Testing the Cheapest SMD Hot Air Rework Station on Amazon

With my console repair backlog bigger than it's ever been, I've put a number of projects on hold that require SMD work. While removing a single SMD component might be feasible with a soldering iron, it gets less practical with larger volume of components that need replacing. Other projects like swapping out an HDMI or USB-C port would also be much easier with hot air. The time has come to add another toy to my toolkit.
What I did not expect while on this shopping excursion was finding a hot air rework station for $35 with Prime Free Shipping. I was mentally prepared to spend more despite targeting a basic unit to enter the world of hot air.
I stumbled upon this magnificent hunk of plastic with innards screaming "bargain bin" circuitry, and couldn't resist trying it out to see if it was garbage or any good.
🌎 Support the channel by buying some of my merch or one of my console builds
www.BorderlineOCD.com
🛒 Specialty products I used in this project
🔥 $35 Hot Air Rework Station: amzn.to/3w023bF
🔧 Toolkit
Screwdriver Set: amzn.to/2X7s0Gj
Automatic Wire Stripper: amzn.to/30F5TJm
🖌 Soldering Essentials
TS100 Soldering Iron: amzn.to/2YIJZUR
No Clean Flux Syringe: amzn.to/2NFUZvQ
No Clean Solder: amzn.to/2NHEAqQ
Desoldering Braid: amzn.to/312Grws
🔍 Soldering Add-ons
Tip Tinner: amzn.to/31w2EF4
Helping Hands Soldering Aid: amzn.to/3ihgksP
🎵 Music
Sappheiros - Timeless / sappheirosmusic
"Sappheiros - Timeless" is under a Creative Commons license (CC BY 3.0)

[@BorderlineOCD]

In the video I stated that the fan speed can only be set from F5 to F10, which I noted that I found this odd. Well upon further tinkering with the unit the fan speed does indeed go all the way down to F1, so the range is actually F1 to F10 i.e. 10% to 100%. This makes much more sense. I'm not sure why I could only go down to F5 when I first tried it. Might have not pressed the Down button firm enough, or might be some other behavior that I have yet to discover. In any case, all is still well with this device, and I have a bit more control over fan speed that I previously thought.

[@nathanmead140]

I have this same hot air gun and the fan speed can only be set lower if the temperature is set lower too, it's to keep the heater from burning out by not getting enough air through it. I've had it since last year when i watched your xbox 360 slim red dot of death repair and my hot air gun still works fine.

[@BorderlineOCD]

Thanks for sharing bud. That's good to know, this behavior hadn't crossed my mind. You would think they would include that in the manual, but the instructions that came with the unit leave a lot to be desired.

[@SAFbikes]

China includes a fire extinguisher and you feel more safe???? 😮 idk what type of weird OCD you have but to me that SCREAMS red flag, danger you’re going to burn your house down 😂😂😂

[@jamesfatula5824]

lower fan is good for tiny smd cap,reistor,diode as it wont blow those away

[@IsmaelWensder]

Man: buys a hot air station, realizes how much fun it is, proceeds to remove all the components from everything around it.

[@daijoubu4529]

And after you put it back together you're left with spare parts lol

[@alanyura644]

@@daijoubu4529 that just means you made it more efficient. /s

[@Agilato]

I got same Hot Air Station from Ali and it served me and helped save loads of consoles and other electronics during last 2 years. I mostly used 5th air speed setting. After that got nice station and it makes you appreciated good tool more. Overall for ppl who does one/two times repair it's perfect.

[@BorderlineOCD]

Thanks for sharing. It hasn't let me down yet and I have no plans to replace it until my skills (and hot air needs) evolve.

[@adamh8773]

Glad I watch this, given me some ideas what to look for in a hot art station. Also keep up the good work man, enjoying the videos you make.

[@rigues]

I bought one of these about a two years ago, and I'm pretty happy with it. Still works, and is a huge help when replacing USB ports and smaller components. Now, if only I could find a similarly cheap dessoldering gun...

