Low cost soldering station/iron and multimeter for a beginner

[forumate]

I want to start working on electronics diy projects for fun, and I currently need a soldering iron or station and a multimeter.
I can buy from AliExpress and I saw 2 brands that seem to be reliable but have many models so maybe you guys can recommend some.

For soldering equipment it's Yihua and for Multimeters it's Aneng.
If you have any other suggestions please let me know

It should be relatively cheap, as ~$30 for multimeter, and not sure how much for a soldering station

I just got lost with all the models and I'd like a safe and well performing equipment

Thanks!

[Doctorandus_P]

I once bought two Aneng AN8008 meters, and about a month later I wanted to check a strip of 1k 1% metal film resistors. The first resistor I measured was a few percent out of tolerance. Then I took my old second hand meterman 35XP and the resistor was in tolerance. Then I fiddled a bit with the rotary knob on the aneng and it started measuring OK again. And I've read other reports of these meters also being unreliable.

Then, on the other end of the spectrum, there is Brymen.
The Brymen BM231 is the cheapest (except for the "pocket" meters) and costs EUR70.
I know that's over twice your budget, but Brymen is well regarded and it will likely last you 20 years or more.
I'd say, that if you're serious about getting into electronics, there is not much reason to buy a lesser quality meter.

But also, when you start to do more with electronics, you're likely to want two or even more meters. For example for measuring voltage and current at the same time, or measure input and output voltage of ans SMPS, or for constantly monitoring some property, while  using the other for moving the probes around different parts of a circuit. Having an extra DMM around is then always handy. It's mostly why I bought my aneng's, but I'm quite disappointed.

For a soldering station, I would buy one of the T12 clones, and buy them in parts. Separate PCB, and probably a set with handle, Silicone insulated wire and plug. Maybe also the small box that's made to fit them, but not the power supply.
I do not have much trust in the Ali / ebay / direct from China power suplies.Bypassing the "official" import routes by mail is a bit of a safety risk. But such soldering irons are not very critical with their input voltage. Second hand 19Vdc laptop bricks are quite adequate, or any of a number of other power supplies you can scavenge may be adequate. You can also combine such a power supply with an adjustable SMPS module and use it as a lab power supply at the same time. Just make sure you do not exceed the maximum total current.

The Tips for the T12 clones are apparently (mostly) of reasonable quality, but not very good. And there are some different manufacturers, but the tips all look alike on the outside. I'd recommend to buy a bunch of different tips. some fine tips with a small flat spot, and some bigger tips for coarser work.
The tips you do not use often will probably last quite a few years, while the tips that you use most last shorter, but are candidates for spending a bit more money on higher quality tips. If you buy Hakko T12 (or clones) instead of some no-name-brand, then you can at least buy spare tips.
I ended up taking the the transformer out of my first soldering station for the generic parts bin and throwing the rest away because after a bunch of years I could not get replacement tips anymore.

For soldering I also at least recommend something with an adjustable temperature. All those single temperature self regulating things get far to hot, and need an annoyingly long time to warm up. The T12 has a further advantage in that the tip is quite close to the handle. This gives noticeable more control during the soldering compared to for example the TS100 which has quite long tips.

[forumate]

Thank you for the in depth reply!
Will look into the Brymen's. (If I can even find it online and shipped to me)


Also, someone recommended me about the Fluke-101, which I saw I can get for $45, although it does seem to be minimalistic, but you get the reliability of Fluke. Any important features I might lose if I get it?

Regarding the station - again I have to see if I can find decent ones, going to look up now.

[Peabody]

One thing to consider about Aneng.  Occasionally when you try to measure power rail voltage, but forgot  that you are set up to measure current, you're going to blow a fuse in the meter.  I'm told that replacement Aneng fuses are hard to find, and expensive.  Others here may know more about that.  In any case, if you can get a supply of fuses along with the meter, that might be a good decision.

[planet12]

Also, someone recommended me about the Fluke-101, which I saw I can get for $45, although it does seem to be minimalistic, but you get the reliability of Fluke. Any important features I might lose if I get it?

