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

Great products !!!

I didnt know soldering could be this much fun. If you have never used a nice soldering iron before (like me), this thing is genuinely amazing. Soldering is hard, even with a good soldering iron like this, but the last thing that you want is for some cheap soldering iron to be adding to the inherent difficulty of soldering. This thing does the opposite of that. It makes soldering a lot easier and more fun. That might sound kinda crazy if you havent used one, but this really makes soldering a lot more pleasant. It heats up very quickly, and maintains its temperature very exactly. It maintains its temperature so well that even when I spend a bit too long heating something up, it doesnt damage anything. Thanks to the awesome temperature stability, it melts solder amazingly well without oxidizing it too quickly, I didnt know I could make solder joints this nice. I cant properly explain just how nice this thing is. You have to try one. Its just a joy to use. A nice soldering iron like this makes a huge difference, its night and day versus a cheap soldering iron. The base is very sturdy, the soldering iron itself is comfortable, it comes with a wedge shaped tip standard (which is much better than those needle point tips). I also like how small the whole thing is. It takes up a very minimal amount of desk space which is good if (like me) you dont have much desk space to spare. I personally enjoy the unique colors and design, but Im sure not everyone will like them. They actually look nicer in person than they do in the pictures. I also enjoy that the soldering iron holder is separate, and it feels like its made out of metal and some kind of ceramic stuff, its great. I really cant say enough good things about this. Soldering is still hard, but this thing makes it a lot better. I enjoy using it so much that I actually find myself getting sad when Im done with something and have nothing else to solder, which never used to happen before. Of course, if youve read anything about these, then you probably know the user interface leaves a bit to be desired. Its even stranger in person than the instructions make it out to be. But thats a minor flaw overall. Once you set it the way you want it, you pretty much dont have to pay attention to that anymore. Still, itd be nice if in a future version they made a better user interface for this thing. The user interface is its only real flaw.

Its a workhorse in my shop. Nothing else to say.

While I had read all the really good ratings and heard good things about this brand and model, I was surprised how sturdy everything was.

Hakko is a big name. Their desoldering tool is the best there is--but this soldering station is a hassle to set and doesnt hold temperature all that well. It also doesnt recover quickly. At least not as well as my old Youyue 858D (who?) which had a single temperature knob. One touch. The Hakko, on the other hand, requires several presses to set the temperature. As much as I wanted to love this iron, it slows me down. I recommend the popular cheapo alternative. Not the 888D.

All I can say is I wish I had bought one sooner. The Days of waiting are over, this thing is ready in seconds.

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 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!

For nearly 20 years I have been too cheap to understand the difference between a soldering iron and a digitally controlled soldering tool. If you want to save money, time, frustration/agony, and save the planet by not having to waste precious resources of your time and logistical costs, buy this now! Heck, since you are looking at this, buy this. I have never been able to get a solid understanding of how to solder. TURNS OUT I NEVER HAD THE RIGHT TOOL! If you dont buy this, you will forever regret it. I unboxed it. Fumbled with how to turn it on, and finally noticed the on/off switch on the side. It was set at 750 by default. I instantly became a soldering MASTER! 5 Minutes later, I am here writing this review to save all those out there the woes caused by those cheap soldering irons. SOLDERING MAGIC!!! I CAN SOLDER! YEEEHAW!

I Like the digital temperature display and it does warm up fast. I changed out the tip that came with it for a larger one for the type of projects I am doing. The small tip does work well for finer detailed projects.