[@grant2939]

"ECG J-045-DS Electric Corded De-Soldering Iron, 420 Degree C Tip Temperature, 45W" is the SKETCHIEST thing on planet earth... not a gun, but works extremely well.

[@gamingwolf7895]

Can it work on a 360 I need to recall the GPU please let me know

[@TheCerpinTaxt]

Thanks for your content, i miss your videos. Greetings from México

[@BorderlineOCD]

Thanks bud, my setup is still barebones at the moment but I'm slowly unpacking and getting back into it!

[@jeff15]

@@BorderlineOCD you're doing great.

[@PunkNDisorderlyGamer]

If you do attempt an HDMI repair on the ps3, make sure to not pull at the port, it should fall off similar to the headphone Jack you removed. The difference is the headphone jack was a through hole component and the HDMI has traces that run parallel to the board that can be easily pulled. Also, use flux.

[@BorderlineOCD]

Thanks for the tip bud, I'll be careful. Absolutely will be using flux, maybe some Chip Quik too.

[@joshmiller887]

I was just shopping for a hot air rework station. It would be my first one, and I think this might be a good starter unit for me. Thanks for the insight!

[@BorderlineOCD]

Glad you may have found it useful. Enjoy your first hot air gun. The fun awaits you :)

[@MAXTORRACER]

As I spent all night last night working on four PS3 fats, thinking I need a hot air station. I am up today and a video from my favorite KZbin repair guy pops up through Google's telepathy. And it is for ,what is now, a $29 hot air station, I had to pull the trigger. Please never stop. Others are fine. But I relate to you the most. Thanks for all your help. Here is to you hitting 100k one day.

[@fatalfallacy]

Thank you for this! I expect it to even work better with some flux added. Seems to be a no brainer for anyone like me just casually have the need for a hot air and never found myself to justify a costly purchase.

[@BorderlineOCD]

It's been great for my needs and I wouldn't hesitate recommending it for someone who has similar casual needs.

[@SIR_K_Daddy]

Great video and super excited for the PS3 phat video with the YLOD. I recently got one for $20 bucks and am looking forward to repairing it, can't wait for your experience

[@adeeshabandara9140]

Thank you for uploading a video,was waiting for days

[@BorderlineOCD]

Hope you enjoyed it!

[@oliversiwanzi517]

I got one today and I'm super excited

[@jimmymkirk]

Here's what I have to show... finger with bandaid enters frame. Love your videos and I've been contemplating getting a similar hot air station. I'm convinced I need one now.

[@thebatu89]

Thanks for the demo by melting the solders. Don’t have a rework station yet but I do a have heat gun that randomly takes a while to reach high temperature. Now i know when it’s ready for use 😅

[@mthanry]

Welcome back to the console repair scene :-) A hot air gun is a must have but it has a learning curve and practising is indeed a good idea. Some key points when using hot air is to warm up a large area of the board before focusing on just the component you want to remove. It will prevent the board from warping. Circular motion, not too much flow and you'll be fine. Regarding the ylod ps3, the culprits are usually the large nec/tokin caps by the CPU and GPU. If I remember correctly there 4 of them on each side. They are held in place by 4 large pads, 2 of which are under them and I found them difficult to remove even with hot air (maybe due to lack of experience). I found that replacing each of them with 4 x 470uF/6.3V tantalum smd caps works but it is awkward to find the right layout.They are also thicker than the original ones and need to be covered with kapton to prevent shorts with the metal shield. I think next time, I'll use a ribbon cable (old IDE or alike) to have the caps in a more convenient location.

[@BorderlineOCD]

The previous owner mentioned that the YLOD PS3 has a prior repair attempt with 4 TOKIN caps swapped. I'm either going to try swapping the other 4 or redo all 8 and bridge the needed paths that are required when doing a full swap. I am not looking forward to the removal!

[@seanrussell3298]

Glad you're back! I was starting to get the shakes.

