Hakko FX-888 cheap for 220-240v countries

[mariushm]

It looks like Hakko created a version of FX-888 for the Chinese market, which runs on 220v
People with mains voltages between 220v and 240v can just buy this one and cut/change the cable or use a plug adapter, instead of buying the proper European version of the solder station, which is 2-4 times more expensive.

Right now, you can buy it on Dealextreme now for about 112$ with free shipping, which imho is very cheap:

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/hanko-f...ac-220v-126505

It's 80$ in US, but if I were to order it from there, it would cost about 60$ to ship it here where I live, and then I'd have to pay 24% VAT at the customs office, so 112$ is really a great deal (customs don't bother with Chinese packages as Dealextreme usually marks them as 10-20$ "toys" on the customs form).

For those that don't know, Hakko FX-888 is the successor of the popular Hakko 936 and it's a very good soldering station - it's way better than those cheapo soldering tools that go straight into the mains.



I'm almost sorry I got a Hakko 936 a while ago from eBay.

ps. Discussion on eevblog about it: http://www.eevblog.com/forum/product...88-replica%29/

[eurotek_user]

Re: Hakko FX-888 cheap for 220-240v countries

So let me understand do you have this iron bought from dealextreme.com or not ?

[mariushm]

Re: Hakko FX-888 cheap for 220-240v countries

No, I didn't buy it from Dealextreme.

There's a very low chance it's a fake, but if it is it's a VERY GOOD fake.

It comes with Chinese manual and everything the regular Hakko FX-888 comes.

[retiredcaps]

Re: Hakko FX-888 cheap for 220-240v countries

I'm not saying the FX-888 at DealExtreme is fake or not because I don't know, but DealExtreme DOES sell counterfeit capacitors. Details at

https://www.badcaps.net/forum/showthread.php?t=16344

[Opensourceyourmind]

Re: Hakko FX-888 cheap for 220-240v countries

Hello. It seems that all this fanaticism about this iron have made chinese to counterfeit this product like crazy. I have ordered 2 irons from china which were described original and turned to be fake. I shipped them back and costed me a fortune. I am 99.9% sure that every Hakko from china's market is fake.
Please see this link http://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews...-220v-version/ , they also copied the foam in the handle and the heater.
I see that there is an other japanese company called Goot which is not copied so much like Hakko ( or not at all? ).
I can't find any teardown photos of Goot station but i have noticed that most of them are made in Japan except of the gas irons ( Ireland - Portasol ) and some pliers.
Can someone who has a Goot soldering station make a teardown and tells us what he thinks about this brand? ( reriability ? )
I have seen that Goot is more expensive than hakko but in my opinion better chance to get a real thing.
Thank you.

[stj]

Re: Hakko FX-888 cheap for 220-240v countries

the way i see it, it's not important who makes it if the design is good.

it would be interesting to find these clone hakko's had unlocked microcontrollers.
then the software could be improved.

DX does not have this anymore btw,
but they have cheap tips.
handy if they fit the real iron.

[Opensourceyourmind]

Re: Hakko FX-888 cheap for 220-240v countries

Thank you for answering. The way of your thinking is right but from the 2 soldering station i had bought the first one had a broken heating element and the second one if you would try to clean the tip with the wet sponge it would become cold and only half of the solder the tip had would be removed.
I had disassembled both units and they had different internals. ( sorry no photos ).
That's why i don't want to take the risk again and was looking for a Goot brand.

[momaka]

Re: Hakko FX-888 cheap for 220-240v countries

Those FX-888 are probably fake. Too cheap to be real. Then again, buying solely based on price doesn't guarantee you'll get a genuine item either. I've seen both cheap FX-951 fakes and expensive FX-951 fakes. There's hardly any difference in the design. In fact, the only differences I found was slightly better solder joints in the more expensive units and a bit improved layout. Also, the software on the MCU was a little better, since it had the Sleep function, which the cheap versions lacked altogether. Other than that, the stations looked the same outside and the tip handle was made of equally crappy plastic.

