ERSA i-CON 1 / PACE ADS 200 recommended starting tips

[Jashin]

Hi,

This is my first post on the forum however I've been reading it for a few weeks already trying to get all of the information I need. I am currently gathering stuff for my home hobbyist electrical lab with some plans for the future in maybe few years to turn in into side business. I've been looking for soldering station which would be able to last years and have some reasonable ownership cost. Also it has to be able to desolder some smaller components from PCB.

I've been reading a lot and it ended up decision between following ERSA i-CON 1/ERSA i-CON 1V/JBC CD-2BQE/PACE ADS 200 currently I am trying to estimate long term ownership cost for each of those stations. While reading a lot of topics and watching a lot of youtube stuff I was able to get pretty good reviews of all of those stations (ERSA i-CON 1 has some reviews on amazon.de which make me wonder a bit about it's quality https://www.amazon.de/Ersa-Single-Lötstation-Lötkolben-antistatisch-0IC1100A/dp/B002ZMFVKU) and tips life for each of those systems ERSA > PACE > JBC (funny thing is the price of the tips goes the other way around) - I was not able to find a "recommended" starter tips for those systems (with exception of JBC who has been described in 2 topics in this forum).

Could you help me out and recommend/suggest some tips for ERSA i-CON 1 and PACE ADS 200. (General use, some for THT/wires, small SMD, elements with big heat capacitance)? Also does Pace tips availability in Europe is as bad as it seems?

*1) Yes i am aware that this is a lot of money for hobbyist stuff however I wanna be able to use it for years also to be able to buy equipment for it for a long period of time.
2) I know JBC is probably not the best choice seeing tips prices and the fact that I am an amateur therefore there is a high chance that I will butcher the tips.
3) I know ADS 200 is a lot cheaper then the others on this list. Normally this would probably be my go to station seeing it's capabilities versus price however I was able to find only one vendor in entire Europe who sells those stations at reasonable price (and none in my country) and that vendor is UK based therefore I am a bit worried about import tax being applied to the tips in a year (BREXIT). Also seeing a global economy in shambles right now makes me lean a bit towards ERSA (if the stuff will turn really nasty it will be far much easier to get ERSA tips than JBC (let's not even mention PACE here)).

[VanBudd]

I absolutely can recommend the JBC station, since i first used a JBC iron i couldnt go back to other irons.
JBC is using active tips where the heating element is in the tip, at my opinion its a huge difference to "normal" irons like the ersa.
I used the Weller WX line a lot, they are very good but i like the JBC more.
I am using my JBC station for a Year now and all tips are still fine with average usage (2-10h/week) and the recommended handling.
The tips are available at conrad or welectron for average costs (20-30€).
At first i used the T245 for everything from pure copper plates down to 0201 SMD components.
Two month ago i purchased the T210 handle and i love it for SMD soldering, it can be used with the same station as the T245.

For the beginning i would recommend the following tips, i like to use chisel tips:
  -C245-907 for Heavy duty and THT components
  -C245-944 for bigger SMD components 1206-0603
  -C245-906 for smaller things 0402..

In germany we have a saying: as big as possible, as small as necessary
Thats perfect for soldering tips.

I would take the JBC maybe its a little bit more expensive but you wont regret it at all.
I have to say, since im using JBC products im a little JBC fanboy, but i think thats not for no reason   

I hope that helps you a little bit.

Edit: my company is using JBC for over 10 years now and never had problems with their products.
        And they over a free 30 Days test of their equipment on their website https://www.jbctools.com/ask-demo-pro933.html, maybe you just test one of their stations. 

[2N3055]

Hi,

This is my first post on the forum however I've been reading it for a few weeks already trying to get all of the information I need. I am currently gathering stuff for my home hobbyist electrical lab with some plans for the future in maybe few years to turn in into side business. I've been looking for soldering station which would be able to last years and have some reasonable ownership cost. Also it has to be able to desolder some smaller components from PCB.

