EEVblog 1616 - Weller Zero Smog Fume Extractor Review

[@norbert.kiszka]

Can it collect magic smoke, so I can put it back?

[@SlyerFox666]

You just breath it in and blow it back in the blow hole of the component you don't need an extractor to do that 👍

[@larrybud]

For this price, it damn well better!

[@geirendre]

No, you need the Premium filter for that.

[@PerThomasJahr]

Via the RJ socket, you can connect to other Weller gear such as soldering or hotair station so that the fan automatically turns on when you for example lift the soldering pen. Weller technical support is also very helpful and can provide you with application notes with the RS232 protocol if you want to make your own controller.

[@craigtucker777]

Those smoke extractors cost way too much for what they are

[@EEVblog]

Niche market opportunity for you, get on it!

[@sdgelectronics]

Priced according to the value of your lungs 😂

[@craigtucker777]

@@sdgelectronics i'm smoker dude :)

[@larrybud]

For an occasional hobbyist I would agree, but if you're soldering every day, it's worth it.

[@Popclone]

I concur, but have you seen Steve Wozniak hold a Lead Rosin Core Solder Wire in his mouth as he was soldering components ? "Besides arsenic and cadmium, high levels of lead may also be a risk factor for pancreatic cancer." I wonder who died of that.

[@K5HJ]

i love the smell of solder fumes. Especially rosin core.

[@offspringfan89]

Your airways and lungs probably don't enjoy them so much 😁

[@GregM]

It is what you don't smell that is the issue

[@Orbis92]

I did too, until I had a look inside the smog extractor tubes at my work place... Its not just flux in the smoke, there are quite substantial metallic grows inside the tube and, yes, we are still using leaded solder for internal, high reliability jobs.

[@mihaiachim5299]

@ 5:37 fan speed - is PWM controlable…. there are several versions of this motor: in some you have to short-circuit the wires to stop the motor; to others you have to apply a voltage of 3-5-10v to start and others need a voltage of @3-5-10v or equivalent in PWM to start it and increase its speed.. Your model it seems to be the one where you reduce the speed when the resistance between the 2 wires decreases… have some fun with it :p

[@TrickyNekro]

As far as I remember, all will accept a common collector PWM ( pull-up is provided ) and only some models will accept also Voltage control. Minimum start voltage around 2V or 10% PWM. You just have to provide the control side with power and it is already isolated - usually. And they provide also with a Tacho Output, 2 or 3 pulses per rotation, depends on model.

[@kumu2024]

you need to have a net on the air-pipe .. Otherwise it can suck bigger material. Second put Kapton tape on the edges, you might otherwise burn the plastic. I used to use one of these and it is good to know how to avoid burn the device.

[@Nikkuuu69]

Exactly my experience. I'm usually cleaning a PCB with a piece of lint free cloth, and then it gets sucked in :')

[@dgo4490]

I made a fume extractor out of 3x120mm computer fans in series in a box (for higher static pressure) and without a filter - I am just blowing the smoke outdoors. Cost me about 50$ to make, produces about 50 db of noise, consumes about 500 mw of power, doesn't need a filter replacement.

[@TheModernVictorian]

The filter isn't folded throughout with massive surface area, it is probably shallow, about 1inch folds, the rest being carbon, and then what looks like a lot of polystyrene packing.. Also unreal that this is $1300, or whatever you even paid, it is a hepa/activated charcoal filter and a tangential fan and a speed controller with probably the ability to trigger it on and off with an iron. It could be made for about $200 and on a budget probably less than £50 for a small hobby thing. EDIT while eating hat.. That Ebmpapst blower alone is $900.....

[@kalhana_photography]

I've used this for the past 5 years. Very happy with it. I have it on the highest setting. Sometimes it sucks up things like component bags and it even sucked up a solder wick spool once (then you have to open the lid and get it back which is a bit annoying).

[@michael.a.covington]

My first thought was, "It's Weller, so make sure it's 240V!"

[@bertblankenstein3738]

That top blanky filter layer could be an SMD component spare parts tray.

[@TrickyNekro]

Given that all these motors are either 0 - 10V and/or PWM controllable ( got to provide your own power ~24V but control side is already isolated - usually ) you could make your own speed controller as a weekend project.

[@ErikS-]

11:39 - "Woohoo!! ... That really sucks!" Love the entousiasm!

