Which soldering station? JBC, Metcal, Weller...

[DL8RI]

Hi,

I'm moving soon and I will have a dedicated soldering/dirt-work and measurment-desk.
Therefore I need a second soldering-station for the measurement-desk. Now the question is... which one?

Right now I own a Weller WSD-81 (soldering) and WMD-3 (Tweezer, Desoldering, Hot-Air).

What I want:
A good station, no cheap crap.
Enough power to solder a bigger connector (e.g. N) onto a case.
A working(!) standby (therefore no PACE).
Wide selection of tips which don't cost a fortune.

Right now I favor the JBC CD-2BC. The fast Heatup&Standby is cool and i'ts much cheaper than the corresponding Weller. And I like the design.
But it has less power. I've never used the newest Wellers, are they worth the 100€ more? I've little experience with the JBC and up to now it was quite satisfying.

The station will be used if during a measurement I have to solder something. Therefore it will remain in standby most of the time.

Does anyone have other suggestions?

[robrenz]

You will NOT regret a JBC purchase

[StubbornGreek]

You will NOT regret a JBC purchase

I 2nd this - amazing piece of equipment.

[madires]

ERSA i-Con with i-Tool. And since you're living also in 'Schland there are no problems with availability. BTW, ERSA is less expensive than Weller and delivers better tools, IMHO.

[neslekkim]

JBC is very good, 2BC or maybe go for an D* series for expandability

[sotos]

Hi,

I'm moving soon and I will have a dedicated soldering/dirt-work and measurment-desk.
Therefore I need a second soldering-station for the measurement-desk. Now the question is... which one?

Right now I own a Weller WSD-81 (soldering) and WMD-3 (Tweezer, Desoldering, Hot-Air).

What I want:
A good station, no cheap crap.
Enough power to solder a bigger connector (e.g. N) onto a case.
A working(!) standby (therefore no PACE).
Wide selection of tips which don't cost a fortune.

Right now I favor the JBC CD-2BC. The fast Heatup&Standby is cool and i'ts much cheaper than the corresponding Weller. And I like the design.
But it has less power. I've never used the newest Wellers, are they worth the 100€ more? I've little experience with the JBC and up to now it was quite satisfying.

The station will be used if during a measurement I have to solder something. Therefore it will remain in standby most of the time.

Does anyone have other suggestions?

Can you explain me why not the PACE?

[nanofrog]

Another vote for JBC. 

[DL8RI]

Hi,

thanks so far for your opinions.

Can you explain me why not the PACE?

The PACE-Station I used so far detected the "not usage" of the iron by the heating-power(?).
I had more than one time when soldering small SMD-Stuff the Standby activated while I was soldering.
And the esiest way to wake the station up was to turn it off and on... I don't like it.

Weller has build in a acceleration-sensor, Ersa seems to have a magnetic switch in their tools and JBC detects by the metal surface. Hakko uses a switch in the stand, which I think is not that great because of the cable laying around.

The iCon 1 could be an alternative to the JBC. Same price, similair features.

[janoc]

ERSA i-Con with i-Tool. And since you're living also in 'Schland there are no problems with availability. BTW, ERSA is less expensive than Weller and delivers better tools, IMHO.

+1 for this. Have the Nano on my bench and it is really amazing.

J.

[Frost]

ERSA i-Con with i-Tool.

I would take the ERSA i-con, too.
But I am biased, because I own with the 60W TECH TOOL
and the 20W MICRO TOOL tow ERSA irons, which I could
use together with the i-con 1 station

If you look on the Weidinger page, the JBC and the ERSA
are nearly the same price:

ERSA i-con 1 with 150W i-tool iron -> 330 Euro + VAT
JBC CD-2BC Kit with 50W AD-2200 iron -> 315 Euro + VAT
Weller WX-1 with 120W WXP iron -> 503 Euro + VAT

There is a i-con 1 set at Amazon for 330 Euro VAT included

[nanofrog]

Weller has build in a acceleration-sensor

Depends on the iron being used.

Those used with the newer WX series do, but the WMP or WSP80/WP80 irons used with the WD series do not.

Setback with these irons when it's placed in the stand requires an optional Stop-n-Go stand (uses a micro switch). At an additional $109 MSRP premium of course. And when you add that to the price of say a WD1002 (WD1 + WP80 iron), it's price is in line with a JBC compact station.

I would take the ERSA i-con, too.
But I am biased, because I own with the 60W TECH TOOL
and the 20W MICRO TOOL tow ERSA irons, which I could
use together with the i-con 1 station

If you look on the Weidinger page, the JBC and the ERSA
are nearly the same price:

ERSA i-con 1 with 150W i-tool iron -> 330 Euro + VAT
JBC CD-2BC Kit with 50W AD-2200 iron -> 315 Euro + VAT
Weller WX-1 with 120W WXP iron -> 503 Euro + VAT

There is a i-con 1 set at Amazon for 330 Euro VAT included

I'd see the Ersa as a direct competitor to a WD1002T (WD1 + WP80 iron + Stop-n-Go stand), and between them, would take a really long look at the Ersa before buying the Weller based on what I've read in other threads if I resided in the EU.

