Bundle Includes Soldering Station and CHP170 Cutter

i love it

This is an excellent soldering station. Very easy to use and heavy enough to be stable on the bench.The digital temperature control works well. There are many tips available,but nowhere in the manual does it provide instructions on how to change the tips. I know it is not difficult to do, but the instructions on how to do it should be provided. An added bonus was the inclusion of a free CHP 170 micro cutter with my order. These cost $7.49 by themselves. I mainly use my station to solder Litz tonearm cables which are very thin, 33AWG, and this unit does it with ease, at 800 degrees F, using silver solder. Highly recommended.

Heats up quickly and appears to hold the setting very accurately. Helps to produce clean, shiny solder joints.

I think anyone who enjoys soldering and certainly anyone who, for whatever reason, needs to but hates doing it, like myself, will find this an invaluable investment that is worth every cent and probably even at twice the price. A skill that has eluded me and always a source of frustration, which I would attempt only as a last resort. Recently I developed an interest in quadcopters, a hobby that involves not only a great deal of soldering, but requires a level of precision I had never considered nor desired attaining. However, the satisfaction the hobby brings me has driven me to aquire six different soldering irons / stations and many types of solder in my effort to become efficient. Many hours of practice and 2 ruined flight control boards had finally allowed me to overcome the dread associated with the skill. Still not satisfied with the equipment I was using, I researched what the best copter builders were using and quickly found this to be the overall favorite. The only regret I have regarding the purchase of this unit, is that I didnt do my homework sooner because the difference is night and day. I can only imagine the time and frustration I might have saved by buying this early on. Overnight I went from viewing soldering as an accepted means to an end, to actually looking forward to doing it and being proud of the results. Having this unit and a little practice, along with the basic fundamentals of soldering is all that one needs to avoid much aggravation.

Control ergonomics are not ideal (lowering the temp is confusing) but a high quality instrument nonetheless.

I like these units. I bought two of them. One of the cheapest from Hakko. We use Hakko a lot at work, but the more expensive models. One thing that I miss about the bigger units, is power. Sometime I find my self using both irons on one side of a given component, specially on PCBs that are multi layer and with a lot of copper. Another advantage from the other type of units sold by hakko, is that the tips for this unit are not very expensive. Like 4USD vs 15USD of the ones that have the heating element with the tip. But because this unit does not have the sleep functionality you need to be very careful of not leaving the iron on or you will spend more on tips. I would definitively recommend this for small to medium projects. But their higher wattage units, the ones with interchangable tips, rule for more mass intensive jobs.

OK, lets get this out of the way: This is not a professional iron. I am fortunate enough to be able to use 2 Metcal soldering stations at work... now THOSE are professional soldering irons. However, for home use, for the price (approximatley 1/8 the cost of a Metcal station), this is an unbelievable buy. Ive only had mine several weeks but have been extremely impressed so far. If the long term performance holds up, then I will be an exceptionally satisfied customer. It heats up very quickly, the tip temperature is accurate and easily controlled. The tips appear to be of high quality (the included tip, while sufficient for everyday soldering, isnt big enough for big jobs, and it way too big for SMD work; I purchased a T18S3P for bigger jobs). The included dikes are also very nice.

Going from a cheep plug directly in the wall $15 radio-shack iron to this guy is like night and day. The tip heats up in about 30 seconds vs the 10 min for my old one and the temperature control, iron/sponge holder, and included dikes are also really nice. Great deal for what you get and the quality. I can tell that this thing will last me a long time. Only slight complaint is that there does not seem to be an auto off after a certain period of time. I feel that this should probably be included for safety but as long as you remember to shut it off after you are done you are good.

The Ferrari of solders Great for home use

Finally replaced an old weller station and am thrilled so far. Comes up to temperature faster than I can get my parts ready. The cord for the iron is very flexible and doesnt cause the iron to get pulled around at all. Having the power supply separate from the stand wasnt something I was looking forward to, but after using it a few times Ive found it to be a nice benefit, I keep the power unit on a shelf above my work bench and just pull the little stand down when I need to do some soldering. The iron is quite narrow and comfortable to hold as well. Over-all, very satisfied with this tool and would recommend it to any hobby or mid-level user (not sure how it compares to high-end stuff, but its a huge step up from what I was using before). I use it a few hours a week for my work and I anticipate it will hold up to that level of use easily, construction seems solid. The tip included is a sort of spade profile, I would recommend getting a few other tips such as the extra sharp if youre going to do tight stuff like surface mount parts..