[@BorderlineOCD]

It’s a good thing this is the good type of addiction :) I am working back up to my regular cadence so I hope to keep them coming regularly for you guys.

[@jasonhu55]

Awesome! Can't wait for the coming videos!!

[@BorderlineOCD]

Thanks! My room is slowly coming together so I hope to resume regular uploads again soon.

[@fixorbricks]

This video is so valuable! Thank you brotha!

[@tevman69]

Good for you (and me too)! Thanks, much!

[@Evilslayer73]

I just receive the same hot air station i cant wait to try it!

[@CraigyGInDaHut1993]

Glad to see the videos going again

[@BorderlineOCD]

Slowly getting there! Thanks for watching :)

[@bp-ek1bg]

Im glad your back dude!

[@BorderlineOCD]

Glad to be back brother.

[@JrManPT]

Just as I was looking for one, thanks!

[@BorderlineOCD]

Ha, glad it was useful to you! I stopped short of recommending it, because while it fits my intended use I didn't want to steer folks in the wrong direction if you're looking for something better. But, I can't bash it too hard either. Cheap or not, it does work :)

[@InMyHead]

I am going to get one of these too as well as the soldering iron you have. I used to work for IBM, over 30 years ago, and used to have to use Hakko hot air systems and MetCal soldering stations back in the day. I have been wanting to get back into repairing some things I have stockpiled and make some videos on that, so....thanks for the review on this!

[@BorderlineOCD]

Glad you may have found it helpful. I think the soldering iron is great, I particularly like the smaller form factor. Theres a newer model (TS80) but I'm not a fan of the USB-C connector and prefer the barrel jack on the TS100. As for this hot air station, I'm eager to get some experience with it so its the right hobby tool for me. If you already have experience you might enjoy something better on the hot air front but for light use I think it's not too bad.

[@InMyHead]

@@BorderlineOCD thanks for that yeah even with my experience, as little as I might be using them, I think they both would work well for me. I have an xbox that i picked up at a thrift store for 5 bucks that I plan to work on and then mod for one of my videos, with the inspiration of your xbox repair videos.

[@SoundToxin]

@@BorderlineOCD The Pinecil can be powered with USB-C or a barrel connector and is compabitle with TS100 tips.

[@diaboloavocado]

I had a similar looking hot air gun as part of a cheap ATTEN soldering station. After a few years of occasional use, the fan started to cut out. I ended up disassembling it, cutting the cord near the entry to the back of the gun, stripping the cord back and resoldering the wires back on. Has now been good for another 2 years.

[@BorderlineOCD]

Lol it's good to know folks see some longevity with these tools. They're not made to last but for the right person they serve a useful purpose.

[@jeff15]

Welcome aboard. Excellent video. I too got burned with those cheap hot stations. Few years back I've upgraded to one I for sure recommend to everyone!!! . ATTEN ST-862D. When you ready. Thanks for sharing.

[@BorderlineOCD]

Glad you enjoyed it. I'm curious to see how long this unit will last so we'll see! Thanks for the recommendation.

[@jeff15]

@@BorderlineOCD when using the hot station, keep mind full of how hot you setup temp, don't want to burn away the components from the other side of the board. Depends on your situation, look into chip quik. super low soldering point. Little expensive but will save you time and money. You doing great 👍 👌

[@Swier3D]

Was literally looking in hot art station. Awesome video man.

[@BorderlineOCD]

Glad you found it helpful my man

[@ChrisCovers78]

I have the same one. It feels really cheap, but it gets the job done

[@cups3]

"let me throw in a Fire Extinguisher " classic 😆

[@messylaura]

cooll item, i'm looking for something like this in scratch build plastic models on the 1:8 scale to heat up small areas for forming with heat

[@craigachuff6087]

I have a Ps3 slim and want to replace the hdmi port. I think this tool would be good to have. I don't plan on needing it many times in a year.

