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

Im a light hobby user, so this product is probably overkill, but when I needed to source new elements and tips for my Weller pencil-type irons, I decided to consider a controllable station instead. The FX-888 heats up quickly (MUCH faster my old Weller irons), and provides great results. The adjustable temperature allows me to use one tool for various tasks, and tips are readily available. The cord connecting the iron to the controller is very supple, so moving the pencil around while working is easy. I just wish they had considered this for the power cord, as its quite stiff. The base is sturdy and well-weighted, and the built-in cavity for the wire-mesh iron cleaner is a plus. One drawback is the lack of a power on indicator. The flashing ready light is in a poor position for visibility, and can be easily missed if you look at just the right (wrong?) time. I will be adding another LED in the top of the unit. Im also not keen on the brightly-colored and contoured appearance of the unit, but styling is subjective. Id also prefer the holder and controller be joined units for easier portability, but this is a minor inconvenience. Overall, Im very satisfied with the unit, and am pleased with the purchase. SUMMARY: PROS: Heats quickly Good range of temperature adjustment Wide selection of tips available Flexible iron cord Sturdy base with tip cleaner CONS: Fisher-Price styling Controller and base are separate units No power-on indicator Poor Heating LED placement Stiff power cord

Esta es una de las mejores estaciones calidad precio desde que empiezas a abrir el paquete empiezas a ver lo pequeño que es el cautín, la estación, la calidad de los cables, la calidad y detalles que tienen está estación. Es una estación simplemente hermosa que hace que el lugar de trabajo se vea bien, es súper pequeña, pero un poco pesado el transformador, solo un poquito. Quise compra está estación desde hace unos meses pero la verdad no me decidía ya que, no me decidía entre hakko o weller y la verdad depues ed mucho me decidí por está estación. sabía que podría ser un poco costosa para mí pais por detalles de importación y envio. Pero la verdad no me arrepiento de de haberla comprado ya que el control de temperatura es exelente. Lo único que creo no es muy intuitiva es la interfaz que solo son dos botones. Pero si la configuras a modo memoria, que tiene 5, es fácil de usar. Lo que más me gustó fue la rapidez con la que alcanza la temperatura deseada en menos de 30 segundos, está lista para usar. Y la verdad antes tenía cautines y tardaba demasiado en calentar. Recomiendo al 100% está estación. Y recomiendo el vendedor fue muy rápido el envío y metardo como 5 días en llegar, solo por qué DHL en mi pais no trabaja sábado y domingo si no me llegaría mucho antes. Espero y aya servido mi opinión, y para los que no saben o no se deciden cuál estación comprár, les recomiendo esta estación.

I have one of these that finally broken down after 6 years of daily use. Replacing the soldering iron wand part was nearly the same as buying a new one, so I just bought a new one. And I couldnt be happier, Hakkos gear is just as solid as its always been. People complain about the temperature control interface and I get it -- its awkward. I dont need to change temps a lot so its fine, but if you do you change temperatures frequently you may want something else. If youve used cheap soldering irons because you couldnt quite justify the cost, Ive been there too, and I can assure you its worth it to get a quality soldering iron. You can go faster, the work comes out more consistent, and youre never fighting with the equipment.

