RESOLVED Help me find a good hot air rework station!

[TheBorg]

So, total newbie to this forum but please bear with me. I've been involved in hobby electronics for 3 or so years not, but one of my interests is component level motherboard repair. Because I want to do this as a hobby, mainly with macintosh motherboards, I am in need of a decent hot air rework station that will be able to do resistors, fuses, and QFN and the like, perhaps even BGAs.

I am in contact with another guy who does this kind of mac repair for a living. I asked him about getting a hot air rework station, and he very much turned me away from the cheaper brands, such as Aoyue and the Hakko knock offs. He has a Hakko FR801 and swears by it in terms of quality. Unfortunately, this is a bit out of my price range being a student. My max budget is around $250, maybe $300 total if I stretch it. I've also been told by him that an older Hakko, an 850/851 will not cut it for my needs, and I'm inclined to believe him as he has had experience with both stations as well as his new one, and does the same kind of repair as I will do.

So, are there any stations in my budget with great quality? I don't care about build quality as long as the hot air output is nice. I've been looking at the X-Tronic #5040 model as it includes a preheater but have found some iffy reviews of it and it seems to use the same heater as a $50 Atten, so probably not my top choice. I've seen a few other systems, Blackjacks, even a few older metcals on eBay but I am not sure whats the best use for me... Any advice? I will likely use it for SMD components, QFN and perhaps smaller BGAs if I have a *lot* of practice, but it will probably be used some for through hole reflowing or getting parts off, heat shrink, etc.

I am also looking to upgrade my soldering iron, and getting a desoldering iron and preheater. I'd prefer separate units but I am quite willing to look into all-in-ones. 

[Rory]

Ì am also looking for a rework station and considering the Chinese equipment on Ebay and Amazon.  I'd much prefer Pace or Weller, which is what I'm familiar with, but they are priced out of range of an individual purchaser.  What system has the highest quality for the money? I'm also curious about the utility of the tweezer irons, and which one works best.

[fluxcapacitor]

There are plenty of previous posts asking the same question, use the search .You`ll also need to take into account the various nozzles you`ll need,but you could borrow those from your friend if compatible.For reballing videos have a look on youtube ,and read the forums on bgamods/team-xecuter reballing.es (spanish forum) for tips and recommendations .

[Rory]

There are plenty of previous posts asking the same question, use the search .You`ll also need to take into account the various nozzles you`ll need,but you could borrow those from your friend if compatible.For reballing videos have a look on youtube ,and read the forums on bgamods/team-xecuter reballing.es (spanish forum) for tips and recommendations .

Signal to noise ratio is too low with forum search to get sufficiently clear answer, hence the direct question here. 

[fluxcapacitor]

go to the home page first before you search.

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/beginners/equipment-for-beginner/msg266935/#msg266935

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/beginners/soldering-iron-station-vs-hot-air-rework-station/msg73133/#msg73133

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/how-much-can-be-swapped-between-hakko-stations-and-clones/msg294894/#msg294894

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/chat/ir-or-hot-air-rework-station-whats-best/msg187885/#msg187885

[TheBorg]

Thanks for those, sorry I didn't search. I saw a few threads before posting this but no one doing a lot of heavily populated boards, but Ill check those out in the morning.

[TheBorg]

Ok, I checked out those links and TBH nothing really helped. There is sure a lot of info, but nothing that really answers my question. I am looking for a cheaper hot air rework station that will give me nearly the same results as a Hakko. I don't have the funds to make many mistakes at this point, so I am basically asking, has anyone had experience with a bunch of cheap and higher end (relatively speaking) rework stations, and can the cheaper ones give the same results? From my friend's POV, the cheaper stations are absolute crap. I just want a second opinion, and some recommendations. Like I said, I have like $300 to spend, and I'm not sure to go the cheapest route or splurge more and have less extra cash to spend. I've seen a bunch of people buy the cheap stations but no real in depth comparisons between like an Aoyue and a Hakko station.

Any help is appreciated. Hope my point makes more sense...

There are plenty of previous posts asking the same question, use the search .You`ll also need to take into account the various nozzles you`ll need,but you could borrow those from your friend if compatible.For reballing videos have a look on youtube ,and read the forums on bgamods/team-xecuter reballing.es (spanish forum) for tips and recommendations .

Personally I won't likely be reballing, but replacing components. The BGA stuff is just speculation, I doubt I will ever have to replace one but it's good to know I can. As for the friend he is an internet acquaintance only, so no borrowing to be had Not too worried about nozzles though, he seems to be getting by fine replacing smaller chips (25 pin QFN) with a stock small round nozzle, and doing some of the soldering by hand with a small iron tip. Thanks for the link though! I'll practice my spanish

[Adler]

Ive heard some good things about the cheapo ones.

watch Dave's review here:

Beware that some have been found to be dangerously wired.

[fluxcapacitor]

Ok, I checked out those links and TBH nothing really helped. There is sure a lot of info, but nothing that really answers my question. I am looking for a cheaper hot air rework station that will give me nearly the same results as a Hakko. I don't have the funds to make many mistakes at this point, so I am basically asking, has anyone had experience with a bunch of cheap and higher end (relatively speaking) rework stations, and can the cheaper ones give the same results? From my friend's POV, the cheaper stations are absolute crap. I just want a second opinion, and some recommendations. Like I said, I have like $300 to spend, and I'm not sure to go the cheapest route or splurge more and have less extra cash to spend. I've seen a bunch of people buy the cheap stations but no real in depth comparisons between like an Aoyue and a Hakko station.