[@twizz420]

I was looking at these and from your review they don't seem too bad but I think I'm going to go with either the 2080 or just an 858D/959D for the extra $10-15

[@edumacat3d]

this gonna be a nice upgrade from the blowtorch ive been using

[@joekahno]

I just ordered one of these to use with a KSGER t12 soldering station. I could have bought a combined unit for about the same money as the two separate units but to get a 2 in 1 that used a t12 tip for the solder side would have cost me twice as much. Besides, I absolutely hate it when one part of a low end multi-function device dies and I have a choice of repairing something that isn't worth fixing, throwing out something that still works, or buying a single function piece of gear to fill the role of a broken POS I can't throw out because it's built into another tool I still use. Much better to have a shelf full of single function tools, each selected for a price point that matches the features I actually need.

[@benjaminmaltezos3066]

Great Video As Always, Cant Wait for that ps3. Greetings From Australia

[@BorderlineOCD]

Thanks man, much appreciated. Greetings to all the Aussies over here too :)

[@neilfpv]

Amazing! Do you still recommend this inexpensive hot air station?

[@supersaito]

Great purchase dude, I might have to get one too in the future. I can't wait to see when you get your hands in the ps3. Take care! Regards.

[@BorderlineOCD]

Thanks! It's a fun tool. I look forward to getting my hands dirty with it again soon.

[@DARTHSIMOUS]

Great vid, man ... and your commentary, spot-on ... Good luck with repairing those PS3s - NEC/TOKINs e.t.c.. I would also consider some heat-reflective tape (capton, is called?) for protecting SMD components U don't wanna remove & keeping them in their places (else they start skate-boarding on the circut boards, when U use hot air XD)... Keep up the good work, man, thumbs-up :)

[@BorderlineOCD]

Yep kapton tape and I have a roll already. Appreciate all the tips you guys are sharing it’s giving me a good list of things to keep in mind when I approach the repair.

[@aquakey9834]

is it possible to use this hot air gun to weld/fix plastic?

[@hero_in_deepblu]

I just got one of these, and was trying to use it for my PS3 HDMI repair... Mine didn't go so hot. 😔 No closer to getting the damaged HDMI port out.

[@mjc0961]

He's baaaaaack!!! 😁

[@BorderlineOCD]

Ha slowly getting there. Unpacking is slow, but its happening bit by bit.

[@oliversiwanzi517]

I love it

[@JoaoPedro-ki7ct]

How does this *8858* compares against the *8898* Hot air/Soldering station?

[@alpha_au]

Sooo good to have your videos back! Can't wait for the ps3 video

[@BorderlineOCD]

Thanks man. I'm excited about it too. Haven't worked on a PS3 before. Now I have two units in the backlog (HDMI port and YLOD).

[@AbdullahAlmarhon]

is it still working? 😅 and do you recommend?

[@jaimecosta2966]

What equipment you using to cupcher that zpm

[@HowTechTo]

Do you have a recommendation for a starter soldering kit to repair broken electronics? Curious if there is a decent all in one solution that is an upgrade from the typical soldering iron you might buy at Wal-Mart

[@BorderlineOCD]

I've personally only used the TS100 but I've heard good things about the pinecil soldering iron for a cheaper option. As for all-in-one kits, I don't have a particular recommendation but I'm sure product reviews can steer you in the right direction. Something with Hakko-style compatible tips is nice so you have a variety of options for replacing tips in future.

[@edsiefker1301]

For $35, you really ought to give it the bigclive treatment.

[@teodorgimiga5428]

This guy is so damn underrated Bruh

[@BorderlineOCD]

Lol thanks, glad you're enjoying the videos.

[@nicoful86]

You're back!

[@BorderlineOCD]

Sup my man, hope all is well. I'm still getting set up again after the move but I'm recording a few feasible projects until I'm fully unpacked.

[@nicoful86]

@@BorderlineOCD I had the exact same rationale when purchasing my exact same model 😊 To be honest I really think it does its job

[@decm8]

Bro your content is amazing how have you only got 10k subs?

