Bundle Includes Soldering Station and CHP170 Cutter

Replaced my 18 year-old Weller, it was okay. This Hakko is really excellent. Heats quickly and easy to regulate. Hakko sounds like one of the Marx Brothers.

NIB as described, good deal

Excellent quality.

Got this after using the same kit at multiple conferences. Such an improvement from the plain old iron with no temperature control I was using before.

Love this thing. Cant believe I spent all these years without it. Should be one of those tools that you get when you become an adult and use for a lifetime.

Ive been wanting a good temp-control soldering station for a long time and when my antique Ungar Princess pencil finally got too old and feeble to melt the solder anymore, I jumped on this on, mostly due to their reputation for quality and the good price. Have used it a couple of times and am very impressed. I generally leave my iron cooking when Im working because it takes too long to warm up from cold. As a result, I frequently forget and leave it on when I souldnt. At best I have to hack off the oxide build-up and re-tin it the next day. At worst I burn down the house. This baby goes from room temperature to 750 degrees in about 30 seconds. Problem solved. Digital temperature setting and readout, up to five stored preset temps, interchangeable tips and a reasonable price. Whats not to like? Well, the instructions could be better. The instructions for mode changing are incomplete in the printed manual that came with the product - go to the Hakko website and download a current manual which clarifys. (When you get frustrated trying to get a mode change to stick, set it as instructed, then hold the Enter button down for 2 seconds, until the Y for yeas appears, then hit enter again.) Nonetheless, I still recommend the unit.

Debated whether getting this or a used Metcal for my home lab. I use Metcals at work, and although they are good, I cant justify the cost for my hobby needs. Ive now used this Hakko on around 20 occasions, and I absolutely love it. Not a huge fan of the sponge, but I dont see any real need for it when I have the golden wool to clean the tips. Changing temperatures is not as intuitive as it could be, but it works. For less than $100, this is as good as it gets.

Coming from a simple plug it the wall and wait five minutes single- temp Radio Shack Soldering iron, this is light years ahead. First off, This thing heats up in literally seconds, drastically more convenient than other stations, even faster than the analog Weller WLC-100 I use at work. The lead coming from the base is very flexible and relaxed in no time after unboxing, so you never feel like youre fighting the cord to hold the iron how you want. The iron holder is very sturdy despite being quite light, and is very easy to take apart and clean. Tip change is tool-less and easy, and the pre-installed chisel tip it comes with has held up very well so far, but I follow Louis Rossmans guide to tip maintenance: wet the tip with fresh solder after almost every joint, and only use the brass wool, never the sponge to clean the iron. You wouldnt put cold water on a 700 degree frying pan would you? No, cause it will warp or crack, just like your soldering iron tip. Anyway, my only complaint, as someone who does a lot of de- soldering, scrapping, through- hole and SMD re- flowing is that on this digital unit, its a little cumbersome to change the temperature. Not complicated by any means, but it takes more time than say, a knob would. As an aside, the bundled clippers are great too. Very prcise, sharp, and comfortable to hold and use.

wow it works great. Wire bad and sponge are great. I added a sticky back sand paper to the side of the unit. Keep the tip clean is the trick. I wish I had bought this years ago.

Not near as useful as Weller soldering station since the Hakko heat recovery time is much longer and not a production shop tool. Works ok for limited casual use. If you set it for 700 degrees and start a job it will quit soldering and you have to wait for it to catch up. Very irritating for someone needing to do 4 hours worth of work. I tried two different size tips. Same results. I quit using this dud and went back to my old Weller.