Which soldering iron do you like?

Locrian99

Locrian99

Well-known member
Well I’ve been building for just shy of a year now. And when I first started I bought an op amp but muff landtone kit from Amazon and a cheap little soldering iron kit for like 15$ that came with a pump, cutters etc. I’ve been using that same soldering iron since and I think I’m at probably 30 or so pedals if you include the few vero builds I never boxed. So I feel like I’ve gotten my 15$ out of it, but lately I’ve noticed it just doesn’t work as well, replaced the tip and no real difference. So I figure it’s time to get a new one.

I’ve been trying to do a bit less building lately and focus on playing with what I’ve built and don’t really want to spend 100$+ on an iron. But I’m not 100% opposed to it,

Curious is anyone has experience wirb this one
YIHUA 939D+ Digital Soldering Station, 75W Equivalent with Precision Heat Control (392°F to 896°F) and Built-in Transformer. ESD Safe, Lead Free with °C/°F display (Black) https://a.co/d/a23VCCe

Anyways any suggestions are appreciated.
 
Big Monk said:
This is the one to get:

Click to expand...
Yea that seems to be one that pops up, and is popular. I have read multiple reviews that say the operation for temperature settings etc is less than user friendly. curious if anyone has experiences with others that are positive and worth looking at that might be a bit cheaper.
 
Locrian99 said:
That’s true…
Click to expand...
The one you linked is quite popular and is basically a knockoff of an older Hakko model, IIRC it can even use Hakko tips. A luthier friend of mine had burned through quite a few knockoffs before he finally caved and bought a Hakko, which has been going strong for several years now. I put in a lot of hours soldering and downtime is just not acceptable by now. ;)
 
Locrian99 said:
Yea that seems to be one that pops up, and is popular. I have read multiple reviews that say the operation for temperature settings etc is less than user friendly. curious if anyone has experiences with others that are positive and worth looking at that might be a bit cheaper.
Click to expand...
The temp setting procedure is quite absurd, be sure to RTFM. Mine is an older analog one and you just put the dial to the number you want and you're done.
 
I've been using an old (read: older than me) Weller WP35 for a long time, but I'm pleased to have recently gotten a 888D (which I haven't had a chance to try yet...)
 
When I was building a lot of amps, I burned out a Hakko in about 10 months. I'm pretty sure it was originally defective, but was unsuccessful at getting any money back or a replacement. After that I bought a weller wesd51. I'm not exactly sure when that was, but about 20 years ago. I recently bought the latest model the we1010 which is 70 watts, 30 more than the wesd51.

It's super fast at heating up after cleaning the tip, lovin it....

Edit: I did buy directly from the importer, and talked to the owner about a refund/replacement. He was VERY unsympathetic.....
 
Last edited:
If you buy the Hakko go to a store (got mine from Microcenter) and order it, or get it direct from Hakko.
Really just know who you are buying from. There have been some reports of fake Hakko units.

Hakko FX-888D - Real vs. Counterfeit - how to spot a fake​

Genuine vs Fake Hakko Soldering Iron Tips​

 
I use the FX888d in my office. It works fine, but I really dislike the temp adjustment. I set it for my usual temp (330C, no offense to anyone 🙃) and a couple steps up for high-mass joints. I find it necessary to keep that part of the manual taped to the wall behind it. If I regularly switched between 63/37 and lead-free, I'd probably be in prison for random violent crimes by now.

At home, I use a cheap T12 knockoff type station. It has a knob that sets the temperature, it sleeps reliably and it gets back to temp in a couple seconds. This is with a 19v laptop PSU. I have zero complaints about it and figure I'd need to spend a whole lot to see a practical improvement.

Mine is like this one:
www.ebay.com

Digital Soldering Iron Station T12 TIP Temperature Controller Handle Kit f HAKKO | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Digital Soldering Iron Station T12 TIP Temperature Controller Handle Kit f HAKKO at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!
www.ebay.com

...but I'm currently casting about to justify buying this one:
www.ebay.com

T12 OLED 72W 12-24V Soldering Iron Station Welding Solder Repair Tools + Power | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for T12 OLED 72W 12-24V Soldering Iron Station Welding Solder Repair Tools + Power at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!
www.ebay.com
 
The Hakko is old technology by now but it is a solid machine with many tips. I looked into buying it but I couldn't find a legit one in Europe for less than 170 Euros. No thanks.