[p5200]

Could someone please, suggest a station for 50- $75.00 price range I don't need anything elaborate I just can't stand the worthless tips on my cheap RS irons.    Even just an iron with good tips without a complete station of between 30-40 watt would be fine I have a small 15 watt iron for when I need it.   

[DL8RI]

Hi,

Those used with the newer WX series do, but the WMP or WSP80/WP80 irons used with the WD series do not.

yes of course
I was only looking at modern types, especially the ones with integrated heater/tip.

After looking at the Manual it seems the Ersa i-Tool (i-why i-always i-a i-stupid i? ) has also an accelerometer. Hmm... has someone had both, the JBC and the Ersa?

Since they are on-par price-wise it's not a really easy decision.

[robrenz]

JBC has am amazing variety of tips, I don't know about the Ersa so if it matters you should check.

[nanofrog]

Could someone please, suggest a station for 50- $75.00 price range I don't need anything elaborate I just can't stand the worthless tips on my cheap RS irons.    Even just an iron with good tips without a complete station of between 30-40 watt would be fine I have a small 15 watt iron for when I need it.   

If you can extend your budget a bit, then you should pick up a new Hakko FX-888D ($91.34; includes a free pair of cutters and free shipping). Fry's has them for less for local stock only ($85 local vs. $100 online).

Another alternative, would be get a good used station. Just be sure that it has all the parts you need to make it work (you'll see a lot of bases without irons). Brands to look at would be Weller, JBC, Hakko, Pace, Ersa, Zephyrtronics, and Metcal (tips set the temp on these, not controls on the station; so if you need more than one temp for a particular tip, you'll need one tip per temp that you need <they offer 600, 700, & 800F>).

Either way, you get a proper temperature controlled station, and there are plenty of tip profiles. Also, make sure you get genuine tips, particularly in the case of Hakko, as they're highly faked. Best to avoid eBay IMHO.

I was only looking at modern types, especially the ones with integrated heater/tip.

After looking at the Manual it seems the Ersa i-Tool (i-why i-always i-a i-stupid i? ) has also an accelerometer. Hmm... has someone had both, the JBC and the Ersa?

Since they are on-par price-wise it's not a really easy decision.

Tip costs could be what swing it, as JBC uses the more expensive cartridge types, while Ersa's are just plated copper depending on funds for consumables (20 - 30EUR for JBC's vs, what, 5 - 6EUR for Ersa's ?).

[Frost]

I don't know about the Ersa so if it matters you should check.

With the i-Tool iron you can use all the tips from the Ersa 102 series.
At the moment there are ~40 different tips within the 102 series available.

This includes the three special PowerWell Tips 0102WDLF16, 0102WDLF23,
0102WDLF35 with a concave fillet design, especially for drag soldering.

[Frost]

5 - 6EUR for Ersa's ?).

No, forget it, not for the 102 series i-tool tips
The 102 series are Ersadur tips with a chromium plated
nickel, iron, copper core.
The prices are between 10 and 25 Euros

[p5200]

Could someone please, suggest a station for 50- $75.00 price range I don't need anything elaborate I just can't stand the worthless tips on my cheap RS irons.    Even just an iron with good tips without a complete station of between 30-40 watt would be fine I have a small 15 watt iron for when I need it.   

If you can extend your budget a bit, then you should pick up a new Hakko FX-888D ($91.34; includes a free pair of cutters and free shipping). Fry's has them for less for local stock only ($85 local vs. $100 online).

Another alternative, would be get a good used station. Just be sure that it has all the parts you need to make it work (you'll see a lot of bases without irons). Brands to look at would be Weller, JBC, Hakko, Pace, Ersa, Zephyrtronics, and Metcal (tips set the temp on these, not controls on the station; so if you need more than one temp for a particular tip, you'll need one tip per temp that you need <they offer 600, 700, & 800F>).

Either way, you get a proper temperature controlled station, and there are plenty of tip profiles. Also, make sure you get genuine tips, particularly in the case of Hakko, as they're highly faked. Best to avoid eBay IMHO.

I was only looking at modern types, especially the ones with integrated heater/tip.

After looking at the Manual it seems the Ersa i-Tool (i-why i-always i-a i-stupid i? ) has also an accelerometer. Hmm... has someone had both, the JBC and the Ersa?

Since they are on-par price-wise it's not a really easy decision.

Tip costs could be what swing it, as JBC uses the more expensive cartridge types, while Ersa's are just plated copper depending on funds for consumables (20 - 30EUR for JBC's vs, what, 5 - 6EUR for Ersa's ?).

  Thanks for the advice!   

[nanofrog]

5 - 6EUR for Ersa's ?).

No, forget it, not for the 102 series i-tool tips
The 102 series are Ersadur tips with a chromium plated
nickel, iron, copper core.
The prices are between 10 and 25 Euros

Up to 25EUR per for a small piece of plated copper? Ouch!

Thanks for the advice!   