[@BorderlineOCD]

Glad you're enjoying it bud

[@CK47CD]

Would you still get this if you had a digital heat gun with various nozzles? Seems to do the same job as you can set temperature and airflow as well.

[@dingalarm]

I had the same thought, but then realized that a heat gun only has two or three speed settings that are in themselves too high, causing tiny SMD parts to be blown away 😋 That's where a hot air reflow station, with it's relatively gentle airflow is more suitable.

[@jontait1095]

I have the bigger version of this it's a hot air and solder station. It's a great machine I've had no issues

[@BorderlineOCD]

Glad to hear. I've had no problems with this unit and occasional use. We'll see how well it holds up long term.

[@gamingwolf7895]

@@BorderlineOCD can you try this on a 360

[@hi_tech_reptiles]

Now try placing stuff with the hot air and solder paste. For SMDs it can be really useful from what I understand.

[@BorderlineOCD]

I've seen it used with stencils for BGA chips. Might have other practical uses that I'm not fully aware of. If it's soldering related I'm bound to mess with it sooner or later :)

[@RetroJack]

Anyone know where I can find a 220v version?

[@mehmetcangurel6643]

Missed your vids!

[@BorderlineOCD]

Thanks for watching my man.

[@serafimcunha2102]

Cool

[@GoodVibeCollecting]

For someone who doesn't have a hot air gun, what is the best way to remove SMD components using a soldering iron in your opinion? It feels like you need 3 hands to remove them LOL. Glad to see your channel up and running again.

[@BorderlineOCD]

Chip Quik low melt alloy will help. It will give you several seconds of molten joints. For small SMD components I used to just use the largest knife tip on my iron. For capacitors I would mix with leaded solder and gently lift the legs one side at a time, bit by bit, back and forth until I can release it. I have a capacitor removal example on my "Identify PSone Faults Using a Paper Clip" video.

[@daijoubu4529]

You can add more solder and/or use a bridge wire bent around to heat up all the legs at the same time

[@bstaznkid4lyfe392]

2:22 That's a lead free solder..

[@fenriswolfretro6729]

Constant circular motions. That is the key to using those hot air rework station. Otherwise, you risk heat damage

[@BorderlineOCD]

Indeed. It's going to take some muscle memory to become a bit more second nature.

[@GertBowker]

bought one of these stations and decided I don''t need a working TV anymore

[@feliperodriguez2486]

how is it holding up? i want to use a similar one from aliexpress for small projects.

[@BorderlineOCD]

Still gets the job done. No regrets.

[@Fahrenheit38]

Might just get this for heat shrink shrinking

[@BorderlineOCD]

Lol. It can also remove the occasional port if you need it to.

[@b44to1]

Will it work well if some components glued on epoxy??

[@user-vp7ri7yl6y]

You need to clean glue before soldering.

[@jeffdewe]

Those came out about 3yrs ago on aliexpress.

[@realdragonrude]

that ps3 ylod fix tease though this ones gonna be good

[@BorderlineOCD]

I think it will be a tough repair, but I'm pretty excited about it. We'll see how it goes. Replacement caps en route from Mouser for that puppy.

[@jamesfatula5824]

i have the exact same tool as your its pretty good but....doesnt works very well on ps3 phat console hdmi port the solders in those are bit higher temp even reflowing with low temp solder it is dificult to remove it cleanly had 4 of taces damaged grrrr.....

[@TheBinarydeity]

How do you control the air Flow?

[@BorderlineOCD]

The on/off button. One press for each temperature digit, and after you set the 3 digits before it goes back to the first one it allows you to select the air flow on the 4th press.

[@yamlcase230]

disappointed, but glad you didn't get to review the fire extinguisher too

[@glytch5]

MG chemicals make the good stuff. The flux, the wick, solder and just about everything else.

[@beanburritobike]

I bought this from your link and it almost caught on fire. The blower fan did not work at all. I guess I was unlucky.

