Low-maintenance / low recurring-cost desoldering stations recommendation?

[agent_power]

Hi all

I'm in the market for a good desoldering station (+bonus if the station comes with a hot air gun, but not mandatory). Most YouTube reviews are for cheap (clone) products, which I wouldn't mind but I'm also ready to pay something upfront if necessary.

I was looking at quality brand products such as Hakko, ERSA, Weller and some stations look convincing (there's so many...) but I'm not sure if it'll become a money pit later regarding accessories such as tips or filters or even cartridges.

Could anyone who's using these type of desoldering stations recommend a particular product that didn't give too much trouble? It'll be for home / hobbyist use. If possible something for which I can get spares in EU marketplaces and vendors.

It's for repairing mainboards mainly.

Thanks

[agent_power]

For those wondering, that's the situation(s) I would like to avoid: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/repair/clogged-desoldering-station/msg1375382/#msg1375382 (the spares costing more than a new one and having to do complicated maintenance procedures)

Anyone having experiences with Weller or ERSA in that regard?

[mahi]

I have used a Weller WR 2 station with DSX 120 desoldering iron and currently own a Weller WXR 3 with WXDP 120 desoldering iron. Both have been pretty much trouble-free and I really enjoy desoldering with these.

The WR(M)/WXR rework stations also support hot air pencils, but I cannot really recommend these. The air volume and flow rate is just too little for anything but small SMD components.

If you are deciding between the DSX 80 or 120 hand pieces, go with the latter. The extra power is welcome for large thermal masses, and the tips have an extended tube that reduces the risk of clogging the iron. The desoldering irons are available in pencil style (DSX/WXDP) and vertical style (DXV/WXDV) (pistol grip is not available from Weller). I like and have the pencil style, but that's just preference.

The running costs obviously depend on how frequently you use the station. Tips last a long time but eventually wear out and filters have to be changed every now and then. Prices of consumables have gone up over the last years. Nowadays tips cost ~15 EUR (incl VAT) for the regular XDS tips and ~25 EUR for the extended-life XDSL tips. Filters are 10-15 EUR for a pack of 10 (there are 2 or 3 filters in the glass container depending on the model). Weller recommends replacing the glass containers regularly (~30 EUR for a set of 4), but so far I haven't had issues cleaning my original container. Sure, it's not that transparent anymore, but the only important thing is that the end faces are clean for a good seal. There are also filters inside the soldering station (~25 EUR for a pack of 3), but these last very long.

If you buy the soldering station and hand tool(s) in a kit, spare consumables, cleaning tools and pliers to exchange the tips are included. Else you will have to buy these separately.

As for maintenance, I try to make a habit of cleaning the suction tube before I switch off the iron after a job (simply insert the cleaning tool to push any solder and burnt flux left in the suction tube into the glass container) and I regularly empty the glass container. If you don't clean regularly, the chances of clogging increase. You should also use the tool correctly to reduce the risk of clogging (do not stop sucking before the tip is removed from the lead/pad). The nice thing about the XDS/XDSL tips is that they have an extended tube that goes directly into the glass container. Even if the tip clogs and you don't have time to clean, just insert a new tip and you are ready to go again. It's basically impossible to clog the hand piece itself. So far, I've had a tip clog badly only once but I managed to recover it after spending some time with the cleaning tool.

If you decide to go with a Weller and intend to expand later with other hand pieces, make sure you investigate compatibility. Weller sells several generations which are incompatible with each other and even within a generation some hand pieces do not work on all stations. If you intend to expand with active tip (cartridge) hand pieces, note that Weller active tips are among the priciest (non-active tips on the other hand are cheap). Also pay attention as some Weller (de)soldering stations do not have a built-in pump, but require an external compressor.

The Weller WR(M)/WXR rework stations are very well built in my opinion (check out my teardowns). Yes, there was cost-cutting, but nothing worrisome. Replacement parts (pump, transformer, heating element,...) are very expensive from Weller, though. Luckily I have not needed repairs so far. If you care about repairability, stick with the older generations (like the WR/WRM family). The electronics are a lot less complex and easier to diagnose/repair.

While I would consider the running costs for desoldering very acceptable, the purchase price is another thing. Weller tools are expensive and a huge chunk of the price is just for the name tag. Even though I grew up with Weller soldering tools and always had good experiences with them, their prices have gone off the charts. As a hobbyist there is not a chance I would pay full price for a rework station like the WXR 3. I've been lucky to find a barely used one for a bargain price.

Looking at the price of for example a Chinese ZD-915/ZD-985 desoldering pistol, you could basically replace the entire station each time you have an issue with it and still be much cheaper than the Weller after years... Sure, the Weller has better performance and maintenance ergonomics, but is that worth the extra cost? Unless you need the best performance and reliability professionally, it is very hard to compete with the Chinese offerings.

Take all this as a n=1 experience. Much as I like Weller, I'm sure there are other people who think it's overpriced junk or had bad luck with it.

