MB-6582 ate my soldering iron... or ...What Soldering Iron should I get

Miscellaneous
21

Yeh mine’s an aoyue 936A. I noticed a while ago, that they’ve since been re-named, so they have a 936, and then <some other name> which is the 936A, but with a less-hakko-ish name for international distribution. My guess is that hakko were not comfortable with it being so close :wink: Check out their website to get that name, it might give you a few more options.

With stuff like this, at least with the ‘el-cheapo’ types, I try to avoid digital stuff like the kada 936D - just seems to me to be more susceptible to breakdown/harder to fix in that situation.

The clone on the headfi site is actually a clone, as opposed to what is almost surely a re-badged hakko from the same factory (the aoyue 936A) - you’ll notice small differences in the casing and handle etc.

The ebay one you saw is still from the same factory but I guess probably not so nice as the (suspected) hakko rebadge. I’m not sure if the genuine hakko parts will go in that one?

22

If you have plenty of cash, I would second Julien’s vote for Weller. My Weller TCP 24v station is still going strong after 20 years and all spares are still readilly available (just bought a new element for the iron).

I have never been a fan of variable temp stations as I find they are often too cold or hot and difficult to get ‘just right’. The way that Wellers work is a specially formulated manetic ‘slug’ on base of the tip whose magnetic properties change at a certain temperature causing power to be cut to the element (via a magnetic switch). It is a simple and (I think) elegant system. If you need higher temp, you use a higher temp bit :slight_smile:

The downside is that you will pay more for a replacement Weller TCP iron than you would for a whole station from other manufacturers :frowning:

Cheers

Phil

23

If you have plenty of cash, I would second Julien’s vote for Weller

Seconded - if you can afford to go non-clone, it’s a good idea… if… :wink:

24

Well my clone works great. No problems yet. It does have a cheaper feel then the Weller but I attribute that to the lightness of the case. The weller was much heavier. Either way it was been working great. Thanks Stryd.

I still hope someday to figure out what went wrong with the weller and fix it…

25

Alright, i did a lot more research into this, and id be pretty confident in saying that the aoyue, and other clones, definitely are not OEM, but rather damn good clones regardless.

People who compared them side by side, reported that the Hakko will heat up much faster too.

Aparrently they do not have a real ceramic heater, like the Hakko has.

This guy opened a few clones up to see, as well as a genuine hakko:

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=205141

This probably explains why most Aoyue 936’s come with a replacement element included when you buy them, as they dont cost that much to make.

Still though, at the price you pay ive heard excellent things about them, that you couldnt get a better soldering station at that price.

Stryd:  I noticed that the Aoyue 936A has a tilted face plate, and different grooves around it, compared to the Hakko.

As well as having the lead connected on the opposite side and a power switch on the front.

The kada however looks much more like the Hakko, except for the fact it has an numerical LCD.  :stuck_out_tongue:

I’m still sort of leaning towards it, that gimmicky LCD just has me sold! haha!  :smiley:

The extra 25W will be a good advantage too.

26

I’m not sure if the genuine hakko parts will go in that one?

Yeah, the hakko parts will fit alright, they fit for pretty much all the well known clones, according to people who owned them.

27

This probably explains why most Aoyue 936’s come with a replacement element included when you buy them

Mine didn’t…

I noticed that the Aoyue 936A has a tilted face plate, and different grooves around it, compared to the Hakko.

As well as having the lead connected on the opposite side and a power switch on the front.

You mean like this one: http://ucables.com/ref/AOYUE-936A-SOLDERING-R91723 ?

Mine doesn’t look like that, it is *exactly* the same as the hakko image I posted above, only with a different logo printed on it. Edit: oh and the connector is metal not plastic, and the silicone grip on the pen is clear, not black)

Edit: if you look at the aoyue page, mine is like the 950, but with a normal pen, not tweezers:

http://www.aoyue.com/en/Product.asp?BigClassName=THROUGH-HOLE%20SOLDERING

I get the feeling, through the name changes, case changes, distribution changes, etc, that hakko have somehow had aoyue change their devices… (I’m guessing a legal threat?)