I've been reading a lot and it ended up decision between following ERSA i-CON 1/ERSA i-CON 1V/JBC CD-2BQE/PACE ADS 200 currently I am trying to estimate long term ownership cost for each of those stations. While reading a lot of topics and watching a lot of youtube stuff I was able to get pretty good reviews of all of those stations (ERSA i-CON 1 has some reviews on amazon.de which make me wonder a bit about it's quality https://www.amazon.de/Ersa-Single-Lötstation-Lötkolben-antistatisch-0IC1100A/dp/B002ZMFVKU) and tips life for each of those systems ERSA > PACE > JBC (funny thing is the price of the tips goes the other way around) - I was not able to find a "recommended" starter tips for those systems (with exception of JBC who has been described in 2 topics in this forum).

Could you help me out and recommend/suggest some tips for ERSA i-CON 1 and PACE ADS 200. (General use, some for THT/wires, small SMD, elements with big heat capacitance)? Also does Pace tips availability in Europe is as bad as it seems?

*1) Yes i am aware that this is a lot of money for hobbyist stuff however I wanna be able to use it for years also to be able to buy equipment for it for a long period of time.
2) I know JBC is probably not the best choice seeing tips prices and the fact that I am an amateur therefore there is a high chance that I will butcher the tips.
3) I know ADS 200 is a lot cheaper then the others on this list. Normally this would probably be my go to station seeing it's capabilities versus price however I was able to find only one vendor in entire Europe who sells those stations at reasonable price (and none in my country) and that vendor is UK based therefore I am a bit worried about import tax being applied to the tips in a year (BREXIT). Also seeing a global economy in shambles right now makes me lean a bit towards ERSA (if the stuff will turn really nasty it will be far much easier to get ERSA tips than JBC (let's not even mention PACE here)).

Welectron in Germany sells PACE.

I for one recomend PACE ADS200. It works great, aluminium handle is superb and cold to touch, it is built like a rock, and tips are generally half the price of JBC.
You can't go wrong with Ersa Either, or JBC.

But it all drills down to price and lifetime of tips. That will define cost long terms. For that Ersa and ADS200 win.  If you want local availability than it is German ERSA.

But really, all 3 are excellent and will do the work exceptionally well.

[eKretz]

I've used Metcal, Ersa and JBC. The guy saying there is a huge difference is nuts IMO. I can't tell them apart more than a whit in use. They all slay the penny soldering test in seconds. I currently have an Ersa iCon-1 and a Metcal on my workbench. They're all 3 excellent soldering stations. For starting tips on any iron I'd recommend a 1.6mm chisel for general purpose (80% of the time this is on my iron), a 6mm chisel for heavy stuff, a hoof tip for smd with lots of pins, and a bent conical point for hard to reach pads.

[madires]

The tips I typically use with my i-Tool (i-CON2) are 1mm conical for standard soldering jobs, 0.4mm conical for SMD and 1.6mm chisel for larger connectors and other things which suck the heat away. This is just my personal preference. Some people prefer chisel type tips over conical ones for standard applications. If you don't know which one to choose simply get both types and see which one works best for you.

[KaneTW]

Ersa tips are so cheap you can easily get a good set. I usually use chisel.

[sn4k3]

I have ERSA i-con 2V, and almost all tips. Tip selectin comes with your requirements or your job, but i recommend get the 0.3mm heat optimized tip, a oval for cleaning, and other you may need, the default included is aready good for common jobs. A important note is: get a colar for each tip.
Still for the price on amazon i can't recommend it, i love my ERSA but that price was grown at a point that doesnt make sense when you have PACE ADS, which use cartridges. Again i love my ersa, handle is amazing soft, light and pleasure to use but if i need buy a station now i would go PACE ADS.
JBC is one of the top tier and price reflect that, one common problem is tip wear due thiner iron barrier, to have such performance they wear tip faster, and if you bad care tips they can die fast, they are not cheap. Have read people who kills a tip in a day, others who have it for years.

