Customer Reviews

Stahl Tools SSVT Variable Temperature Soldering Station

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I've only used this soldering station once so I don't yet have depth of experience with it. So far it has functioned very nicely for me.

I've read other reviews of this, or a similar, product and heard some complaints of quality control issues. One reviewer mentioned that smoke poured from the iron when he first turned it on. I had no problems. It did smoke a bit when I first plugged it in and before I successfully tinned the iron. Perhaps heat dissipation is not effective until the iron is tinned. Anyway, it worked perfectly once the iron was tinned and it was very nice, in a inexpensive iron, to have temperature control to match the work being done. Construction quality appears to be quite good - better than the price would suggest. Of course, I can't see inside the housing but all the components are tight, the cable to the iron is heavy duty, the protective insulation on the iron is secure and functional. In short, it's better than one would expect from the price.

I had good luck with this soldering station. It's a great buy for the money, especially since there are stations far more expensive. The variable temperature is nice, and it comes with a sponge as well. My only complaint is the tip size. It's not overly big, but it's just a little bigger than what would be ideal for me.

To the guy that is/was going to '86 his unit....I'll pay the postage for you to send it to me!

I only use mine as a hobbyist, R/C Heli etc, and had been using a butane solder torch. All I can say is yes it smoked some when you plugged it in....BFD. It heated up to working temp, I tinned the tip, I quickly soldered my Deans connectors to my ESC....Bob's your Uncle!

I think this is an exceptional value at $## and if it only lasts a year, I'll buy another...or use the parts from "no vote of confidence" LOL.

Soldering Iron takes forever to get hot even on the highest setting. It is okay for very small soldering jobs.
If you try soldering something that's more that an 1/8 of and inch wide, like tabbing solder wire, this Iron will not do the job, However for small integrated circuit soldering it works just fine. I would not recommend using this product for general purpose soldering. Small jobs only.....

Just like some of the other reviewers, this unit smoked like crazy and never even got hot enough at the tip to tin it. I had high hopes for this unit, but it didn't work out. I had to buy a Weller locally to get my project done so I wont get another of these.

For the price this is a very decent soldering iron. If you are planning on getting into small electronics, you may want to go with a different set just because the soldering tip, and the ones that you can buy for them, are a bit large. I can imagine that you can find some other tips that might fit this iron though, and I will be looking for these in the near future.

I am a moderate user of soledering station. This soldering station is a
great product for the price. It arrived on-time in good shape. I am
extremely satisfied with the product.

I purchased this soldering station in July and was not able to find the time to work on the project I bought it for, until now.

Out of the box it looks impressive for the price and in my case it was all looks and no substance.

First time out of the box, I switched it on and after a few minutes, with it starting to heat up, I began smelling that awful acrid smell of plastic wire insulation overheating. I thought ok, maybe it's just burning off some type of residue from the heating element tube or the tip so I'll let it go a bit longer.

After an additional 5 mins, I then noticed a steady thin stream of smoke emanating from the "vents" at the front of handle just behind the heating element base. With the smell getting stronger, and I yanked the plug from the outlet.

Before I purchased this item, I read the reviews on the Parts-Express.com website, who is the actual seller via Amazon.com. It's a mixed bag of reviews, there many that love them and there were many that had problems and hated them... seems like the quality control is hit and miss with some people lucking out and get a good one while others get one that's a complete dog.

Woof-woof... it's not worth paying half the cost of the item in postage to send it back for a replacement, so I'm just going to toss it in the trash and along with the money that would have been spent on postage, I'm buying a better quality soldering station (even if the price is much higher), because I just do not trust the quality and/or safety of this product.

Can't beat the price, but as in all items coming from China, there is no quality control and their standards are lower. What I mean is that this might be "UL approved" but it is unsafe as is. It has to be reworked before using it.
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I had to take apart the handle (needs a special screwdriver) and correct the position of the heater element. It is not held in place, so it does not go to the end of the tip holder. That's why these things start smoking. I took the handle apart and pushed the element all the way forward and then just used electrical tape to hold the wires from the element, to the other two wires in the lower part of the handle and put it back together. It works fine now and it heats properly. I also checked out the control box, but it was ok.
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For the price, it was worth it and it will last a while now. If you go with quality, look at the OVER $100 units, that is the ONLY way to get a quality unit. I don't have any money, so I have to use this low class stuff. If you don't know how to work on stuff like this, buy the good stuff or don't try it.

Having worked with professional solder stations, this leaves much to be desired. It is slow to heat and the tip doesn't tin well. But for the price, it got the job done.

Mine smoked a little the first time, but that was just dust from packaging that got in the iron burning off. I did like the holder and sponge. A longer cord would have been nice.