Soldering Station reviews from Reddit

"As far as stations go, I recommend hakko. Best bang for buck stations out there and they will last."

"Weller and Hakko make reliable stations"

"Hakko model you have is very good quality."

"I went with hakko fx-888d. Glad I bought this one. Been using it for 1 1/2 years so far and going strong."

"The Hakko is so much nicer and will last a very long time."

"Hakko FX888."

"Hakko!"

"I recently got a Hakko FX-888DX that I'm very happy with."

"I’m a fan of the Hakko FX888. I upgraded to the Hakko from a cheap no-name iron, and it’s made a world of difference."

"Just buy any of the name brand temperature controlled stations."

"I use the same weller and love it"

"Never had any issues at all."

"It is amazing at the price it is right now."

"I got a weller WLSK3012A off amazon for around 48 dollars. neat stand and adjustable heat. i've no complaints."

"Weller adjustable 40w. Set it low for caps, crank it for grounding to pots."

"A used weller or hakko would serve you well."

"I do try other irons, even other bits, some extremely expensive - but I still go back to my trusty Weller."

"Start small - get a decent Weller (or similar) soldering station."

"I've got the Weller model and use it regularly. Great piece."

"Adjustable, reliable (mine's going on 2 years; I've soldered thousands of connections with it)"

"Pinecil v2 best decision in my life"

"Pinecil"

"Pinecil. It's cheap and awesome. Heats up fast and will be as powerful as the PSU you use."

"I really love my Pinecil."

"Get a simple iron with a smart thermistor tip such as a Pinecil V2. I have one and I would never go back to a dumb-tip iron."

"The versatility makes it the best one ive had so far, with being able to power from variety of sources and boost temperatures higher without messing with a station."

"I have a Pinecil and I love it, would highly recommend."

"Best bang for buck and portable is the newer pinecil on Amazon."

"I really like my Pinecil. I think I paid 35$. You can get a generic holder/station for cheap."

"Get a PineCil 64. 25 USD and it can be powered from USB PD and a barrel jack up to 6S."

"I recommend Yihua stations. They're typically clones of these big brands."

"They had a few issues but after I fixed them they're working great."

"I have the yihua 982 regular model with the 245 and 210 handles."

"I am quite happy with my 982D-III."

"The 8786D is a pretty good machine."

"The JBC ones are expensive so the only other ones I could think of are the YIHUA 982D-III models."

"Check out Yihua on Amazon."

"Yihua also has $500 soldering stations if you really want OP to spend that much."

"Take a look at Yihua and Aixun."

"I have [this one](https://www.amazon.com/YIHUA-Soldering-Conversion-Temperature-Correction/dp/B07SCPZJYS/ref=sr_1_3_sspa?crid=2WP94W7JOIH1M&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.vIr6fx3OAevt1uYi9NGbtnyUKyD616CuMmlrDL9-3RH1vSWTF8HgbkFqJBbGxKE0Rgu0eKkTnIfjt0rNZtFz2vGOgjZ-aNjDgeXBnb5snc8s7ubhMvETp0HjN-TiePie2lsFAwgCLKXt0W5PsvLWFeq6zeZa2AVsfrNBYMoxtr5Qg8iFBHeVKCW7UULvUJw3LFLKsn1O_Vv8F9dTnKtOvuZb_S-kYoYZ2CsmUhQTf1UEGnR)"

"I personally picked up the 420D about 5/6 months ago when I had to RMA my JBC DDE for an issue, and it ended up working out great."

"Look at the Aixun T420 or T420D excellent unit"

"Upgraded from a dual handle 951 setup to the Aixun T420D dual handle station. I’ll never go back."

"I have an Aixun T3A and an Aifen A9 which have both served me well for a few years now"

"I have a Chinese Aixun T320 with a t210 handle for micro smd work or the regular t245 handle."

"Got an Aixun T320 and really happy with it."

"Aixun T320 or Aifen A9, don't buy from Temu unless you want complete garbage."

"I like the Aixun T42D. It can use genuine JBC cartridges."

"I own an Aixuntech T3A, but if I were to buy another clone that takes JBC tips, then I'd go for the T420 series."

"Reference is Aixun T3A."

"My chinese T12 clone is both the best and cheapest iron I've ever used."

"If you want to step up a bit, go with the TS100."

"My chinese T12 clone is the best and cheapest iron I've ever used."

"The KSGER T12 stations are a good choice for around $50."

"TS100 or the KSGER12. They stomp everything else at a similar price."

"KSGER T12"

"If you are on a tight budget you can get something like the KSGER T12 or TS100, Pinecil or any other cartridge."

"I love my ts100."

"Just buy the TS100 from AliExpress. Best iron I ever used."

"I recently bought a TS100 65w mini soldering iron w/ needle tip from gearbest for $50."

"If not just get a ts100 or sequre001."

"People here did nice recommendations about irons like ts100."

"Can't go wrong with JBC."

