Trying to buy a soldering station or iron + blower (Argentina)

[ranixon]

Hi, I want to buy a soldering station, but since I'm from Argentina I have to say a few thing first:

• Prices are 2x or more than USA or Europe, there is no escape from this.
• Buying from outside is not worth. Amazon doesn't send soldering stations to my country and AliExpress shipping is so high (probably due the size and weight) that it will have the same price as buying here, plus 75% (or more) in taxes)
• I don't have exactly the same options as in USA or Europe, some of then are more expensive or they don't ship here (like Quick, KSGER, Hakko or Atten)

So, after clarifying my limitations. My budget is around ARS 120000 (around USD 90), I can go a bit more if is worth it, but my budget is limited.

As for my use case:

• I fix computers as a side-job meanwhile I study at my university. The most important part for me is the heat blower, since I don't have one, I will use for things like,for example, desoldering a corrupted or bugged BIOS from a PC or notebook, to flash it and then resolder it, I will no used with things much more big than that.
• I prefer a 2 in 1 since it's cheaper than buy both separate. I have a extremely cheap 40 W soldering iron too, it works but it doesn't have any way to control temperature.

If you want to search, the easy way is go to Mercado Libre (in Spanish), it's similar to Amazon or Ebay. I can search for other places in Google, but the prices are more or less the same with the same products (often, the same sellers), so if you can go around Spanish if you don't speak it, it could work for a brand that I don't know. It's looks like a lot of them are the same product as in USA or Europe but with different brand.

This are the soldering station that more or less fit in the budget that I could find:

• Yihua YI8786D (ARS 112k) (Link): The most probable option, I saw people in this sub that are ok with it and since it's the same brand in USA and Argentina, I could probably trust them more.
• Yihua 852 (ARS 95k) (Link): it doesn't digital temperature control, but I don't know if it maters. The blower is also different, I don't know which design is better.
• Kushiro ESK-878d (ARS 86k) (Link): Looks like a cheaper Yihua YI8786D.
• Proskit SS-979b (ARS 152k) (Link): Proskit is a very known brand for tools, but I can't find anything about this soldering station, so I don't know if it's worth). It's over the budget, but maybe I can afford it. Looks like the Yihua YI8786D too.
• Yaxun 886d+ USB (ARS 156k) (Link): Over the budget too, but a bit more affordable than the Proskit. I also find other seller outside Mercado libre that has it at 30% less, but I don't know if it has stock.

Now I don't really want to buy separate things unless there is something that really worth it, it is way out of my budget, but since it is two separate thing I can buy it at separate time (or use credit card for one and cash for the other). But again, I prefer to not:

For the blower I have

• Mechaninc HK-859d (ARS 122k) (Link)
• Yaxun 852d (ARS 137K) (Link)

For the soldering iron:

• Yihua 936 (ARS 37K) (Link): this looks very affordable and could make buy blower and soldering iron separate more possible if it's better.
• Mechanic T12 Pro (ARS 89k) (Link): more than the double as the other, so at this price range I don't know if it's worth. I read good things about the T12 models, but I don't know if the brand will make it any difference.
• Elrepa T12 (ARS 85k) (Link): same as the Mechanic
• G Tools T12 (ARS 111k) (Link): Same as the others.

Thank you for your help

[thm_w]

I will use for things like,for example, desoldering a corrupted or bugged BIOS from a PC or notebook, to flash it and then resolder it, I will no used with things much more big than that.

Have you tried the clip on versions for flashing? They might work sometimes.

Anyway, I would be tempted to go with the cheapest hot air/iron combo, and then upgrade to a better iron at a later date when you have the money. But I have no experience with these units.

[ndarjo21]

i use mechanic t12 pro. its good, but not good enough to soldering in mass ground plane board like macbook or ps4 board. i bought d24 tips recently and it good enough. for bios programming, i use ch341a and never use clip. all of people who i know in other forum says to never use clip to program the bios. easy way is just take it out use hot air. mine is atten st 8800d and it capable enough but atten st862 is a upgrade from that. sop8 to dip8 will good accessoris to have when programming laptop ic bios. also 1.8v adapter.

[ranixon]

I will use for things like,for example, desoldering a corrupted or bugged BIOS from a PC or notebook, to flash it and then resolder it, I will no used with things much more big than that.

Have you tried the clip on versions for flashing? They might work sometimes.

Anyway, I would be tempted to go with the cheapest hot air/iron combo, and then upgrade to a better iron at a later date when you have the money. But I have no experience with these units.

Yes, sometimes work, sometimes not. I always try to do it without removing them first, but if ti fails, I have to desolder it.

[ranixon]

i use mechanic t12 pro. its good, but not good enough to soldering in mass ground plane board like macbook or ps4 board. i bought d24 tips recently and it good enough.

I read that for mass ground planes is better to use a heating plate, so maybe I can buy it in the future,

for bios programming, i use ch341a and never use clip. all of people who i know in other forum says to never use clip to program the bios. easy way is just take it out use hot air.

sop8 to dip8 will good accessoris to have when programming laptop ic bios. also 1.8v adapter.

I have the same programmer (the green version) and the same adapters (this one is the 1.8 V right?), the problem with the clip it's that sometimes it also will problem other things connected to the Vcc, and the programmer can't power them so it doesn't work.

mine is atten st 8800d and it capable enough but atten st862 is a upgrade from that

Sadly. there aren't Atten here, but it looks cool

[ranixon]

They are here, Mechanic HX-859D and Mechanic T12 Pro

[ndarjo21]

for mechanic t12. buy new tip which have big heating area, ie bc4 d24 d12 d4 etc. if you wanna buy different handle shape, you need to rotate the socket by two pin because the wire mapped differently

[ranixon]

for mechanic t12. buy new tip which have big heating area, ie bc4 d24 d12 d4 etc. if you wanna buy different handle shape, you need to rotate the socket by two pin because the wire mapped differently

Thank you, I will buy new tips when I have more money