SSVT Variable Temperature Soldering Station

After reading all the comments about quality control, and specifically the review about taking the iron apart to secure the heating element, the first thing I did after opening the box was pull everything apart. Solder joints on the PCB in the station were acceptable. I did secure the heating element in the iron. The factory relies on how the wires are packed into the handle to hold the element in place. Probably would have been fine. I didn't really know how to check the element position/stability until I pulled it apart, and by then it was too late to evaluate the effectiveness of the factory assembly. I know it won't give me any problems now, so good enough.The iron did smoke for the first 5 mins it was on. Burning some residue off the heating element, I suspect. Worked fine the whole time, hasn't given me any problems at all.Heats up just as fast as the 45W hardware store iron it replaced. Tip size is smaller and more appropriate to the work I've been trying to do. Combine the right size tip with adjustable temp control, and I haven't overheated a single thing so far!The Stahl tips have a white finish on them (to prevent oxidation, I imagine). I noticed after the first use that wiping the tip in a brass sponge had already started rubbing the white finish off. Remains to be seen how big of an issue that is.Glad I didn't blow 2-4x more on a digital, closed-loop station. For small projects, this one is working extremely well.SIDE NOTE - the iron is connected to the station PCB with regular crimp-on blade terminals. I hesitated buying this because I liked the flexibility of being able to plug in any 110V iron that other stations offered. It looks to me like one could modify this very easily to take any 110V iron. Haven't actually tried it, though.

This is a very good soldering station. I've used a number of times now, and it does operate as advertized. I read the negative reviews, and don’t agree with them. Some seem to have unrealistic expectations. I have a 1000 Watt solder gun with a large tip that heats up instantly, but needed a smaller soldering iron to do small (precision) work. This one can be adjusted from about 5 watts to 40 watts, and has a small tip. Compared to a 1000 watt gun. It takes longer to heat up, but that’s to be expected. I saw some smoke for a minute when I first turned it on, but not since. I was able to use it to repair ear buds under a magnifying glass. I couldn’t do that with the 1000 watt soldering gun. Those who complained that they had trouble melting their solder may have been using too thick a diameter solder. I moistened the sponge tray and use it constantly. It’s a very big help in keeping the tip clean. When the work (target circuit board) got dirty, I cleaned it with acetone and a tiny paint brush. When I compare the features of this iron with more expensive ones, I conclude that for the price, this one should get a 6, not a 5. By the way, you can buy a set of different sized interchangeable tips for it on Amazon as well. Great soldering station.

My title says it all. Months ago now, I bought a BAKON 90W Soldering Iron Station. I haven't even opened it. I figured once I got good with the Stahl, I'd start using the higher quality unit. Well after MANY solder job and circuits built, the BAKON remains in it's box! I cannot part with this little station! Something about it! The temperature gauge works great. Sometimes the iron's tread (to hold the solder tip) comes *slightly( loose. I remedy it while hot with a pair of need nose pliers. It's not an every use occurrence either. And with metal heating up that much and cooling down, this is to be expected. The sponge the until came with won't stay taped down after one use lol! (I don't know why you taped the sponge down Stahl, it's fine without it! Trust me!) I do use the sponge as you should always keep a wet sponge nearby when soldering whether you use a metal brillo clear or not. I use the Hakko gold metal cleaner in combination with this, some ti tinner, and some Kester 60/40. I am a soldering *EXPERT*! The right tools make *THE WORLD OF DIFFERENCE! AND KNOWING TO *KEEP YOUR TIP TINNED*! I *LOVE* this station and there is *ZERO* reason it shouldn't help you get any solder done DONE! 4 stars for Accuracy as for I cannot attest for its accuracy but it's held its EXCELLENTLY accuracy as far as where the Temperature potentiometer is set! And it STILL holding the same temps as it was when it was brand new! So I gave it 4 since I'm not measuring a solder iron/don't have the tools to do that. If you won this station, you WILL develop a "feel" for the Temperature pot/knob.

I'd been looking for a replacement for my old cheap iron for quite a while, but given my occasional need, I couldn't justify the high cost of soldering stations I'd seen before. I came across this one right as I needed to do a project with very fine SMT connections that would be crazy to try with my old one.I ordered this SSVT and the set of tips for it on Amazon, figuring I'd have a good chance of getting one fine tip from the bunch. In short, this did the job and I'm more than satisfied, especially considering the price of both items.Having read some comments by others, I thought it would be helpful to share my experience:- Mine did smoke for about 10 minutes the first time I heated it up. But it wasn't bad and hasn't smoked since. If it's a problem I'd suggest turning it on outside for the first time.- Some reviewers stated that theirs wouldn't heat up enough. I actually had to turn the temperature control on mine down to about 3/4.- The build quality on mine is much better than the price would suggest. Seems very sturdy. And it disassembles easily to go back in its box. Nice for occasional users like me where it spends 99% of the time in the garage.- The tip set I ordered separately came with tips of different sizes. The smallest of the bunch was just small enough to handle my SMT job. The others looked like they'd do well on less delicate work.Highly recommended for occasional users.