I would love to see a head to head competition between a similar priced Schneider, Hakko, Weller, WEP, etc. Ultimate showdown between hobby-priced soldering irons. Thank you for all you do.
@@Scott.Hughes , I already posted a video and tear down of the basic, adjustable-analog $45 Schneider soldering station on my channel. For entry level it's pretty darn good and my only real gripe with it is that the cable is thick and stiff and not heat resistant. That and the cruddy supplied tips of course. The $65 analog Weller soldering station sold until recently for $65 at Home Dumpo, however, is JUNK: an ordinary 120VAC direct-plugin iron with no temperature feedback, and an electronic light-dimmer triac circuit, for more money than the Schneider. I don't know if the more recent cheap red Weller digital ($95 from H.D.) is any good, but I've come to expect the worst from any of the Weller "red line" products.
Hey, no fair! I bought one of these a couple weeks ago and have been planning to do a teardown and review, but you beat me to it! I haven't watched your review yet, but in case you didn't look inside of it it's a rebranded ATTEN ST80; and yes, the supplied tips leave a lot to be desired but that goes for virtually every single "clone" station that people buy direct from China, and the Chinese bulk pack replacement tips as well. The heating element of this unit measures about 3.85 mm but the cheap tips are typically 4.1 to 4.4 mm inside diameter, whereas actual Hakko tips measure 4.05 mm inside diameter for a much snugger fit and improved heat transfer. Genuine T18 tips from Hakko USA run about $7 and they're definitely worth buying as an upgrade accessory. I already posted a review and teardown of the $45 analog Harbor Freight Schneider soldering station (an Atten AT-937), which is a heck of a deal for the price. Some people say that they have bought this Harbor Freight unit for as much as 20 to 25% off on sale, and if you can get one at a price like that it's a very good deal. I looked at and considered the new Hakko FX888 DX which similarly sells for $120 but I watched a review online where somebody was setting it up with the one knob digital encoder and single button, and it doesnt look very user-friendly. I really don't like the Fisher-Price look of those things anyway!
@@KeepOnTesting , the thermal fuse is visible at 5:09 , on the same side of the PCB inside the iron's handle as the red heater wires. You might've noticed it had you held the iron still for a couple seconds! (You tend to shake handheld items a lot while filming; a little less caffeine ingestion might be helpful).
hey quick question my heating element on this tool broke when it was heating up i have it over 1yr so no warrantee but im not sure what exactly heating element to purchase to replace it any tips i find the a1321, HS-3080 but not sure what to get hope to hear back from u
This was almost 20 minutes of entertaining review goodness! The station looks solid, but I guess we should thank Atten for that. Totally agree about the tip upgrade making a huge difference in performance, especially when the diameter of the heating element and the tip don't quite match. Hakko tips just annihilated the stock ones.👍
Hello Darren, love your videos but have you tried the Mestek CM68B clamp meter? I'm kinda planning to buy mestek, I just don't know if the quality is good.
Thanks for the Kudos Jonathan! Mestek is middle of the road multimeter. Not the best and not the worst in terms of overall quality. I haven't tried that particular model as yet.
Most good quality tips have a copper core, then they are iron-plated except for the very end. The construction readily conducts heat quickly through the core and dissipates heat less through the surfaces leading up to the tips. This also assures less corrosion/oxidation which eats away at the surface at high temperature. 🤓 Watch out for skinny tips, the cross sectional area isn't enough for fast heat conduction to the tip. No-name tips might be made of brass and plated with zinc. Not sure why they elected to use 1, 2, 3 for the buttons. Correct me if I'm wrong, they aren't temperature presets? That would have been nice.
@@pault6533 , those buttons *are* temperature presets, and user-changeable. The included owner's manual wasn't very good but Atten has a better, downloadable, instruction sheet for the ST80 on their website, in English. The idle/standby modes are also user-adjustable. By the way, I have a video about soldering tips and their metallic composition on my channel and I'll be doing a deeper dive into this subject.
@pault6533 Yep..Temp Presets and more.As mentioned ny another user below the included user manual is poorly done. Lots of power under the hood if you can figure it out.
Wjether the Size matters or not is debatable. But, whose Tips you use also plays a big role. Even if the sizes match, the innards of them tips matter. 😂
Those T15 tips are pricy, 25$ before tax/shipping. Utilizing the 900M-T tips (5$ for a set of 5) is a huge cost savings for some. I feel your angst though..thx for watching 👀
Shew...shows how slow these FX-888 style units do temperature...what the heck is going on with its menu diving shenanigans!? About the transformer, they can actually make them cheaper now by using aluminum wire - a big boo, but for just 80 watts it won't be too bad. On a lot of these 900M tip irons, a real Hakko tip gets you REALLY far, fit and finish is unmatched, but when the tip comes at a similar price to the iron itself it becomes a bit questionable. I'm currently stuck with one of those cheaper plug-in irons, and the tips just oxidize quick and need some frequent scrubbing unless you religiously turn that tiny knob (that broke on mine already). Still waiting on them T12 reviews!
