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

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.

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.

This unit works perfect for my need. Heats up quickly and I never have a problem with it.

I had purchased a cheap rework station and it was absolutely terrible. Would only solder one leg of a resistor before cooling to the point I could not solder the second leg. Returned it and bought the Hakko 888D. The Hakko made a world of difference and have been soldering with no trouble since! This is the right tool for through-hole and SMD PCB soldering. Do not waste your time and money with the cheap units - you will end up here anyway! The tip that comes with the unit is a small chisel tip that is perfect for PCB work. If you are looking at this for PCB work like me, make sure you combine this with the right solder as well. Kester 63/37 .020” (.5mm) leaded solder is the right solder to go with this station. I have seen some reviews about the interface being difficult. That was not the case for me. There are several videos on YouTube by Hakko that walk you through setting up the device and the settings. I highly suggest watching those while waiting for your unit to arrive!

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

I went through 2 cheap soldering stations that lasted a few months before they failed. This was highly recommended by a knowledgeable Utuber and I am still impressed after owning one since 2018. I dont understand the complaints about the user interface as it is very simple and easy to use. Only thing I can think of is some of the reviews are for a different product, something that is pretty common here, as this doesnt have a touch screen and the controls are separate up/down buttons to change temp and an on/off rocker with on the side - how can that be hard to use? I dunno. I have yet to need to change the tip and I use mine a few times a week. If you want a good iron soldering station this is it, period.

I used to work at a company that has a couple of Hakko soldering stations. They worked well. But because of the price, I never considered buying one for my own use at home. Every soldering iron Ive ever had cost less than ten bucks. And after a couple of years, it was no surprise that they were ready for the trash can. I looked at several nice irons in the $40.00 to $60.00 range. But I figured if I was willing to spend that much, I would spend a little more to get something really nice. PROS: 1. It heats up really fast. In about forty-five (45) seconds, its up to 750 degrees Fahrenheit and ready to use. 2. Stable temps. And it has a fast recovery. 3. Digital readout of the temp (selectable for Celsius or Fahrenheit). 4. Has up to five pre-programmed temp settings (600F, 700F, 750F, 800F, and 850F) that can be quickly accessed (you can change the preset temps to your own temps if desired). 5. Has a wide operation range of 120F to 899F. 6. Accuracy of the tip temperature can be calibrated (if you have the right thermometer). 7. The iron holder is separate, and not part of the power base. This provides more versatility as to how/where you set up your workstation. 8. The iron holder is heavy and not tipped over easily. Plus, it holds both a sponge and a wire-type cleaner. 9. Many different tip styles are available from Hakko. And the tips are easy to change. 10. The iron is comfortable to hold. And it doesnt get hot during use. 11. Although not important to me, the settings can be protected with a password. This would come in handy if other people use the iron, and you dont want unwanted changes. 12. The iron plugs into the power base. If the iron burns out or gets damaged, you can replace it without having to replace the entire soldering iron. 13. When you turn the power on, it defaults to your last temperature setting. CONS: 1. Because there are only two buttons on the front of the power base, programming or making adjustments are not intuitive. Some changes/adjustments require you to press and hold certain buttons before turning the unit on. Other changes require you to hold a button down for two seconds, then do something else, etc. Once you understand how, the programming isnt difficult. The difficult part is remembering how to do it. Unless you use this device every day and make frequent adjustments, youre probably not going to remember how to make changes the next time you need to solder something. And if you should make a mistake by pressing the wrong button, you may have to do a factory reset (I did). Lets see. Where did I leave the instruction manual for this thing? Hakko has several on-line videos that explain how to make changes and adjustments. Theyre very helpful. But what would have been even more helpful, is if Hakko had decided on a simple and intuitive design. Guess what? Such a design already exists. Its called a rotary knob. Remember knobs? You know. Theyre those round things that are intuitive in operation. A couple of rotary knobs on this unit would have made adjustments self-explanatory. But I guess Hakko considers knobs to be too old fashioned and quaint. COMMENTS: Thats it. I have no other cons. However, I would like to point out that this unit was not made in Japan. Although Hakko is a Japanese company, some parts/accessories are marked Made in China. And on the bottom of the power base, it says, Made in Malaysia. Oh well. Its all about global manufacturing now. Regardless of where the parts were made (or where it was assembled), the quality of this unit seems very good so far. Despite the non-intuitive adjustment/programming process, the unit works well. I havent had this soldering iron very long. Ive only used it for a couple of projects so far. Time will tell if it lasts. Ill do an update in a year or so.

Im an electrical engineer, and while I dont do a lot of soldering in my day to day work, I am capable enough. I decided to make an Arduino-based quiz show timer for a couple of youth organizations with whom I work. I had a cheap soldering station that I had bought a decade and a half ago. It was OK for crude soldering, but I wanted a more capable station. After reading several reviews on a few different stations, I decided to go with the Hakko FX888D-23BY. I have been very happy with my choice. The station is organized nicely--the iron rest is small enough that it can sit right next to my work without getting in the way. The digital temperature control is nice, and the iron heats up almost instantly. The station also has two modes of operation--manual or preset (adjustable) with two to five presents. I have been using the preset mode with two presets--this allows me to switch quickly between hot (380C) and standby (135C) to keep my tips from oxidizing when Im positioning parts or checking connections before moving to the next joint. Programming the iron is very easy--if you read the manual. I highly recommend this soldering station!

Sturdy well made unit and easy to use.

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.