[@mihaiachim5299]

@ 5:35 It is very standard model for Condensing gas boilers 😅😊

[@jort93z]

This looks like an NRG118, which is 300€ from what I can tell. So 300€ for the fan, 200€ for the filter, slowly getting there.

[@spakecdk]

@@jort93z and 500€ for the middle managers

[@electronics.unmessed]

When I start soldering my air quality detector is showing crazy high air pollution. It would be nice to compare it when using the fume extractor.

[@joeyjustin6895]

9:55 TIGHTLY Wrap The Hose With Black Gorilla Tape 2 inch withe And it will stiffen it. OR place Unit on a Shelf Located Near Celing And Drape Hose Downward

[@EEVblog]

Yep, will try that.

[@chrisengland5523]

I'm a hobbyist and I don't particularly like breathing in smoke when I solder. So I have an old 12 volt fan, extracted from a dead computer and I power it from a 5 volt bench supply. When running at such a low voltage, it's completely silent and just creates a gentle breeze. I have it on the bench behind my work, blowing air towards me and the smoke, instead of drifting up into my nose, get's dissipated elsewhere. Works a treat.

[@simon7719]

IOW, you don't actually remove the smoke from your air, you're just breathing it in at a slower rate.

[@chrisengland5523]

@@simon7719 Possibly true. However, the amount of smoke coming from a single soldering iron used for short periods is very small, but if you are leaning directly over it and it drifts up into your nose, then it's not very pleasant. A hobbyist is not going to invest in an expensive air filtration system. In total, over the last 5 years, I've soldered about 200 IC's onto half a dozen 8" by 8" boards, along with associated connectors and wiring - hardly industrial scale work. My 'solution' works fine for my purposes.

[@warialinth]

Having to work with this every day at work I have to say this. It's piece of junk. After few days of usage it got very loud, it's NOT ESD safe and keeps building static charge on the hose. The fan unit overheats after two hours and the external control is just catastrophe as rest of the latest Weller gear. And yeah Weller claims it's not broken.

[@pebbleschan6085]

Sucked in!! Mount a stocking on the input vent to prevent chip caps, resistors and SOTs disappearing into the black hole. 😂

[@redolgreg]

Concerning that carbon dust is comming out the filter. My other carbon hepa filters has the carbon as second stage and hepa as 3rd.

[@timmgiles]

So Dave, if the tube is held in place by the bracket, at the back of the desk, is the remaining length stiff enough to stay in place as it is moved around?

[@Jonas_Keunecke]

Good thinking

[@lukaszfilip8111]

Noise levels will be different at different stages of soldering when the filters get dirty the absorbers will start to make more noise. The main issue in the noise level is the diameter of the air intake pipe in Chinese absorbers is 8mm, unfortunately in Weller it is only 6mm - such a diameter is a very big load for the blower sucking in the air, therefore Weller zero smog has a very strong radial turbine which unfortunately starts to howl very loudly after the filters get dirty.

[@EFazy]

Welcome from Hungary! :)

[@twin1q]

My favorite one is the hakko one. Its a few hundred dollar less. It also offers two hose inputs.

[@_h4_314]

I had the more expensive version at work at some point, it had the same problem: floppy and wouldn't stay in place, even attached. Depending on your model, the remote switch function through the RJ plug is either just a contact or some serial interface. If you want the official one, they retail for like 200$ so... at last try to diy it? If you need more attachment, they will also cost you an arm and a leg. As much as a new filter. I really preferred the air powered version that goes on the iron, but it's not an option for the micro-soldering ones or hot air stations last time i checked. It also needs a big compressor, but it's almost silent by itself.

[@ame7165]

rotating the funnel 180 degrees would probably help it on the lowest setting since it would extend down towards the desk

[@taurusforever]

What is the difference betwee Zero Smok TL (22kg/1200€) and EL (13kg/800€)? Did they save on filter? (it mentioned Economy filter on yours).

[@fedeyoutub]

I placed a simple kitchen hood extractor connected to a pipe above the soldering station, like this device, except that I connected the fume outlet out the window. cost: 100 euros. and clean air without filters to change.

[@universeisundernoobligatio3283]

Buy the filter and get your own fan and build a box. Some central vac hose and your in business. Or get a fan, duct it outside, some central vac hose even easier.

[@mattmoreira210]

4:18 coming from Weller, it surprises me that they've sprung for a proper mains fuse lmao Just imagine having your shiny new fume extractor billowing with smoke because of a mains surge. That would be no laughing matter...