For those that don't know, Hakko FX-888 is the successor of the popular Hakko 936 and it's a very good soldering station - it's way better than those cheapo soldering tools that go straight into the mains.

I don't agree here.
Yes, cheapo soldering irons may not have the fancy temperature regulation... but to be honest, I've started to prefer them again over the cheap soldering stations with temperature regulation. Reason being is that many of the cheap soldering stations use the 900M series tips, and those have horrible response and puny thermal capacity, IMO. I rather get several unregulated irons of different power ratings and use them according to my needs.

I see the FX-888 uses those 900M tips too. In that case, might as well just get a 936 clone for cheap and call it a day. IMO anything that uses the 900M tips is an amateur soldering station. The LF series tips with integrated heating element and thermocouple perform 100x better. You'll need a compatible station and handle, though. Simply connecting a LF tip and handle to a 936 won't work. I have an Aoyue 2900. The station built quality itself is more or less crappy (as is with any cheap China station) so I can't exactly recommend it, but the station performs very well overall. Circuit Specialists has this station on sale for about $60. IMO, that's a much better investment.

If you are loaded with money or solder daily for a living, then I recommend getting a JBC. Sure they are pricey, but I had the pleasure to work with one for a while, and I have been nothing but impressed.

[mariushm]

Re: Hakko FX-888 cheap for 220-240v countries

There was a discussion on eevblog and it was agreed that the dealextreme version is fake.

Anyway, since I posted here, there's an official seller in Italy that has them for a reasonable price for Europe:

http://www.batterfly.com/shop/hakko_fx-888d
http://www.batterfly.com/shop/hakko-fx-888d-silver

They're 888d, basically the 888 but with digital display and more complicated way to set the temperature.
Normally it's 135 euro which is cheap (again, for Europe) and they have them on sale for 95 euro.


-

momaka, what I mean by cheapo soldering tools that go straight into mains is those 15-25w soldering irons that don't give you any way to adjust temperature. The problem with those is that it takes a very long time to heat up and then they don't really have any heat reserve, so the moment you try to solder on some larger surface or you're dealing with multi-layer boards you're screwed.

There are also some Hakko 936 clones out there that claim to be 65w but in reality the transformer inside is only 35w rated. Hobbyking.com for example has these soldering stations for 20-30$ and Dave from eevblog has reviewed them, and you can see in the video how they compare to an old original hakko 926: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GdV7XBae74
Short story, it works but you have to use much higher temperature on heavier solder jobs.
Lots of the clones have weaker transformers in the 40-50w range and they're ok.

There's other cheap soldering stations which don't actually have a temperature sensor inside the tip (or they use some weird method of detecting temperature), for example the cheap Tenma that's sold by Newark/Farnell (which is a rebranded Atten 938d i think): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRb1_DB234Q

Anyway... compared to other professional soldering stations from pace or jbc (or weller, but the quality is not what it used to be) i would agree that this hakko may seem amateurish. But I don't agree with your other statements.. for the price, the stations is actually quite good, it warms up and is way better than the cheaper alternatives.
The tips on ebay are fakes, usually don't have the exact diameter and have less copper, so they don't fit quite snugly on a hakko station and the heat transfer is not that good with the fake tips. You just have to raise the default temperature a bit with fake tips and accept that the tips will not last long.

I recently bought a used Pace Heatwise station (they were discontinued around 2006)... the successor of these is the Sensatemp units which are almost identical to the Heatwise models on the outside: http://uk.farnell.com/pace/8007-0518...100/dp/1279327

I wouldn't say it's better or worse than my Hakko 936 because they basically complement each other. The Pace unit heats up to 300-400c (depending on what power module i plug in) in 3-5 seconds and it's ready to run, while the Hakko needs 15-20 seconds.

