Hakko FX888D-23BY Digital Soldering Station FX-888D FX-888 (blue & yellow)

We have two Hakko 936-12 irons, which we use in a daily production environment. The FX-888 is the updated replacement. Its smaller, but packs a bit more power than the 936. The handpiece is comfortable for day-long use and the new holder incorporates a slot for brass wool (better than a wet sponge), so you dont need a separate tip cleaner. Theres still a sponge plate for traditionalists. Hakko supplies both a sponge and a wad of brass wool. The thermostatic control is accurate and the iron heats quickly. More important, the more powerful 70W ceramic element brings the tip back up to temperature quickly when you heat a large surface, and the internal thermostat prevents overshoot. In other words, the Hakko maintains your chosen working temperature, making it easier to do clean, consistent work. Using brass wool to clean the tip causes less thermal shock than water does and theres essentially no thermal recovery time. The supplied screwdriver-shaped tip is small enough for standard printed-circuit board work and can also lay down enough heat to attach a braided ground to the back of a potentiometer. The silicone-coated cable on the handpiece withstands occasional accidental contact with the tip or barrel without damage. The brightly colored components are a departure from the usual somber black, looking like they could have been made by a toy manufacturer. Some have teasingly called it My First Soldering Iron, but its a quality tool that will likely last you a lifetime of hobby soldering or years of production work.

Since getting back in to RC, I quickly realized my 15/30W stick from Radio Shack had lived a hard life in my toolbox, and was never very good in the first place. I needed a real soldering iron. For weeks, Ive agonized over the

Ive been saying that Im learning to solder for a long time now and thats because I never purchased the proper iron and so I thought it was the fact that I lacked the skill and know how. Now I know the cheaper irons, which I have 2 of, one is not temp controlled and the other just didnt get hot enough. If I would have known that I just needed to invest in a great iron, I would have empowered myself a long time ago. Its sturdy, easy to use, easy to change the controls and I like that the power unit is separate from the holder. The only thing I would suggest is if you are soldering pcbs youll probably need to purchase an additional tip as the one included works but is a little wide for tiny pcb probject IMHO.

This soldering station is a dream! Coming from a cheapie Radio Shack station, the difference is night and day. It reaches full temperature (650 f) in under 10 seconds and more importantly it stays hot while using it. People complaining about the lack of analog controls havent spent the time to properly set the iron up. Its designed to be used with presets. For example, I have 3 presets: 650, 700, and 750. Cycling between them is extremely easy. Having a digital display to show you what temp the iron is is really nice too. Spend 5 minutes to set your iron up before you complain about it! The soldering iron stand is 100% ceramic and metal. I expected most of it to be plastic, but its not so you dont have to worry about melting anything accidentally. The brass sponge is extremely effective at cleaning the tip. I havent used the wet sponge yet. The power control base unit is super sturdy and just the right weight to not move around during use. The cord for the soldering pen is extremely flexible and stays out of the way. Also to note that my iron came with a fine chisel tip, which I actually prefer. Some might prefer a round tip (but you shouldnt really) so be aware of that and order a replacement tip. Altogether, this is the perfect iron for any level of skill or experience. At work we have very high end ($600+) stations and in my opinion this is every bit as good. There isnt a thing I would improve about it. Its rare to find a flawless consumer product, and this truly is one.

This is my first soldering station and I may have burnt myself lightly (completely my fault haha), but it gets the job done amazingly, even with my unsteady hands.

For nearly 20 years I have been too cheap to understand the difference between a soldering iron and a digitally controlled soldering tool. If you want to save money, time, frustration/agony, and save the planet by not having to waste precious resources of your time and logistical costs, buy this now! Heck, since you are looking at this, buy this. I have never been able to get a solid understanding of how to solder. TURNS OUT I NEVER HAD THE RIGHT TOOL! If you dont buy this, you will forever regret it. I unboxed it. Fumbled with how to turn it on, and finally noticed the on/off switch on the side. It was set at 750 by default. I instantly became a soldering MASTER! 5 Minutes later, I am here writing this review to save all those out there the woes caused by those cheap soldering irons. SOLDERING MAGIC!!! I CAN SOLDER! YEEEHAW!

