Side by Side Comparison of: Aoyue vs Dr.Meter

Due to RSI, I purchased an ErgoDox Infinity kit, which meant soldering switches and LEDs myself. It had been over 15 years since the last time I messed around with soldering and half my electronics tools have gone missing through several moves, so I looked around for an appropriate soldering iron at a price that wouldn't hurt too much, in case it only ended up being used once.Using other reviews, I found that the 3 & 1/2 setting is approximately 350°C and worked great with the 63/37 tin/lead solder without having to linger too long on the PCB. Even being so rusty, I didn't damage traces or any of the switches I was soldering on the board - Zealios, which reportedly have a housing more sensitive to heat than the black or milky plastics from Cherry or Gateron switches.Everything went very smoothly with the soldering job and I already have another project lined up since I have some extra Gateron blacks laying around and an inexpensive Tomoko 87 board sitting around waiting to be modded.

I really cant say enough good about this soldering station. I've been continuously frustrated with cheap radioshack style soldering irons, but couldn't afford $100+ to get a "real" soldering station. I've used very nice soldering stations owned by other people before, and I'm really impressed with how well this one holds up.PROS:-The pen is nice and lightweight--so much easier to use than the cheap all-in-one irons.-The station itself is very nice, and the sponge tray is actually made of metal. The solder-holder is surprisingly useful as well-Lots of power. I occasionally work on PCB mounted components, but spend most of my time wiring guitars and other audio equipment with this. It's got plenty of power to solder relatively this ground wire onto the back of guitar pots, but also turns down nicely so as not to lift pads on PCBs.-The included tip is a very nice all-around size. I would like to get a couple more tips in the future, but for now, this one works well on a variety of projects.CONS:-Would be nice if they included one or two more tips, but as mentioned, the included one is a great all-rounder-There is a small LED that flashes when the unit is on, but it would be good to have something a little brighter to make it easier to see.

I have had this for about 6 months now and it has worked flawlessly! I build guitars and had been using a cheap Radio Shack iron for around 10 years. That iron took forever to heat up, it never got hot enough for thick parts like the backs of pots, the stand would always fall over and burn holes in the floor...it was a real POS and I HATED soldering because of it. Last year I started a small custom guitar effect and analog synth building business and it was immediately obvious I could not use my old iron. That would be a nightmare! I needed a good variable setting unit that I could use to solder custom circuit boards as well a guitar internals, both of which require different temperatures. I also didn't want to spend something like $300 on a soldering station for a business that may not last a month. I decided on this unit because it had all I needed at a great price as well as positive reviews......I am SO GLAD I DID! This soldering station has made it a JOY to solder and I LOVE working on circuit boards now! The iron temperature can be adjusted easily so that I can set it depending on the type of part I am soldering. There is a red LED that tells you when it is on and heating up so you don't forget to turn it off. It heats up REALLY quick, ready to solder in a fraction of the time of my old iron. plus it gets HOT and I don't have to hold the iron on a part forever waiting for it to get hot enough to melt the solder. The iron handle is a very nice shape with a rubber boot at the front so it is very comfortable to hold. The tip that came with it is a nice standard pencil fine point but conveniently this iron has a standard tip connection that can be swapped out to any other standard sized tip with the twist of a ring nut. The stand works great and is bolted to a very solid base. I read that some people had trouble bolting the stand to the base but really all you have to do is put both screws on loosely and them tighten them together, moving the stand into the position that you want- don't tighten one screw before you install the second. This actually came with a solder spool holder which works great but because the base is solid so I ended up drilling a few more holes in it and installing additional holders for my wire and electrical tape. When I bought it I actually didn't care one way or the other that it had a metal holder for a little sponge since I had always used steel wool to clean my old iron, but the little metal sponge reservoir is an invaluable tool! It has really helped keep the iron tip in a pristine condition. Unfortunately the sponge that came with it is wimpy so I suggest picking up a better sponge. There is only one thing I wish this had - an actual temperature gauge. Even the temperature setting dial is marked from [1] to [8] not a real temperature. I would suggest using a temperature sensor to find out the actual temperature of the iron at different settings and marking the dial so that you can dial in the exact temperature that you want depending on material used. Not exactly a deal breaker, and an easy fix if you have a temp sensor. That is the one and only negative thing I can say about it!SUMMARY:+ This is a VERY HIGHLY recommended iron!+ Works for both fine electronics and for more heavy duty work.+ Well made, heats very fast and stays even!+ LED lets you know when it is on/heating+ Comfortable handle grip+ Standard tip replacement+ Comes with a base and stand that work great+ Metal sponge reservoir and Solder spool holder are invaluable tools- May need a better sponge- doesn't have a temperature gauge for actual temp settingI have not had a single problem with this and I have used it 5-6 days a week now for 6 months.At this price point it has already paid for itself many times over...if it ever did have a problem I would not hesitate to just pick up another!

