Yihua YH 946D

You get what you pay for. I bought the UYUE 946C unit over 2 years ago 150$..same size as this...no smoke, temp close to 10 deg worst case and I use it every week to flow solder around 20 PCB's with perfect results. As I said...get what you pay for.

when they make the plate they probably use oil and also the paint probably. I may purchase something other than a 946c. or let it bake all the smells out outside... hmm

How much more do you have to pay to get something better though? Probably 5-10x the price. It didn't seem too bad for $79.

Expectations are the root of all disappointment. The product seemed to do exactly what it claimed, only your expectations were a bit too elevated.

No teardown?!

I would wouldn't use the power cable because it's not real copper it's aluminium wire coated with with copper on top

For $79... DELIVERED, you's expect junk...

This is typical of any machined part from China, they use a heavy sulfur cutting/machine oil in the manufacturing process, drilling, tapping, etc...This oil has a foul smell before heating and now will cause smoke residue to remain. I'm sure that it was all over the heating plate, it is also used to prevent corrosion during shipping and storage. The defects in the surface are probably voids or defects in the material that was used to manufacture the plate steel. You could have disassembled it and cleaned it with turpentine or lacquer thinner before applying 700° F heat to the device, now that oil residue will be near impossible to remove because it is baked into the metal like seasoning on a cast iron skillet. For under $80 delivered from China is fairly reasonable for that device, I would never buy anything like this from Amazon. That's all they sell over there is junk from China. Circuit Specialists have a hot air preheat device for $73, ships form Arizona and they have customer service. Better luck next time Corg. Thanks for the entertainment!