For the price, it looks like a good little meter - AC/DC voltage, resistance, diode test, capacitance, frequency and duty cycle. Has a CAT III rating I'd actually trust.

What it's missing is any way to measure current. With some accurate resistors to use as current shunts you could fudge your way around it - easy enough at lower voltages and currents, but gets less easy if you're wanting to measure eg. mains voltage @ 10A, where attempting to rig up your own shunt could be quite dangerous.

[Doctorandus_P]

My aneng8009 I have (its not the 8008) has fuses of 3.6mm diameter and 10.25mm long. I've never seen that side anywhere else.
If I had to replace them I'd put in some 05x20mm fusses. Fuse holders for those do not fit on the PCB but there is enough room in the casing.

One of the nice things of the higher end meters is that they beep at you when dial is in the voltage position while the measurement leads are still in the current measurement position. This has saved my fuses a number of times.

I am too opinionated about the fluke brand to write a sensible word about it.

[bdunham7]

If you want to spend $30 on a meter, look at the Zotek VC17B+.  Just realize that you pay your money and you take your chances...

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003385746175.html

The Fluke 101 is likely better quality, but it does not have any current capability, which would be an issue for a beginner with only one meter.  You could get a DT830 from Harbor Freight for $7 and then you'd have two meters and some current reading ability, but for $50 not $30.  The Fluke is grey market and does not have any warranty, while the HF DT830 has a 90 day warranty but is only $7 (they used to be free!) so if it blows up it blows up.  Just be sure to never use it anywhere on mains power (wall socket or panel). 

For soldering, if you can get something by Yihua, or a generic T12, or something used/cheap for $20-40, give it a try if you like.  But keep in mind that ~$100 gets you a Hakko FX888D which will work well, last a long time and accept a large variety of excellent and inexpensive tips--so don't spend $80 on questionable stuff.  A lot of those 'cheapies' aren't much less money than that.  The Yihua stuff is not terrible, but not great either.  This 908D kit seems...OK.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32947334493.html

[SmallCog]

RE the soldering station I've got a Hakko on my bench at work and a Yihua on my bench at home.

They both get hot and solder stuff together just fine, and for your purposes would probably work out just fine.

I put a genuine Hakko tip on my Yihua rather than the crummy looking tip that come in the box.

Biggest negative I have to say about the Yihua and similar clones is that the cable isn't as soft and flexible as a proper hakko and is easily damaged by the hot iron. Upgrading to a silicon cable doesn't seem to be terribly difficult or expensive I just haven't gotten around to it.

RE the meter it depends what you intend to do. If it's putting together kits or playing with arduino's or something just get a cheapy meter and don't use it with mains electricity (irrespective of it's rating)

Later on if you get into things that need high accuracy or higher safety (playing with mains or higher voltages) then get another meter. Your first meter will always be handy for those times you need to watch more than one power rail at the same time, or want to see volts and current at the same time.

[ledtester]

One thing to consider about Aneng.  Occasionally when you try to measure power rail voltage, but forgot  that you are set up to measure current, you're going to blow a fuse in the meter.  I'm told that replacement Aneng fuses are hard to find, and expensive.  Others here may know more about that.  In any case, if you can get a supply of fuses along with the meter, that might be a good decision.

I blew a fuse in my Aneng once. Fortunately I was able to find the correct size fuse online somewhere. They came with leads but you can just trim them off. Since they were cheap I bought like 50 or so. Of course, I haven't blown a fuse since then.

[bd139]

Can I just throw a spanner in the idea of getting a T12 iron. If they break, which they do regularly, you will need another soldering iron to fix it. Would suggest getting a second hand Weller TCP or an Antex iron as a first one just because they tend to actually not die and don’t need repairing.

[MikeK]

I like my UNI-T UT61E, which was around $50 when I bought it.

[forumate]

Can I just throw a spanner in the idea of getting a T12 iron. If they break, which they do regularly, you will need another soldering iron to fix it. Would suggest getting a second hand Weller TCP or an Antex iron as a first one just because they tend to actually not die and don’t need repairing.

Thank you! Will try to look if I can find a second hand one, if not I will try the low cost Yihua that was suggested

I like my UNI-T UT61E, which was around $50 when I bought it.