You're welcome.

Not a big jump from your listed budget, and it will be well worth it IMHO. Excellent performance for the money, lots of tip profiles available, and genuine Hakko tips last a good long time with proper care (keep it tinned).

[DL8RI]

At the moment my tendency has turned a little bit away from JBC right to the ERSA, just because you can get ERSA in Germany on every corner and JBC is a little bit hard to get. Weidinger has it, but won't sell to private.
Also I really don't like the shocking cheap connector of the JBC-Iron, same level as Hakko. I'll never understand why they do that... questionable in the long-term. On the other hand I don't like the "screw on" Tip-holders (my WS80 has ist to), in this respect I favor the JBC.

But now I'm picking on details I think I can't make the decision on Paper-Data... there's nothing that big.

I would love to read a opinion of someone who has used the JBC and the ERSA. I've used the JBC (made my company buy one ), despite the crappy connector it's great. But I never touched the ERSA.

But, well, I can't hope for that. Does someone own the i-Con?

BTW, the Tips are roundabout 10€:
http://www.reichelt.de/ERSA-Ersatzspitzen-u-Zubehoer/I-TIP-CD-16/3//index.html?ACTION=3&GROUPID=4115&ARTICLE=69206&SHOW=1&OFFSET=500&
Except some special-types of course

[SteveyG]

We have JBC and Metcal irons at work. Personally I prefer the Metcal irons, but the JBCs work well.

I did an unboxing of my personal MX-5200 iron here:

[Frost]

Up to 25EUR per for a small piece of plated copper? Ouch!

Yes, but the tips from the 102 series are cheap
For my Mirco Tool iron I need the tips from the 212 series
which are a lot smaller then the 102 series

But the 212WD tip I use for drag soldering is around 45 Euro,
for one small tip, you can buy a whole no name station
for that price

[Frost]

Personally I prefer the Metcal irons, but the JBCs work well.

Yes, but the Metcal stations are really hard to get here in germany.
Weidinger sells Metcal too, but only to companies not to private buyers.

[nanofrog]

At the moment my tendency has turned a little bit away from JBC right to the ERSA, just because you can get ERSA in Germany on every corner and JBC is a little bit hard to get.

Availability means a lot, so I can understand your POV.

I'd have thought JBC would be relatively easy to find though, as they're located in the EU (Spain). 

Back when I purchased my current Weller, consumables costs, availability, and past experience heavily influenced my decision process. Not the same company these days though, going by the QC issues that have cropped up. Namely tips in my case, but even the electronics inside are Asian manufactured. Final assembly is done in Germany, so I guess that met the "significant transformation" rules that apply to making it qualify for "Made in Germany".

If I had it to do over again, I'd go for JBC (has become more available in the US since 2008).

Weidinger has it, but won't sell to private.
Also I really don't like the shocking cheap connector of the JBC-Iron, same level as Hakko. I'll never understand why they do that... questionable in the long-term. On the other hand I don't like the "screw on" Tip-holders (my WS80 has ist to), in this respect I favor the JBC.

That sucks when companies won't sell to individuals.   

Even the connector on my current Weller isn't awe inspiring IMHO, and although it is a locking type, it seems rather fragile to me. Not had any issues, but it's not abused either as it would be in a production setting.

I would love to read a opinion of someone who has used the JBC and the ERSA. I've used the JBC (made my company buy one ), despite the crappy connector it's great. But I never touched the ERSA.

Only one place to get Ersa here (they have a US office; no 3rd party distributors), so they don't have much presence in the US at all.

Between JBC and Weller, JBC's performance wins in my experience, and the tips from what I understand, are quite decent regarding lifespan. Not so much with some of the LT series I've had. 

BTW, the Tips are roundabout 10€:
http://www.reichelt.de/ERSA-Ersatzspitzen-u-Zubehoer/I-TIP-CD-16/3//index.html?ACTION=3&GROUPID=4115&ARTICLE=69206&SHOW=1&OFFSET=500&
Except some special-types of course

Not too terrible, but still ~ double the cost of similar profiles for Weller's LT series (~5EUR for a simple profile for a plated bit of copper is worth IMHO).

But the 212WD tip I use for drag soldering is around 45 Euro,
for one small tip, you can buy a whole no name station
for that price

But will the no-name station come even close to the performance of the Ersa though? Or the cheaper tip last as long?

Assuming the tips will last a long time (no reason to think otherwise), it's probably still a better value just on tip cost alone in favor of Ersa (n cheap tips adding up to more than 1x drag tip for the Ersa over the latter's lifespan).

Just a guess of course, but based on what I've seen of cheap no-name stations (too many going "POOF" in under a year for my taste).

[madires]

But, well, I can't hope for that. Does someone own the i-Con?

Yes, i-Con2 with i-Tool and ChipTool. I'm quite happy with that soldering station and it has some nice features like the selectable control loop (high overshoot, small overshoot and no overshoot) and a warning if the temperature is outside a specific window. You can adjust standby time and temperature, also power-off time. And the i-Tool is really fast in heating up.