[@BorderlineOCD]

I would have expected the low quality power supply to be the weakest link, as the blower wand is used on a few higher priced models too (relative to the price of this one). For what it’s worth mine is still working and has appeared in several repair videos. Return yours if you can and either get a replacement or just something better. It is literally the cheapest unit you can get so I’m not surprised some are DOA but I commiserate with you nonetheless.

[@beanburritobike]

@@BorderlineOCD I fully knew what I was getting into ordering literally the cheapest one haha. Thankfully Amazon is fairly hassle free with returns. My guess is that they might all use the same looking handle, but only because it's a widely available mould and heating element. The other components will probably differ depending on manufacturers.

[@hi_tech_reptiles]

After borking a BIOS replacement on a Sega Saturn I am in the market for a decent YIHUA hot air rework station lol

[@BorderlineOCD]

The Saturn bios is a similar form factor to the Neo Geos I worked on a few videos ago. Some Chip Quik will help get the job done without damaging the traces. But I think even a little hot air would have made the Neo Geo bios swap much easier so yeah go for it.

[@edmatarazzo]

Pretty neat but my only complaint would be is it's not cat friendly.

[@nikolaszisoudis8408]

Great video! You are learning and we are learning too! I have the same PS3 but it has YLOD it sucks

[@BorderlineOCD]

I know you’ve mentioned it a couple of times in past comments, that’s too bad but hang on to it bud. You will get it fixed eventually whether you slowly build the skills to do it in future or you decide to get it repaired. As always thanks for watching!

[@nikolaszisoudis8408]

I will totally fix it. I wont loose anything as I found both of them in the recycling. Im doing experiments with the 40gb model(non BC). But I also found a 60gb BC that I am keeping safe. Even if i cant fix it, resale values on BC models even not working are pretty ok. Time will tell though.

[@mjc0961]

5:41 - Oh no. Apple is here. 🤪

[@BorderlineOCD]

I'm assuming you mean removal of the headphone jack lol.

[@Missterpaja]

How was the quality, the gun Is still Alive???

[@12345nope12345]

For 35 bucks not bad at all. New tool for the toolbox. Hey would you consider fixing my original Xbox?

[@BorderlineOCD]

I really wish I could help every person that asks but I'm just more focused on creating content bud. I already have a few Xbox videos with trace repair work etc. It's just a hobby and I'm no repair expert so I stay away from repair requests and only accept donations for consoles or repairs that I haven't featured yet (which the channel would find useful and interesting). I know it can seem overwhelming but you can fix it yourself. Two years ago I could barely swap an appliance cord. If you enjoy it, you can practice and research the solution to the issue your Xbox is having.

[@12345nope12345]

@@BorderlineOCD NP my dude

[@erakan6121]

Thats little sad that you did not tear the controller unit to see the components..

[@herooftime9921]

Isn't this just a heat gun?

[@brandon_nope]

damn $35 and it's THAT good?

[@BorderlineOCD]

I'm surprised it did this well. I can't speak to extended use or the life of the tool yet but first impressions aren't bad for $35.

[@nimaabachianghasemi1378]

some ppl dont like chinese product but I just remind them if there wasnt any chinese pruduct , every thing was pricy . for example if there was no chinese capacitor these gready japanies manifacturors selling 50cent caps for 10$ for pice . imagine you paying 5$ for a single resistor and .............. bq of this i always respect chinese products . thay like a balancer in market .

[@BorderlineOCD]

They have a place in the market for sure. I still wouldn't recommend this product to anyone doing regular or serious work with hot air but for my needs and light occasional use its perfect.

[@szymoled445]

Nice video. My rework station is W.E.P 872D with soldering iron and hot air. It does the job well, so I think it is good choice if you are looking for cheap rework station.

[@BorderlineOCD]

Yours looks a lot more legit, no question!

[@AbdullahAlmarhon]

is it still working? 😅 and do you recommend?

[@AbdullahAlmarhon]

is it still working? 😅 and do you recommend?