I agee with these comments. Weller has a good reputation but is also a very high end product price wise here in Hong Kong. Hakko, Goot, though 'made in Japan' are similar and also made with outsourced parts and probbaly labour. A Hakko 936 runs about $150 and a Hakko 808 desoldering gun around $200 here. Importing from the US is not very satisfactory, as local voltage here is 220VAC I bought a Gordak 936A (China made clone of the Hako 936ESD) to build my K2. Cost $35. It worked perfectly satisfactorily although I did buy a Hakko 'made in Japan' steel tip, 1.6mm for the job. I used it for every solder joint in the K2, the tip still has llife left in it. I treated it to the recommended Kester 44 solder, which I had to import from Mouser, as I would be reluctant to trust 'brand x' China made solder at this stage of their development, warranty issues apart. Also have a Aoyue 936A which is similar. I also have a Aoyue 808 desoldering gun (China clone of the Hakko 808, cost about $55). That worked ok too using the standard (China made alloy) nozzle, as the Hakko nozzles were $25 here which I felt was too expensive. As things turned out I only had to use the desoldering gun a couple of times. Maybe it will fall apart in due time but it has served its purpose to date. The China made products seem reasonably well made and are good value for money out in thispart of the world. I have a Aoyue 474 desoldering station (Hakko 474 clone) waiting in the wings unused for that time!
Wyn, VR2AX Weller is good but not made in the USA. At least not anymore. Components are made in China and Mexico like everything else. Get whatever you are comfortable with. Many soldering stations are overkill for most hobbiest. Pace makes a nice small soldering station called the Heatwise and like the METCAL uses the Currie effect to maintain very stable tip temp regardless of thermal load. Bottom line is to get something that your comfortable with and won't empty your wallet. Robert VE3RPF _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [email protected] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