[agent_power]

Wow, thanks for the detailed write-up (I did check out the teardowns, props for the photography).

Doing some research myself and wasn't sure about the hot air gun, but if you can't recommend the pencil it already eliminates the larger stations for me and I better stick with separate ones.

I was offered an older WMD-3(?) with a hot air piece used, but then found out that it doesn't support the DSX 80 desoldering piece (only the earlier DS80 which is unobtanium?, thanks for the heads-up about compability).

Having used a WECP-20 with the 50W iron it came with (a hand-me-down which survived over 30 years of TV-shop repairs) I was really fond of Weller quality but it really is quite pricey for what you get.

So is this where we have come to? The easier to repair stations are going to be the cheaper ones?

If there's nothing similarly convincing from Metcal or ERSA I'll probably get some middle-of-the-road thing (XYtronic or Atten)

[Wallace Gasiewicz]

We have an XYtronic at the radio shop. 

Outside of having to replace the hot air gun element twice and find a new transformer (part not available from XYtonic) and  the on off switch broke, no other problems with our Xytronic station in a repair shop.

Oh, forgot had to replace the iron also twice.

[tooki]

First, just accept that desoldering irons are fundamentally “needy” compared to soldering irons. To keep them happy requires actively performing maintenance on them, both preventive and corrective, and using good technique when using them.

I like Pace and Den-On the best. Weller is OK. I am not impressed by Ersa’s desoldering tool, which doesn’t perform true continuous vacuum, and whose consumables are insanely expensive.

Overall I like Pace the best. They work well (they give an extra-strong burst of vacuum at first, then drop down to “normal” suction until released) consumables are inexpensive, the desoldering tip selection is fantastic, and long term parts availability is extremely good. Weller also has great parts cost and availability. Den-On desoldering guns, and the parts for them, are expensive as heck, but are kinda indestructible.

I haven’t had a chance to try Hakko, JBC, or Metcal. A former coworker of mine had a ZD-9xx and said it wasn’t too bad for the price.

Me, I patiently waited until a Pace desoldering system was posted on the local auction site at a good price. It took 2 years, but I got one for $115 shipped, which included over $100 of new tips and consumables. It needed a $5 rubber seal to restore it to full working order. (Mine is an ST 75 with SX-90 handpiece, intelliheat version, for what it’s worth.)

[agent_power]

We have an XYtronic at the radio shop. 

Outside of having to replace the hot air gun element twice and find a new transformer (part not available from XYtonic) and  the on off switch broke, no other problems with our Xytronic station in a repair shop.

Oh, forgot had to replace the iron also twice.

It's basically maintenance free 

First, just accept that desoldering irons are fundamentally “needy” compared to soldering irons. To keep them happy requires actively performing maintenance on them, both preventive and corrective, and using good technique when using them.

I like Pace and Den-On the best. Weller is OK. I am not impressed by Ersa’s desoldering tool, which doesn’t perform true continuous vacuum, and whose consumables are insanely expensive.

Overall I like Pace the best. They work well (they give an extra-strong burst of vacuum at first, then drop down to “normal” suction until released) consumables are inexpensive, the desoldering tip selection is fantastic, and long term parts availability is extremely good. Weller also has great parts cost and availability. Den-On desoldering guns, and the parts for them, are expensive as heck, but are kinda indestructible.

I haven’t had a chance to try Hakko, JBC, or Metcal. A former coworker of mine had a ZD-9xx and said it wasn’t too bad for the price.

Me, I patiently waited until a Pace desoldering system was posted on the local auction site at a good price. It took 2 years, but I got one for $115 shipped, which included over $100 of new tips and consumables. It needed a $5 rubber seal to restore it to full working order. (Mine is an ST 75 with SX-90 handpiece, intelliheat version, for what it’s worth.)

Pace looks convincing, they even put the service manuals on the product page! The Den-On is portable with a 100W heater, I didn't know about this one and I really like the format... made in Japan

I'll look into both of these, thanks! The ZD-9somethings would have been the fallback option, but having solid tools that you know will be supported long time after introduction is nice.

[macboy]

I use a Metcal MX-DS1. I would consider this low maintenance and low cost for a few reasons.

1. The heater, including the entire path of the melted solder, is integrated into the tip cartridge, just like their soldering irons. If the tip becomes irreversibly clogged (never happened to me) then replacing the tip cartridge fixes it instantly. You could also just swap a clogged tip for a clean one, and keep working, then fix the clogged tip when you have more time later.
2. No vacuum pump. This means no electrical switches, air line solenoids, pump motors or diaphragms, etc. This system uses compressed air and a venturi to generate the vacuum. This implies that you must have an air compressor available (at 80 PSI).
3. The fume filter (sugar cube sized fibrous filter) in the handpiece is easily replaced and inexpensive. Alternately, it can be cleaned in acetone and reused.
4. The solder collection chamber uses a folded paper filter to catch the solder and pre-filter the dirty air. These are also easy to swap out. I have used a cut and folded piece of paper towel (kitchen roll) instead of the original, with no perceptible difference in performance.
5. Changing tip takes less than 10 seconds, and heat-up of a cold tip to working temperature is only 1-2 minutes. The only tool needed is the rubber pad to grab the hot tip (only needed if changing a hot tip of course).