@@KeepOnTesting We're rooting you on that! It's just the newer stations have way better thermal recovery. Once I get to have one for myself it will be a huge difference!
@@KeepOnTesting, Several of the popular, inexpensive T12 stations sold direct from China have had software menu problems which require continual updates (each one working no better than the last), Aixun in particular and perhaps the KSGER as well. Some of these can put out 100 V onto the circuit board you're working on, which could be a real problem if you're working with delicate microprocessors. I'm a retired audio repair tech who spent 30 years with a Weller Magnastat type station as my main soldering iron, and so I tend to prefer simple, effective units without a lot of bells and whistles and, in particular, *which don't require software to operate*!
@@ruikazane5123 , the Atten website has a better, downloadable instruction sheet in English for the ST-80. Anyway, from you having written that "the dial broke already" on your adjustable-temp, direct AC-powered soldering iron, I'm surmised that you bought one with built-in temp adjust on the pencil iron. I'm not surprised that it broke because the concept looks dodgy to me, and impractical/unreliable for the long term. What brand was it ?
@@goodun2974 The brand is INGCO. The knob is hooked up to the usual dimmer circuit, like a lamp dimmer. Once you had the chance to try a true temperature controlled iron, you will really miss the speed...and reliability!
This is junk compared to almost any of the cheaper T-12 types with a fast response thermocouple located up in the tip (like the Pace ADS200 I own, or a JBC). I'd give it one star, and for the price paid here, half a star. (I think a GTA dude and his dudette were looking for excuses to flap their snowbird wings)😁
Muhahaha..well I don't live in the GTA..not even close but I admire your Spunk. I also own a Pace ADS 200, and it's my go-to but it's well over 500$ so I don't think it's a fair comparison at all. The HF unit is well made and built like a tank. You can probably get it for under 99$ US if you're patient. I think it would be a solid choice for those looking for a reliable bench unit with no noise and reliable heat output. 👍
@@KeepOnTesting , yeah, Newbies and beginners are unlikely to shell out much more than $100 for a soldering station, and so a Pace, JBC, or Metcal is far outside the equation for most hobbyists. It's good for beginners to have an alternative where they can walk into a store, examine a product in person, buy it and take it home to try, and easily return it for a refund if it's defective or doesn't work well for their purposes. Or, purchase the extended warranty for 20 bucks and if it fails at any time in the next 2 ( 3?) years Harbor Freight will simply replace it. As opposed to buying stuff direct from China or Asia, where returning it is extremely difficult and inconvenient and warranty service is non-existent. There are so many clones of equipment that all look the same on the outside but are built to varying quality standards, or the lack thereof, that one never knows what one's gonna get regardless of whether you buy at the high or the low end of the direct from China price spectrum. It's very much like a box of chocolates!
@@goodun2974 Using my $100 Aixun T3A (with new stand), paying $7 per tip. It has slightly better performance than the Pace, and the software is fine. There are many professionals who use this unit, like northwestrepair here on youtube, all day long for years. Very true that this HF is the most basic type of station, only for newbies with minimum requirements and a lot of time to waste. It is reliable for emergencies like a wind-up radio, but how often do you expect a newbie soldering emergency? My work speed is heavily limited by the constant manual power cycling of these slow stations, and need for preheating due to weak power. And this obsession some youtubers have with the voltage leak issue that is easy to understand and avoid....
hummm.... You do know that the USA and Canada operates under 60hz. So of course it's going to say 60hz. That statement alone does not indicate that it will last longer- It's just a spec. Unsure why this was suggested for me. You want a good solder station- Old school Weller. (we have one that's about 30 years old, beat to hell..and still can outperform the bulk of the new stuff) And you can still get parts/tips for it!
The primary difference between U.S. and Canadian industry is three-phase equipment motor supply voltages. Yes North America runs on 60Hz as opposed to 50Hz in other parts of the world. Nonetheless having the transformer state its operating frequency isn't a bad thing.
I would love to see a head to head competition between a similar priced Schneider, Hakko, Weller, WEP, etc. Ultimate showdown between hobby-priced soldering irons. Thank you for all you do.
Great idea! Thx Scott 👍
@@Scott.Hughes , I already posted a video and tear down of the basic, adjustable-analog $45 Schneider soldering station on my channel. For entry level it's pretty darn good and my only real gripe with it is that the cable is thick and stiff and not heat resistant. That and the cruddy supplied tips of course. The $65 analog Weller soldering station sold until recently for $65 at Home Dumpo, however, is JUNK: an ordinary 120VAC direct-plugin iron with no temperature feedback, and an electronic light-dimmer triac circuit, for more money than the Schneider. I don't know if the more recent cheap red Weller digital ($95 from H.D.) is any good, but I've come to expect the worst from any of the Weller "red line" products.
