Xytronic Soldering station quality

[Agony]

I am not familiar with any soldering stations - but its about time to get one - tho stuck with a narrow budget.

Xytronic LF-389D is currently on a sale at https://www.elfa.se/elfa3~ee_et/elfa/init.do?item=82-540-68&toc=19658 so for a 39€ its the cheapest (35% discount - so i can include extra tip/solder/wick and such).

But has anyone used this or similar brands/models?
The cable quality (not too solid/hard to bend and short), solidity (will it break easily if dropped at small heights/hit etc).

[Fraser]

I own a Xytronic LF852D Hot Air Station and an LF8800 Soldering and desoldering station. Both are very well made and I have no complaints regarding performance. I was lucky and bought mine as customer returns. Both had suffered failed TRIACs on the heater drives but this is not uncommon on any of the units in this area of the market. The failure has not re-occurred since repair.

Xytronic are not the cheapest. I have used Aoyue, Kada and WEP and they do similar products, though the build quality is not, IMHO, as good.

I use PACE equipment as my main kit, and they are superb quality....but they also cost a smal fortune to buy new.

Kindest Regards

Fraser

[amyk]

Very Hakko-ish looking iron... it appears to be compatible with the Hakko tips too, so that's another advantage.

I don't know if it uses a ceramic heater like the Hakkos (and some clones) but those are more fragile than traditional nichrome and will crack if the iron is dropped, not that you should be dropping irons anyway.

[Erwin]

Price is good, that metal stuff to clean the soldering tip is also very nice. 

My soldering iron mentions it's ESD safe, I have no idea how important that might be in the work you're doing, but that might be something to take into consideration

[ddavidebor]

In my whole life, only a 9€ soldering iron was not esd safe

[Agony]

Been using this one for a while now (not constantly) and it handles well.. feels and looks durable.
Nice  cabling (durable, soemwhat heat resistant silicon).
Heating element is ceramic.

[Markybhoy]

They are decent stations,  never had any issues with mine.

[mcinque]

I'm very happy with my Xytronic. I love its heating speed.

[Kromag]

I currently posses Xytronic LF-3000, although I use it very rarely, since I am just a hobbyist
It is marketed as "high frequency soldering station".

I really like the 90W soldering iron, since it can handle even big, fat pieces of solder without dropping temperature at all!

I recently bought a mini wave tip for it, but it is almost impossible to get that tip for this station - I needed to buy it in the US since there is no other place I could buy it (really, nowhere!) but was not yet able to use it...

One small issue though, sometimes I have a feeling that the transformer is noisy (not loud, just annoying when you are doing something in complete silence)...

BTW: old thread though...