Quality Chinese alternatives · no knockoffs
Weller: Owned by Apex Tool Group (US)
Pinecil V2 portable USB-C iron
Hong Kong-based Pine64 makes the Pinecil, an open-source USB-C soldering iron running the IronOS firmware. Hackaday called it the state of the art for handheld irons, and the IronOS project lists the Pinecil V2 as its recommended device.
TS101 and TS80P portable irons
Miniware, the tool brand of Guangzhou e-Design, makes the TS101 and TS80P portable soldering irons and the MHP30 hot plate, all supported by the open-source IronOS firmware. Hackaday found its earlier TS100 good enough for serious hobby work at a low weight and price.
S60 and S99 USB-C irons with C210-style tips
Guangdong Sequre Technology, based in Dongguan, makes the S60, S60P and S99 USB-C soldering irons, which use JBC C210-compatible tips. All three are supported by the open-source IronOS firmware.
Soldering and hot-air rework stations
Quick Intelligent Equipment, founded in 1993 and headquartered in Changzhou, makes soldering stations, hot-air rework stations and soldering robots. Clever Creations rated its 861DW hot-air station excellent for build quality and temperature control without overshoot, and EEVblog reviewed and tore it down.