Ersa Easy Tip ET 7-1 IP soldering fume extractor

[frozenfrogz]

My dearest forum,

I have been offered a new old stock Ersa fume extractor complete with all the filters and one of the clip-on extraction tubes.
Can you give me an opinion on this device? Seems like the product has reached its official EOL some five to ten years ago and I can not find any information from Ersa directly anymore.
Farnell has the datasheet hosted, but other than that not much comes up.

Active charcoal filters that can be fitted should be obtainable (though not the original ones) and this would be sitting at my workbench at home for occasional use.

Should I buy that thing? If not: What alternatives to look out for?

Thank you

[macboy]

A couple years ago I found a Weller WFE-P at a very good price. I bought it, and a cheap fume extracting iron (Yihua 908B) to go with my cheap soldering station. I decided that I liked the fume extraction a lot, but didn't like that iron, so I bought a Weller FE75 iron. What a hunk of junk that is. Even to my big hands that iron felt like a big clumsy fire stick. Total Fail, Weller, shame on you.  Soon after, I got my hands on some Metcal soldering gear, and I prompty modified the MX-RM3E handle to accept an extraction tube. I used 5 mm diameter aluminum tubing from a hobby store, bent to follow the contour of the handle, and I notched the end of the handle a little where it flares out at the end. Some large (> 1" diameter) heat shrink tubing holds the tube to the handle and also acts as a rubber-like grip. This works great. I really like having fume extraction at the tip, it is quiet and relatively unobtrusive. And the Metcal itself... wow. Just wow. Metcal goodness + no fumes = soldering joy.

I later scored a Pace fume extraction box (EVAC 105) and fitted a length of flexible accordion type hose to it. I use that when using hot air or desoldering, but rarely fire it up when using the soldering iron. It is effective, but loud, and I don't like the big inlet looming over my work space. I much prefer the tip-based extraction.

I say buy it if it's a good deal.

[frozenfrogz]

Thanks for your input macboy,

since it was a limited offer - and a good one - I bought the unit. It was delivered today, complete with two newly sealed main filters, a couple of pre-filter sheets, connection tubing, a stainless steel tube, clip-on connectors and a round brass brush for cleaning the stainless steel tube.
This package should last me quite a while here in the home lab.
Do these activated carbon filters have a limited shelf-life?

It looks like the unit was not built by Ersa, but that it is a re-branded Bofa T1.

With the big Ersa logo it looks like an astronauts lunch box
Operation is pretty effective and the vibration pump is about the same noise-level as on my cheap-but-tuned hot-air station.

I like it!

[ChrisLX200]

If the filters were sealed in plastic bags then they'll be fine, however if they were left open to the atmosphere they may possibly be degraded dependant on the storage conditions. As the name implies, they actively extract the pollutants from air by absorbing them onto the particulate carbon surfaces within the filter matrix. When saturated they will need to be replaced. There is no sudden cut-off, effectiveness slowly reduces over time (with regular use) starting the day you open the package. They should last a long time with the level of use expected in a home workshop - unless you're in the habit of soldering for 8hrs a day, in which case use the recommended replacement interval.

[frozenfrogz]

Thanks Chris,

that is what I was hoping for
Since the prices for the small bit of stainless steel tubing and molded plastic clips to match the different iron handles are insane, I will be drawing and printing clip-on adapters for all my irons in the next time.
I will post the 3D files to my Youmagine account in case anyone else can make use of those.

[frozenfrogz]

Here is what I cobbled together as a first prototype. The tubing is 6x0.5mm brass since I did not have any stainless steel tubing 5x0.2mm in stock.

STL files for 5mm version and 6mm version are here: i-Tool adapter