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

Love it! This product is awesome! Very well made and comes to temperature very quickly. I would love for the power cable to be a bit longer but other than that Ive very satisfied. UPDATE 11-09-15: After using a few times, I cant get this thing to heat up enough to even finish my project (crossover circuit) for a two way speaker! It worked fine the first week I used it which was like 3 times of maybe a total run time of hour and half max (probably even exaggerating it). Second week I get home from work turn it on while I take out my work cloths (even knowing it heats up quick) I get right into trying to solder some components for my two way crossover and cant even get it hot enough to melt the solder!!!!!! So disappointing.... I tried changing tips, cleaning the tips, checking the pen area to see if there maybe have been loose wire or connections that got undone..... Nothing all normal. Through its at 750 degrees according to the digital temp gauge it cant even melt the solder!!!!! I take my cheap weller SP40L soldering iron and does circles around this thing... Ill try to get a refund or a replacement. I liked it well on the first several times I used it but now its worthtless to me! Changing it from a 5 star to a 1 star. Id give it zero star because Im so pissed off about it not working in such a short period but theres no option for a no star review..... Will update again when and if I get respond for a replacement as I am willing to give this product 1 more chance due to its review ratings by other users. Maybe I just get unlucky with a faulty device.... UPDATE 2: Received Email from seller (seller is TEquipment - Amazon Marketplace) November 10, 2015 ---> Good Afternoon Victor, Thank you for your email. We apologize that you are having this problem. I would advise you to contact tech support at Hakko to see if they can troubleshoot this for you. You can contact them at 661-294-0090. If they tell you that the unit is defective, please contact us at 732-222-7077 so that we can handle your return. We would need the name of the person you spoke to at Hakko. Please let us know if you need further assistance. Thank you and have a great day! Regards, Customer Service UPDATE 3: called Hakko tech support in California then with vacation and holidays I finally emailed back seller December 30, 2015 ---> Hi, Sorry I was away on vacation and along with the holidays things been a bit hectic. Anyhow after I spoke with someone from Hakko (California) and did walked me through doing factory reset and have tried it several times, the product is still not even close to temperature range its suppose to be. Ive set it for the highest temperature ratings and even with the factory reset of the device Im still not able to gain use of the device. Its basically as good as a very expensive paper weight at this point.... Im very disappointed seeing as how Ive even gone as far as buying other tips for it and after my initial use of the product it worked really well. I wrote down the name of the customer service rep I spoke with in California but I misplaced it somewhere. When I find the name I will sure to get back to you. Please advice on what can be done to resolve this issue at this point in time. Thanks, Victor Update 4: Seller respond to email same day --------> Good Morning Victor, Thank you for your email. Unfortunately we are outside of the 75 day return window. This would have to be handled as a warranty issue at this point. You would have to contact the manufacturer directly to initiate a warranty claim. Their number is 661-294-0090. Please let us know if you need further assistance. Thank you and have a great day! Regards, Customer Service Update 5: My response to the seller same day ----> So basically youre telling me that even if this was initiated well before the 75 days that I made known to you folks that the device I received from you folks was a defective one you now are telling me you wont honor a refund and or exchange????! Instead of having to just refund or exchanged it from the get go when you folks were made aware? Instead I was told by you folks to go and talk to Hakko USA first in which I did out of my own time for some worthless $90+ paperweight? I live in Hawaii and California is 3 hours ahead of me. Which means I had to wake up extra early before I head to work to speak with tech support and tinker around with the defective device that you folks sold me because I get off at 4pm and with traffic I cant make it home till 5 or 6pm which California tech support is well closed by the time I even clock out of work! And by the way the tech support person I spoke to was named Natalie with Hakko California. Not that it really matters but I did find where i notated her name. I spoke with her twice.

While I had read all the really good ratings and heard good things about this brand and model, I was surprised how sturdy everything was.

I Like the digital temperature display and it does warm up fast. I changed out the tip that came with it for a larger one for the type of projects I am doing. The small tip does work well for finer detailed projects.

Its a workhorse in my shop. Nothing else to say.

Using an iron almost everyday and 2 cheap-o irons broke. Decided to get a nice iron and heard good things about the TS-101 but just seemed like it would be better as an iron you don’t use all the time so I bought the Hakko. My goodness this thing is amazing. The flexibility of the cord was the first thing I noticed as the cheap-o cords are very ridgid. Heats up within 10 seconds. The name brand tip is amazing and evenly wets vs the cheap-os. The stand for the iron is all metal and solid. This thing is amazing.

The title says it all, really. Ive never had an easier time with delicate soldering jobs. This iron replaces my old Weller iron with the dial-type temperature control. That iron, while good and definitely held its own, was moody at times and prone to heat-recovery delays. Heat recovery is important, and not just for someone doing dozens of joints at a time. Reliable heat recovery means that the iron is predictable, and also heats initially quickly. Other irons Ive used would be prone to losing heat at an odd time, then youre sitting there pressing the solder into the joint and nothing happens. You leave the iron to heat, then its too hot and burning resin or the board substrate. This iron heats to the right, precise temperature quickly, and holds that temperature. It performs consistently and quickly so your components arent risking damage. The user interface isnt the greatest, but I didnt find it counter-intuitive as some have. I do like that the temperature control can be dialed in to just a few degrees hotter than the melting point of the solder. That eliminates the guesswork that can come with a dial-based system, and with the consistent heating, allows for a quick solder flow with a minimum of fuss. This iron has allowed me to solder up prototyping circuit boards with joints that look machine-made, and I am by no means greatly practiced. This has been a purchase that was well worth the few extra dollars.

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!

All I can say is I wish I had bought one sooner. The Days of waiting are over, this thing is ready in seconds.

Well built adjustable temperature this is the one to buy

It looks like a toy but is built like a tank. It heats up really fast and maintains the exact temperature while you work. Sure, I wish it had more than two buttons so if you dial in too high a temp you can go one down instead of cycling back around, but I wouldn’t give up any of the FX-888D’s excellent qualities for that one button. There is a Weller that is pretty similar for around $100-110, but this Hakko has a larger heating element and so it will maintain its temperature better (in theory), but that Weller would be the only other unit I would consider.