I use a Pinecil and it's great for PCB work but it's a bit fiddly and I don't know how reliable it is in the long run. Not enough tips and the company is horrible, they only sell tips in 4-packs that are absurdly sorted, you have to buy 3 useless tips to get a useful one. They cost as much as the iron itself. Shipping from China takes a month or more, the EU store has crazy prices. I don't recommend it unless you're willing to buy a new iron if it wets the bed. I have to say it heats up in 10 seconds and the sleep function is fantastic. It's very small and I use a 65W PD phone charger with it.

There's the Aixun T3A, 200W of power and it can use T12 or 245 tips like JBC. Seems to be well built, unlike the various T12 stations that need to have the chassis grounded. These stations are very popular and might be great. There are versions that come without the power supply so you can buy a separate adapter, which solves all the safety issues.
 
I have the FX888 and have no regrets. Straight from a European distributor for €130 (€150 now). Based on what others have said, I’d be tempted for a T12 type if I had to replace it, but I’m pretty happy. Setting the temp gets logical if you approach it as a programmer 😂
 
I have a miniware TS80P, it's a bit cheaper than the Hakko with a much smaller footprint. Mine's been extremely reliable, it heats up quickly, I've never needed anything beyond the stock tip. But I'm not fussy about this stuff and used a $9 weller soldering pen with no heat adjustment for years with no issues. I don't have a permanent work space set up, so the portability of the TS80P is worth a lot more to me than whatever other benefits the Hakko might have.

One point in the FX888's favor is that it was designed by Toshiyuki Kita, which is very cool imo.
 
Weller WE1010. Got a good deal. It’s expensive but using it completely removed several layers of irritation from my builds. It heats up insanely fast btw.
 
fx888 from Amazon with a small chisel tip. .3mm 60/40 for the through holes, .8mm on lugs.

I’ve only been at this a few months, but I’ve soldered 18 boards with that setup and had good results. I’ve read the complaints about adjusting the temp on that unit, but I have to admit I’ve never adjusted mine. It came set to 750 out of the box. Googling just now, I realize I should maybe go down to 700?

I am curious if folks are doing a lot of temp adjustments and tip swapping, what are the tasks where you’re doing that, and what are the advantages?

Hopefully I’m not highjacking the thread with that slightly off topic question.

My favorite thing about the hakko is that it looks like a weird little Pokémon squatting on my workbench.
 
Erik S said:
fx888 from Amazon with a small chisel tip. .3mm 60/40 for the through holes, .8mm on lugs.

I’ve only been at this a few months, but I’ve soldered 18 boards with that setup and had good results. I’ve read the complaints about adjusting the temp on that unit, but I have to admit I’ve never adjusted mine. It came set to 750 out of the box. Googling just now, I realize I should maybe go down to 700?

I am curious if folks are doing a lot of temp adjustments and tip swapping, what are the tasks where you’re doing that, and what are the advantages?

Hopefully I’m not highjacking the thread with that slightly off topic question.

My favorite thing about the hakko is that it looks like a weird little Pokémon squatting on my workbench.
Click to expand...
If what you’ve doing works for you, then don’t change.
 
To echo the sentiments of @Passinwind I wholeheartedly believe in buying quality tools for something that will get regular use. Buy once cry one. Go cheap and you cry every time you use it. I have used the hakko for 3 years now after using a Weller for a long time. I bought a cheap iron when I first started working on guitars 12-15 years ago and waited way to long to get a good iron and when I did it was a total game changer.
 
Guardians of the analog said:
To echo the sentiments of @Passinwind I wholeheartedly believe in buying quality tools for something that will get regular use. Buy once cry one. Go cheap and you cry every time you use it. I have used the hakko for 3 years now after using a Weller for a long time. I bought a cheap iron when I first started working on guitars 12-15 years ago and waited way to long to get a good iron and when I did it was a total game changer.
Click to expand...
It really is. Can’t overstate how big a difference it makes.
 
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