[Saigonautica]

Here are some good "value for money" tool brands I use (I live in Asia):

1.Yihua combined hot air rework station + soldering station.

2.Pro's Kit multimeter, tweezers, and wire snips.

3.Uni-T hand-held oscillosope (quite optional).

4.Mechanic brand solder paste. Get the one in a plastic syringe. The tubs dry out.

5.TS100 soldering iron as a spare. Heats up so fast at 24V!

I use them mainly for prototyping, but they are equally handy for repair. I don't re-ball BGA though. I've seen vendors do it with a machine that's mostly just a holder for the chip, and the hot air gun. Plus some templates and the solder balls.

[NikkiA]

> Yihua combined hot air rework station + soldering station.

I personally wouldn't recommend this.

I have one, it cost just short of £100. But I much prefer my T12 based 'KSGER' soldering station that was $30 from banggood and has far better features, plus I don't have to worry about the heating element dying (since with T12 the element is part of the tip).

One day when I need hot air again, I'll probably think hard about finding a stand alone hot air station from banggood or aliexpress. I see they have some for $30.

Since the hot-air has all the critical parts in the hand unit, and the heating and fan often die randomly, having a 2-in-1 is just too much liability.

Btw, I recommend a butane soldering iron as a true 'backup' that doesn't even need a charged powertool battery.

[nxobject]

Thanks for the recommendations! I have a Yihua soldering station - such a solid budget option - I’ll shell out on a hot air rework station too, maybe one with a board preheater.