[@nicovosje]

Looks a lot like an fan used lots of dutch gas boilers (remeha and intergas) I have 2 of them, controlled with pwm from an arduino. Realy nice fans!

[@ErikS-]

Added advantage: You can also vacuum your floor with it.

[@ludwigbre]

You can twist the hose, that will make it stiffer

[@Richardincancale]

Maybe you could use the stiff hose bodged on to the Weller filter and collector with some genuine duct tape‽

[@MarkusClaus]

I like the Hose of the JBC Fume Extractors more, the arm is easier holding in place (you just need to push the rings of the Hose together and it will get much stiffer, not working as good on the Weller one we have

[@LavalBolduc]

I have a Vevor like your old one. This Weller is nice of course, the low noise level and the pedal being the most interesting features. For what iIcan see, it doesn't look like it outperforms the Vevor in term of suction. For me, the soft neck is a big no no. I wish they would add a led on the head for improved lighting on the bench.

[@LockRocker]

Maybe just zip tie a length of heavy gauge cable to the hose so you can bend it about as needed. You might even be able to stick it inside the hose.

[@EKTORPTULLSTA]

Double entendres aplenty. A dirty mind is a joy forever.

[@eternality]

You could rig the old stiffer pipe to the wellers second input to have best of both worlds.

[@lukaszfilip8111]

Dave you didn't say exactly how you can compare the quality of the filtered air between Weller Zero Smog and no name chinese one. Because the price difference in replacement filters is huge I use a Chinese fume extractor model FES200 KNOOKO in my opinion it cleans the soldering air very effectively but I am not able to compare it with the weller model.

[@rohitkhanna4487]

Dave its a problem with weller fume extractor flexi hoses. I use a test-tube stand (old school chemistry lab) to hold the funnel end of the hose in place.

[@robertbox5399]

Buy a Henry instead and stick it outside. Have Weller been taken over by Metcal or Fluke given the prices?

[@DustinWill]

You can stiffen up the hose by twisting it I’ve and over.

[@clifblake]

Thank you !

[@OriginalJetForMe]

If you clip it to the wall behind, it might hold position better.

[@Ojref1]

hopefully those filters and prefilter medium is easy to source, the crux with a lot of fume extractors is the manufacturer not selling the darned consumables, or the filters costing 1/2 the price of the base unit.

[@EEVblog]

All the major catalog suppliers carry it in stock.

[@antoniopetito]

I tried to pick up one when you mentioned it in a live stream. I could not add this item to the cart. All I got was a runtime error.

[@EEVblog]

Bummer

[@antoniopetito]

@@EEVblog might just get an eBay jobbie.

[@redolgreg]

I was able to get 2 from element14. The Farrell page was buggy.

[@bobert4522]

Honestly you’ll probably never have to replace the whole filter with your minimal soldering. The cotton pre filter on top is where like 95% of gunk gets trapped.

[@McTroyd]

4:30 Oh good. The last Weller you featured on this channel totally omitted its mains fuse. 😁 At least this one has it.

[@dosgos]

Getting intake closer to work @ low setting seems ideal for videos.

[@EEVblog]

Yeah, the trade off is camera + light obstruction. The noise is almost non-existant on camera. 2nd setting is ok too.

[@admalledd]

@@EEVblog I would be tempted to mod that end-bit to have some LEDs, thus gives you some edge-lighting when using camera/scope! (with light-guards to prevent going up into eyes, etc)

[@JustinAlexanderBell]

The filters cost more than I paid for my unit.

[@tommihommi1]

we have these at my university, I put a chunk of wood under the inlet for elevating it :D

[@f33net]

Why is everyone melting solder? Does anyone have not rosin? Dave? 🙂

[@wall_555]

Got a question do u recommend this one or your ebay one cause im trying to get one that i can't smell anying fumes when I'm soldering

[@IanScottJohnston]

A shame the tube isn’t stiff enough to hold its own so you can easily swing it out the way. Having to use tape or tie-wraps on such an expensive piece of gear would disappoint me. Mind you, I haven't looked at what the actual capabilities are supposed to be.

[@onjofilms]

I got a face filter system for the wood shop with carbon granules, and after using it for awhile, I saw carbon granules came past the filter into the mask. No telling how many are in my lungs.

