Top Rework Stations for Circuit Board Repair Hobbyists
Are you looking for a soldering and rework station for hobbyists?
If so, we’ve got the answers! We are going to go over some key features of some of our most popular rework stations. These units range from basic to advanced rework stations for not only hobbyists but also professionals to help you select the one that is best for you!
What to look for in a rework station?
- Multiple heat sources, soldering iron, hot air, and desoldering station.
- Wattage determines how fast it heats up.
- Temperature range and control
- Tip size and key features.
Table of content
- What is a rework station?
- BK2050 – Soldering Station and Fume Extractor
- CSI8786D – Digital Hot Air Rework Station with Soldering Iron
- CSI825A – Hot Air Rework Station with Vacuum Pickup
- CSI853B-DELUXE – Deluxe PCB Preheater and Desoldering System
- BK8000 PLUS – 3-in-1 Hot Air Rework Soldering Station
- Conclusion
What is a rework station?
Do you need a rework station that is suitable for lead-free solder, traditional solder, or both? How about an LCD display? Is it important to have a long cord length? These are just a few of the additional features available with certain soldering stations. Consider these added benefits when making your decision.
A rework station acts as a “tool kit” where you keep all your soldering methods to repair a circuit board. A rework station will typically include a soldering station, hot air, desoldering station, a stand for your hot iron, and slots for your accessories as well as cleaning sponges. Finally, they are extremely useful and provide for a more organized and cleaner workspace. Moreover, individuals of all skill levels need and use rework stations for their everyday electronic tasks.
What will you be working on?
Will you be soldering wires, electrical boards, or electrical components? Take some time to consider what type of materials and connections you’ll be making. This will be important in determining how much wattage and what feature you need in the rework station. The higher the wattage, the faster it will heat up to reach the temperature you need to make connections.
BK2050 – Soldering Station and Fume Extractor
Price: $69.82
Short description: The BlackJack SolderWerks 2050+ is a 70 Watt soldering station with a detachable Fume Extractor. Moreover, this soldering iron has a faster heat-up time and the highest tip temperature recovery in its class. It also includes a thermal pad for easy changing of hot tips.
Ideal for: hobbyists who are looking for an all-in-one beginner start-up kit.
Key feature:
- Working platform with magnetic PCB holders
- Smoke absorber/fume extractor with LED lamp
- Detachable smoke/fume exhaust duct with securing clamp
- Soldering iron holder
- Solder spool holder (solder not included)
CSI8786D – Digital Hot Air Rework Station with Soldering Iron
Price: $98.13
Short description: The CSI8786D features an independent Hot Air Gun and Soldering iron that function separately, with no interference with each other. Featuring rapid warm-up and stable accurate temperature control that is not affected by airflow allowing lead-free soldering and desoldering. It is suitable for mounting and reworking SMD components by hand.
Ideal for: hobbyists who are looking for some SMD and through hole soldering projects.
Key feature:
- Hot air guns and soldering iron separate and have no interference with each other
- Extremely low noise and space-saving design
- microcomputer control, quick warming-up
- A 50-watt output soldering iron with a temp range of 200°C – 480°C
CSI825A – Hot Air Rework Station with Vacuum Pickup
Price: $156.99
Short description: Our 320-watt, CSI825A hot air soldering station is what every shop or lab needs to work with today’s SMT-designed circuit boards. This multi-technology assembly and repair hot air station makes the delicate work of soldering and removing surface mount devices and ICs a snap.
Ideal for: hobbyists who want to focus on SMD and circuit board assembly.
Key features:
- CPU controlled
- Air pump: diaphragm special-purpose lathe pump
- Air pump volume: 23L/min (Max)
- Temperature range:100°C to 480°C / 212°F to 896°F
- 15-Minute stand-by temperature “sleep” mode
CSI853B-DELUXE – Deluxe PCB Preheater and Desoldering System
Price: $259
Short description: The Circuit Specialists 853B-Deluxe integrates a PCB preheating platform with a hot air re-work and soldering system and provides an economical solution to solder or de-solder BGA, SOIC, QFP, PLCC, and other surface mount integrated circuits.
Ideal for: hobbyists or professionals who are looking for a complete set of tools for PCB assembly and repair.
Key feature:
- Heating Elements: Ceramic
- Temperature Range /Preheater: 50-400 deg C (122 to 752 deg F) display is in Celsius
- Temperature Range/Hot Air: 100-480 deg C
- Hot Air Power: 720 watts
- Hot Air Flow: 120L/minute maximum
BK8000 PLUS – 3-in-1 Hot Air Rework Soldering Station
Price: $374.61
Short description: The BlackJack SolderWerks BK8000-PLUS Advanced Repair System is a digital multipurpose rework system equipped with a powerful dual port, and dual pump design. This dual port, dual pump system allows seamless workflow as the hot air gun, soldering iron, and de-soldering gun can be operated simultaneously. This design feature differs from many hot air rework systems that are designed to share the same pump requiring the de-soldering gun and the hot air gun to share the same port.
Ideal for: hobbyists or professionals, who are looking for the best rework station that would do everything and more.
Key feature:
- Hot air gun up to 500 watts
- Temperature Range: 100 deg to 480 deg C
- Soldering iron up to 70 Watts Max
- Desoldering gun temp Range: 200-480 deg C
- Ceramic Heating Elements
Conclusion
A rework station is a great addition to any workshop or personal circuit board station. During this article, we reviewed our top soldering stations for hobbyists and helped you select the soldering station that is best for you!
Visit Circuit Specialists for replaceable soldering tips.