Did something happen to Uni-T? Looks like their official AliExpress store disappeared

If you want to spend $30 on a meter, look at the Zotek VC17B+.  Just realize that you pay your money and you take your chances...

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003385746175.html

The Fluke 101 is likely better quality, but it does not have any current capability, which would be an issue for a beginner with only one meter.  You could get a DT830 from Harbor Freight for $7 and then you'd have two meters and some current reading ability, but for $50 not $30.  The Fluke is grey market and does not have any warranty, while the HF DT830 has a 90 day warranty but is only $7 (they used to be free!) so if it blows up it blows up.  Just be sure to never use it anywhere on mains power (wall socket or panel). 

For soldering, if you can get something by Yihua, or a generic T12, or something used/cheap for $20-40, give it a try if you like.  But keep in mind that ~$100 gets you a Hakko FX888D which will work well, last a long time and accept a large variety of excellent and inexpensive tips--so don't spend $80 on questionable stuff.  A lot of those 'cheapies' aren't much less money than that.  The Yihua stuff is not terrible, but not great either.  This 908D kit seems...OK.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32947334493.html

If the Hakko FX888D was ~$100 I would not even think twice, but where I live it starts at $220, and since it's a heavy item, buying it online usually involves high shipping cost so I can't get away with the cost

RE the soldering station I've got a Hakko on my bench at work and a Yihua on my bench at home.

They both get hot and solder stuff together just fine, and for your purposes would probably work out just fine.

I put a genuine Hakko tip on my Yihua rather than the crummy looking tip that come in the box.

Biggest negative I have to say about the Yihua and similar clones is that the cable isn't as soft and flexible as a proper hakko and is easily damaged by the hot iron. Upgrading to a silicon cable doesn't seem to be terribly difficult or expensive I just haven't gotten around to it.

RE the meter it depends what you intend to do. If it's putting together kits or playing with arduino's or something just get a cheapy meter and don't use it with mains electricity (irrespective of it's rating)

Later on if you get into things that need high accuracy or higher safety (playing with mains or higher voltages) then get another meter. Your first meter will always be handy for those times you need to watch more than one power rail at the same time, or want to see volts and current at the same time.

Ty! I'll never touch high voltage unless I ever get qualified for that

My aneng8009 I have (its not the 8008) has fuses of 3.6mm diameter and 10.25mm long. I've never seen that side anywhere else.
If I had to replace them I'd put in some 05x20mm fusses. Fuse holders for those do not fit on the PCB but there is enough room in the casing.

One of the nice things of the higher end meters is that they beep at you when dial is in the voltage position while the measurement leads are still in the current measurement position. This has saved my fuses a number of times.

I am too opinionated about the fluke brand to write a sensible word about it.

That's really annoying, as someone else suggested the Uni-T I wonder if their fuses are standard ones, though looks like Uni-T store vanished

Also, someone recommended me about the Fluke-101, which I saw I can get for $45, although it does seem to be minimalistic, but you get the reliability of Fluke. Any important features I might lose if I get it?

For the price, it looks like a good little meter - AC/DC voltage, resistance, diode test, capacitance, frequency and duty cycle. Has a CAT III rating I'd actually trust.

What it's missing is any way to measure current. With some accurate resistors to use as current shunts you could fudge your way around it - easy enough at lower voltages and currents, but gets less easy if you're wanting to measure eg. mains voltage @ 10A, where attempting to rig up your own shunt could be quite dangerous.

Ty! And no way I'm getting anywhere to probing high voltage, unless I ever do an electrician course


Guys, I also found an old Weller soldering station in my house - it says Weller TC202D and there's a 3 pin socket for an iron that says "For TC201 only". How old is this station?

PS I did find the iron itself, but one of the pins on the plug broke, is there anyway to salvage that, if it's even worth it? (Or get a new compatible iron) - Do you want me to upload an image of it?