[@joeyjustin6895]

15:33 turn it around so the hose opening it at top then shell get er

[@BarsMonster]

I recently got this ebay sucker. It came with 3-stage filter, not 2-stage.

[@todayonthebench]

Personally I don't see the appeal of these. If one solders less than an hour or two every other day (ie hobby level), then a simple desk fan blowing the smoke out into the room will ensure that one won't breath in any meaningful amounts of harmful smog beyond what one's lungs can handle. But ensuring one has some general room ventilation is also advised. (And a desk fan is often far quieter and far cheaper and has other applications too) And if one is really concerned, then add some duct work and blow it out a window or the like. A 120 mm "PC" fan is both quiet and provides more than enough airflow for the job while costing barely a fraction of this portable fume extractor. For production environments though? Just no. (actually there are exceptions to when a fume extractor like this is useful or even recommended for a production environment. But I'll get to that later.) Where I work, we have a dedicated ventilation system for fume extraction. It is far less noisy since the only noise it makes is the turbulence at its "nozzle", and it sucks better than the highest mode shown here in the video. (Also, it allows one to calmly talk at regular 55-65 dba talking volume and still being clearly heard by a person 10-15 meters away on the other side of a production environment. I will admit that my workplace is rather quiet. But at least it means one can concentrate one work and get the job done while not having to endure the rumble of a fan whirling constantly as one works.) I have had such portable fume extractors before, and I am happy I don't anymore! Since they are too expensive, bulky and noisy for hobby use. And in a production environment a more centralized solution is superior to keep room noise down, especially if one has a lot of people working with soldering or other smell inducing activities at once. (gluing, painting, cleaning parts, etc) Only times I see these as viable is if: A. One actually desires portability and solders in odd locations on a regular basis. (that is honestly the perfect application for these fume extractors, and I won't even raise an eyebrow about such use.) B. One has a temporary setup where one will do volume work. (like on a project site, or if one's office/factory is soon going to move to a new location making any investment in a more proper solution economically indefensible for the current location.) C. It is also fine if one only has 1 or 2 of these since then noise isn't often too awful, and costs are still often better than proper ventilation. (But if one has more than 1-2 of these, then get some actual duct work installed, it is far from expensive unless one has a particularly expensive HVAC contractor. Yes, a proper system will cost quite a bit more than a fume extractor, but it is a well worth investment, mainly since it opens the door to more than just fume extraction.) D. If one leases/rents space (which is really common, so you likely have this as your reason) then I can also see reason for not wanting to sink money into such an investment since the future is unknown if one will move or not. And the landlord might also just forbid such installations. Or one might have architectural/heritage restrictions to follow, some building's just have to look a certain way, a new ventilation duct poking out a wall or the roof might simply be unacceptable. In the end. I am not a fan of these fume extractors.

[@joeyjustin6895]

GOOD Timing. NICE

[@simonhopkins3867]

Have you got a spare magic arm with your filming gear to attach to the hose 💡

[@lowstaar]

I'm from Hungary, but I find it a bit intriguing that its not made in China, maybe it's a QC thing perhaps? But even then, the Chinese is capable of quality construction I think.

[@EEVblog]

Made in Hungrary was interesting, must be some EU incentive thing?

[@lowstaar]

@@EEVblogCould be, I've never heard about this operation before, but it was really random to see for sure!

[@tommihommi1]

tons of German companies have manufacturing in Hungary, Czech Republic, etc ​@@EEVblog

[@Electheo]

Can someone explain why I’d buy a 1000+ dollar fume extractor, when I can buy a 200 dollar industrial vacuum with HEPA 14 filter included?

[@XSpImmaLion]

Man, that filter is massive! xD Let me ask if someone knows about this though... it's mostly about surface area, right? Which will affect air flow? Comparison to the cheap unit... Seems the extra bit is activated charcoal, which should help. Not sure what other magic might be there, if any. I just have the most generic fan with that activated charcoal filter in front, it's crap. Then again, I rarely ever use it... very few times a year for a few DIY soldering stuff. If I were to upgrade the setup I'd just add another cheap fan to push the fumes away from my face. xD

[@EEVblog]

Yes, it's trade off with surface area, HEPA material rating, and air flow/noise. Bigger the surface area the less fan speed/noise you need for a given flow rate.

[@rorywquin]

Looks to me like it is designed for the flat edge of that funnel to rest on the bench. Suction would be more effective.

[@EEVblog]

I explained that in the video.

