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

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.

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!

I love this soldering iron, it heats in less than 15 secs and the quality is very good. Im not a professional but I using the soldering station very often and this one is the best you can get for the money. Hakko is one of the best brands on the market.

The soldering iron was a little skinny to hold but performance was more of a deciding factor. When applied to the workpiece the iron was unable to maintain heat transfer and was not useful. I was unable to measure actual power draw. The two piece design is thoughtful and allows for flexibility in placement of the iron

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.

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 put this title in for a reason. My previous experience (other than soldering copper pipes) has been with various soldering guns, but Ive also had a couple soldering irons, ranging from fairly powerful to low wattage for fine. The soldering guns, even the Weller brand ones, invariably died after a while, with lack of heat, intermittent heat due to mysterious issues and rattling. Soldering irons also died, with cracking bakelite handles and tips that got loose. Using this soldering station is incredible different. Soldering has become much more consistent, the tip stays clean and attached and its ready to go in seconds. Playing with the temperature is really nice, to get just the right amount of heat in the right amount of time. Its got good power too. You dont really need 250 W if the temperature is controlled and heat is transferred well. Already this has lasted much longer than any $40 soldering gun would. I love it and thats why Im saying this is a must have. Typical excellent Japanese quality.

Im using this for various applications, from soldering tabbing wire on delicate solar cells, soldering components on perf boards, to soldering wires of various wires together. The temperature control is a necessity for these various uses and the Hakko works great. This Hakko is great if you plan to solder more than a few things as its quite affordable for the semi serious, but quality enough to please a professional. The time to heat up is very quick and you can start to solder within 10-15 seconds. Other fixed wattage irons Ive used take a minute or more and you cant really tell if its reached its proper temperature. The Hakko will show when its reached the desired temperature. Simply turn it on seconds before you need it and itll be ready. I was impressed. Setting the temperature is actually quite nice, but you might need to read the instruction manual (gasp!) to figure out how to do it the first time since the two button interface isnt intuitive. The iron holder comes with the sponge and wire, which makes cleaning off the iron very easy. Its also very stable feeling and made of metal so it feels like a quality stand. The iron cable is a nice soft silicon which makes handling and moving the iron effortless as the wire wont stiffen up, twist, or get in your way. Fixed irons with their stiff cables retain the bends and twists that they get so you might knock something off your desk thats three feet away. But not with the Hakko and its those little things that make this unit a joy. This is my first variable wattage iron so its leagues above a fixed wattage iron. After using a variable temperature iron, you cant go back.

In order to reset the HAKKO FX-888D back to the factory default settings, hold down the UP and ENTER buttons and turn the power on. The display will show A (for Asian defaults and display in Celsius) or U (for US defaults and display in Fahrenheit). You can press the UP button to toggle the value shown between A and U. When you have made your selection, press the ENTER button and the factory reset will be complete. NOTE: When resetting the unit to factory default settings, it may be necessary to re-adjust the tip temperature so that the unit is within specifications for tip temperature accuracy (±15°C/27°F). To make the tip temperature adjustments, you will need a device that can measure the tip temperature (such as a HAKKO FG-100 Tip Thermometer) or other thermocouple measuring device. To perform the tip temperature adjustment: 1.When the HAKKO FX-888D is on, hold down the ENTER button to set your tip temperature to 750°F. If you are using the Celsius, set your tip temperature to 350°C. 2.Clean your soldering iron tip and apply a fresh coating of solder. 3.Measure the tip temperature using your HAKKO FG-100 Tip Thermometer (or equivalent device) and record this value. Be sure your device is measuring in the same temperature scale as the temperature display of the HAKKO FX-888D. 4.Hold down the UP button on the HAKKO FX-888D, and program in the value that was recorded from step 2. 5.Repeat Steps 2 through 4 above until the measured temperature is ±12°F of the set temperature of 750°F (or ±7°C of the set temperature of 350°C) If after resetting to factory specs. the Preset Mode doesnt work see this YouTube video........... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5ymGXuowU8

Update to original review: Ive pulled my old Weller back out of storage. The specific issue is that this Hakko isnt nearly as good for soldering quad copter power leads. The leads tend to be 12 or 14 gauge (I match the leads on the battery I intend to use). It is the ground wires that are most difficult because the circuit boards tend to have heavy ground planes. Sure, I can do the job with the Hakko, but it got annoying after the Nth time. That old Weller makes it fast and easy. Sadly, I hear that the new Wellers dont match up to the old ones. Other than those power leads, almost everything else I do is a lighter job for which the Hakko works fine. ------- Its amazing how the price of these things has changed over the years. This Hakko is replacing my 30 year old Weller. That old Weller doesnt have temperature adjustment and its one temperature was dropping. It was time for a replacement. This Hakko station does everything I want and that brass wool thing is great for tip cleaning. Still getting used to the adjustable temp though. Basically though. its a soldering iron. No surprises there. Flip the switch, it gets hot, melts solder, etc. No drama. The soldering iron is more like a pencil. No problem because it gets hot fast and gets the job done. If I were doing a lot of soldering - as in it were my job, Id have probably gotten another Weller but with adjustable temp. They are more industrial and my old one lasted me 30 years. Thats a strong recommendation. For now, though, I may solder for a few hours on the occasional weekend when Im assembling a quadcopter or arduino gadget. No need for the expensive industrial tooling.