Buying Your First Soldering Station (UPDATE READ DESCRIPTION)

★The following (affiliate) links are for equipment that might not be internally identical★

Whether you're a new player looking for an affordable soldering station or a skilled electronics enthusiast looking for an equipment upgrade without breaking the bank, I believe I have you covered. I've tested a variety of these soldering stations that directly drive Hakko styled T12/T15 tips, and I couldn't be more impressed with this specific DSGER model. I love it so much that I haven't been using my Hakko stations for the past month. I never recommend gear without putting it through its paces. I've actually tested several different "forms" of this station. And while they all look cosmetically identical, it's a very different story, inside.

[liucyrus]

I think crimping and screwing in should be better than soldering in power applications. Solder is not to be relied on for vibration resistance and mechanical strength.

[richardhalliday]

A clear concise, accurate informative review, I am a retired electronics technician, 50 years in the industry, my go to daily driver is a Metcal set up - excellent but also very expensive, the Metcal tips are around half the price of this unit ! I have looked at various reviews of this unit and found that after your presentation I am very impressed, therefore, on the strength of your recommendation I have ordered the head only version ( I am going to provide my own 24v supply), the tip price seem to good to be true ! Incidentally, although Metcal is US company ( my unit is US manufacture ) all their production is now in China as are many many branded goods, not all CE products are rubbish, British Dyson for instance.
Kind regards. Richard. Yorkshire. England

[gregkempchannel]

Thanks for this video! Just wanted to share that I used the provided link to buy the t12 station from Banggood. I just received it, checked inside to find that while the circuit has been revised including a different microcontroller (not surprising given this is 4 years later) the internal build quality appears very similar to what's shown in your video. I've only had a few minutes to test it so far but it fired right up and I was soldering in seconds. I'm just getting into console modding, I have some experience soldering and even took classes 20 years ago but we didn't cover the tricks you use for repairs and mods and I'm sure my old Radio Shack irons would not be up to the task.

[pedroTFP]

Great video! I’d really like a “soldering 101 class by Voultar” video series, that would take my gaming geekness to the next level!

[kind]

Just got mine today. Ordered 4 biz days ago and it's already here. With the exception of a few minor revisions, it appears to be identical to the one in the video. It didn't come with a box or manual(or any kind of documentations at all), but thanks to your video, everything is easy and straightforward.

The "brains" board has been revised a bit. The board is now longer and is soldered directly to the irons output plug instead of the plug being attached to the board via removable wires. The RTC battery has also been relocated to the top of the power transformer. The beefy heatstinks and good soldering is all still present and accounted for.

[jdurg]

Damn. I went and found a power cord that fits and plugged the thing in. Flipped the switch, and DOA. Nothing on the screen, nothing to see. I was sent a dead soldering station. For those who got ones that work, fantastic. I'm happy for you. For me, I can't wait another 6 weeks for a fix to be sent to me. I am very disappointed in the long wait, and the absolutely dead on arrival paperweight I now own.

Time to break out the multi-meter and the old soldering iron I have and try and figure out why my station is completely DOA. VERY disappointed right now and have no plans to purchase from them again.

Edit: Thankfully, these things are pretty simple devices so I was able to find the problem. One of the wires connecting the front panel to the main board was broken. No continuity. I replaced the wire assembly and fired it up and it works great. So if you get one that's DOA, just open it up and check for continuity where there should be continuity.

[iCach]

Soldering is for chumps, you only need a dab of hotglue and a little brasso mixed in for conductivity and, BOOM, you're done!

[rich]

Nice thick isolation cutout and they actually used an optocoupler to communicate to the low voltage side. Definitely doesn't look like your typical cost cut Chinese product.

[DriverWay]

I have exactly the same soldering station (KSGER) from 6 mouth, and i just love it. Is small, powerful, precise, really comfortable handle and why not is looking pretty in my working table.

[LelandHasGames]

I gotta say, a year later, I still have this station and, it's still the best.

[seanpquinn]

I’ve been looking to buy a station, but wasn’t even sure where to start. You’ve made the decision a lot easier and for $50 it doesn’t seem like I can go wrong. Thanks!

[JasonWW]

I've done a lot of testing with the v2.1S on my channel. I go through the menu as well as show how to measure and calibrate each tip. I also demonstrate the break in procedure for the tips. This is a very impressive unit. I highly recommend it.

[kwastek]

by some chance youtube recommended me this video in late December. Ok, maybe not by chance. Previously I was watching Louis Rossmann discussing differences between soldering iron technologies. But anyway, I feel really, really, REALLY lucky I got this video recommended. I only watched it and I knew this is something for me. I've had the station now for a week and I absolutely love it. A great station an order of magnitude cheaper than grossly overpriced brand names'. Thanks for this video!!!!

[herrjonna]

First time I've watched any of your videoes, must say, it will not be my last! You voice is really comforting and clean. Love it! Keep up the good work!

[solaj]

Just bought the same one from Amazon, payed a little more cause I did not want to wait. Came with 3 tips and a different wand that's carbon fiber. Plugged it in a a big ol ERROR started flashing on screen, twisted the tip in wand a little and boom worked! So far so good do not hesitate to buy.

[thomasbarron]

Just received mine today!!!! It’s a thing of beauty. While I was opening it I was whispering to myself “show me the butter”

[alunaticbastard]

I just bought it! $43 after the discount and shipping. There is really no better deal out there for a T12 iron with these features. Thanks for the heads up

[TROLOLzr]

Bought this one too. I think this version also has an option to change the PID parameters. There's also a hot air version of this station, would be great if you reviewed it!

[SnoopKatt]

Just received it, very nice soldering station. Ended up with a different stand, but the guts of the soldering station matched what you showed. Thanks for the recommendation.

[RyoGrattius]

I bought the one from your Amazon recommended list. Not the same exact model, but internals looked solid. Continuity between the iron tip to ground was good. Power rails hard soldered to the board, which looked the same as this one. Main controller board looked different, but didn't look like trash. Fuse for the power plug just like this one. Solid.