But if you really want ERSA that's still a good station, non cartridge system but controller is very good, so far no job have defeated my station. I only wish they had a smaller tip which work great as the 0.3mm, something like 0.15mm for my 01005 repairs

[Jashin]

I absolutely can recommend the JBC station, since i first used a JBC iron i couldnt go back to other irons.
JBC is using active tips where the heating element is in the tip, at my opinion its a huge difference to "normal" irons like the ersa.
I used the Weller WX line a lot, they are very good but i like the JBC more.
I am using my JBC station for a Year now and all tips are still fine with average usage (2-10h/week) and the recommended handling.
The tips are available at conrad or welectron for average costs (20-30€).
At first i used the T245 for everything from pure copper plates down to 0201 SMD components.
Two month ago i purchased the T210 handle and i love it for SMD soldering, it can be used with the same station as the T245.

For the beginning i would recommend the following tips, i like to use chisel tips:
  -C245-907 for Heavy duty and THT components
  -C245-944 for bigger SMD components 1206-0603
  -C245-906 for smaller things 0402..

In germany we have a saying: as big as possible, as small as necessary
Thats perfect for soldering tips.

I would take the JBC maybe its a little bit more expensive but you wont regret it at all.
I have to say, since im using JBC products im a little JBC fanboy, but i think thats not for no reason   

I hope that helps you a little bit.

Edit: my company is using JBC for over 10 years now and never had problems with their products.
        And they over a free 30 Days test of their equipment on their website https://www.jbctools.com/ask-demo-pro933.html, maybe you just test one of their stations. 

@VanBudd While I am well aware that JBC has the best heating performance out of all those stations it also has the most expensive tips and most fragile tips. While that probably wouldn't be a problem if I were a pro it's a big problem for an amateur cuz I will probably kill those tips pretty quick and seeing their price I just don't think its a wise choice for a man like me. Not at this point at least.

I have ERSA i-con 2V, and almost all tips. Tip selectin comes with your requirements or your job, but i recommend get the 0.3mm heat optimized tip, a oval for cleaning, and other you may need, the default included is aready good for common jobs. A important note is: get a colar for each tip.
Still for the price on amazon i can't recommend it, i love my ERSA but that price was grown at a point that doesnt make sense when you have PACE ADS, which use cartridges. Again i love my ersa, handle is amazing soft, light and pleasure to use but if i need buy a station now i would go PACE ADS.
JBC is one of the top tier and price reflect that, one common problem is tip wear due thiner iron barrier, to have such performance they wear tip faster, and if you bad care tips they can die fast, they are not cheap. Have read people who kills a tip in a day, others who have it for years.

But if you really want ERSA that's still a good station, non cartridge system but controller is very good, so far no job have defeated my station. I only wish they had a smaller tip which work great as the 0.3mm, something like 0.15mm for my 01005 repairs

The price is not that bad tbh. At least not at amazon.de (336,79 €  tax included). It's the same price range as ADS 200 at least in the places I was looking for Pace. The only thing I am wondering about is desoldering (will I be able to desolder for example big cap from a motherboard using those stations - it's not like I will be doing it very often - probably more to salvage some electrical components however the use case still applies for bigger chips ofc hot air is a way to go but thats a plan for the future).

[sn4k3]

The price is not that bad tbh. At least not at amazon.de (336,79 €  tax included). It's the same price range as ADS 200 at least in the places I was looking for Pace.

I got my first icon1 new from https://www.ersa-shop.com/ for 100€ less than that listed price, but price was raised...

The only thing I am wondering about is desoldering (will I be able to desolder for example big cap from a motherboard using those stations - it's not like I will be doing it very often - probably more to salvage some electrical components however the use case still applies for bigger chips ofc hot air is a way to go but thats a plan for the future).