This is a great value soldering station and, in my opinion, the best in its class! After a little over a year of usage, I would rate its soldering performance as 5-Stars. You really cant beat this stations performance anywhere in its price range. The quality of the Hakko FX888D is first-rate, exactly what one would expect from a Japanese product. But, like most products, it has its flaws (see below). I have used the FX888D for countless soldering tasks associated with DIY HiFi circuit boards and other small electronics tasks. In performing these tasks, I have used specialized soldering tips (the T18-D16 chisel tip is standard) with smaller tip mass used to solder circuit boards with small component pads. One noteworthy point: THE TYPE OF SOLDERING TIP AND ITS MASS WILL AFFECT THE AMOUNT OF HEAT TRANSFERRED. And, the temperature at the tip will NOT necessarily be the temperature indicated on the screen, especially with lower mass tips (lower mass tips will be colder than the temperature displayed on the screen). All this is to say that this soldering station DOES NOT have a sensor at the soldering tip/handle assembly. Most, if any, soldering stations in this price range dont have soldering tip/handle temperature sensors. So, the Hakko FX-888D is no exception. Just be aware that what temperature you get at the tip is not necessarily what is shown on the screen when you change out the included trip to another type. As other reviewers have noted, the two-button design of the FX-888D is less than noteworthy--unintuitive would be how I would describe it. Why Hakko designers have the calibration temperature adjustment mode on the UP button is a mystery. I, like countless others, have accidentally entered the Performing a temperature adjustment mode (as the instruction manual calls it) and a mis-calibration was made resulting in an inaccurate tip settings incongruent to display screen readings (can be hundreds of degrees off). I accidentally entered this mode by holding in the UP button for more than 2 seconds, which is what one would do IF we wanted (intuitively) to raise the temperature of the unit while soldering. Right? NO! Not according to Hakko designers. Holding in the UP button for more than two seconds actually puts you into the Temperature adjustment MODE and whatever digital inputs you put into the unit at this point WILL CHANGE THE CALIBRATION OF TEMPERATURE SETTINGS (as opposed to just changing the tip temperature) and the result will be in-congruencies between what the screen shows and what your soldering tip temperature is! This anomaly is why I deducted 1 star! What do you do if you, like I did, accidentally mis-calibrate the Hakko FX888D? There are two viable solutions. One is that you purchase a soldering tip temperature reading device/thermometer that will give you an accurate tip reading at high temperatures (not many thermometers out there that will do this). Then you can calibrate any soldering tip to the precise temperature setting the job requires. Hakko makes such a device (Hakko FG-100), as well as others. The second and cheaper solution is to reset the FX888D back to factory settings. However this, of course, puts one back at the start with possible inaccurate tip temperatures when using smaller mass soldering tips--BUT, AT LEAST THIS WILL MAKE YOUR SOLDERING STATION USEFUL AGAIN. If you choose to reset the FX888D, it is almost impossible to find documentation on how to do this. AND, many souls out there in Internet ether-land believe that there isnt a way to do this. I dont know why this factory reset information was NOT included in the owners/instruction manual, SINCE it is so easy to accidentally enter the temperature setting mode to screw up the temperature calibration! Luckily, I have a friend who works for Panasonic, who has a friend who works for Hakko, in Japan. She was able to get me the official Hakko FX888D factory reset instructions. For those that need to reset the FX888D back to factory, default settings, here is the reset sequence: Resetting Hakko FX888D to factory default settings: 1. Make sure unit is off. 2. Hold the UP button AND ENTER button down at the same time. 3. Turn on the unit. 4. Continue to hold down the two buttons until the screen flashes A. 5. Release your fingers from all buttons when flashing A occurs. 6. Push UP button one time--the unit will display a U. 7. Once screen reads U, push the ENTER button one time to exit the reset mode. 8. Unit will begin to heat up to 750℉ (the factory calibration point) and stop at 750℉. 9. Unit is now reset to factory settings. (You can now set your temperature at the desired setting and begin soldering!) Another minor shortcoming involves the soldering iron holder base. It frequently slides around when wiping/cleaning the tip on the cleaning wire. Suction-type feet would have helped. Maybe Hakko designers will make this change in future versions of this base. It does slide around quite a bit, especially on smoother surfaces. In closing, I would just like to state that I love the FX888D! It is one of the best investments I have ever made. After years of using those flimsy, cheap soldering irons you can buy at discount department stores and other big box stores, it is a plesure to use a precision soldering station like the FX88D. To think that I spent MORE than what I paid for the FX88D on all those pieces of junk! I dont know why I waited so long to get a bonafide soldering station. I highly recommend the FX888D (or the discontinued analog FX888, if you can find one) as an excellent, on-the-job performer. Just be aware of changing the calibration by mistake, which is a biggie...