This soldering station has worked very well for me. I have bought genuine Hakko tips and they all fit completely with no problems. I changed the sponge for a genuine brass wire sponge (dumped the brass colored steel sponge) holder for cleaning the tips. I have made the station much stronger by securing all of the parts together with JB Weld. Using a medium Hakko pointed tip and a Hakko FG 100 Soldering iron temperature measuring unit I have come up with these average tip temperatures. With the dial set on #1 which is "Low" 250 degrees C or 482 degrees F. Dial set on #2 294 degrees C or 561 degrees F. Dial set on #3 331 degrees C or 628 degrees F. Dial set on #4 365 degrees C or 689 degrees F. Now there is a big gap space between #4 and # 5 on the dial face and the solder tip temperature reflects this. Dial set on # 5 415 degrees C or 779 degrees F (this was the biggest change in temperature between dial numbers). Dial set on #6 430 degrees C or 806 degrees F. Dial set on # 7 445 degrees C or 833 degrees F. Dial set on # 8 which is "High" 467 degrees C or 872 degrees F. Like I mentioned these tip temperatures are the result of the average of 5 tip temperatures on each dial setting going from low to high and then back to low. This was giving 6 minutes heating up and 6 minutes cooling down time between each consecutive measurement. I always keep an extra heating element for this station on hand just in case but have had no need to install the element. I am very satisfied with this unit at the price point it has. Keep the solder tip clean and check the tip lock ring once in a while to make sure it is tight (use a pair of pliers for this, the lock ring will be hot !!!). With this in mind the unit should give you good service. Another hint, I use 4 different diameters of solder and all are rosin core (never use acid core solder or acid flux for electronic work) as the diameters are different the melting temperatures are different adjust the soldering station temperature to match the solder. Solders differ in make up I have 63/37, 60/40, and 58/40 with 2% silver- the melting temperatures of the solder are normally printed on the spool or package. Aloha from Maui.

Wonderful station for the price.I use a WES51 (a $100 Weller iron) at school and I have to say I like this one better. While it's not temperature controlled and doesn't have any special features, its simplicity, reliability, and power make it remarkable. I've been soldering for dozens to hundreds of hours on it, and not once have I encountered a single problem. I'm still even using the same tip. The 60W heater gets it up to temperature in a matter of seconds, as opposed to minutes as cheaper Weller irons and most cheap irons in general would take. The widespread availability of extra parts and tips is a huge plus.Unless you want to try your luck with knockoff Chinese digital stations, I don't imagine there is a better station in the same price range.

This is a first-impressions review - I've not used it yet but I have messed around and I'm impressed.On it's lowest setting it starts melting solder in 50 seconds. I'm sure there's better - but not at this price point. The plastic base is just that - the power supply, sponge tray, solder reel holder and iron stand all mount into the base. All the plastic parts are clear and precisely made - no seams or other plastic flaws to worry about. The power supply simply pushes down on four pegs in the stand - so you can disconnect it from the stand as needed. Excellent build quality - the wire for the iron has a nice high-quality feel to it as well - light and flexible as it should be.Overall a great soldering iron package.