[@fogelmclovin6815]

Ha I've seen those EBM Papst blowers in power vent boilers!

[@NullStaticVoid]

I swear that die cast impeller piece is a water pump from a Ford 5L V8.

[@ugetridofit]

Weller tools are like getting something at Harbor Freight. JBC is the ONLY way to go!

[@ShtopoRrr]

Of course it is good... BUT DOES IT HAVE FUSE? 😀

[@robegatt]

"extra length, look at that, that's what she said" lol

[@jethrobo3581]

Might get one for the restroom my wife uses. Need something in there - it's bad!!!

[@chrisengland5523]

Why is she soldering in the restroom?

[@LawpickingLocksmith]

2 bobby dazzlers?

[@2000SkyView]

could just use a shop vac vented to the outside, loads cheaper mate 😁

[@Jonas_Keunecke]

The unit is a bobby dazzler, all the best filters are made in Hungary, all the best fans are made by ebm papst

[@julianreverse]

good night 😊😊

[@Sevalecan]

I read 'Aussie$" as "Aussie Bucks"... I presume that was the intention.

[@abavariannormiepleb9470]

Ja, ja, das ist gut.

[@zxxvcc]

You missed a "that's what she said" ("I haven't pushed it all the way in").

[@robegatt]

"how do you ... push that in" that's what HE said

[@grantm902]

Wasn't that in War of the Worlds?

[@SeanBZA]

Instead of tape use velcro.....

[@KeritechElectronics]

Non-stiffness is indeed disappointing, time to 3D print a stand... Nice dodgy-bodgy workaround. I love how silent this thing is, can't hear a thing! Fan noise is my pet peeve. It sucks so well it should go to your OnlyFans, no question!

[@EEVblog]

Almost silent on camera on the lowest setting. Need it fairly close to the work though.

[@KeritechElectronics]

@@EEVblog yes, it sucks when it doesn't suck strong enough.

[@cheeseparis1]

9:40 perhaps it gets hard when it smells solder fumes :p

[@SteveGuidi]

I love to learn "idioms" from other English-speaking nations, but I couldn't hear final word from "tighter than a nun's ....". Can someone help me out here and finish the sentence, if it is appropriate for the KZbin comment section? 🙂

[@SteveGuidi]

"... nasty." I had to turn on the video captions to figure this one out.

[@sycro1365]

Try JBC 🤪

[@mihaiachim5299]

@ 8:17 😂 it’s a weller 😅😂

[@vincei4252]

Cheap at a 10th the price!

[@Mtaalas]

Did you know that most of the price of a smoke extractor is in the FILTER... that's right, you pay 1000€ for a extractor and when you need to get a new filter that'll cost you... 750€ or something like that. And that's the crazy part here...

[@EEVblog]

This filter is US$233

[@Mtaalas]

@@EEVblog omg... I checked for similar filter for few others just a month ago, and the filter was 650€ :D which was 80% of the price of the device as new. They looked suspiciously same as the Weller unit, just different branding. At least Weller's reasonable...

[@EEVblog]

@@Mtaalas Yeah, I'm surprised how reasonable it is.

[@neverendingstudent]

@@Mtaalas The filter that came with the unit Dave got does have the word 'Economy' on it.

[@a51mj12]

Zero Smile Slime Collector

[@tullgutten]

The weller needs a few Viagra tablets 😂 Definitely NOT worth the extra price over the other one, and you can always use some soundproofing on it. And for 2 to 3 db less noise it still has a way more irritating pitch noise, sounds like an old hoover/vacuum

[@amk6266]

130 mm is 13 cm 😅

[@jonathanreedpike]

Heh...only possible good use for a cigarette.

[@SeanBZA]

Definitely not made by Dyson........

[@birdybirdy688]

that really sucks 😂

[@dgo4490]

You wasted all that tin to test it. Don't you have just the flux, that's what makes the smoke...

[@stargazer7644]

He pays $350 for a fan and thinks he got it dirt cheap.

[@cheater00]

This ain't sh it, what you really want is one of the Aoyue soldering irons with a pipe going straight to the tip so the smoke travels like 5mm and gets sucked in. Costs like 100x less at 50 ish too for the handle. Several grand for a fume extractor... lmaoooooooo

[@alierengam1749]

That thing sucks.

[@nameredacted1242]

No thanks, I don't smoke...

[@somethingofmylife]

🫡