**Update: How about the KSGER brand?

https://www.aliexpress.com/store/group/T12-Soldering-Station/1486111_258927002.html?spm=a2g0o.store_pc_groupList.8148362.6.470d372evC6qFH&origin=n&SortType=orders_desc&g=y

[chinoy]

A friend Arun recommended a T12 setup.
I fell in love with it. I cant imagine how I wasted so much time and effort with shit soldering stations.
My unit has lasted me 8 years. I burnt out one T12 bit because I left it on over night at 350c.
Now I use the auto cool down and auto shut off function.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/2255799859207906.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.0.0.18751802XBIqyH&gatewayAdapt=4itemAdapt

As to which one to get. Most all have the same features and functions. Where they differ is in the hand piece. I got one with a crappy hand piece it would give an error beep every time I tried to use it. Replace the hand Piece. And it worked fine.
I would say focus more on the hand piece you get vs the which unit you get.
Bakon and Queco have never let me down in either dept.
Bakon BK950D was my first T12 setup and I have used it every day for 8 years.
I have the newer Queco unit with auto sleep and all the bells and whistles but I still prefer my Bakon cause it has 3 pre-sets. So at the click of a single button i can jump temps. No fiddling with a knob. 

[tpwire]

Hello,

I am also looking for a new soldering station with auto sleep. Here some alternatives, maybe it could be useful for you:

Aiffen A9 -> https://es.aliexpress.com/item/1005004158467896.html?spm=a2g0o.cart.0.0.219a3c00JfiRwp&mp=1&gatewayAdapt=glo2esp
AIXUN -> https://es.aliexpress.com/item/1005004005217359.html?spm=a2g0o.cart.0.0.219a3c00JfiRwp&mp=1&gatewayAdapt=glo2esp

[Doctorandus_P]

It's sort of you get what you pay for, but unfortunately the relation is not that straightforward.

If you just go for the cheapest, then you're likely to get very mediocre to bad quality though.

I think I've seen the KSGER brand even in local shops here in the EU, so that means they've at least done the paper work, and that those shops have enough confidence in the quality that not too much of them will be returned  because of defects.

If you buy a KSGER from Ebay or Ali, then I won't even be too sure it's a GSGER.
China isn't too quick with stumping down fakes because too many companies depend on bringing money into the country by selling fake stuff to foreigners.

[Infraviolet]

Would always say for multimeters and soldering irons, buy from a "known" brand, not some unpronouncable chinese one on amazon. Anything sold by the likes of RS, farnell, digikey, mouser will be adequate for what it is supposed to do. Look for the lowest end of brands like RS PRO or Duratool, the lowest end ones of those are reasonable price but good enough quality for reliable use. An amazon multimeter, for the same £30 ish price, is just as likely to tell you a 9V battery is 1.8V, that a capacitor marked 10u is 0.1p, and that a 1k resistor is 0 ohms. An amazon £60 soldering setup is not that unlikely to let mains ac reach the tip and fry your parts, a £60 ish one from an electronic parts and tools seller will work fine for through hole, 2.54mm pitch, 1.25mm pitch and occasional larger pitched SMD (0805, SOIC, SOT-23...) if you ever wish to do that later on. Make sure to buy a soldering station, not a lone iron, get it with the box (digital or analogue temperature control dial/buttons) and stand, and it should have a range of tips supplied with it (the cheap irons usualy aren't compatible with a standard tip form factor).

[themadhippy]

Would suggest getting a second hand Weller TCP or an Antex iron as a first one just because they tend to actually not die and don’t need repairing.

I'll agree mostly with that,but buy new,you can pick up a 25w  antex xs for less than £30 here in the uk with the silicone flex,dont go with cheaper pvc version.Look after it and it will last a lifetime,mine  is coming up to   its  40th birthday,yea its had a few new bits,and  an element,but i can still easily get the spares for it.

[chinoy]

90% of the known brands are now being made in China. They dont make them like they used to.
Just because an old setup has lasted 30 years does not mean the new one you get will be the same.
Be it soldering workstations or Washing Machines the story is the same.
Our first LG washing machine lasted us 20 years so when it came to replace it we purchased an LG it started acting up in a year. Then the service engineer told me its the same story for all appliances they want you to change it every 2 years.
My china made T12 has lasted me over 8 years and has soldered thousands of components. Without a hiccup.
I love the way that it goes from cold to useable in under 8 seconds.
I love the fact that I can change out tips anytime even with the unit on.