This soldering station is a nice upgrade from my little pencil iron I have been using for years. This one has a much better wattage adjustment and the iron itself is well made. The extra tips that come with this unit is a real plus and the stand is fine, but needs to be inserted completely. It would be flimsy if you didn't make sure the stand was pushed well into the base of the unit. The unit came in a plain brown box with the name printed on it, so it is not a retail looking box. The unit was packed fine in the box and it seems well made. I will have to report back with updates after I have used it more extensively, but my initial use and impression is that this is a good unit for the price.

First thing is, it works. Not a fan of the little stand it comes with, so I bought a base station for it. It can get a bit too hot in the handle for comfort, so you either hurry up so you can put it down, or hold on further back toward the cord and have a little less control over what you're doing. It might be the wattage, but it seemed to take a bit longer than I'm used to for melting solder. Having said that, for the price this is not too bad. I've used it so far to build out some small components and repair a TV. Worked just fine.Update: I've added 2 stars based on the customer service from these guys. From this initial review they reached out to me to follow up on it, and honestly gave me a solution I wouldn't have even asked for. This is exactly the sort of thing that deserves customer loyalty.

This is a pretty good starter soldering iron for the price. I bought this soldering iron because I had a wire to replace in an AC adapter and I had always wanted to try to fix my own items.This soldering iron heats up very fast. When I first used it there was a little bit of smoke that came off of it (probably oil or other residue from manufacturing process), but that only lasted about 15 seconds. The included kickstand is helpful in keeping the hot iron away from flammable materials. I was able to remove the old solder and replace with my new cord in about 10-15 minutes (which I thought was pretty good for someone who had literally never done soldering before) and my AC adapter was back to brand new. I saved about 50$ in the process and I was able to teach myself something new! Fantastic!I'll now continue to use this iron for all my other soldering needs and will update this review as needed, but for now it gets five stars from me!

I have never used a soldering iron before, and I bought this to try a capacitor replacement on my tv. The little stand it comes with is not very sturdy but it worked. The iron had some discoloration after it was hot, but it worked great. The operation was a success! The iron worked great and the tv is fixed for about $20 including the iron!

I wasn't expecting much for such an inexpensive soldering iron, but I have to say I really put this iron through its paces and it has held up fine. I recommend this product highly!

i bought this to solder solar cell so far its worked better than expected. I have assembled 6 72 cell panels with out one problem with the iron

Great beginner soldering iron. I can't complain very much since it gets the job done, but I did dock a star because there's no real indicator of temperature.That said: If you're using 60/40 rosin core set it to 6 on the temperature and wait 5 minutes.

Awesome soldering station, however word of caution when you assemble it, superglue the control unit to the stand, as it just lightly sits there on top. Had it fall over/off a couple times when using it. Also the standard tip is ok, but definitely pickup a pack of different tips because its too fat of a tip stock. Don't order the ones that amazon suggests on this page, they are coming straight from china. I ordered them early-mid February, just got them yesterday. Do yourself a favor and order locally.

This station is of very good quality for the price. Aoyue products are actually very reliable and dependable. It performs very well and is quite accurate setting the temperature. I would recommend this to anyone performing general soldering tasks and to hobbyist and beginners.. It will do 99% of your soldering chores with ease and at a very reasonable price. Just get it. You will be happily surprised just like I am.....

I ordered on November 4, 2015. It's now January 21, 2017. I'm not sure it's worth the price at 29.99, maybe if it were on sale for less it would be. Although its done everything i need it to. It just feels cheap. Nothing locks together. It's very light. It all just sort of sits on one another, loosely. Some glue solves this. I wish instead of the 1 LOW - 8 HIGH dial, they used any sort of tempature indication. The missing soldering iron port isn't a big deal, as there's enough space in the case to add one, but it would have been nice to see that for the price imo, because the cord always being attached to the device is annoying and cumbersome. The guts are alright, nothing special at all... maybe my expectations are too high, but after watching various iron teardowns there are cheaper alternatives that beat this with no question for less than 20 dollars. All in all it's okay, nothing special. I feel like the device was designed by someone who's never soldered before in their life. Everything feels like it was an afterthought. I'm giving it 4 stars because it's lasted my abuse for longer than i thought it would.