I prefer the Hakko for the heavy soldering, while the tips and handle for the Pace is more suited for surface mount stuff but that's not saying the Pace can't do heavy soldering, there are large tips available and the station is rated for 50w or 65w (not sure) so it has enough power.

The coolest thing about the Pace unit is that the heating element is integrated in the tip, so it's super easy to replace tips, for example you can just get a napkin and wrap it around the tip and pull out the tip from the handpiece and plug the new tip inside the handpiece. On the hakko, you have to unscrew and screw back and so on, and you need some tool to unscrew, or wait until it gets cold...
The downside is a tip is about 10$ compared to hakko tips that cost 2-3 each.

[diif]

Re: Hakko FX-888 cheap for 220-240v countries

I have Tenma 40w and it is rubbish, I'm looking to buy a genuine Hakko FX-951 from the UK supplier it also has the element in the tip. I also borrow a cheap (sub £10) stick soldering iron. Plenty hot enough for even big joints, it's just a little too hot for delicate work.

[stj]

Re: Hakko FX-888 cheap for 220-240v countries

40w?
what tenma is it?
got a foto/link?

[Krankshaft]

Re: Hakko FX-888 cheap for 220-240v countries

I have Tenma 40w and it is rubbish, I'm looking to buy a genuine Hakko FX-951 from the UK supplier it also has the element in the tip. I also borrow a cheap (sub £10) stick soldering iron. Plenty hot enough for even big joints, it's just a little too hot for delicate work.

You won't regret it I bought an FX-951 back in 08 and it's the best iron I've ever used.

The hot swappable tips are great it also comes with a tip holder so you don't set your workbench on fire . You can go from through hole to SMD work seamlessly.

The lower end Hakko models have the tip over element design swapping a tip on a piping hot element is "sketchy" at best .

I was considering the 937 (now discontinued) which was basically on older version of the 888 with a digital display. But when I saw the 951 with it's added features for a minor price increase I went for it.

[momaka]

Re: Hakko FX-888 cheap for 220-240v countries

momaka, what I mean by cheapo soldering tools that go straight into mains is those 15-25w soldering irons that don't give you any way to adjust temperature. The problem with those is that it takes a very long time to heat up and then they don't really have any heat reserve, so the moment you try to solder on some larger surface or you're dealing with multi-layer boards you're screwed.

Well, 15-25W irons are too anemic for anything really. I don't even consider these for soldering anything other than thin wires. 30W is a minimum and will get you by for SMD work on thin boards and smaller traces on power supplies. 40W is preferable. 50-60W for thicker joints and power supplies, and possibly also motherboards if it has a thicker tip. 80W or more for the toughest joints. If you get three irons - 40W, 60W, and 80W, you'll be covered for almost every possible situation - and that's still cheaper than a cheap 936 clone.

There are also some Hakko 936 clones out there that claim to be 65w but in reality the transformer inside is only 35w rated.

It doesn't really matter if they claim to be 65W or if they really are 65W. The point I'm trying to make is that the 900M series tips just don't have the response and the heat reserve for bigger joints. And, as you noted, the cheaper those tips, the worse they perform. Personally, I've never had any of them deteriorate so much that they can't be used anymore. Rather, they just suck for bigger joints so I don't use them that often.

Hobbyking.com for example has these soldering stations for 20-30$

$20-30 is more reasonable for those stations. Last I looked a few years ago, they were still priced close to $40-50, which IMO is a worse deal than getting 3 cheap irons.

There's other cheap soldering stations which don't actually have a temperature sensor inside the tip (or they use some weird method of detecting temperature), for example the cheap Tenma that's sold by Newark/Farnell (which is a rebranded Atten 938d i think): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRb1_DB234Q

The station in that video actually does have a temperature sensor. Many of the cheap 936 clones that use the 900M tips look exactly like that and so does the iron for my Kada 852D+. It is indeed a "sketchy design at best", as Krankshaft noted, since you have the thermocouple on one side of the heating element and the tips on the other side of the heating element. Not so great design, if you ask me.

