858D Hot Air Gun LED Display SMD Soldering Rework Station 110V 700W

This does exactly what it needs to. It has a quick start up time. The auto shut off feature is nice as well. I've removed components on multiple types of boards with this station and it works. Nothing fancy, but gets the job done.

This unit is a newer design of this ubiquitous 858D rework station as indicated by the different button placement. This design doesn't have the heavy bulky transformer of the older design, but instead has a small PCB mounted transformer. Consequently the case is mostly empty inside. The blower wand looks the same as the older units but I think it is a newer design too because is uses an 8 pin connector rather than the 4 pin on the older designs. It includes the items shown, though I can't imagine how the two prong IC removal tool would be useful for anything. It also includes a small manual in both Chinese and English, but is very terse. Because of the simple operation of the unit the manual is probably adequate. There is no CAL switch like the older design but the manual says to press both the temperature up and down buttons together to enter cal mode. There is no spare heater cartridge like some of the older designs provide, and I think is has a different heater than the older designs. I'm not sure there is a heater replacement is available anywhere, and the manufacturer doesn't appear to have a website that I could locate. The PCB is mostly surface mount with the exception of the switch, pot, and connectors. The PCB, other parts, wire, and soldering seems to be of good quality, but there is no marking whatever on the SMD micro-controller chip so I'm not sure what it is. The supplied line cord is wired backwards (neutral and hot are reversed in the cord) as is commonly reported for many of these inexpensive rework stations. I used a known good cord instead. It lost one star for that deficiency. The fuse is integral to the power entry module and includes two 8A fuses (one for a spare). The unit worked right out of the box, no problems, but I haven't done extensive testing. This is the least expensive brand I could find on Amazon of this new design. Probably won't last forever but as little as I expect to use it and for what I paid for it I'm happy.

I was really surprised how long this inexpensive hot gun kept the temp for soldering up a bunch of quadcopter boards. Must have been close to 3 hours of work and it just kept on going. I did use it a few times before for doing quick 15-30 minute projects so I may have broken it in correctly and now it works. A couple friends from the forums have not had the best results with under $100 guns, but I couldnt justify spending that for using it every once in a while. Glad I bought it and give 5 stars and a high recommendation!

Tested and found to be accurate in regards to temperature. Remains to be seen how long it will last. Good price, tho.

very good

I have not been able to use the device yet. The unit was shipped in an unopened box apparently direct to the seller's inventory and not opened until I received it. When first turned on it immediately blew the fuse. I installed the backup fuse shipped with the unit which immediately blew. I then looked at the blown fuses they were rated at 2A. A label on the back of the unit specifies that 8A fuses are required. I am waiting until a local fuse distributor opens on Monday morning to purchase the correct fuse. Only until I can obtain the correct fuse size can I evaluate the unit. The Chinese manufacturer screwed up IT IS NOT THE VENDOR'S FAULT!

It works well A little concerned that it is fused on the "neutral" and not the "hot" side of the main ac line. So I always plug it into a socket protected by a ground fault interrupter and never leave it unattended when plugged in.

I’ve done all kinds of things with it. Removed labels/decals from shirts. Melted the seams of a duffel bag that was fraying everywhere. Soldered components. A bit of hot air can do much more than you might think at first.