Eleshop has a very wide range of soldering products from different brands. When buying a soldering product it is sometimes difficult to make a clear distinction between the products of different brands. In this article the clearest differences between these brands are put next to each other in order to simplify the choice between them.

Brands:

Aoyue:

The Aoyue brand is where it all started at Eleshop. This brand is sold from the beginning and especially the Aoyue 936 is a station you can find everywhere. The products of Aoyue are of a good price/quality but because Aoyue itself doesn't innovate a lot, we will switch more and more to Atten at Eleshop in the future.

Atten:

Atten offers stations at a competitive price. The stations are relatively simple and the price/quality is very good. Atten's soldering solutions are therefore the perfect choice for the hobbyist and infrequent solderer.

JBC:

With more than 80 years of experience in the soldering world, JBC is one of the most innovative brands in the field of soldering. The 'active' heating system puts JBC at the top of the soldering world. In addition, JBC has one of the largest ranges of soldering tips which means that there is almost always a soldering tip for sale for every task. Furthermore, JBC's soldering products are of the best quality, making them in many cases a must for the daily (professional) solderer. That's why we sell JBC a lot to, for example, repair centres for mobile phones and notebooks.

Weller:

Weller is an established name in the soldering world and has been used by many hobbyists and companies for many years. Weller's soldering products are of very good quality but the price of a conventional station is high compared to the competition. Furthermore, Weller's conventional technology has been overtaken in many areas by JBC and Hakko. Nevertheless, the Weller soldering products are a good solution for the frequent solderer.

Hakko

Hakko is a Japanese brand that has been making solder related products since 1952. Since that time they have brought a number of very good soldering stations on the market. They also produce the best tested desoldering station by Eleshop. Hakko's soldering solutions are simple but high-quality at a competitive price. Hakko's products are a good extension of the workplace for the very frequent solderer.

Quick

Quick's soldering products are of good quality for a good price. The 861DW hot air station has been a very popular hot air station for a very long time. The choices of Quick are limited and there is little innovation in the Quick soldering range. Nevertheless, Quick's soldering solutions are very suitable for the hobbyist/frequent solderer.



Differences between brands:

In this part of the article the most important differences between soldering brands at Eleshop will be listed. A distinction is made between soldering stations, hot air stations and desoldering solutions.

Soldering:

All soldering stations sold at eleshop are temperature adjustable. Many products are nowadays released with an LCD screen on which, among other things, the temperature information is clearly displayed. However, there are still a number of analog products sold.

The table below lists a number of major differences. Attention! These differences are based on the current fixed assortment. Other versions are also available to order at Eleshop.


Specification/BrandAttenJBCWellerHakkoQuick
Power 50-80 W 40-250 W 70-90 W 65-140 W 90 W
Heating system Conventional Active Conventional Conventional and active Conventional
ESD-safe Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Soldering tip assortment size* Small Very large Large Large Small
Price €€€-€€€€€ €€-€€€ €€-€€€€ €€
*Assortment size: Small (<25), Large (25-100), Very large (100+)

The power of a soldering station is associated with how well the station can keep the tip at temperature. It also plays an important role in how large surfaces can be heated effectively. For both higher soldering temperatures and large areas, more power guarantees a better performance (when using a large soldering tip).

Another big difference between soldering stations is the heating system. Eleshop sells soldering stations with a conventional or active heating system. At conventional stations, the soldering tip slides over a heating element. The heating element thus heats the tip indirectly, so the heat transfer is never 100% optimal. This ensures that it takes some time for the tip to reach temperature. In active heating systems, the heating element and the temperature sensor are already incorporated in the tip, which means that the heat transfer is optimal and the tip will be at temperature very quickly and can easily be kept at a stable temperature. This technology also guarantees that the tips will last a very long time. The only downside of this technology is that the soldering tips and soldering stations are a lot more expensive than conventional soldering tips and stations.

As a solderer you always want the perfect tip for your task. When you have a wide range of soldering tips to choose from, you will always be able to find one that is suitable for your purpose. From the brands Atten and Quick there are enough tips available for the hobbyist solderer. But when your soldering tasks become more specific you will soon benefit more from the wider range of tips of a Weller or Hakko. At the top is JBC's range of soldering tips. JBC has a very wide range of active soldering tips that is constantly being expanded. In JBC's assortment you will always be able to find a tip for your task. If this is not the case, JBC even makes it possible to design a unique soldering tip for your purpose in consultation with them.

Hot air:

With hot air stations two things are very important: the power and the airflow rate. The power depends on how well the station can keep the temperature stable. The airflow rate equals how many liters per minute the station can blow out of the tool. All hot air stations actually do the same thing: blow hot air. Because of this it is in few cases necessary to buy very expensive hot air stations. For many users a hot air station from Aoyue or Atten is good enough. There are specific situations imaginable in which the solutions of JBC or Quick are interesting. In these cases Eleshop will be happy to provide you with tailored advice.

The table below lists a number of major differences. Attention! These differences are based on the current fixed assortment. Other versions are also available to order at Eleshop.

Specification/BrandAoyueAttenJBCQuick
Power 450-500 W 700 W 300-700 W 180-1200 W
Air speed 23 L/min 120 L/min 2-50 L/min 70-200 L/min
ESD-safe Yes No Yes Yes
Price €€€ €€
*Think of extra nozzles, extractors, suction tubes etc.

Desoldering:

Eleshop sells desoldering stations of the brands Zhongdi, Hakko, Aoyue, Quick and JBC. These desoldering stations have been extensively tested by Eleshop in a video. This video can be found here: