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Weller v Hakko soldering

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redk9258 said:
If you are just replacing some signal cables. maybe a regular soldering pencil iron would work fine and save $90 or more dollars. Will you be using this for further projects?
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Nothing planned at the moment, but having a decent iron/station around wouldn't be bad.
 
spidey2721 said:
Needing to replace RCA on my sl1700.

Is there a reason to pay more for the Hakko?

Hakko USA FX888D29BY/P ESD-Safe Digital Soldering Station w/ FX8801 Soldering Iron and T18D16 Tip (Gold) https://a.co/d/1QmH67c

Weller 70 Watt Digital Soldering Station | WE1010NA https://a.co/d/7UFvZ74
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You're asking a fantastic question... and there is a "which one do I pick" guide that isn't quite ready to be published here. If you're OK with answering a few questions, I can share the answer parts from the guide so you get the relevant info to make your own best decision.

Question 1: What kind of work (point-to-point, through hole, or SMD) are you doing now? Beyond that, do you have plans to or expect to add another (of those three kinds of work) in the next couple of years?
 
redk9258 said:
If you are just replacing some signal cables. maybe a regular soldering pencil iron would work fine and save $90 or more dollars. Will you be using this for further projects?
Click to expand...
inclined to agree here. I've done a lot of work with a basic 30 watt Weller pencil. For a single or rare use situation I don't really see a lot of point in spending real money on a soldering station. I have a Hakko 888 that I like very much but the cost is hard to justify unless you're really using it.

I would go for at least a stand though. The little aluminum doo-dad that comes with most of the real basic ones doesn't hold the iron securely and its a burn spot in the carpet waiting to happen.
 
dlucy said:
You're asking a fantastic question... and there is a "which one do I pick" guide that isn't quite ready to be published here. If you're OK with answering a few questions, I can share the answer parts from the guide so you get the relevant info to make your own best decision.

Question 1: What kind of work (point-to-point, through hole, or SMD) are you doing now? Beyond that, do you have plans to or expect to add another (of those three kinds of work) in the next couple of years?
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Best I can tell you is atm the only thing I'm looking to be doing is RCA and maybe power cable replacement on my sl-1700 mki.
 
Wellers are good. Hakko is better. PACE is light-years ahead of either of them. Sometimes you can find good deals on old PACE stuff online.
 
I recently went with another Weller as I have a bunch of tips. In hindsight, I wish I had gone with the Hakko as the Weller no longer has an auto shut-off feature. It will reduce the temperature after a few hours but I liked that the unit would turn off entirely. The wake-up from the reduced temp on the Weller is buggy and unreliable at best.
 
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This topic was debated in an earlier thread posted by @BmWr75. He seemed to have settled on the Weller. I’ve had or used Weller, Hakko, and a couple of other brands I can’t remember. They worked good. My Hakko FX888D worked ok for about 4 years and then it didn’t. One of my sons was working on some electronics and he had a cheap pencil iron that was less than $10. I know a whole lot of you will laugh and disagree but for the average hobbyist this little iron would be hard to beat. I don’t do as much work as I used to but I use it for almost everything now. Tips are cheap too. Gets to temperature fast. I honestly believe it beats the Hakko, and Weller stations I’ve had. Just my .02 cents.

And welcome to AK’
 

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Hakko makes an iron with temp adjuster in the handle, which is way cheaper than the 888. Like maybe $40-50. So it's not monitored temp, but good enough for most purposes for the average, light user.
 
felix_katze said:
Hakko makes an iron with temp adjuster in the handle, which is way cheaper than the 888. Like maybe $40-50. So it's not monitored temp, but good enough for most purposes for the average, light user.
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Actually, the Hakko FX-600 & FX-601 stick irons are not just adjustable temperature, they are true temperature-regulated irons. The controller is in the handle, with no display bs.
And like everything else "Hakko", there are so many fakes on the market, unless you order from an official Hakko distributor, you won't be getting a real one.
 
I didn't know that they were true regulated. I've got a goot, but that seems less well known outside Japan. I have no issues with fakes, obviously.
 
Young46 said:
This topic was debated in an earlier thread posted by @BmWr75. He seemed to have settled on the Weller. I’ve had or used Weller, Hakko, and a couple of other brands I can’t remember. They worked good. My Hakko FX888D worked ok for about 4 years and then it didn’t. One of my sons was working on some electronics and he had a cheap pencil iron that was less than $10. I know a whole lot of you will laugh and disagree but for the average hobbyist this little iron would be hard to beat. I don’t do as much work as I used to but I use it for almost everything now. Tips are cheap too. Gets to temperature fast. I honestly believe it beats the Hakko, and Weller stations I’ve had. Just my .02 cents.

And welcome to AK’
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Did buy a Weller. This model. Very happy with it.

 
I used to use a cheap 40w iron, I used to call it The Crowbar :p

Got a FX888D and love it, should have gotten it years ago.
 
Young46 said:
This topic was debated in an earlier thread posted by @BmWr75. He seemed to have settled on the Weller. I’ve had or used Weller, Hakko, and a couple of other brands I can’t remember. They worked good. My Hakko FX888D worked ok for about 4 years and then it didn’t. One of my sons was working on some electronics and he had a cheap pencil iron that was less than $10. I know a whole lot of you will laugh and disagree but for the average hobbyist this little iron would be hard to beat. I don’t do as much work as I used to but I use it for almost everything now. Tips are cheap too. Gets to temperature fast. I honestly believe it beats the Hakko, and Weller stations I’ve had. Just my .02 cents.

And welcome to AK’
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Those things are amazing.
 
spicer said:
Those things are amazing.
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If you are referring to the pencil irons, yes they are. I’ve done a fair amount of soldering and desoldering and I’m impressed with them. I’ve been using the current one for over a year with 0 issues. If it breaks, I put it in the round file.
 
Young46 said:
If you are referring to the pencil irons, yes they are. I’ve done a fair amount of soldering and desoldering and I’m impressed with them. I’ve been using the current one for over a year with 0 issues. If it breaks, I put it in the round file.
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I'm a big fan of the Hexacon brand of stick irons, and I still use them for lots of jobs. They cost more for good reason; Top quality and bulletproof reliable. You'll be passing them on to your kids, and then their kids...

I was gifted these when we closed up shop:

DSCF3108.JPG
 
arts said:
I'm a big fan of the Hexacon brand of stick irons, and I still use them for lots of jobs. They cost more for good reason; Top quality and bulletproof reliable. You'll be passing them on to your kids, and then their kids...

I was gifted these when we closed up shop:

View attachment 3346874
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Very nice but my kids don’t have any need or interest in any of my stuff. I just finished removing some electrolytic caps from a Sansui 9090 2541 board and with the cheap little pencil iron it was a breeze. It works for me.
 
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