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

Good for just about anyone as long as the price works for you, feels like it should cost more

Ive used this product extensively at my previous electronics company, and it was always beyond dependable and the temperature accuracy was usually very good. We still had to calibrate it every year, but it was never too far off. Pros: Will melt any solder that I worked with. Its temperature range is more than adequate. If you need any hotter, youll surely damage a component. Comfortable grip, and never had an issue with its holder. It displays the temperature as it is reaching your desired temperature, which is nice to see how long you have until its ready for you. Nice to have a brash mesh to clean the tip, albeit I seldom used it. Changing tips is quite easy, as long as you dont accidentally weld it on (keeping it on max temperature for an extended period of time will do it), but parts are relatively cheap if you do, as you will surely break it (if you weld it). I would say its irons leash is a perfect length, measuring around 4 ft. Power switch is on the right side of the unit. Cons: Now, I am nitpicking here. It does have a digital input and it takes a little bit to change the temperature. I do prefer an analog knob for my soldering station so I can easily change temperature rapidly. However, some people may find a digital display is more professional. Its non-square sponge holder means a basic yellow square sponge will not fit without some modification. Tips can be expensive, but can easily last a year or two of heavy use, if you take care of them. All that said, I would still definitely recommend this product. It is much better than just a plug-in iron. Very well priced as it is definitely a professional grade station, but more than welcoming to the amateur hobbyist.

I purchased this soldering station to replace a crappy Radio Shack 20watt/40Watt soldering iron. I solder mainly for hobby/repair applications and this soldering station is a REAL step up from my crappy soldering iron. Review Update: Ive been using this soldering station for the last 1.5 years. I love this soldering station! I actually look forward to soldering with it. It is really not even fair comparing this soldering station with my old Radio Shack 20watt/40Watt soldering iron. My old iron seemed to take forever to heat up and the tips were GARBAGE. I love that the Hakko FX-888 soldering station heats up from cold in just a couple seconds. The transformer is nice and heavy and has great rubber feet. The power cord attached to the transformer is heavy weight, and as a result, is rather stiff. Even with a stiff heavy weight power cord, the weight of the transformer (plus the grip of the rubber feet) is enough to keep the transformer where you put it. The pencil holder also stays where you put it. The pencil holder is all metal and is nice and heavy. While in the pencil holder, the heated portions of the iron are almost completely covered. The cord on the soldering iron is a decent weight but the cord is not stiff. Its nice and floppy. The soldering tip is amazing and is very resistant to oxidation. By using the sponge and the wire cleaner built into the pencil holder, it is very easy to maximize the life of the tip. The selection of tips that can be purchased and used with this soldering station, in my amateur opinion, is really impressive. I love this soldering station! Using this soldering station and proper soldering techniques, I am able to consistently produce high quality solder connections without overheating components.

The hype is true, this thing is great.

Worked like a champ over several audio amplifier and preamp rebuild projects, a couple of reel to reel tape recorder recapping jobs (Im a hobbyist), but its just so hard to get it to work right lately - mening for about the last year and a half. Ive bought nearly all the tip sizes HAKKO makes for this, have the temp maxd out at 750, do the usual tricks of cleaning tip on scouring pad, wet sponge, wetting the tip with solder before using to ensure heat is transferred quickly to components and MAN does it get annoying waiting for parts to heat enough to get the solder onto the leads. Moreso lately than even a few months ago, it seems. Even SMALL SMD components are hard to solder with this. Ive read similar complaints from others; for the price, youd think it would WORK, and KEEP working, but lately Ive been pulling out a 50 year old 40 watt iron more suitable for wood burning and it gets the job done faster, heat sinks I use on component leads dont get nearly as hot, and it works better on those large fiberglass THICK copper trace boards on things like amplifier power supplies and heavy wire leads on rectifiers and power transistors as well. Ive built and rebuilt innumerable guitar/bass amps, stereos, preamps, many a heathkit kit in my time, thinking the units Im working on lately are smaller traces, smaller leaded components in crowded boards this would be the wise choice, I chose poorly. I gave it 3 stars for temperature control and stability - the unit SAYS 750 degrees the whole time, never varies. Solder with MP of half that temp (0.022 AND 0.031 flux core) both hard to melt, sometimes right after cleaning, wiping, Ill stick the solder right against the tip of the iron and count the second or two it takes to melt, then it doesnt stick. Yes, I use the Hakko tinning compound. Even 4-0 steel wool. A real PITA. This came highly recommended to me from a well-known tech (in some audio circles) and its been a major disappointment. Maybe its time for a new heating element. But failing after just 6 months use, when other irons decades old still work well (but unregulated, fewer tip size choices). Seriously, I wouldnt recommend it.

