and Dave's review, so I was wondering how much would we have to pay in EU to get it and at the end the best offer I found (so far, I have contacted pretty much all distributors in EU, only 60% of them got back to me) is from Micom in Slovenia and Amtech (local distributor in Czechia and Slovakia), with 2 chisel tips and ISB-stand version for 350€ (tax incl.), which is a lot. This is in fact even more than for Ersa Icon 1 (~330€), but then I thought, Ersa may be nicer and may have a bit nicer handle, but Pace does not require calibration, is very precise and will heat up quicker.
And you know how it goes, when you get to 350€, then one may as well say "Screw it, so where do I find JBC pricing?" and find out you pay a bit more and get just better performer (more compact as well). Lastly and surprisingly this made Dave's (not most favorite) comparison of ADS200 to CD-2BE that much more relevant, for us in EU perfectly relevant.
So here I would like to advise with you on three questions:
- does Ersa Icon 1 have something in its favor compared to ADS200 (anyone having a chance to get their hands on both?)?
- just how inferior the tip lifespan is with JBC (I saw adjective such as abysmal used when describing it) compared to ADS200 or Icon 1 (I guess it is mainly about iron plating, is it not?)? If I am to guess the usage, I am soldering 10-20 cup terminals a week (I do it on weekends), but I reckon in the future there will be always something to do and if anything comes, I will gladly solder it.
- does JBC require tip calibration as opposed to ADS200? I actually could not find an answer for this one, except one paragraph on their website (https://www.jbctools.com/faq-soldering-temperatures-menu-15.html), but I am not 100% positive if they refer to the same thing. I would like to stick with leaded solder so I am thinking maybe as low 230-250°C set on the station, so I reckon tips should withstand some trial of time (given they will be properly maintained). JBC is even said to come with 220°C as the default and by their statement sufficient for most applications (and seeing some posts and showcases it is can transfer heat really effectively). But on the other hand I am opened to suggestion on it, if JBC shall have considerably shorter tip life while having 2,5x more expensive cartridges than ADS200, then it is definitely something to consider.
SOLDER:As I mention above, I would like to stick with leaded solder, I am looking at 63/37 specifically, with rosin. Here comes one of the "EU" factors, in US, if nothing changed one of the killer options would be Kester and MG Chemicals I guess, but for EU guys, do you have experience with some "native" brands? Something has always performed well...and did not yet disappeared from the shelves, I have just recently noticed TME as well as Conrad dropped leaded solders, so it seems we may actually get to the point where from this kind of shops we will not be able to get leaded ones anymore and importing might be the only option.
But in case we don't have some as reputable manufacturers as Kester and MG Chemicals, it might not be that much of an issue, Mouser (maybe Digi-key as well, but I am not 100% sure if they have free shipping as Mouser has for orders over 60€) is definitely an option and, thankfully, they have both aforementioned solders available, so in such case, just to verify, for 63/37:
- Kester 282 (ROL1) or 285 (ROL0)? I guess 44 is RA, which, if I am not wrong, is corrosive(??)..
- MG Chemicals 488X (https://www.mgchemicals.com/products/solder-and-accessories/solder-wire/leaded-cored-solder-wire/sn-63-/-pb-37-solder-wire/sn63-pb37-4880)do you prefer some others or I am perfectly fine with any of these (even though I reckon, Kester will be at least twice the price of MG Chemicals)
Materials I will be soldering are copper and alloys such as brass + gold plating for now.
Would you suggest to have some lead-free as well, just in case for some reason I need to use it? SAC305, or SAC405?
FLUX:I have never used flux as an additional and separate agent outside the rosin in the solder to clean stranded conductors or copper terminals and to help the wetting (or have I just watched too many of Louis Rossmann's videos?), but I would like to use it to make an additional step to remove any possible and impossible hardly visible signs of oxidation and such.
Here I will rather, if I may, ask two questions. I would like to have two kinds:
- flux paste (so I can dip twisted strands of the conductor)
- flux in syringe (or pen? I would use it for applying a tiny bit on the cup terminal?I reckon there will be a lot of brands, so let's say some of those available at Mouser.
OTHER:Tip Tinner - this is especially when I am done soldering and I am going to turn off the station, I would like before end dip it in something like this from MG (
https://www.mgchemicals.com/products/solder-and-accessories/tip-tinner/tip-tinner-4910) so it will evenly cover the tip, but..on the other hand I noticed this one is lead-free, so I am not sure if it is like treating lead-free solder or in case of these mushy, powdery products it is fine.
Or shall I stick with just applying solder from the wire and for the cleaning something like that polishing bar by Weller?
Fume Exhauster - do you use something? I am soldering in my den, just a regular room, on the table a bit distant from the windows - I am trying to not be in the way of the fumes, but it is not the most comfortable way of working. Do you have some recommendations? I have briefly glanced over Hakko fume exhauster FA-400, but that thing is actually quite expensive (as much as 100€) for a fan in the frame and probably some active carbon filter.
Wick - let's say some from MG Chemicals as well? So i.e. from their offer
https://www.mgchemicals.com/products/solder-and-accessories/desoldering-braids/ I guess the 400-NS series wick should be the right one? I have to admit I have only now found out about Wicks...god, in the past I was using that spring-loaded sucker junk...
For everyone who got here, thank you for reading and I appreciate everyone stopping by and maybe even leaving a suggestion!
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