Beginner Hot Air station

[davegravy]

I'm looking at low cost hot air stations for hobbyist use.  Though I'm not a pro I am a bit ambitious sometimes - the PCB I'm about to assemble is a 4-layer board with 0.5mm pitch DFN on both sides of the board.

There seems to be two styles, both around the same cost (~$100 CAD):

• Where the air is pumped (and heated?) from the main enclosure.
• Where the air is blown from a small fan in the hand-held unit and then heated.

The second style seems to be much more common in low budget units but I am concerned as I've had plenty of cheap little blowers like this (namely CPU fans) quickly develop bearing issues. On the other hand, these stations seem to be well reviewed.

The design of the first unit mimics higher end units, which at first glance is a plus. Reviews are very scarce. I have access to a good Weller iron at work but it would be nice to have something at home even if just for clearing solder bridges, so being a 2-in-1 is a nice bonus. One concern is the flexibility of the hose and if this might impinge ergonomics and/or be prone to kinking. Is the temperature sensor in the main enclosure, and isn't there a pretty big opportunity for error since the air will cool as it travels to the nozzle (different amounts based on ambient temp)?

What do other people think?

[RayRay]

With your budget/location, this would be your best bet:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32951875840.html
On a side note though, for any kind of chips that have contacts on the underside, you'd also benefit from having a preheater.

[Electro Fan]

https://www.tequipment.net/Quick/957DW+/Desoldering-Equipment/Rework-Stations/?v=0

[pqass]

The Sparkfun hot-air station is well received. 
I purchased one last year from this Canadian retailer and have had no issues. Also, free shipping.
https://www.robotshop.com/ca/en/hot-air-smd-soldering-station.html

Product page at Sparkfun: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/14557

[davegravy]

The Sparkfun hot-air station is well received. 
I purchased one last year from this Canadian retailer and have had no issues. Also, free shipping.
https://www.robotshop.com/ca/en/hot-air-smd-soldering-station.html

Product page at Sparkfun: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/14557

Thanks I've ordered this.

[thm_w]

Yeah no I would not order that. 858D would be better as rayray already linked.

[pqass]

Yeah no I would not order that. 858D would be better as rayray already linked.

But why?      The 858D is definitely less expensive. 
Personally, I just like the knobs vs. buttons; faster action.  Also I didn't want the fan too close.
Lucky bonus for the Sparkfun unit is that it's 3U high/half-rack wide; it's stackable friendly.

[thm_w]

But why?      The 858D is definitely less expensive. 
Personally, I just like the knobs vs. buttons; faster action.  Also I didn't want the fan too close.
Lucky bonus for the Sparkfun unit is that it's 3U high/half-rack wide; it's stackable friendly.

More expensive does not mean better. These old hot air stations used to use diaphragm pumps, which are loud and poorly performing. The Sparkfun unit looks like it may use one. I don't know why they ever used this kind of pump, even Hakko uses them, maybe for the vacuum suction ability.

The heater wattage is listed as 250W, which is low, I'm not sure if this is right. Its a clone of Atten 852D, so maybe some information can be found there.
858D is around 400-600W.

Anyway, hopefully will serve you well.

[edavid]

The Sparkfun hot-air station is well received. 
I purchased one last year from this Canadian retailer and have had no issues. Also, free shipping.
https://www.robotshop.com/ca/en/hot-air-smd-soldering-station.html

Product page at Sparkfun: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/14557

Is there no Quick distributor in Canada?  In the US, the Quick 957DW+ is only USD 89 from tequipment.net with the discount code.
Looks like it would be about CAD 170 with shipping to Canada, and it's a way better station than the Sparkfun one.

https://www.tequipment.net/Quick/957DW+/Desoldering-Equipment/Rework-Stations/?v=0

[thm_w]

Tequipment is often cheaper than any Canadian distributor, of which there are few. I think the cheapest I see it here is $220.
You'd have to buy the nozzles as well but thats not much money.

[pqass]

The back of the Sparkfun unit says 550W. 

The diaphragm pump is pretty quiet. It sits on rubber mounts.  On the lowest air, you can just make out a low hum 2ft away like a transformer. I'm not sure which is better but judging by the size, it looks like it's built to last; it's just an oversized aquarium pump.  One of the complaints for the Sparkfun unit is that it produces too much air flow.  Overall, I'm happy with its performance.

American pricing can be deceiving.  When you factor in the dollar exchange, CC foreign currency markup (2.5%), courier customs brokerage fee (% or $40 flat <==got dinged for that once), no tracking if USPS and who knows when/if it'll arrive (TEquip doesn't recommend but only $10 CanadaPost brokerage fee).  Fuck that hassle!

I liked the Quick too but I only found digikey.ca selling it; for CA$223 but with free shipping and only HST added.  And I can have it next day, typically.  Availability of spare heating element factored into it too (avail. from digikey.ca) though I doubt it'll fail anytime soon.

I have no experience with AliExpress. I don't fancy waiting 'till the spring thaw. Or pay double to receive it a mere 2 weeks from now (DHL $56).  But mainly, I really didn't like the 858D because of the buttons and the proximity of the fan.

[edavid]

Tequipment is often cheaper than any Canadian distributor, of which there are few. I think the cheapest I see it here is $220.
You'd have to buy the nozzles as well but thats not much money.

The Quick station comes with 3 nozzles, vs. only 2 for the Sparkfun.

[edavid]

The diaphragm pump is pretty quiet. It sits on rubber mounts.  On the lowest air, you can just make out a low hum 2ft away like a transformer. I'm not sure which is better but judging by the size, it looks like it's built to last; it's just an oversized aquarium pump. 

I bought a "Eumax" station with a diaphragm pump, the pump only lasted 8 months, and I was never able to find a replacement 

American pricing can be deceiving.  When you factor in the dollar exchange, CC foreign currency markup (2.5%), courier customs brokerage fee (% or $40 flat <==got dinged for that once), no tracking if USPS and who knows when/if it'll arrive (TEquip doesn't recommend but only $10 CanadaPost brokerage fee).  Fuck that hassle!

Tequipment now has Canada pricing with tracked shipping and all fees included at checkout.