WEP 882D Soldering Station Review

 In July (2024) I purchased a new soldering station to use in repairing Xbox One controllers. I decided to go with the WEP 882D Soldering Station because it has a digital readout and a hot air attachment. I debated getting a hot air gun separately but thought that I would give this a try instead. Normally the WEP 882D sells for $56.99, but it was marked down to $43.99 for Prime Day. After using it for a few weeks, I especially like how quickly it heats up. The digital temp readout lets you know when it is ready to use. I would always have to wait for my old soldering iron to heat up and wasted a lot of time waiting for it to get hot. The soldering iron comes with 6 different tips and 3 nozzle sizes for the hot air gun.  

I probably won't be using the hot air feature very often, but it works well and it's good to have it there when you need it. I also like that it has numerous safety features built in, like sleep mode for the soldering iron, and standby mode for hot air gun. The temperature range goes from 392-896°F. By default, the soldering iron turns on first and recalls the last temperature setting. If you want to use the heat gun, you can turn the soldering iron off by pushing the two blue buttons, then push the two blue buttons above to turn on the hot air. Other accessories include two rolls of solder, tweezers, solder sucker, and soldering iron holder with tip cleaner. I have an electric solder removal tool so the one included isn't going to get used. Overall, the WEP 882D may not hold up to heavy use, but for the average do-it-yourself user, it has enough features to assist with the occasional solder repair.

The circuit boards in Xbox controllers have very small parts, so I use the two smallest soldering tips. Most of the parts are too small to replace without the help of a microscope. I use a large magnifying glass to see solder joints when replacing some of the larger components. I find that the control sticks on model 1708 controllers are easier to repair than the newer 1914 models. For some reason solder removal is more difficult on the newer controllers. I had thought that a used 1914 controller would sell for more than a 1708, but that isn't always the case. The 1708's are selling faster than the 1914 controllers which are priced at only a few dollars more. I have 5 controllers listed for sale and 3 of them and 1914's.

So far, I have sold 10 refurbished controllers and 6 of them were model 1708. I am very picky when it comes to buying broken controllers. I look for the ones that have good thumb-sticks and have photos of the battery compartment. If the thumb-sticks look good, it hasn't been abused and if the label in the battery compartment is intact, then it probably hasn't been opened. The other problem is price. I can't spend more than $12 for a broken controller and that includes shipping. Anything above that and it's not worth trying to repair and resell. But I will spend a little more on a special edition controller, because they have a higher resale value. I see a lot of broken controllers listed in the $18 to $24 range. That's fine if you are going to repair it and keep it for yourself, but there is no money to be made on resale.