Looking to buy a new soldering station

[The_russian]

This has almost certainly been posted before, but the topics that show up when I search "soldering station" are topics about how to solder, not on which one to buy. I am looking to spend about $100. I will mostly be soldering wires and occasionally SMT components. It seems like quite a few people recommend the Hakko FX888D at this price point, is this a good choice or are there better options? Thanks in advance.

[bmx6454]

At that price point, the fx888d is my favorite. Hakko has been an excellent brand for me personally,

[Hackentosher]

We have an 888D at work and it's a phenomenal iron, but the interface is dog shit. The two buttons are UP and ENTER, and you have to consult the manual to figure out how to change the damn temperature and change from "set whatever temp you want" mode to "preset mode" and then it's a whole other process to setup the 5 presets it gives you. I setup ours with 300,350,400,450,and 480 (max) which has been good enough for everything I've needed, but it shouldn't be more difficult than turning a knob or pressing up and down arrows. Again, once you get it set up, it's a great tool. It's great at applying heat quickly and effectively, just know that if you want to change anything you'll be reaching for the manual.

 

Personally, I'll be picking up a KSGER T12 iron that uses Hakko's T12 direct heater tip system. It's also not perfect, but the unit is far more compact and has a proper interface. Seriously, using the 888D at work took it off my Amazon shopping list because of how horrible the interface is. 

[The_russian]

3 minutes ago, Hackentosher said:

We have an 888D at work and it's a phenomenal iron, but the interface is dog shit. The two buttons are UP and ENTER, and you have to consult the manual to figure out how to change the damn temperature and change from "set whatever temp you want" mode to "preset mode" and then it's a whole other process to setup the 5 presets it gives you. I setup ours with 300,350,400,450,and 480 (max) which has been good enough for everything I've needed, but it shouldn't be more difficult than turning a knob or pressing up and down arrows. Again, once you get it set up, it's a great tool. It's great at applying heat quickly and effectively, just know that if you want to change anything you'll be reaching for the manual.

 

Personally, I'll be picking up a KSGER T12 iron that uses Hakko's T12 direct heater tip system. It's also not perfect, but the unit is far more compact and has a proper interface. Seriously, using the 888D at work took it off my Amazon shopping list because of how horrible the interface is. 

Thanks for the headsup about the interface. I am fairly new to soldering equipment, are the tips made to some standard so they can be interchanged? Or is there another way you can know if a certain tip will work with a certain soldering iron? Also what would be the advantage of the Hakko T12 tip vs the ones that come with the KSGER T12?

[Hackentosher]

2 minutes ago, The_russian said:

Thanks for the headsup about the interface. I am fairly new to soldering equipment, are the tips made to some standard so they can be interchanged? Or is there another way you can know if a certain tip will work with a certain soldering iron? Also what would be the advantage of the Hakko T12 tip vs the ones that come with the KSGER T12?

Most soldering irons, like the 888d, look like this. The tip slips over a ceramic heater like this, which is held on with a collar (not pictured) and a nut. Most soldering irons you'll see are like this, especially the chinesium Hakko knock offs (I endearingly refer to them as fakko lol). What you can't see in this image is how much material is between the heater and the silver part of the tip that can actually transfer heat and solder. The advantage of the Hakko T12 tips and tips like it (like the TS100, another great iron especially for soldering on the go) is the heater is directly bonded to the tip and there is less thermal mass. This means the tip can reach temperature much faster and apply heat more directly from the heater.

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[The_russian]

11 minutes ago, Hackentosher said:

Most soldering irons, like the 888d, look like this. The tip slips over a ceramic heater like this, which is held on with a collar (not pictured) and a nut. Most soldering irons you'll see are like this, especially the chinesium Hakko knock offs (I endearingly refer to them as fakko lol). What you can't see in this image is how much material is between the heater and the silver part of the tip that can actually transfer heat and solder. The advantage of the Hakko T12 tips and tips like it (like the TS100, another great iron especially for soldering on the go) is the heater is directly bonded to the tip and there is less thermal mass. This means the tip can reach temperature much faster and apply heat more directly from the heater.

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Thanks for explaining that. So if I were to get the KSGER T12, would the included tips be fine to use or should I get genuine Hakko tips? And just making sure, this is the correct one, right?

https://www.amazon.com/KSGER-Temperature-Controller-Electronic-Equipments/dp/B07PYFSCJ9

[Hackentosher]

3 minutes ago, The_russian said:

Thanks for explaining that. So if I were to get the KSGER T12, would the included tips be fine to use or should I get genuine Hakko tips? And just making sure, this is the correct one, right?

https://www.amazon.com/KSGER-Temperature-Controller-Electronic-Equipments/dp/B07PYFSCJ9

Yeah that's the one. Again, it's not perfect, you should absolutely crack it open before plugging it in to make sure there are no loose wires and to add a case ground. KSEGERs don't have the same quality control as Hakko and other brands, but if you want value I don't think there's much better out there for the casual hobbyist. From what I've read, once you fix any manufacturing/qc problems, it's a great iron. As for tips, the three that come with that Amazon one linked are fine. I personally prefer the K/knife tip for all soldering (the middle one). The T12 tips are so cheap for packs of 10 that even if they die, it wont be a huge hit. From my reading, there isn't much difference between the real Hakko's and the knock offs.

 

In my experience, the solder and flux you use make far more difference on your soldering than the iron, so long as you have half decent control over your temperature. 

[The_russian]

@Hackentosher Thanks for the help, I think I'll get the KSGER T12 and I'll definitely take it apart and make sure everything is safe before using it. 

[Hackentosher]

1 hour ago, The_russian said:

@Hackentosher Thanks for the help, I think I'll get the KSGER T12 and I'll definitely take it apart and make sure everything is safe before using it. 

Watch some reviews on it too, they usually outline what you need to fix.