Nice unit, works well. Heats up much more quickly than I had expected. I am giving it 4 stars instead of 5 stars because it should have had an LED light indicating when the switch is on, so one doesn't leave it on accidentally when not in use. However, I added one (pic included). It's the Blue Sea Systems 120V AC LED right here on Amazon. It's small (11/64" hole), and just the right size for this application. I just found the common & 110V switched wires inside and tapped them for the LED. See pic. My LED looks factory.

I returned it for a 936 model. But, in hindsight, they seem to be the exact same iron. The 936 just has numbers on the heat setting dial, that are just a "guess-timation" of the actual temperature, and this 469 does not. It occurred to me, I could just set the dial where it worked best, mark it with a small piece of tape, and leave it alone.These heat up yo temperature in less than a minute and hold it pretty well.All Hakko tips fit this iron

I was excited to try this iron out since it was at a good price and seemed like it would do the job. Upon plugging it in the temperature warmed up properly and soldered well for the first couple joints, then quickly (under an hour) the tip began to corrode away. I have been using the same solder and flux for years and have had no issue -- it seems to be limited to this iron itself.Edit: The company took the time to review customers' comments. They sent me a replacement without many questions. This is a company that wants to do it right for their customers. I have not yet had time to test the new iron at length but it fired up just right and I have high hopes.

Not as well built as I was hoping, and the indicator lights do not work on my unit.UPDATE 12/31/2015The iron's lights actually DO turn on, they are just not bright. Glad to see this. Build quality is still not the best of the best but I will up it to 4 stars.

Customer service is great, if not a bit insistent. They asked me to change my review after refunding my money for a product that didn't work. The product still gets 1 star, the customer service gets 4. The unit did not work.Plugged in, smelled like it was heating up for about 30 seconds then it quit. Tried different outlets, no change. It could have been a random unit that just was inoperable.

I use this soldering iron for other than its intended purpose. I use it to melt holes in polypropylene straps so I can add grommets. Great for when you are making boundary lines for outdoor volleyball courts. I also use it to fuse para-cord and polypro ropes. The only reason I knock it down to 4 stars is because the "stand" that is included is at leas one level below cheap. It is a piece of pressed metal that is stamped so you can fold out an insert and create a "tepee" like stand. Unfortunately, mine wasn't cut all the way through properly and I couldn't create the stand. So the iron is exactly as advertised and 5 stars, the included stand gets a minus one star.

The plastic handle gets pretty hot if you leave it plugged in for more than 10 minutes. In retrospect, I should have gotten one with an on/off switch on the iron itself.

Note this item is the same item as the J&L 60 watt soldering iron sold on Amazon. My package actually had J&L on it but had a sticker over it with Dr. Meter printed on it. No biggie, they are same price. I just thought I might get a better item from Dr. Meter. It is Chinese made as expected for low cost iron but works well for my uses. Handle is very far from tip which can make any delicate soldering tasks a bit difficult (harder to manage the tip). Iron heats up well and price is right.

It does heat up quickly, solders well, and it has held up. However, it is rickety, a bunch of parts that barely snap together, the light to indicate it's on is not really visible and why it flickers, I have no idea, and the on/off switch is in the back, which is a serious safety hazard (you can forget to turn it off).

Very good soldering iron with one issue so far. The iron seems of good quality, however, the metal part seems to be coming apart from the plastic handle - it is wabbling. I am not sure if this happened because of the heat or maybe I got a deffective item.

Used this once a week for a little over a year before the iron fell apart.Everything else is good, but the iron is of poor quality. The iron gets nice and hot, the control allows you to dial in the proper heat setting for your job. The station has a convenient place to store extra spools of solder. I just can't give it any more than 3 stars because of the design of the iron. Its not built to last. It didn't last.