28

How the hell am I supposed to pronounce a word like Aoyue?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKF1VAxR71c

29

Mine doesn’t look like that, it is *exactly* the same as the hakko image I posted above, only with a different logo printed on it. Edit: oh and the connector is metal not plastic, and the silicone grip on the pen is clear, not black)

Ah now i get you! I found your post a little confusing, so apologies for the mix up!

I wonder can these ones still be obtained! I might be calling on you to try and verify one sometime hehe!

Would you go as far as checking to see if your heating element is ceramic to know for sure if its OEM though?  :wink:

That 950 style case does look pretty identical alright.

30

How the hell am I supposed to pronounce a word like Aoyue?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKF1VAxR71c

LOL!

31

Let the clone wars begin!

This ATTEN AT936B is the closest looking one to the Hakko 936 i could find:

http://www.atten.com.cn/newweb/product_show.asp?ProductID=153&id=106

What do you make of it Stryd?

Some very decent photos of the model here

There is also another model on the site, whos only difference is a lower case b? lol

http://www.atten.com.cn/newweb/product_show.asp?ProductID=154&id=165

And a 969A which has a grey case instead of black, not sure of the other difference:

http://www.atten.com.cn/newweb/product_show.asp?ProductID=154&id=165

Also, the replacement heating element they make seems to be ceramic too:

http://item.eachnet.com/prd/1216679453671166_prd.html

Btw, check out these awesome looking skinned Hakkos!

http://stores.ebay.ie/NEI-Lamps-and-Electronics_HAKKO-SOLDERING-STATION_W0QQcolZ4QQdirZ1QQfsubZ16378302QQftidZ2QQtZkm

32

Hehehehe

Looks the same to me… Interesting it has the black silicon guard more like the real hakko, and the metal plug more like my clone…

If you wanna know the difference between ‘b’ and ‘B’ models, paste that chinese text into google traslate (don’t bother trying the whole page, it’s blocked on every translator I tried anyway)

33

If you wanna know the difference between ‘b’ and ‘B’ models’ date=’ paste that chinese text into google traslate[/quote’]

B=second heavenly stem? I never thought stems were heavenly. I always threw them away.

34

LOL  :smiley: :smiley:

I meant, paste the chinese text from the pages you linked, into google - not the letter ‘B’  :wink:

35

LOL!

Good idea stryd, just realized if you dont have the chinese characters installed on XP, and just copy the squares, it still copies the correct ascii code somehow.

So was delighted to see it convert successfuly into Chinglish.  :smiley:

Heres the unique features ofthe lower case b model:

  • super cost-effective, economical and practical.

  • fever four-core design, temperature stable and accurate.

And of the upper case B model:

  • fever body temperature the use of imported materials made through the advanced technology, long life.

  • heating core all-in-one two-core design, and testing temperature when at the same time.

  • split design, small size, easy to display and save working space.

  • temperature stable and accurate. 

  • dual-core control of heat collection.

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  • fever body temperature the use of imported materials made through the advanced technology, long life.
  • heating core all-in-one two-core design, and testing temperature when at the same time.
  • dual-core control of heat collection.

folks,… it’s a soldering iron. No rocket science involved here.

37

folks,… it’s a soldering iron. No rocket science involved here.

haha yeah, i got a bit carried away as usual.

just thought it would be fun to throw up a bit of Chinglish.  :stuck_out_tongue:

Thanks for the help stryd, ill be ordering it in the next few days.

38

You might find this video interesting too, its a video of the Kada assembly line in their warehouse in china:

Notice that they produce different brands in the same warehouse!  :wink:

More videos in their

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jf24jk3mmt8

Gotta love china!  :wink:

small hands make small solder joints.

39

small hands make small solder joints.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIcznB24FA

:smiley:

40

I buy a Weller WS 81. And i get the Jubile Edition. :slight_smile: