ATTEN ST-965 Soldering Station 80-450°C ±1°C
ATTEN ST-965 soldering station: 80-450 °C, ±1 °C stability, 3 memory temperatures, sleep and auto-off timers, ±50 °C calibration. Uses standard T900 tips
A controlled bench,
without the bench price.
The ATTEN ST-965 is the point where a soldering iron becomes a soldering station: a closed temperature loop holding ±1 °C, a real menu behind the display, and three timers that decide how long the tip stays hot when you are not using it. It is a compact upright unit, 210 mm deep and about 2 kg, so it takes up very little of the bench it improves.
Its range runs from 80 °C to 450 °C. The top end is ordinary; the bottom is not. The ST-60 and ST-80 both stop at 150 °C, which is fine for soldering but leaves nothing below it. Being able to sit a tip at 100 °C, or bring a heat-sensitive assembly up gently, is a genuine difference rather than a specification.
Tips are T900 — the 900M standard, shared with most of the AT and ST range and stocked here in 16 shapes at around €4 each. The same station is the soldering section of the MS300 3-in-1.
What it does
Works from 80 °C
Most stations in this class start at 150 °C. The lower floor suits heat-sensitive parts and lets you park a tip warm rather than hot between joints.
±1 °C stability
The manual publishes a stability figure, which is more than most budget stations will commit to. It is the number that decides whether a joint behaves the same twice.
Three memory temperatures
Buttons 1, 2 and 3 recall a stored temperature instantly. Hold one for three seconds to store the current setting — leaded, lead-free and a low idle, for instance.
Standby, sleep and heater-off
Three independent timers, each 0–60 minutes. Together they decide how much of the working day your tip actually spends hot.
Calibration ±50 °C
Fit a new tip or handle, measure the real temperature, and dial the offset in. The station keeps reading true instead of drifting away from the display.
Password protection
The settings, including the temperature lock, can sit behind a password — useful in a training room or on a shared bench.
Analogue heating bar
A bar on the LCD shows how hard the heater is working, so you can see the tip recovering rather than guessing at it.
Low-voltage separated heater
The heating element runs isolated from the mains supply — Class 1 for the controller, Class 3 for the handle side.
Three timers, in sequence
A soldering tip is destroyed by time spent hot and idle, not by time spent working. The ST-965 has three separate timers for exactly that, and out of the box they are set to 10, 10 and 20 minutes — so a station you walk away from stops heating after about half an hour.
Standby
The station recognises that the handle has stopped moving and backs the power off. Nothing is lost — touch the handle and it is working again.
Auto-sleep at 200 °C
After its own timer the heater idles at 200 °C: too cool to oxidise the plating quickly, hot enough to be back at working temperature in seconds. This is the setting that actually saves tips.
Heater off
Finally the heat stops altogether. It only works when auto-sleep is enabled, and any key press brings the station back. 10 – 60 minutes, default 20.
All three are set in the menu, which is reached by holding buttons 1 and 3 together for three seconds. Each is independently adjustable from 0 to 60 minutes, so you can make the station aggressive about saving tips or leave it permanently ready.
Against the other ST stations
The ST-60, ST-80 and ST-100 are the same idea at different power levels, all with a 150 °C floor. The ST-965 is the one with the wider range, the published stability figure and the password lock — it is the more capable controller rather than the bigger heater.
If you regularly solder heavy joints, ground planes or thick wire, power matters more than control and the ST-100 is the better answer — but note it uses T800 tips, not T900, so tips are not shared.
| ST-60 | ST-965 | ST-80 | ST-100 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power | 60 W | 65 W | 80 W | 100 W |
| Temperature | 150 – 450 °C | 80 – 450 °C | 150 – 450 °C | 150 – 450 °C |
| Stability | Not stated | ±1 °C | Not stated | Not stated |
| Tips | T900 | T900 | T900 | T800 |
| Memory temps | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Password lock | Not stated | Yes | Not stated | Not stated |
| Heater | Dual-core ceramic | Low-voltage, separated | Dual-core ceramic | Silver alloy |
Technical data
Taken from ATTEN's user manual for this model, which you can download here.
Electrical
| Rated power | 65 W (manual spec table; sold as “60 W”) |
| Rated working voltage | AC 230 V ±10 % 50 Hz (110 V ±10 % 60 Hz option) |
| Power fuse | T1A (230 VAC) / T2A (110 VAC) |
| Safety class | Class 1 controller, Class 3 handle accessories |
Temperature
| Range | 80 – 450 °C / 176 – 842 °F |
| Stability | ±1 °C |
| Adjustment step | 1 °C per press, 10 °C on a long press |
| Calibration range | −50 °C … +50 °C |
| Units | °C / °F switchable |
Energy & control
| Standby | 0 – 60 min, default 10 |
| Auto-sleep | 0 – 60 min, default 10 — heater idles at 200 °C |
| Heater switch-off | 10 – 60 min, default 20 (needs auto-sleep on) |
| Memory temperatures | 3, recalled with buttons 1 / 2 / 3 |
| Other | Temperature lock, beep alarm, password protection |
Physical
| Tips | T900 — 900M standard, 16 shapes in stock |
| Dimensions | 210 (L) × 88 (W) × 150 (H) mm |
| Weight | Approximately 2 kg |
| Working conditions | 0 – 40 °C, RH < 80 % |
| Storage conditions | −20 – 80 °C, RH < 80 % |
What you receive
- ST-965 main unit
- Soldering handle
- Iron stand with cleaning sponge
- EU mains cord
- User manual
The station arrives ready to work. The one thing worth adding is a second and third T900 tip — a fine chisel and a larger one cover most work, and at around €4 each there is little reason to keep grinding on with the wrong shape.
Not sure which station you need?
Tell us what you solder most — fine SMD, through-hole boards, or heavy joints and ground planes — and we will tell you whether 65 W is enough or whether you want the 100 W. Two-year warranty on the station, one year on the handle.
Frequently asked questions
The full manual, including the menu map and the calibration procedure, is available as a PDF.
Is it 60 W or 65 W?
The station is sold as the “ST-965 60 W”, but the spec table in ATTEN's own user manual for this model lists the rated power as 65 W. We publish both rather than quietly picking one. For choosing a station it makes no practical difference — at this power level the heater design and the tip matter far more than five watts — but if the exact figure matters for your paperwork, ask us and we will confirm it with ATTEN before you order.
Which tips does it take?
T900, the 900M standard. That is ATTEN's most common tip series and the same one used by the AT stations, the ST-60 and ST-80, the ST-8802 and the MS300, so tips are shared across a bench. We stock 16 shapes at around €4 each.
Why does it go down to 80 °C when other stations start at 150 °C?
Because the low end is useful. Below about 150 °C no ordinary solder melts, so the range from 80 °C is not for soldering — it is for keeping a tip warm without oxidising it, for work on heat-sensitive assemblies, and for warming a joint before you commit. The ST-60 and ST-80 both start at 150 °C.
What is the difference between standby, sleep and heater-off?
They are three separate timers that run in sequence. Standby drops the power when the station notices you have stopped. Auto-sleep then idles the heater at 200 °C after its own timer — hot enough to come straight back, cool enough to stop the tip oxidising. Heater switch-off finally kills the heat altogether, and only works when auto-sleep is enabled. Picking the handle up or pressing any key returns to normal. Set to 10 / 10 / 20 out of the box, so an untouched station stops heating after about 30 minutes.
Is the temperature accurate, and can I correct it?
Stability is quoted at ±1 °C. Absolute accuracy will drift as a tip or heating element ages, which is what the calibration function is for: set a temperature, measure the tip with a thermometer, and enter the difference as an offset of up to ±50 °C. The manual works through an example.
Is this the same station as the one in the MS300?
Yes — the soldering section of the MS300 3-in-1 is the ST-965. If you already own an MS300 you do not need this; if you want the soldering side on its own bench, this is it.
Is a spare handle available?
Not as a separate item at the moment — our spare parts range does not currently list a replacement handle for the ST-965. Tips and heating elements are stocked. If you need a handle, contact us and we will source one.
What warranty applies?
Two years on the station and one year on the soldering handle. Tips and heating elements are wear parts and sit outside the warranty.
Specifications are taken from ATTEN's user manual for this model and are provided for guidance only. They are subject to change without notice, and errors and omissions may occur. Note that the manual's specification table gives the rated power as 65 W while the model is marketed as a 60 W station. The manufacturer's official documentation is the definitive reference; if a particular figure is critical to your application, please confirm it with us before ordering.