No problem with either station, the cap size is not what define your requirement, is more the pcb layers and the plane size. Remove small caps from a pc motherboard is much much more hard than remove huge cap from a tv power supply with just one layer, also the smaller the pad more dificult is to apply heat, larger pads allow larger tips so it will spread heat better on plane. So large heatsinks will require more heat performance. The performance is given by: Power delivery + tip quality + heater construction. Imagine that you have the best tip and heater, lets say a JBC tip, but then you just supply 10W to the tip, beside you have the best tip the power is not enough to be a good performer, so when buying a station you must aim for this 3 specs, if one fails then your solder experience will be bad. Any station listed in this topic have that, so you don't need to worry about that. They can do almost every job. The tip size is important, never use 0.3mm to solder or desolder a large heatsink or big mosfet to a plane. The tip size should be same size as your pad, eg: pad is 1mm diameter, use 1mm tip, pad is 2.5mm then use 2.5mm chissel or the nearest you have.

[Jashin]

One more question just to be absolutely sure cuz I cannot find confirmation on a PACE side. PACE ADS 200 tips are the same kind of tips as JBC ones (the ones with heater integrated inside a tip)? Is that correct assumption?

"Blue Series Tip-Heater Cartridges (NOTE: tips sold separately) integrate a high accuracy sensor with a robust heater, delivering up to 120 Watts of power. Select any temperature (from 380°F/193°C to 850°F/454°C) without changing the cartridge – one tip, any temperature. The quick-change cartridges can be quickly swapped while hot and achieve set temperatures within 5-10 seconds."

[2N3055]

One more question just to be absolutely sure cuz I cannot find confirmation on a PACE side. PACE ADS 200 tips are the same kind of tips as JBC ones (the ones with heater integrated inside a tip)? Is that correct assumption?

"Blue Series Tip-Heater Cartridges (NOTE: tips sold separately) integrate a high accuracy sensor with a robust heater, delivering up to 120 Watts of power. Select any temperature (from 380°F/193°C to 850°F/454°C) without changing the cartridge – one tip, any temperature. The quick-change cartridges can be quickly swapped while hot and achieve set temperatures within 5-10 seconds."

Yes that is correct. They are 120W integrated type with temperature being set on controller. Also worth mentioning is that tips don't require temperature calibration for different tips.

[Shock]

Pace have a list of distributors on it's website. If you have problems finding a part ask the distributor to stock it or order it in and if that gets you nowhere you can always contact Pace Europe or Pace USA.

Another reason to go with the Pace system is they have just released their new MT200 tweezer model for the ADS200 station (also aluminum construction). I have the older model the MT100 tweezers, though it's more of a niche tool for desoldering (the price reflects it) this new model looks really impressive. Pace in the past have made their tools series compatible so both these tools released so far should run on any Accudrive model released in the future.

[karamba]

This is what I got for ADS-200:

Pace 1131-0003P1 0.40mm Conical Sharp Bent
Pace 1130-0016P1 0.8mm Chisel
Pace 1131-0013P1 2.38mm 30-degree Chisel
Pace 1131-0032P1 3.05mm MiniWave
Pace 1131-0055P1 6.35mm Chisel
Not sure if they are right for you but more or less cover the very limited tasks I do here.

[tooki]

Ersa tips are so cheap you can easily get a good set. I usually use chisel.

As an Ersa owner: their standard tips (chisel, pencil, etc) are cheap. Their more exotic tips are not. JBC charges high prices for all tips, standard or exotic. And Pace charges low prices for all their tips, standard or exotic.

IMHO there’s no comparison in TCO: the Pace will be cheaper.

[KaneTW]

The only tip that was expensive (40EUR) was the wick tip I have, which I don't even use much. All the others are below 20.

[tooki]

Kinda my point: on JBC, every tip is about €30. On Pace, they’re almost all under €15.

[ferdieCX]

I have an ERSA i-con 2 and the most used tips are 1.6 and 2.4 chisel. I have also a smaller 0.4 conical tip and an oval tip.
When I need  something bigger, I hook a PowerTool to the i-con 2