On that note about temperature sensing, I don't really understand how my CSI 2900 detecs temperature either. It has only 2 wires going to the iron and the tips only have 2 contacts as well. However, I do know for sure that there is a temperature sensor in there, because when I touch a really big solder joint, the station ramps up the duty cycle immediately. The temperature is also quite accurate. How they do it over two wires is beyond me, though. My guess is that the temperature is read between the energy pulses sent to the heating element.

The coolest thing about the Pace unit is that the heating element is integrated in the tip, so it's super easy to replace tips, for example you can just get a napkin and wrap it around the tip and pull out the tip from the handpiece and plug the new tip inside the handpiece. On the hakko, you have to unscrew and screw back and so on, and you need some tool to unscrew, or wait until it gets cold...
The downside is a tip is about 10$ compared to hakko tips that cost 2-3 each.

That's what I meant about the LF series tips - they are more pricey as well (usually $12 on eBay), but they last quite a while, heat up in 2-3 seconds, and have excellent thermal response.

You won't regret it I bought an FX-951 back in 08 and it's the best iron I've ever used.

Agreed. It's a really good iron. Even the fake ones perform well (their only problem is cheap built quality). IIRC, the FX-951 also uses the LF tips that I mentioned, so no wonder it works well.

[diif]

Re: Hakko FX-888 cheap for 220-240v countries

My mistake the Tenma is 60w, i have it turned up max to 400 and it struggles. It's one of these http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TENMA-21-1...item5af20c4a1b

After reading all your positive comments on the FX-951 i shall definitely be getting one v.soon

[stj]

Re: Hakko FX-888 cheap for 220-240v countries

My mistake the Tenma is 60w, i have it turned up max to 400 and it struggles. It's one of these http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TENMA-21-1...item5af20c4a1b

oh those.
maplin was selling those for about £40 a while back.
i was tempted to get one for the base & use a better iron - but i noticed Farnell had a better unit.

[diif]

Re: Hakko FX-888 cheap for 220-240v countries

oh those.

Yep ! lol

So I thought I'd treat myself to the Hakko. I'm thinking a 1.2mm chisel tip and a 10mm spatula tip for clearing BGAs and a fine tip.

[momaka]

Re: Hakko FX-888 cheap for 220-240v countries

Try a 4 mm bevel type. I can remove anything up to 8 mm caps without having to use the "wiggle"/"walk" method. Just heat both leads at once and pull out.

[dj_ricoh]

Re: Hakko FX-888 cheap for 220-240v countries

I hit ctrl+f and search weller and I got only one match.

I lost all the faith In technicians!

[stj]

Re: Hakko FX-888 cheap for 220-240v countries

lol

weller = expensive and inferior to the competition.
they (cooper tools) never kept up with the competition.

they kept pushing the old magnastat irons for years after the competition went electronic,
then they went electronic and kept the old chunky magnastat type handles and ugly blue bases for years.

it wouldnt be so bad if they hadnt priced the stuff like it was using gold plated unicorn horns!

my best iron yet = xytronics!
(and i'v had weller's)

[rievax_60]

Re: Hakko FX-888 cheap for 220-240v countries

My 936A clone fitted with a K tip works well for me.
http://www.hakko.com/english/tip_selection/type_k.html
It will melt both joints of mainboard caps. I used it recently to solder a thick wire to a stripped starter solenoid stud.
There are two types of 936 irons. My Aoyue 936A seems to use an original Hakko element or something much like it. It has a 47 ohm thermistor and a 3.5 ohm heater.
I bought a 936B handpiece by mistake which didn't work well with the 936A station. It had no temperature regulation.
Its heater is 21 ohms and 0.5 ohms for the temperature sensor, a thermocouple I suspect.
So, I figure that the 936B clones have a much lower wattage.