"Try looking for used JBC or look at TS100."

"JBC 2300. After using many different brands I prefer it."

"Currently my go to is JBC. I really like that the heating element is in the tip."

"I don’t mind paying more for a quality JBC setup."

"I've used this and it was fantastic."

"I use an xtronic-5040 at work for cell phone repairs. It's the only rework station I've used so I've got nothing to compare it to, but it has been awesome."

"A friend is looking at getting this... X-Tronic Model 4010."

"[X-Tronic 3020 XTS](https://www.amazon.com/X-Tronic-3020-XTS-Digital-Display-Soldering/dp/B01DGZFSNE/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1493170071&sr=8-4&keywords=soldering+station)"

"They're relatively affordable for what you're getting and most of the parts are interchangeable with Hakko parts."

"Get yourself a good Metcal or jbc station."

"I got a well used PS2E station years ago and haven't looked back."

"Metcal."

"Best iron I’ve ever owned is a Metcal."

"Aoyue 968a+"

"This thing is great. Just tried it out finishing up a board for a fuzz face and it was by far the cleanest and fastest soldering job I've ever done."

"I have a Aoyue Int968 and I will never buy a different brand again."

"I have an Aoyue 852A++. It's simple but robust, and a good value as a China import."

"GVM T210 from Ali."

"Any of the ones in ali using the JBC tips. I like the GVM T210."

"GVM T210 has been great for me over the past year."

"Had been a great addition to my arsenal."

"I just ordered the Ersa I-Con Pico the other day."

"In one of his Q&A videos, GreatScott mentioned this as his go to soldering station."

"Is a good catch, according to a friend of mine."

"The cartridge style tips, along with the variable input for power makes it a very decent iron."

"TS-100 plus 45W powerbank"

"I own like 3 ts-100 irons."

"I'm perfectly happy with my Atten 8586, which is essentially the 858D in 2-in-1 form."

"I have had one like this for a several years, the atten AT938d."

"You can get pretty reasonable Chinese soldering stations if you're on a budget."

"A T12 station has a bit more power, it heats up much quicker, and temperature dips are much quicker detected and corrected."

"Many of the Chinese clone systems work well and can be good as I know people with them."

"I would suggest getting a clone of a T12 soldering station."

"$40-$50 should get you a decent solder station on Amazon."

"Something like this would probably work fine and it comes with so much stuff too."

"Honestly, any of the dime a dozen Amazon stations will work for a first station."

"Sugon a9 is great"

"It's been fantastic."

"The TS80P compares very well with my older, but top-of-the-range Weller station."

"It's not actually inferior in use (at all) when compared to my £500 Weller station."

"PACE ADS200 as the tips are about 1/3 the price of the Metcal."

"UPDATE: I went with a Pace ADS200. Some of the suggestions looked like really solid choices just out of my price range."

"Quicko and KSGER have a sale right now on aliexpress."

"Your best bet is likely something that uses Hakko T12 tips."

"I bought one of these on sale for $14. Hasn't failed me yet."

"For the money you can't beat it. I've been impressed overall with it."

"It is way more powerful than the Aifen A9 i have though."

"Aifen A9 is a better choice, some of those Yihua ones are quite power limited."

"I got a fnirsi one and it's excellent"

"The other brands on those sites have some good stuff. Ie Fnirsi, Yihua, etc."

"I have the same one and it works like a charm."

"Id say go with something with T12 tips. More expensive tips than the 900m the 926 uses, around $6-7 for the cheap ones on Amazon($4-5 on Ali), but will make your life much easier."

"Both will suit you well but the Hakko will allow for more room to grow over time."

"Just got myself a Hakko 951 and the micro soldering pencil fm 2023."

"I use Tenma 60W soldering station."

"Pace or jbc can't go wrong with either system I have a pace wjs 100 and the tips last an age no matter how much I Crank up the temp good luck with your purchase but with the systems you are planning on buying you don't need luck"

"I’ve been very happy with the Wellee WE 1010."

"I love it!"

"I have been using a Banggood special for ages. It is great tbh."

"I did order it and will be using it next week."

"Thoughts on something like this?"

"I got a Solomon - probably not the best but finally was able to do great soldering."

"The 888d will work just fine for you since your just doing this as a hobby."

"Another option is the Weller WES51. Similar to the Hakko 888 in price and capability."

"I've had one of the $50 852D+ hot air and soldering stations for a few years."

"I use the HK cheap station, like £20 or less delivered from EU."

"YIHUA 853D make sure its not GENERIC 853D."

"Elvo makes a pretty good station."

"Sequre s99 or s60p."

"The positive reviews are all over the place."

"It hasn't failed me yet."

"Very good for their low prices."

"I will send you my Radio Shack soldering station."

"Those chinesium Yeeha 936 knockoffs off ebay are supposed to chooch well for the price."

"I read so much about the 858D that it must be open to check the wiring before running"