I have never clogged a Metcal tip so badly that it required anything more than a poke with a wire tool. I bought a cheap set of "airbrush cleaning" tools from Amazon for this. After learning good technique, I can new desolder hundreds of holes without a clog. I empty the solder collection chamber much more frequently than dealing with a clogged tip.

[agent_power]

Sounds great, especially with having less parts in the station, but I don't have shop air and don't plan to get it for my hobby bench.

I found a "cheap", rather heavily used Den-On SC7000Z.. let's see how it holds up and when I have to change the first parts (and how indestructible it is  ). I'll remember the tip about cleaning it with acetone and hope I'll need less cartridges that way

[chilternview]

The requirement for air meant a Metcal was no good to me, despite having a Metcal iron. I bought a Hakko FR-301 a year or two ago now. I'm quite happy with it, have used it mainly on desoldering DIP IC's from 8 to 40 pins on double sided PCBs. There is a certain knack to do this sucessfully - making sure the solder has melted before applying vacuum, using the correct nozzle size etc. and even then, there are occasionally times when some desolder braid helps, or re-tinning with fresh solder.

As has been said, it's important to maintain any desoldering tool. After use that means checking the nozzle is clear using the correct sized wire cleaner. Then emptying the solder collection chamber and checking the filter. So far I haven't managed to clog up a tip.

Spare parts are available from Farnell, don't even bother contacting the UK distributor Wentworth as they have a £250 minimum order charge and don't reply to email, even when sent from a business address!

[tooki]

I found a "cheap", rather heavily used Den-On SC7000Z.. let's see how it holds up and when I have to change the first parts (and how indestructible it is  ). I'll remember the tip about cleaning it with acetone and hope I'll need less cartridges that way

Don’t use acetone on the Den-On filter; it’s in a plastic housing that likely is not resistant to acetone. Use isopropyl alcohol or commercial flux remover instead.

[agent_power]

I found a "cheap", rather heavily used Den-On SC7000Z.. let's see how it holds up and when I have to change the first parts (and how indestructible it is  ). I'll remember the tip about cleaning it with acetone and hope I'll need less cartridges that way

Don’t use acetone on the Den-On filter; it’s in a plastic housing that likely is not resistant to acetone. Use isopropyl alcohol or commercial flux remover instead.

You can remove the wool filter from the plastic housing (poke it out from the front).

After inspecting and trying it, I found out that the tip, front rubber seal and filter were completely useless and I had to spend as much as I paid for the gun itself to buy the parts to make it work again. It is quite nice though, I really like the portability of it

[tooki]

When I bought my used Pace desoldering station, I also had to replace the front seal. (Mine came with plenty of filters.) I suspect many desoldering irons get replaced when they actually just need new seals.  It isn’t surprising that the seals, especially the front ones that are constantly exposed to heat, degrade with time.

[Shock]

Had my Pace SX100 desoldering handpiece for 6 years now and still going strong. I have a Pace MBT350 multichannel station but it runs on several different stations. There are users around that have had various Pace desoldering stations 30 years or more.

The main reason I chose the Pace is it still uses conventional low cost tips and is simple to service. Desoldering station tips wear on the inside and unless running optimally they can clog. The diluted cost to replace the common Pace tips is about $10 or so. Most of the parts that wear are a few dollars.

The cheapest station to look at new would be the single channel Pace ST115 E (Sensatemp series / Europe voltage) the SX100 can be brought with it in a package. Secondhand would be any station that ran a Pace SX90 or SX100 either Sensatemp or Intelliheat series. Disclaimer though, they are not marketed at the consumer (at all) and are pricey. Long term however, there is not a lot that can't be serviced on them (including pump rebuild kits for the station).

The cheapest I'd go aside from Pace for reasons of tip and consumable costs is a Hakko FR301. These are all in one (so upsides and downsides). Their design uses a short tip (in my opinion, inferior to Paces one piece solution). This may involve costlier replacements later.

Here is the Pace SX100 video to give you an idea how they work.

[tooki]

OP already bought something, so while I totally concur about the excellence of Pace desoldering gear, the recommendation is pointless now.

(The Den-On OP bought is also an excellent piece of gear.)

[Shock]

All good. If it was cheap and came with some tips, even better. That model has full length tips so one less part to service (as mentioned already with suggested Metcal/Pace models)

The downsides is tips, parts and consumables are a bit pricey. In the manual it seems the filter cartridge (trap) are disposed with the filter, that seems a bit rough if you're paying $8 to swap a filter.