I do like the china stations but I also like to buy the tips from well established brands. The tips are better quality the more you pay.

[tooki]

If you want to spend $30 on a meter, look at the Zotek VC17B+.  Just realize that you pay your money and you take your chances...

FYI, Zotek and Aneng are the same thing. Most likely, Zotek is the actual manufacturer, since the boards in Aneng units have Zotek model numbers.

[bdunham7]

]FYI, Zotek and Aneng are the same thing. Most likely, Zotek is the actual manufacturer, since the boards in Aneng units have Zotek model numbers.

Yes, same fake CAT ratings and all.  I'm not sure all Anengs are by Zoyi, but apparently a lot are.  Does Aneng have a model equivalent to the Zoyi VC17B+? 

[tooki]

The Zotek 17B+ is sold as the Aneng 860B+.

Yeah, Aneng also seems to rebadge some non-Zotek meters, especially the really low end stuff. Then again, you can easily find images of Zotek branding on those same super cheap meters (which aren’t listed on the Zotek website), so either Zotek actually does make those as well, or at some point they also rebadged those meters bought elsewhere. The end result, all the same, is that almost every item available with the Aneng name is, or was, available with Zotek branding in the past.

(I wonder when Zotek launched the Zoyi brand? They used to brand their meters “Zotek”.)

Some Aneng models seem to be unique (like the ones with LCDs covering the entire front panel), but they could be custom made by Zotek, for example.

[forumate]

Thanks everyone! Regarding the station, I will use a cheap iron for now,
For the Multimeter I think I will buy the UNI-T UT133A. What do you think?

it costs $26. At this price point is it better to just get the cheaper ones like the $10-15? Or the UT133A is actually a solid unit for my purpose? (Or any better unit for this price?)

Since as you guys told me, I'm not going to use high voltage anyway so I'm not sure it's worth investing even $50 on a multimeter that a $20 can do pretty much the same?

I saw that the UT133A is actually well built and accurate according to a few reviews

[xavier60]

If the Hakko FX888D was ~$100 I would not even think twice, but where I live it starts at $220, and since it's a heavy item, buying it online usually involves high shipping cost so I can't get away with the cost

How unfortunate. Here in Australia where things tend to be more expensive, the FX888D seems to be on permanent discount. About $120USD with free delivery.
https://www.oritech.com.au/hakko-fx888d-soldering-station.html
https://mektronics.com.au/products/hakko-fx-888d-digital-soldering-station-genuine-incl-free-roll-of-solder-mc334

[MarkKn]

I see the weller wlc100 is on amazon for $34. I have had one for many years and it works fine. Maybe the new ones aren't as good. I upgraded to a Hakko FX888D-23BY--nice catchy model number. It appears to be working well--but had to buy extra tips right away to get a wider tip for bigger soldering tasks. I liked the idea of it telling me when the tip reached temperature. I like the reviews on amazon, and for whatever reason, soldering irons and stations have lots of bad review--presumably cost cutting on the manufacturing side. Again on amazon, lots of inexpensive multimeters. Even if you don't buy from amazon, its a nice place to look at reviews and see what people's experience is. I have had good experiences with digi key and mouser. For those in america at least.

[ledtester]

Thanks everyone! Regarding the station, I will use a cheap iron for now,
For the Multimeter I think I will buy the UNI-T UT133A. What do you think?

It seems to be designed as an electrician's meter but it should work just fine for hobby circuits. It claims a "fast capacitance measurement" which is nice but there are couple of things it lacks...

for instance, it doesn't seem to be able to measure duty cycle and the frequency measurement only goes up to 1 MHz. For microcontroller work it would be nice to be able to measure higher frequencies.

https://www.uni-trend.com/meters/html/product/General_Meters/DigitalMultimeters/UT133_Series/UT133A.html

Update: You might find this compilation of reviews helpful. Then again, it might just further complicate your decision making process.

https://lygte-info.dk/info/DMMReviews30.html