I've only used this soldering station once so I don't yet have depth of experience with it. So far it has functioned very nicely for me.
I've read other reviews of this, or a similar, product and heard some complaints of quality control issues. One reviewer mentioned that smoke poured from the iron when he first turned it on. I had no problems. It did smoke a bit when I first plugged it in and before I successfully tinned the iron. Perhaps heat dissipation is not effective until the iron is tinned. Anyway, it worked perfectly once the iron was tinned and it was very nice, in a inexpensive iron, to have temperature control to match the work being done. Construction quality appears to be quite good - better than the price would suggest. Of course, I can't see inside the housing but all the components are tight, the cable to the iron is heavy duty, the protective insulation on the iron is secure and functional. In short, it's better than one would expect from the price. Stahl Tools SSVT Variable Temperature Soldering Station
I had good luck with this soldering station. It's a great buy for the money, especially since there are stations far more expensive. The variable temperature is nice, and it comes with a sponge as well. My only complaint is the tip size. It's not overly big, but it's just a little bigger than what would be ideal for me.
I purchased this soldering station in July and was not able to find the time to work on the project I bought it for, until now.
Out of the box it looks impressive for the price and in my case it was all looks and no substance.
First time out of the box, I switched it on and after a few minutes, with it starting to heat up, I began smelling that awful acrid smell of plastic wire insulation overheating. I thought ok, maybe it's just burning off some type of residue from the heating element tube or the tip so I'll let it go a bit longer.
After an additional 5 mins, I then noticed a steady thin stream of smoke emanating from the "vents" at the front of handle just behind the heating element base. With the smell getting stronger, and I yanked the plug from the outlet.
Before I purchased this item, I read the reviews on the Parts-Express.com website, who is the actual seller via Amazon.com. It's a mixed bag of reviews, there many that love them and there were many that had problems and hated them... seems like the quality control is hit and miss with some people lucking out and get a good one while others get one that's a complete dog.
Woof-woof... it's not worth paying half the cost of the item in postage to send it back for a replacement, so I'm just going to toss it in the trash and along with the money that would have been spent on postage, I'm buying a better quality soldering station (even if the price is much higher), because I just do not trust the quality and/or safety of this product.
For the price this is a very decent soldering iron. If you are planning on getting into small electronics, you may want to go with a different set just because the soldering tip, and the ones that you can buy for them, are a bit large. I can imagine that you can find some other tips that might fit this iron though, and I will be looking for these in the near future.
To the guy that is/was going to '86 his unit....I'll pay the postage for you to send it to me!
I only use mine as a hobbyist, R/C Heli etc, and had been using a butane solder torch. All I can say is yes it smoked some when you plugged it in....BFD. It heated up to working temp, I tinned the tip, I quickly soldered my Deans connectors to my ESC....Bob's your Uncle!
I think this is an exceptional value at $## and if it only lasts a year, I'll buy another...or use the parts from "no vote of confidence" LOL.
Soldering Iron takes forever to get hot even on the highest setting. It is okay for very small soldering jobs.
If you try soldering something that's more that an 1/8 of and inch wide, like tabbing solder wire, this Iron will not do the job, However for small integrated circuit soldering it works just fine. I would not recommend using this product for general purpose soldering. Small jobs only.....
Cheap but works better than I expected. The variable temperature control works well and with the extra tips you can pretty much solder anything. I know it's not a high end unit but for what I need it works. Reviews on this unit have been mixed and some received a lemon but I am happy with mine.
this was by far the best purchase i have made in quite a while. yes its cheap and yes it looks like a toy, but it does everything that i need it too. i bought it and the 4 replacement tips, thus far couldn't be happier. the only thing i changed about mine was that the sheath (i don't know what its really called but the metal thing that you put the male end into) didn't stay in very well so i super glued it. that was it, yes i does smell by the way for about 5 minutes the very first time as it burns off all the extra garbage. but after that no problems. I highly recommend anyone on a budget who needs a soldering gun to pick up this little guy.
Having worked with professional solder stations, this leaves much to be desired. It is slow to heat and the tip doesn't tin well. But for the price, it got the job done.
Mine smoked a little the first time, but that was just dust from packaging that got in the iron burning off. I did like the holder and sponge. A longer cord would have been nice. - Soldering - Soldering Iron - Soldering Station - Soldering Equipment'
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