Soldering Station W.E.P. 937D: your opinions, please

[Skywave]

As per the title. I regularly use Weller and Metcal irons, but this model (W.E.P. 937D) is of interest. It is available from a U.K. source / importer and from what I read about it, appears to be good value for money. But I have no experience of this manufacturer, supplier nor this model.
Therefore I would appreciate any informed comments from members, preferably based on personal experience, please.

Thank you.

Al. / Skywave / Nov. 2, 2013 //

[Bazz4CQJ]

I have a AOYUE 937 temperature controlled iron. I think that the same iron is sold under different names; mine came from a UK source via eBay. When I was looking at buying it I searched the web and found the following;
there were 2 variants;the basic model has just a pot to turn and set the temperature, but there is another model which has press buttons to raise or lower the set temp. Everyone with the basic model was happy (and that now includes me) but those who bought the press button model found the buttons became problematic fairly quickly. Had mine for ~2 years now and had no problems, think it is very good for the price and I too used a Weller at work.

Bazz

[Skywave]

Thank you, Bazz: I found your post useful & informative.

Further investigation reveals that this is a discontinued Hakko model. I can only assume that that is why the price seems reasonable. However, since I have now established that it is a Hakko, replacement tips should be readily available: Hakko list them on their Web Site.

Al. / Nov. 5, '13 //

[Skywave]

Having made further investigations, my immediate post above requires an amendment. It is not a Hakko: it is a Hakko clone, made by Yihua (China).

Al. / Nov. 5, '13 //

[Herald1360]

Presumably, if it's a "good" clone, OE spares should fit OK. Or vice versa.

[Skywave]

Update, Nov. 20, '13.

I took the plunge & bought one. Item has now arrived, examined & tested. The package consisted of the iron, controller, sponge, six different bits and instructions.
Photos at bottom of this post. Here is my report of some tests.

I compared its 'soldering ability' to a Weller TCP. The Weller had an oval-shaped bit #7 at the 'business end'; I fitted a wide 'knife-blade' bit to WEP 937D: the same type and physical size as fitted to the Weller was not available. This was my attempt to get the same surface area of contact with a sheet of 18 SWG steel for a soldering test comparison.

I measured the temperature of each bit by melting a blob of solder on the bit of each iron. To measure that temperature, I used a bi-metallic temperature sensor with its accompanying attachment to a Fluke 77 DMM. The Weller recorded 360 °C. However, the temperature read-out on the WEP 937D failed to match the indicated temperature on the Fluke attachment. For the WEP 937D it was necessary to set a bit temperature of 390 °C to achieve a measured temperature of 360 °C. (Similar inaccuracies were found to exist at other temperatures). I have no reason to doubt the calibration of the Fluke attachment: I checked its calibration at 0 °C and at 100 °C. New batteries were fitted in the Fluke DMM and the attachment.

The Weller did manage to make a secure soldered joint on the test piece of steel, although perhaps not surprisingly with a #7 bit fitted, it was a bit of a struggle, but the WEP 937D failed unquestionably. It was necessary to increase the indicated bit temperature to something in the region of its maximum temperature to achieve a sound joint. The maximum temperature indicated was 480 °C; measured as 450 °C.
Because the bits were of a different shape, this may account for the difference in that soldering test but that does not account for the discrepancies between indicated and measured temperatures for the WEP 937D.

The case of the controller is plastic; the iron support is plastic and easily melted by a hot bit - except for the surround of the sponge: that had excellent heat resistance. The fit of the iron into its stand was not good, but could best be described as 'adequate'. The cable from the controller to the iron passed its 'does the hot bit melt this cable?' test.

Conclusion.
For me, I am happy with this purchase at £40.00 for the purpose of a stand-by / reserve soldering iron: it will only get occasional use. It has its limitations, but the bits are standard Hakko ones so spare bits should be readily available and the bit temperature is adjustable, albeit with a temperature indication that at best can only be relied upon as a guide. My main concern is the expected life of the controller: it appears to use a dedicated integrated cct., so presumably if that fails, a replacement will not be available.

If others here are considering buying one of these, hopefully this report will be useful to them.

All said.

Al. / Skywave.

[Bazz4CQJ]

The iron and the stand in your pictures are significantly different from my AOYUE; the latter has a metal stand which is actually quite heavy. I cannot comment on the controller internals has I've never investigated it.

Regarding temperature, I don't have access to a proper device for use on a soldering iron and my occasional attempts to use a stainless sheathed thermocouple have proved unreliable. Getting that effective balance between good heat transfer, but limited heat sinking, seems hard to do! I normally use the iron with the display set at 380'C. Wonder if an IR camera could be used?