After all I had read about "Aoyue" soldering irons being a quality unit, I purchased this one for small repairs. My first impression was that it is not as well built as I thought. Upon arrival, in my excited anticipation as I unpacked it, the excitement turned to disappointment as I saw that the on/off switch was not in the unit, It was hanging out of the opening and the case was not staying together at the junction. After pushing the unit back together and convincing myself that it still may be an okay unit, I plugged it in. Another disappointment. It did not heat up as quickly as we are lead to believe, nor as hot as some of the claims. When I purchase my next soldering iron, sad to say, it will not be "Aoyue".

It's a good iron for the money but I could never get the tip to tin properly. Since I didn't do much soldering or any precision soldering that didn't matter much. As I became more involved in playing with electronics and building up boards I needed a better quality iron and purchased a Hakku. If you are just going to do general work every now and then this is a nice inexpensive alternative.

Solid product.Pros:Sturdy constructionTip heats up fast and temperature is well controlledInterchangable tips a big plusCons:Screws are too short to allow full assembly. Holding device cannot be attachedOverall, a solid product, just wish they spent 5cents more on longer screws

The whole thing except the plastic discolors when heated and takes a long time to heat up. It works, but could be better.

It's Ok. The handle gets too hot to hold after a few minutes, and your only option for temperature control is unplugging it/plugging it back in which gets pretty annoying if you're doing more than one or two joints. It's a good one to keep in a field work kit, definitely not going to get used at the shop.

The tip disintegrated pretty easily and it was too hot for the gauge wires I was using. I was able to sand the tip and I was able to finish my the job I was working on but now I need a new tip.Update:I received a replacement from the seller and customer service seems to be pretty good. When I get a chance to use the new soldering iron I will update about the tip.

I just had one small soldering job to do, so I didn't want to shell out the money for a decent soldering station. This thing got the job done, but barely. After letting it heat up for several minutes, I had to hold it steady on a tiny, 1mm blob of 60-40 solder for 5-10 seconds to get it to melt. After 10-15 minutes of use, the handle was uncomfortably hot, and waves of heat were radiating off of the metal jacket, but the tip still had trouble melting solder. I wish that I had just spent the extra money for a decent unit. If you plan on doing more than 1-2 soldering jobs, I would stay away from this one. Three stars, since at under $10, I don't really expect much better.

Fast shipping, heats up quick but the tip disintegrated after 4 joints but I was able to use it to complete the job. Should come with more tips. Why do the tips wear out so fast? I don't understand it.

This is an update, the first item I received did not work properly. The shop owners were kind enough to refund me and give me another one to try for free. The new one heats up, however, it's not nearly as hot as I had hoped and I still do not like the stand it came with as it is flimsy. All in all, this is a good by for the price and a great "starter" iron for those just learning.

Awesome soldering station except that it was missing the sponge to it.

Within 15 minutes of first-time use, the entire tip and metal section popped out of the iron handle. Just prior to failure, I observed the tip section appeared bent after cleaning the tip on the wet sponge. It appears that the tip section is supposed to be attached to the handle with simple rubber tips. I only saw one of these rubber tips. Needs more sturdy redesign.Very pleased with the quick and simple return process with Amazon Prime.

I was expecting a lot more from this, even for something under $40. The quality of the wand, wiring, stand, and the rest was appalling. Cheap plastic and seems very brittle. I was really excited to use it, which quickly went away, turning to disappointment at how poorly the unit worked. The LED to indicate power was too dim to see even in a low light environment. The iron took over 5 minutes to heat up enough to melt solder, even at full power. I tired to solder a few simply joints on a through hole board and it would take between 20-30 seconds to heat the foil enough to flow solder. Pay more and get a quality station, or pay less and get a quality standalone iron.

Not a big fan of this product. First - who would design a product (that heats up!!) with a hard to see power light? I have to cup my hand over the top of the unit to barely see the flashing power indicator. Second - cheap tip, very hard to keep tinned. I ordered higher quality tips in a hope to get a usable tip. Yes, I know you get what you pay for but I thought this unit would have been a better product based on the price and reviews.