Hey, no fair! I bought one of these a couple weeks ago and have been planning to do a teardown and review, but you beat me to it! I haven't watched your review yet, but in case you didn't look inside of it it's a rebranded ATTEN ST80; and yes, the supplied tips leave a lot to be desired but that goes for virtually every single "clone" station that people buy direct from China, and the Chinese bulk pack replacement tips as well. The heating element of this unit measures about 3.85 mm but the cheap tips are typically 4.1 to 4.4 mm inside diameter, whereas actual Hakko tips measure 4.05 mm inside diameter for a much snugger fit and improved heat transfer. Genuine T18 tips from Hakko USA run about $7 and they're definitely worth buying as an upgrade accessory. I already posted a review and teardown of the $45 analog Harbor Freight Schneider soldering station (an Atten AT-937), which is a heck of a deal for the price.
Some people say that they have bought this Harbor Freight unit for as much as 20 to 25% off on sale, and if you can get one at a price like that it's a very good deal. I looked at and considered the new Hakko FX888 DX which similarly sells for $120 but I watched a review online where somebody was setting it up with the one knob digital encoder and single button, and it doesnt look very user-friendly. I really don't like the Fisher-Price look of those things anyway!
Yes I pointed out during the Teardown it's a rebadged Atten. Upgrading the tips goes a long way in improving its performance. Cheers my friend 👍
@@KeepOnTesting, I commented before watching the full review, as I noted above. Did you notice the switch or thermal fuse inside the handle?
@goodun2974 I didn't notice any thermal fuse in the handle. Just the fuse located in the back of unit by the AC plug.
@@KeepOnTesting , the thermal fuse is visible at 5:09 , on the same side of the PCB inside the iron's handle as the red heater wires. You might've noticed it had you held the iron still for a couple seconds! (You tend to shake handheld items a lot while filming; a little less caffeine ingestion might be helpful).
hey quick question my heating element on this tool broke when it was heating up i have it over 1yr so no warrantee but im not sure what exactly heating element to purchase to replace it any tips i find the a1321, HS-3080 but not sure what to get hope to hear back from u
a.aliexpress.com/_mMo1WGF
Choose the ST-80 Model.
This was almost 20 minutes of entertaining review goodness! The station looks solid, but I guess we should thank Atten for that. Totally agree about the tip upgrade making a huge difference in performance, especially when the diameter of the heating element and the tip don't quite match. Hakko tips just annihilated the stock ones.👍
Thanks 😅👌 Agreed, those upgraded tips really do make it shine!
Hello Darren, love your videos but have you tried the Mestek CM68B clamp meter? I'm kinda planning to buy mestek, I just don't know if the quality is good.
Thanks for the Kudos Jonathan! Mestek is middle of the road multimeter. Not the best and not the worst in terms of overall quality. I haven't tried that particular model as yet.
You should've also purchased the Pittsburgh "wago-style" connectors. They're pretty nice!
I'll have to check those out next time! 👍
Most good quality tips have a copper core, then they are iron-plated except for the very end. The construction readily conducts heat quickly through the core and dissipates heat less through the surfaces leading up to the tips. This also assures less corrosion/oxidation which eats away at the surface at high temperature. 🤓 Watch out for skinny tips, the cross sectional area isn't enough for fast heat conduction to the tip. No-name tips might be made of brass and plated with zinc. Not sure why they elected to use 1, 2, 3 for the buttons. Correct me if I'm wrong, they aren't temperature presets? That would have been nice.
@@pault6533 , those buttons *are* temperature presets, and user-changeable. The included owner's manual wasn't very good but Atten has a better, downloadable, instruction sheet for the ST80 on their website, in English. The idle/standby modes are also user-adjustable. By the way, I have a video about soldering tips and their metallic composition on my channel and I'll be doing a deeper dive into this subject.
@pault6533 Yep..Temp Presets and more.As mentioned ny another user below the included user manual is poorly done. Lots of power under the hood if you can figure it out.
The Hakko tip-temp tester is friggin expensive; I wonder if the Yihua tip tester is worthwhile.
These units ARE rebadged CHINESE ATTEN(as the PCB read), down to the case design, model# ST80.
@christophero1969 Yes indeed, I pointed that out in the Teardown. 👍
Wjether the Size matters or not is debatable. But, whose Tips you use also plays a big role. Even if the sizes match, the innards of them tips matter. 😂
True enough 👍
Too bad it's not a Hakko T15 clone with the element built into the tips. These old style stations with the FX888 tips are for the birds
Those T15 tips are pricy, 25$ before tax/shipping. Utilizing the 900M-T tips (5$ for a set of 5) is a huge cost savings for some. I feel your angst though..thx for watching 👀
Shew...shows how slow these FX-888 style units do temperature...what the heck is going on with its menu diving shenanigans!? About the transformer, they can actually make them cheaper now by using aluminum wire - a big boo, but for just 80 watts it won't be too bad.