Ive had the same old Ungar iron for over 20 years, but Id been wanting a multi-temp unit for a while. I waffled between the Hakko and analog Weller and eventually settled on the Hakko. Once you get past the Fisher Price colors, youll find that the unit is pretty nice. Like everyones said, it gets to temp insanely fast, and I really like the integrated sponge/wire cleaner. The footprint is pretty small, and the iron cable is flexible. Ive had the chance to use the iron in a few different scenarios like normal soldering for components on my 3D printer to some thicker R/C motor wires that my previous iron couldnt get through. The menu process can be a little counter-intuitive. Out of the box my unit had no presets configured. And it took a while to figure out oh, I need to enable presets and then go in and put temps in. Once the presets are in then its simple to quickly go between them. But then I wanted to change a preset temp and had to go back and look up how to do it. Im sure its a matter of just getting used to the unit, but this was a good example where I wished Id got the analog Weller so Id just have to turn a knob.

With a few different tips, Ive been able to use this with surface-mount parts (I even did some 0402 parts with this thing. Its a pain, but doable!), through-hole parts, and even some big ol transformer anchor lugs. First off, Im spoiled by the equipment I have access to at work, but thats a full-blown professional setup that costs three orders of magnitude more. (Yes, seriously.) With that in mind, here are my thoughts on this little soldering station: - Thermal control. THERMAL CONTROL. Every soldering device should have thermal control. It just makes life easier. This thing has it, and mine was calibrated well right out of the box. - It takes a 15 seconds or so to warm up. (again, spoiled rotten. By force of habit, I expect the tip to be at operating temperature within 2-3 seconds.) - It takes long enough to unscrew the tip that you really should wait for it to cool before swapping tips. Its possible, but Im clumsy enough that I almost burn myself way too often. - The handpiece is a bit bulky for surface-mount work. Id love to see a handpiece about half this things size for SMD work. - The main power cable isnt detachable. I initially placed the control unit up near head level, with the cable draped down to the stand on the bench. I like having detachable power cables; it makes rearranging cables or moving equipment a little easier to deal with. - And, while you can get tweezers for this station, it only has the one tool plug, so you wont be doing a multi-tool setup. Now. All of that being said, this thing is pretty awesome. For what I paid for it, I am quite happy with it; its been reliable and has done its job well. Its construction is quite robust, its temperature control, while not perfect, is acceptable, and its just flat out easy enough to use. My baseline for an excellent tool is one that becomes transparent to me -- I dont think them about while Im using them; they just work, easily and reliably. This soldering station really does meet that criteria. It doesnt have all the bells and whistles, but it gets the job done, time and again.

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.

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.

I was pleasantly surprised by this station, the temperature accuracy was within 15 degrees of the displayed temperature straight out of the box. After calibrating with my thermometer, it has remained accurate with little deviation. The user interface is no intuitive, but after watching a video on YouTube, it is fairly simple. Overall, I would recommend this station and I would not hesitate to purchase again.

Ill begin by saying that I dont have very much experience when it comes to soldering. I have owned a butane Weller for a while that I use for soldering wires and large components, but I recently started working with circuit boards both at work and as a hobby. I decided that a decent, temperature-controlled soldering station was a good investment, and went with the Hakko on my fathers recommendation. I took the FX-888 to work to compare it side-by-side with their Weller WES51 stations and was blown away at the difference. To be fair, the Wes51 had a used tip vs. the FX-888s brand new one, but neither was oxidized. The Hakko heated up slightly faster, tinned slightly easier, and was generally a pleasure to work with. The Hakkos cord between the iron and station is also lighter and more flexible - a small detail that I noticed right away. The inclusion of the brass sponge and rubber tip cleaners in addition to the standard sponge is very welcome, and having them all right there in the stand means that you wont have extra items cluttering your desk. I do wish it came with a smaller tip, either a conical tip or a smaller spade. It is also impossible to find tips for the Hakko locally - a problem I wouldnt have with a Weller, since theres a supplier in the area - but I knew both of these issues before I bought it, and they arent major. Overall, Im loving this iron. Its within the budget of a serious hobbyist, but I feel certain it could be used every day at work with no problems.