Yihua 853D 3in1 Hot Air DC Power Rework Station review and advices needed.

[laserbeam1k]

First of all let me say it was $70 shipped to my house .
This is my first ever unit and I am not in the field or profession of an EE with no experience what  so Ever.
I didn't feel I needed a HAKKO and Regret it now. Please spare my naïve soul of any should of... advice or why I shouldn't have gotten this.
Ill tell you all why you may not get this.

The Hot Air works don't know if its accurate but turns on.
So does the DC Supply

The Solder Iron is where I have the problem.

The tip seating onto the heating element is Loose. Id say about a 1mm+ gap Thus leading to inconsistent heating.
I'm using some cheap solder from a $10 wall outlet kit.  It will only start to wet when at the end closer to the heating element. The tip doesn't seem to get hot enough to wet the sodder. And if you melt the sodder from the top and if it rolls down to the tip its too cold to adhere to anything. I don't know if its the sodder or the iron or a combination of both but it does not stick to anything. Iv also tried some cheap ebay flux. or thermal sodder grease
 paste

Does anyone know if there is a better aftermarket iron that can be used with this unit to remedy my situation?
I really like the style of the FM-2027. Just by looking at it... it looks like it will work as the entire rod is heated instead of a transfer of heat from one metal to another.

Maybe ill just man up and purchase a Hakko FX-951 but id really like to use this or salvage it if possible.

Thanks for any advice.

[JGAN]

I have heard people have better luck using genuine Hakko tips and heating elements in the iron, but overall I would say you are wasting your time and money for minor improvements. You can't fix what was never designed to work.


Save up for a 888 or 951. Or scour ebay for an used 936 or FM-202, they pop up for $50-$100 regularly.

[nanofrog]

In the short term, you'd be wise to get a genuine Hakko element & use genuine Hakko tips.

Then save up for a FX-951 (one heck of a bargain here in the US). Once you give this one a go, you'll wonder why you ever wasted your time & money on your current setup.      Seriously though, your iron is the one tool you shouldn't buy cheap given how much you'll use it. Desoldering stations, preheaters, and hot air stations OTOH aren't used all the time, and the less expensive Asian products make more sense.

This ^ is assuming it will take you awhile to save up the funds for a FX-951. If not however, just get the FX-951 and don't waste another cent on the Yihua 853D (you can still use the hot air section).