In the middle of a project my old (very old) Radio Shack soldering station ceased functioning. For several hours I looked at replacements, Read all the reviews good and bad. Watched some Youtube videos and finally decided on the the Hakko FX-888D. I never pay for overnight or 2nd day delivery but I really needed a soldering station to continue my project and was glad I did to get back to work. The Hakko heats up fast, very fast. Especially compared to the old Radio Shack. I bought some extra different shaped tips. This is my first experience with a tip that isnt a larger/medium cone shaped tip. So far so good. I have had the unit for a week now and have used it every day and I have been very happy with the purchase. Why only 4 Stars - The enclosed documentation is missing 5 pages. The document enclosed talks about the presets but doesnt show you how to. The documentation does have a reference to a web site where you can get the full set of instructions. The 5 missing pages include 3 pages for doing the presets. The other 2 pages are details on the parts and the internal construction of the unit. Its a little point but the cost of a couple mores pages of paper cant be a profit breaker. So for now only 4 stars - but very happy with my purchase so far.

Not a soldering guy, but I wanted to try my hand at a semi advanced job attaching a ribbon cable to an smb to an n64. Used my 20$ soldering iron...BIG MISTAKE. completely botched the job, my iron wasnt able to keep a consistent temperature and my cheap solder immediately stuck many legs together. Tried to save it but ended up reading more about the appropriate tools. Well... a few practice rounds later with the dead n64 an it so crazy how different using this soldering iron is. Expensive, but holy moly does it do a good job and Temps are amazingly stable.

My first professional soldering iron was a Weller and Ive always been skeptical about anything else. We use Wellers at work. Well, this guy gave this model a very nice review - better than the similarly priced Weller, so I went with it. The things I do not like: 1. That silly sponge. I will probably replace it. It is functional, but I dont care for the feel of it. I like to abuse my sponge. Always keeping the tips clean and shiny. This is less than perfect. 2. The UI should have been a 2 button up-down configuration. What I like: 1. It maintains its temperature ferociously. When soldering solid copper wires, this is a big help. The thermal output is great and it maintains temperature like a beast. 2. It has a great feel overall. Solid. 3. I bought a tip assortment from Hakko, but the tip that comes with it is a great general purpose tip. good for all but the smallest SMD parts.

I didnt know soldering could be this much fun. If you have never used a nice soldering iron before (like me), this thing is genuinely amazing. Soldering is hard, even with a good soldering iron like this, but the last thing that you want is for some cheap soldering iron to be adding to the inherent difficulty of soldering. This thing does the opposite of that. It makes soldering a lot easier and more fun. That might sound kinda crazy if you havent used one, but this really makes soldering a lot more pleasant. It heats up very quickly, and maintains its temperature very exactly. It maintains its temperature so well that even when I spend a bit too long heating something up, it doesnt damage anything. Thanks to the awesome temperature stability, it melts solder amazingly well without oxidizing it too quickly, I didnt know I could make solder joints this nice. I cant properly explain just how nice this thing is. You have to try one. Its just a joy to use. A nice soldering iron like this makes a huge difference, its night and day versus a cheap soldering iron. The base is very sturdy, the soldering iron itself is comfortable, it comes with a wedge shaped tip standard (which is much better than those needle point tips). I also like how small the whole thing is. It takes up a very minimal amount of desk space which is good if (like me) you dont have much desk space to spare. I personally enjoy the unique colors and design, but Im sure not everyone will like them. They actually look nicer in person than they do in the pictures. I also enjoy that the soldering iron holder is separate, and it feels like its made out of metal and some kind of ceramic stuff, its great. I really cant say enough good things about this. Soldering is still hard, but this thing makes it a lot better. I enjoy using it so much that I actually find myself getting sad when Im done with something and have nothing else to solder, which never used to happen before. Of course, if youve read anything about these, then you probably know the user interface leaves a bit to be desired. Its even stranger in person than the instructions make it out to be. But thats a minor flaw overall. Once you set it the way you want it, you pretty much dont have to pay attention to that anymore. Still, itd be nice if in a future version they made a better user interface for this thing. The user interface is its only real flaw.