# Princess Auto soldering station - $20!



## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Picked up one of the soldering stations they have on sale this morning (page 40 of the Black Friday Sale flyer: Princess Auto Black Friday Flyer Sale valid November 23 – December 9, 2018 ). It is nominally a 48W unit, achieving temperatures up to 450C, suitable for silver solder and all that RoHS stuff. Has a temperature-control knob, on/off switch, and comes with the usual sponge (do NOT use) and two extra tips. Using it right now. Great value for the money (flyer says it is usually $45). My only gripe is that the iron is hardwired to the base, rather than a plug-in, as on my older Weller base.


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## TWRC (Apr 22, 2011)

That's high praise coming from you Mark. Funny enough, I am in the market for a new soldering station, and based on this, I'll definitely head over to Princess Auto later! Thanks!


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

If I had a business, I'd probably opt for something higher-quality, just for the dependability. But for those of us whose involvement with building things really only justifies "Power Fist" scale expenditures, it's decent. Oh, and don't look i the Surplus section. It's over where the welding stuff is.


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## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

mhammer said:


> and comes with the usual sponge (do NOT use)


I used one of these at a friends place and thought it worked pretty good. I'm fairly sure I used the sponge, what is the problem with them?


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## mr trick (Sep 21, 2013)

did you wet the sponge?


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## AlBDarned (Jun 29, 2017)

Forget about the sponge, just use your tongue.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

@mhammer has shares in a company that sells these at the Dollar Store...


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

AlBDarned said:


> Forget about the sponge, just use your tongue.


That is not good for the tip of the soldering iron and can contribute to it wearing out sooner.


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## Guest (Dec 1, 2018)

Have to find out what school this is.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

laristotle said:


> Have to find out what school this is.
> 
> View attachment 233392


They certainly have nice safety glasses! 
Always remember...SAFETY FIRST!


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## Guitar101 (Jan 19, 2011)

Looks good. Would make a great Christmas present. . . . . . Kids, are you listening?


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

WOW...that looks A LOT like my old red Weller!

@mhammer Does it accept Weller replacement tips?


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

The sponge is used to shock the tinning off the tips when they first heat up. You should always tin your tips before they cool down. So I might hit the sponge once or twice, then use paper towels to clean the tips between solder operations. Then give 'em a good tinning before I shut 'em off.


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

It's probably a copy of the Weller, as is the lower end Stahl model. Basic regulation; will do the job for occasional/hobby use; 1 step above a direct wall plugin . It 'll reach it's limitations with prolonged use. I always recommend the middle quality Stahl (or similar) model; much better power supply and temp regulation; detachable wand (theoretically replaceable), but Princess don't have anything other than this one.


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## Guest (Dec 1, 2018)

Granny Gremlin said:


> It's probably a copy of the Weller, as is the lower end Stahl model. Basic regulation; will do the job for occasional/hobby use; 1 step above a direct wall plugin . It 'll reach it's limitations with prolonged use. I always recommend the middle quality Stahl (or similar) model; much better power supply and temp regulation; detachable wand (theoretically replaceable), but Princess don't have anything other than this one.


How many of these at $20 can you buy for the cost of a better one? 3 -8?


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

I got mine for 30-some odd so 1.x to 2.x max.

Betray yourself as butthurt over a rather nonaggressive comment if you want to. I did say it'll do the job for light use, and there's no other (better but still affordable implied) model available in store local.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

jb welder said:


> I used one of these at a friends place and thought it worked pretty good. I'm fairly sure I used the sponge, what is the problem with them?


My own experience with the sponges is that the tips wear out MUCH faster with them. Using the recommended sponge, I would go through a new tip every 6-8 months, even though I would use tinning compound on it. Switching to the "Curly Kate" copper scrubbers, I've had the same tip for over 8 years. The tip is actually still good as new. I bought the Princess Auto station because the 30W iron I had did not fit the holder and did not get hot enough for some jobs.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Player99 said:


> How many of these at $20 can you buy for the cost of a better one? 3 -8?


That's why I said I'd likely step up to a better one if I was running a business and needed something I could use every day without fail. It's like any powered tool: are you going to spend top dollar for a tool you expect to use maybe 4 times in your life?


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## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

mhammer said:


> Switching to the "Curly Kate" copper scrubbers, I've had the same tip for over 8 years.


I recall a video that showed what gets in the air (to breathe) when you used the wire type tip cleaner, and it was not good at all. 
Does that ring any bells or am I mistaken? Or maybe the sponge does the same anyway?


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

My opinion could be changed by additional information, I suppose. I'm basing it so far on what allows a tip to last...particularly since I've had difficulties in past in finding a replacement when a tip got eaten away.


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## epis (Feb 25, 2012)

Hi Mark, if I were you, I would return it and get something like this :
HAKKO CLONE SMD SOLDERING STATION | Electronics | Ottawa | Kijiji
or even better this one :
BAKU BK-601D 110V SMD Brushless Heat Gun Soldering Iron Station with Stand 700W | eBay
partcularly because you're working with pedals and smd parts.
or even this Hakko for $100 :
Hakko FX888D Digital Soldering Station | Electronics | Ottawa | Kijiji
You deserve better iron to work with.
I got one similar Chinese Hakko clone last year and I could say only good things about it.
Princess auto iron is basic 120V with scr mains voltage regulation, no temperature feedback sensor, so it doesn't keep temp at certain setting.
Tip is really poor quality, and you'll have to change it to something better (if you can find it).
For these Chinese clones, I would recommand Hakko tips, despite the fact that tips I got with my station are very good. (Yihua branded Mark Ethan )
Heat gun is great addition, makes unsoldering parts with multiple legs easy.
Other option, what I did to my old Weller, is to get Hakko clone 936 model control board and iron and give second life to your Weller.
Cheers, Damir

P.S.

I'm using stainless steel wool pads from dollar store for tip cleaning for last five years, don't even think to go back to wet sponge. There is no damage to tips at all.


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## AlBDarned (Jun 29, 2017)

This one is interesting:

Antique Soldering Station 1922 - Functions Perfectly | Other | City of Toronto | Kijiji


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

I bought one that looked just like the princess auto one on eBay, probably the same thing. I got at least a hundred hours use out of it before it stopped getting hot. Bought another one and it lasted for another couple years. They work, my only gripe is the tip keeps coming loose. I finally moved up to a good quality Hakko solder station this fall. Yes, the Hakko is a way better machine, but for $20, how can you go wrong?


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## TWRC (Apr 22, 2011)

Finally got to Princess Auto, and I managed to grab the last one in the store tonight. It's going to replace my trusty Radio Shack soldering iron circa mid-1990's that I'm increasingly having trouble finding tips for. For the amount of soldering that I do, this PA unit will be just fine for me - and if it lasts half as long as my previous iron, I'll be thrilled.


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