So happy with this purchase, always got cheap soldering irons thinking I can replace it if needed and Im no soldering expert so dont use it that often, so might as well go under $50. As I was about to purchase my 4th iron (which would have taken my total spent on soldering irons to around $150) I decided to take a chance and spend the money to get a Hakko. The unit is much smaller than I anticipated (size didnt matter to me so never looked at dimensions) which is great, it is very easy to tuck out of the way. Saw some people dont like the separate iron stand, but personally that is the best for me. The station and stand can sit in the corner under my monitor at all times and I can just pull out the stand when I need to solder and I dont have to worry about any heat affecting my monitor. And the stand itself is all metal and feels quality. Time will tell with the sponge, saw some people not liking it, but havent run into anything myself as of yet. Heat up and temp stabilization are crazy fast, coming from cheap units this one surprised me when I first turned it on, was used to turning on the soldering iron and then in a few minutes could expect it to be stabilized. With the Hakko I turned it on and stood up expecting to have some time, and I wasnt 10 feet away by the time it hit temp and was almost stabilized. So very fast, which shouldnt be surprising if you have only been using the cheap units. Lastly is the interface, that was the thing I saw in reviews that made me almost not get this unit which would have been a mistake. Like I said I am not a good solderer by any means, so for me I tend to have 1 type of solder wire and keep the iron at the same temp almost always. If I changed temps regularly I would take the time to set up the presets to the temps I use most frequently. In my situation though, pressing the enter button and then adjusting the temp takes maybe 10 seconds and is done very infrequently. The interface is similar to another item I own where you press enter to start adjusting the temp and then the arrow to change the number, so for me it made immediate sense on what buttons to push. For anyone that intuitively thinks they should press the arrow to change the temp, I would highly recommend writing on the unit itself so you know what to do. Even a simple 1 and 2 to know which to press first would do it for you. But really that is how the system works, press Enter and the first digit flashes so you can press the arrow to change that digit, press enter again to go to the next digit, repeat till you have the temp you want. Unless you need an exact temp, you will never change the last number away from 0, so you will just change the first or second digit. Most times I am changing it up/down in hundreds so I just change the first digit and then hit enter twice to skip the next to digits. Anyone even remotely tech savvy or under a certain age will be totally fine with this, the only way the interface is an issue is if you are constantly changing temps, and even then it depends on the temps you are using and how many different temps since you can set custom presets to switch between. Will update this review if any issues arise, I expect to never have to buy another soldering iron in my life, so will definitely adjust this review if that turns out not to be the case.

First, let me describe how I use this, for reference. Im not even a hobbyist, but simply needed to quite getting bogged down in the middle of making the simplest of home electronics repairs and having piles of unfinished projects build up all over the place. The height of my technical skill is custom-building HTPCs (Home Theater PCs), which I wouldnt sell if Id soldered any electronics components in them, BTW. Also, Ive done a bunch of fun stuff like adding fans to home wi-fi routers, installing my headset into my XBox 360 controller (yes, so I dont lose it--Im THAT BAD), and routine laptop DC jack repairs (that one, for paying clients, with 100% cust. satisfaction in over 5 yrs.). So, my perspective on this unit comes from a 100% utility viewpoint--to the true hobbyist (like many reviews Ive read on this item), that makes me not much better than the grandma who goes out to Lowes to buy a hammer to hang some family photos. Overall, I like the unit--yup, sure wish wed gotten a better color combo for the U.S. production unit than something that looks like a toy, but how many people are using a soldering station made in the same colors as their high school colors? I mean, its not like were asking for red, white and blue here, Hakko--maybe something like, ohhh, basic-black? (GAH!) Past that...who cares? Really? It works as good as everybody agrees it does; I couldve used less hype than some reviewers give it for its speedy warm-up times, though. My last soldering iron was/is a Black & Decker WPS18MP that heated up much faster, even to lower temps. So, why did I even buy this one? Thank you for asking! The B&D used a ridiculous tip system that plugged in with 1/8 mini stereo-type-plugs which were both difficult to find online, AND >$10 apiece. Mine had needed replacing for more than a year, and when the single original tip for it died recently, Id had no luck in finding any local or online source that made it realistic to continue using it. This unit has tips that are easy to find anywhere, including some pretty good looking generic-ish ones--heck, they even threw in a little sheet telling me what other model tips would work with this one, adding to the collection comfortingly, I might add. THIS SECTION REVISED AFTER MONTHS OF USE (revisions in CAPS--sorry) Regarding the warm-up times and temps of the Hakko FX-888, I found them to be entirely quick enough, yet rather routine, considering its size. Aside from the rubber lip in the wand-base, I also like the build of the thing--pretty solid, the wand base solid metal powder-coat. WHUUUUT? WHAT WAS I THINKING?! IT HEATS UP TO 900°F IN UNDER A MINUTE, TRUTHFULLY; SORRY, NO IDEA WHAT POSSESSED ME...MAYBE I WAS BLACKING OUT MYSELF. The controls are very easy to use--just dial up your temp, and basically, if thats not hot enough...turn it to eleven...it makes that next temp in a minute or so...mine reached the highest temp setting in around two minutes. Oddly, my very first job required 750°F, nearly 80% of its highest temp...and this was for a personal shaver repair, so I wonder how truly useful this thing will be on hi-temp stuff Ive been wanting to do, like motherboard cap replacements and more crucial stuff. IN MORE THAN 10 SEPARATE HI-TEMP JOBS, ALL REQUIRING 900°F, EASY...ITS NEVER FAILED TO PRODUCE THAT TEMP IN WELL UNDER A MINUTE, AND IM CONFIDENT EVERY JOB TURNED OUT BETTER--THE BEST I COULD DO, FOR HAVING THIS STATION. I LOVE THIS THING--IF I WERENT (SEMI) NORMAL, AND HAPPILY ATTACHED TO MY GIRLFRIEND, ID GO ON DOWNTOWN AND MAKE THINGS FINAL BETWEEN MYSELF AND MY LIL HAKKO UNIT HERE. One final Yeesh on the color...I kept expecting Rainbow Brite to walk in and start barking orders for me to finish my job on time. IM NOT NOTICING THE COLOR ANY MORE--IT NEVER REALLY MATTERS ANYWAY, RIGHT? MY PARENTS WOULD GET USED TO MY MARRYING A PURPLE/GOLD, JAPANESE-MADE LIL HOTTIE LIKE THIS, SO WHY WAS I SO WORRIED?

I’m a college student and we work on electronic circuits and boards and as a complete novice at soldering I found this iron a breeze to work with as other students with different soldering iron/guns were struggling! Definitely worth every penny!

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.

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.