On a lot of these 900M tip irons, a real Hakko tip gets you REALLY far, fit and finish is unmatched, but when the tip comes at a similar price to the iron itself it becomes a bit questionable. I'm currently stuck with one of those cheaper plug-in irons, and the tips just oxidize quick and need some frequent scrubbing unless you religiously turn that tiny knob (that broke on mine already). Still waiting on them T12 reviews!
That menu was dodgy as heck! 😅 You do get spoiled by the speed of the newer gen stations albeit its not that bad. T12 review is a coming!
@@KeepOnTesting We're rooting you on that! It's just the newer stations have way better thermal recovery. Once I get to have one for myself it will be a huge difference!
@@KeepOnTesting, Several of the popular, inexpensive T12 stations sold direct from China have had software menu problems which require continual updates (each one working no better than the last), Aixun in particular and perhaps the KSGER as well. Some of these can put out 100 V onto the circuit board you're working on, which could be a real problem if you're working with delicate microprocessors. I'm a retired audio repair tech who spent 30 years with a Weller Magnastat type station as my main soldering iron, and so I tend to prefer simple, effective units without a lot of bells and whistles and, in particular, *which don't require software to operate*!
@@ruikazane5123 , the Atten website has a better, downloadable instruction sheet in English for the ST-80. Anyway, from you having written that "the dial broke already" on your adjustable-temp, direct AC-powered soldering iron, I'm surmised that you bought one with built-in temp adjust on the pencil iron. I'm not surprised that it broke because the concept looks dodgy to me, and impractical/unreliable for the long term. What brand was it ?
@@goodun2974 The brand is INGCO. The knob is hooked up to the usual dimmer circuit, like a lamp dimmer.
Once you had the chance to try a true temperature controlled iron, you will really miss the speed...and reliability!
This is junk compared to almost any of the cheaper T-12 types with a fast response thermocouple located up in the tip (like the Pace ADS200 I own, or a JBC). I'd give it one star, and for the price paid here, half a star. (I think a GTA dude and his dudette were looking for excuses to flap their snowbird wings)😁
Muhahaha..well I don't live in the GTA..not even close but I admire your Spunk. I also own a Pace ADS 200, and it's my go-to but it's well over 500$ so I don't think it's a fair comparison at all. The HF unit is well made and built like a tank. You can probably get it for under 99$ US if you're patient. I think it would be a solid choice for those looking for a reliable bench unit with no noise and reliable heat output. 👍
@@KeepOnTesting agree
@@KeepOnTesting , yeah, Newbies and beginners are unlikely to shell out much more than $100 for a soldering station, and so a Pace, JBC, or Metcal is far outside the equation for most hobbyists. It's good for beginners to have an alternative where they can walk into a store, examine a product in person, buy it and take it home to try, and easily return it for a refund if it's defective or doesn't work well for their purposes. Or, purchase the extended warranty for 20 bucks and if it fails at any time in the next 2 ( 3?) years Harbor Freight will simply replace it. As opposed to buying stuff direct from China or Asia, where returning it is extremely difficult and inconvenient and warranty service is non-existent. There are so many clones of equipment that all look the same on the outside but are built to varying quality standards, or the lack thereof, that one never knows what one's gonna get regardless of whether you buy at the high or the low end of the direct from China price spectrum. It's very much like a box of chocolates!
@@goodun2974 Using my $100 Aixun T3A (with new stand), paying $7 per tip. It has slightly better performance than the Pace, and the software is fine. There are many professionals who use this unit, like northwestrepair here on youtube, all day long for years.
Very true that this HF is the most basic type of station, only for newbies with minimum requirements and a lot of time to waste. It is reliable for emergencies like a wind-up radio, but how often do you expect a newbie soldering emergency? My work speed is heavily limited by the constant manual power cycling of these slow stations, and need for preheating due to weak power.
And this obsession some youtubers have with the voltage leak issue that is easy to understand and avoid....
hummm.... You do know that the USA and Canada operates under 60hz. So of course it's going to say 60hz. That statement alone does not indicate that it will last longer- It's just a spec.
Unsure why this was suggested for me. You want a good solder station- Old school Weller. (we have one that's about 30 years old, beat to hell..and still can outperform the bulk of the new stuff) And you can still get parts/tips for it!
The primary difference between U.S. and Canadian industry is three-phase equipment motor supply voltages. Yes North America runs on 60Hz as opposed to 50Hz in other parts of the world. Nonetheless having the transformer state its operating frequency isn't a bad thing.
A Hakko isn't THAT much more expensive.
I hear ya 😊 👍