Any help is appreciated. Hope my point makes more sense...

There are plenty of previous posts asking the same question, use the search .You`ll also need to take into account the various nozzles you`ll need,but you could borrow those from your friend if compatible.For reballing videos have a look on youtube ,and read the forums on bgamods/team-xecuter reballing.es (spanish forum) for tips and recommendations .

Personally I won't likely be reballing, but replacing components. The BGA stuff is just speculation, I doubt I will ever have to replace one but it's good to know I can. As for the friend he is an internet acquaintance only, so no borrowing to be had Not too worried about nozzles though, he seems to be getting by fine replacing smaller chips (25 pin QFN) with a stock small round nozzle, and doing some of the soldering by hand with a small iron tip. Thanks for the link though! I'll practice my spanish

If you can afford a hakko go with that.Ive got a aoyue 852A+ for everyday use,it does everything i need it to ,from qfn ,reballing ,heatshrinking .It was cheap and it does the job.No need to practice your spanish ,if you search for reballing.es with google there should be a "Translate this page" link at the side .

Hola .

[TheBorg]

If you can afford a hakko go with that.Ive got a aoyue 852A+ for everyday use,it does everything i need it to ,from qfn ,reballing ,heatshrinking .It was cheap and it does the job.No need to practice your spanish ,if you search for reballing.es with google there should be a "Translate this page" link at the side .

Hola .

I can get a used Hakko 850 series for fairly cheap, do you think that would be better or worse than a new aoyue?

Hola! Como estas? Hablo poco español...

Edit: I am currently looking at an 850B model (analog), but will look into others. The one I am looking at is pretty darn cheap though..

[fluxcapacitor]

you`re best readng reviews of both,the hakko 850D has a digital display.All you need is something basic for the type of jobs you`re doing,i you want something dirt cheap consider the atten 858D ,BUT it does have questionable build quality  .Easily fixed though.

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/chat/deadly-wiring-fault-atten-858d-hot-air-rework-station/

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/atten-858d-hot-air-station-any-good/

The 858D is a hakko clone .

[ErikTheNorwegian]

I bought this station and never regreted that. very much value for money, and very good buildt quality.




http://www.circuitspecialists.eu/soldering/blackjack-solderwerks/bk-6000-blackjack-solderwerks-deluxe-rework-soldering-station

[W8LV]

I think I might have the answer for you... The X-Tronic Model #4040! At least it worked out for me...

http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/10353

[mjrandle]

I've got a Hakko FR801 at work.  If I had to buy another I would probably go for digital controls rather than analogue.  It comes in handy but most of the time I prefer to use a toaster oven for reflow, rather than risking scorching the PCB or dislodging components.


Regards,

Mike

[rastro]

I got the x-tronic 9020 a little over a year ago and I'm very happy with it.  It has both soldering and hot air with digital readout.  I have not done any BGA just SMD and through hole.  It was about $200.00 US delivered.  The company also has a store on eBay.  They were also quick to respond to a question I had - got 2 follow-up calls within 4 hours.  Also the answer turned out to be covered in the manual.  Comes with quite a few hot air nozzles and solder tips.  I believe these are hakko solder tips and elements - at any rate they are interchangeable.  I would not hesitate recommending this unit.

[TheBorg]

Found what I was looking for (FR series station) at a decent price. I'm good for now, thanks for your advice though! It was this or the Xtronic...

[W8LV]

Found what I was looking for (FR series station) at a decent price. I'm good for now, thanks for your advice though! It was this or the Xtronic...

Great! Glad you found what you were looking for.  Craig's List, EBay, and Amazon has meant the difference between either having a lab or not having one in my case. All The Best!

Best Regards from W8LV in Pickaway County, Ohio, USA.

[TheBorg]

Found what I was looking for (FR series station) at a decent price. I'm good for now, thanks for your advice though! It was this or the Xtronic...

Great! Glad you found what you were looking for.  Craig's List, EBay, and Amazon has meant the difference between either having a lab or not having one in my case. All The Best!

Best Regards from W8LV in Pickaway County, Ohio, USA.

Haha, thanks I'm giving myself $400 total to upgrade all my soldering gear and trying to fit a (used!) ultrasonic cleaner into that estimate as well as a PCB preheater. Needless to say I'm watching eBay and surplus sites a lot Still am probably going to have to get a decent power supply and maybe an oscilloscope, oh, and a new multimeter. Fun time when the higher end stuff costs in the hundreds or even thousands. I've saved myself about $550 though over buying brand new so far though.  New fun tools!

[Dave Turner]

Does anyone have any experience of the BK 6000?

It is available in the UK which is a massive plus. Also having a three in one station: hot air, soldering & desoldering iron in one unit is attractive.

[fluxcapacitor]

Does anyone have any experience of the BK 6000?

It is available in the UK which is a massive plus. Also having a three in one station: hot air, soldering & desoldering iron in one unit is attractive.

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/chat/geting-nowhere-with-a-rework-station/

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/chat/hot-air-stations-aoyue-vs-blackjack-all-in-one-vs-separate-units/

[ErikTheNorwegian]

Does anyone have any experience of the BK 6000?

It is available in the UK which is a massive plus. Also having a three in one station: hot air, soldering & desoldering iron in one unit is attractive.

yes.. sarch here on the forum.. i got one, excelent Choice if you want most for you Money..