Soldering Desoldering Station Recommendations

[Strangeways]

I almost bought the Hakko 701 station, and then while reading Jacob's thread, I followed the link to Ludatronics, and found that they have a similar product - Aoyue 701. Currently on eBay ;

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Aoyue-701-Plus-Model-De-Soldering-Soldering-Station_W0QQitemZ280387834648QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_15?hash=item41486ad318&_trksid=p4634.c0.m14.l1262

Just want to know if anyone has bought an Aoyue product and has had good/bad experiences with them before I hit the BIN button 

[AskJacob]

Mate if I get some "fun money" (my hobby budget) ever topped up, I will go the Aoyue stuff without a doubt.

If you are interested, search youtube for "aoyue" - there seem to be a lot of happy people demonstrating their gear.

Hakko is obviously the bee's knees, but I think priced into the commercial rather than hobby segment...

Cheers
Jacob

[Homepin]

Mate if I get some "fun money" (my hobby budget) ever topped up, I will go the Aoyue stuff without a doubt.

If you are interested, search youtube for "aoyue" - there seem to be a lot of happy people demonstrating their gear.

Hakko is obviously the bee's knees, but I think priced into the commercial rather than hobby segment...

Cheers
Jacob

Aoyue is one of the largest manufacturers of this type of equipment in China. They are pretty much copies of Hakko stuff at around 1/4 the price! I have a couple of Aoyue soldering stations that you cannot pick the difference from Hakko that I paid $18 each for in China. The only flaw I have found is the soldering pencil is not as sturdy as a Hakko and the cable is not 'burn proof' - apart from that it sure is hard to beat the price!

[Extra Ball]

Think I just found my xmas present



$199 on their website

[Strangeways]

Thanks Jacob - I just watched the videos and I'm impressed. I'll grab a 701 soldering/Desoldering station and post a review.

[Strangeways]

OK - Just bought the 701 (rubs hands)..

I'm staring at a huge stack of MPU's that need fixing !

[Strangeways]

I received a parcel in the post today, it was my new AOYUE 701+ soldering / Desoldering Station ;

I bought this off the Ludatronics eBay shop on Monday for $289 + Shipping.

First impressions are that the unit is very well packed and constructed. Took me a few minutes to read the manual - Everything is covered and easy to read. There is particular attention to the cleaning process of the Desoldering station. Took about 5 minutes to set up. I fired it up and it worked.

The packaged uncles the soldering pencil and desoldering gun with plenty of filters, three Tips and cleaning tools. Very nice.

Spares are readily available, so I will be buying more filters and tips as I go along. I will provide a review on the unit once I'm totally familiar with using it !

[ajlaird]

Now you look really serious!

Have fun with that lot, and don't forget to catch some clean air every now and then.

[MartyJ]

Looks great Nino.

Is this the unit which HAKKO equipment will fit on as well or am I getting confused with another model?

[Strangeways]

Looks great Nino.

Is this the unit which HAKKO equipment will fit on as well or am I getting confused with another model?

From what I understand it is very similar - But 1/4 of the price !

[RatBag]

Just checked there website and downloaded the PDF but cant find any spare parts listed,who sells spare parts for them and other Hakko clones

[Strangeways]

Just checked there website and downloaded the PDF but cant find any spare parts listed,who sells spare parts for them and other Hakko clones

On the Auction page they mention that spares such as filters and tips are available. I've emailed them asking for a catalog.

[shansta]

Hmmm - very sexy Nino -got plenty of stuffed gottlieb boards you can practice on.... 

I still can't get my bloody RTC to work on PZ - I even soldered the crystal back on as it had fallen off too! 

I have my weller station which I am happy with - was looking at Jaycar's $239 de-soldering station? (I only plan to use it on the odd occasion)

But for the extra 50 bucks... Now I don't know! 

[dj10555]

I have been speaking with Roger@Ludatronics re. a offer to the forum. If you just mention this was posted on Aussiepinball, he can offer the following prices if you use direct deposit.

474+ @ $180
701+ @ $270
 
Shipping to the Sydney area would be $18 per unit (other states please ask for delivery prices)
 
As regards soldering tips, I have a few of the most popular types available at $6-$10 each.

Please see below my bank details if you or members of the forum wish to purchase directly off me.
 
Bank of Queensland
BSB: 124-173
Account Name: Ludatronics
Account No. 20877435
N.B Please use your Name as Ref.
Best regards
Roger




My Hakko desolder has finally died so I am going to give Aoyue a try. I have no ties to Ludatronics and can't give any advice one way or another but thought this might be a useful offer. Apologies to Nino, that I didn't hear back sooner with the offer. Is your unit working OK?

[Strangeways]

Derek - I have emailed Roger to let him know that my intention was to review the 701 on AP once I have familiarized myself with the unit. I'm impressed so far and I would recommend the product without hesitation.