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

An amazing piece of equipment. My last solder was a $50 device from Amazon and it really is like night and day between that and the Hakko. Its super comfortable, my hand doesnt get hot, I dont even feel the heat on the pen while holding it. The temp goes up to where I want it from a cold start within a minute. I highly recommend this product. Theres no reason to buy anything else at or below this price point.

I picked up one of these and the hand-held Hakko desoldering gun. I struggled to justify the expense over the cheaper import products out there. In the end, it was one of the things Im really glad I splurged on, both items are just a delight to use. Yes, the Hakko soldering station looks like a Fischer Price kids toy, but in the end I got over that annoyance and ordered the thing. The criticism on the interface and challenges of shifting temperature setting are not that big a deal, because Im not changing temperature all the time. Just keep read the instructions. Why do I love this thing? It heats up super fast, and then locks on to temperature. I have not verified the accuracy of the temperature, but Im assuming there is a circuit that monitors it. It takes just a few seconds, perhaps 15 to go from stone cold to 700 degrees and ready to go. The stand works well, the cord is soft so its easy to work with, and the tip that came with it is just about right for most things I need to do, though it would be a bit wide for micro sized things. This is one of those things that seems expensive until you use it. Its a power tool, and good power tools are really nice to have! Overlook the kiddie industrial design and you will appreciate this thing for how well it works.

one of the best

This is my first soldering station and I may have burnt myself lightly (completely my fault haha), but it gets the job done amazingly, even with my unsteady hands.

To change the temp using the presets is ridiculous and you have to get the directions out every time. Temp goes up with ease but no way to turn it down. As far as I can tell there is no auto shut off since mine never shuts down. I guess the highest you can go in presets is 801 f since I tried to set it higher and it just sets it back to 801. I would return this but since I have a lot of Hakko tips I was using on my Radio Shack solder station, which I like much better and much easier to use, I am going to keep this dud. (UPDATE I returned this since it is not all that it is advertised to be. I bought the same radio shack 70 watt soldering station I had with 8 foot cords, easy to adjust temp, and takes the Hakko tips). The cords, AC and solder iron, are both too short as well. I do not like this unit and would have went with the other similar unit that does not look like a toy if I did not have all these Hakko tips. Not worth the money.

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.

Ive used a fair number of irons from Weller and Hakko and have to say this is probably the best value available if you need a temperature controlled station and do not so enough work to justify an FX-951 (or any of the Hakkos with the FM-20xx series hand piece). My primary station at home is an FM-202, but when I had to purchase irons for the lab at work I didnt have the budget to get irons with the FM hand piece. I was replacing Weller units that the thermal control in the hand piece had quit working and figured I would give Hakkos offerings at the sub $100 price a try. I couldnt be more pleased. Pros: -It heats quickly and maintains temp very well -Huge variety of tips available -It looks good and continues to look good over time (yeah, Im pointing out the Weller blue that fades to puke over time) -The grip on the hand piece is closer to the tip than in other stations at this price point (still nowhere near as good as the FM hand piece) -the stand with the brass ball tip cleaner means you never need to wet a sponge again and that your tips will last longer (wet sponge cleaning of hot tips is not good for them) Cons (Its a stretch to find cons really): -It doesnt come with any extra tips (buy the ones you need for your job, I recommend a D16 for a do all tip) -It doesnt make you a pro. (soldering with a good iron definitely makes doing a good job easier, but it still takes still from the operator) I personally prefer the next step up Hakko iron(anything with the FM hand piece) but you cant get a better iron at this price point.

Worked like a champ over several audio amplifier and preamp rebuild projects, a couple of reel to reel tape recorder recapping jobs (Im a hobbyist), but its just so hard to get it to work right lately - mening for about the last year and a half. Ive bought nearly all the tip sizes HAKKO makes for this, have the temp maxd out at 750, do the usual tricks of cleaning tip on scouring pad, wet sponge, wetting the tip with solder before using to ensure heat is transferred quickly to components and MAN does it get annoying waiting for parts to heat enough to get the solder onto the leads. Moreso lately than even a few months ago, it seems. Even SMALL SMD components are hard to solder with this. Ive read similar complaints from others; for the price, youd think it would WORK, and KEEP working, but lately Ive been pulling out a 50 year old 40 watt iron more suitable for wood burning and it gets the job done faster, heat sinks I use on component leads dont get nearly as hot, and it works better on those large fiberglass THICK copper trace boards on things like amplifier power supplies and heavy wire leads on rectifiers and power transistors as well. Ive built and rebuilt innumerable guitar/bass amps, stereos, preamps, many a heathkit kit in my time, thinking the units Im working on lately are smaller traces, smaller leaded components in crowded boards this would be the wise choice, I chose poorly. I gave it 3 stars for temperature control and stability - the unit SAYS 750 degrees the whole time, never varies. Solder with MP of half that temp (0.022 AND 0.031 flux core) both hard to melt, sometimes right after cleaning, wiping, Ill stick the solder right against the tip of the iron and count the second or two it takes to melt, then it doesnt stick. Yes, I use the Hakko tinning compound. Even 4-0 steel wool. A real PITA. This came highly recommended to me from a well-known tech (in some audio circles) and its been a major disappointment. Maybe its time for a new heating element. But failing after just 6 months use, when other irons decades old still work well (but unregulated, fewer tip size choices). Seriously, I wouldnt recommend it.

I have one of these that finally broken down after 6 years of daily use. Replacing the soldering iron wand part was nearly the same as buying a new one, so I just bought a new one. And I couldnt be happier, Hakkos gear is just as solid as its always been. People complain about the temperature control interface and I get it -- its awkward. I dont need to change temps a lot so its fine, but if you do you change temperatures frequently you may want something else. If youve used cheap soldering irons because you couldnt quite justify the cost, Ive been there too, and I can assure you its worth it to get a quality soldering iron. You can go faster, the work comes out more consistent, and youre never fighting with the equipment.

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!