YIHUA 959D-Digital Hot Air Rework Station High Power with 3 Memories Airflow Efficiency F C Display Accurate Temp

I bought this because some components are hard to remove with a solder iron. I watched some videos and noticed that a lot of people are using these air types to work on boards. I found one that was highly rated and reasonable on the price. This turned out to be a really good tool. I repaired a few boards, even removed some small components with no problem. Then I discovered something else, it also works on heat shrink tubing. I set it to about 240F or so and it is awesome. It pulls the heat shrink nice and tight without getting it to hot and splitting. It's awesome. It heats up really fast. It even cools fairly quickly but I wish I could get the fan to run with no heat to make it cool faster so I can change tips. For the price tho, I can't complain. Oh, when I first turned it on, it didn't do anything. You have to remove the heating part from the holder. It has a sensor and turns off, or stays off, until you remove the heating part. Also, be careful you don't cover the air intake with your hand. The way I like to hold it when using for heat shrink tubing, I find I cover the air intake and have to change positions. It sounds different so you can tell when you covering the air intakes. Overall this is a nice tool. Comes in very handy and does what it is supposed to do. I just wish it had a fan only button for 30 or 45 seconds to speed cooling time to change tips. Read more

This station is very nice .well made and I used it on surface mount components that I salvage off a board and work nice. You can set different heat setting and also comes with different tips.Good for shrink tube and many other heat needs. Read more

Works great. I used it to rebuild two clarinets. It made the process much easier. Read more

Works, but the air gun breaks easy. Expect to need to buy a replacement air gun. The base station has no issues, I like it's performance. The air gun can stop working when dropped hard, and if you are not careful when removing air tips, if the metal part on the gun spins too much, it can ruin the gun. Works for a budget hot air station, just treat the air gun with care. Read more

This is my first hot air rework station, and I've only used it a handful of times in hobby applications, but I've been pleased with it so far. I've been able to remove surface mount components from old PCBs in my junk drawer, as well as components with several lugs (like switches). The hot air wand allows me to melt the solder on multiple lugs at the same time (which is difficult wit a soldering iron, at least for me). I'm happy with this purchase! Read more

I will admit that this is my first hot air solder tool. For all my adult life I have gotten by with low wattage fine tip pencil irons to build and repair electronics. However there is no getting around the fact that a pencil iron is like a sledge hammer used to set a thumbtack when it comes to the incredibly small and densely packed SMT solder pads and parts these days. And forget removing a high density IC, especially those with heat transfer pads on the back. This gun, with the help of a couple helpful youtube videos on technique has allowed me to to build and repair PCBs that I would not even try before I had it. The build quality is first rate. The feel of the tool in hand is excellent. The range of temperature and air volume control offered seems right for my needs. It heats up quickly, and both the heat and air volume capability is well beyond anything I am currently needing to remove even the largest LSI. The wand stays cool in hand and the selection of air tips lets me control how concentrated I want the heat, depending on the size of the part. Having the option of saving 3 temp profiles is very handy when moving between part sizes and/or solder melt temps. I practiced removing large chips, small chips and individual small components using the PCBs from a couple dead HDD. I also used them to re-prep pads and install these parts. I was quickly able to dial in the temp and air settings to easily remove, clean and install all the parts without lifting or damaging solder pads, although I would bet most of parts I removed are overbaked at this point because of the time I spent heating and reheating them... I am delighted with this purchase. I have found myself taking parts off dead PCB's just for fun (and more practice). Read more

It's not the quality of a WELLER soldering station but your not paying $500 OR MORE either . If your limited to spending less than $100 ( like most of us) you will like this iron . Solid metal case ! Can't speak to how it will hold up over time but then again I don't use this every day either . I would indeed recommend this unit ! Temp control knob is well constructed and does not have a cheap feel to it . Same for buttons and switches . Solid construction for the money . The only potential negative is that it takes a very long time to cool off when your done using it . Beware getting burnt thinking its been a while since last use ! Also consider where on your bench you'll put this as its potentially a fire hazard for at least 5 full minutes after turning off . Unit does come with a decent iron holder that keeps hot surfaces away from your work bench when your not holding in your hand . 5 star rating considering the low price . Read more