The iron, PSU, and holder are cool but the rest is junk and a waste of space. The coil stand is extremely annoying to connect to the plastic tray and the whole station is unstable once assembled. I recommend mounting each component onto a 18" x 12" wood block for more working space, stability and personalization.Addendum:Iron came apart at the handle after about 10 uses. It doesn't appear to be able to handle its own heat

I have used this for a few months. I would not buy this again. It is difficult to adjust the heat and when it reaches the temperature it shuts off and the heat drops rapidly. This even happens when on the highest temp setting. Spend a little more and get a better unit.

takes forever to get to temp and solder will not stick to the tip.....

This is the 2nd of this specific. soldering iron that I've gone through within 6 months. Seller was always responsive and courteous, but the product is just below sub-par. And they all break the same way, during long jobs.I appreciate the seller very much, but I guess I need to invest in more professional items.

Often won't get the wire hot enough to melt the solder. So I've had to heat the solder instead of the wire often times (I know that's not the right way to do it) but I don't have any other option. But you get what you pay for.

Much to hot for the wire gauges I usually work with.. the solder just explodes off the tip when I try and tin it. Should have gotten a 40W iron.This iron is well built, but unless you are doing some pretty think wire (like 12-16g) it to hot for electronics.

The tip didn't even get that hot the only thing that was red hot was the middle close to the handle and melted the handle a bit

The soldering iron works just fine. The problem is the soldering iron tip. It slowly disintegrates. Which shouldn't happen. And finding a proper tip to fit the iron is a rather difficult task.

Burned out after only one project (less than 50 standard solder joints). Handle gets too hot for comfort as well. I'm an experienced solderer, thought I'd get a bargain based on other reviews here when my old Radio Shack (i.e. from the 1970s) pen finally died and I could no longer get tips. Don't waste your money on the Aoyue, though it does have a very nice box with a carrying handle. I have found that the X-Tronic Model #3020-XTS Digital Display Soldering Iron Station - 10 Minute Sleep Function, Auto Cool Down, C/F Switch, Ergonomic Soldering Iron, Solder Holder, Brass Tip Cleaner with Cleaning Flux works beautifully, though it is a little more expensive. Perhaps I got a dudd, but the Aoyue is really cheaply made. If I had seen it in person before buying, I would have moved on.

So upset I finally opened up this product and it stopped working with in 5 min.

I had high hopes for it and I was using it just fine and then it decided to die on me on the 2nd day of use. It doesn't even heat up anymore. When I turn the knob it's stone cold. I might of gotten a defective one. Very disappointed.

The iron broke out of the handle after a few uses at heat mark 5. Sadly it happened after the 30 day exchange window. Say some time and money - skip this one (no matter who's name is on the box) and get something better.Not content to just be sort of broken, the thing just snapped in half while I was using it. Photo attached. Skip this worthless product.

Similiar to other users, worked great but the metal detaches from the plastic handle. The plastic doesnt seem to do well with the heat so when using it on a 6-7 setting it will constantly work its way out of the handle. Then requires you to stop and push it back in with pliers. I only use this to solder r/c wires so I dont use it any more than for a hobby.

The ceramic heater failed the second time I used it. A piece broke off of the heater itself and it no longer works. Wasted $30.

used the unit once, kept the tip clean and covered with solder. It disintegrated in less than 2 hours. where can i find replacement tips? this is trash.

There is only a small sticker on the backside of the packaging that has the name, Mr. Meter. But the package it came in says J& L. Also says it comes with a stand included, but it did not have a stand. When I plugged it in, it didn't heat up, not even after 15 min! Sent it back

burned itself out in less than 5 minutes.

The plastic grip gets painfully hot to touch making it impossible to use. The tip gets so hot it will immediately melt the insulation off a wire when trying to solder it to something.

does not get hot, just mildly warm, waste of money for this "toy"If you really want to solder, buy a proper tool, not this toy!

Stay away for this poor thing.Not good after a few uses.Wont even melt the solder.Buy a WELLER you be happier in the long run.Trust me>