Need a Soldering Station Recommendation

I purchased a variable heat soldering station off of that big website that starts with A for redoing the electronics in one of my guitars.  I have been very pleased with it as you can adjust the heat, it has a holder for the iron, a place to wipe it clean, and a place to hold the solder.

I'm at work so the name is escaping me at the moment, but I only paid about $40 for it.  I'll look it up when I get home this evening. 

Hako  FX 888D   Expensive but this is one of those cases where you get what you pay for.  Excellent unit.

You cant go wrong with the Hakko 888

I personally use an 852D++ by Kendal, but there are newer models and the brand is generic and cloned. Easy and plentiful long lasting tips with different shapes and sizes.

Prior to that, I previously used a Weller W-TCP-K military soldering kit.

Hot air gun makes for temperature controlled heating of heatshrink and other tasks. I've even used the temperature controlled hot air to clean up that mold release white compound on some postwar tenders.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMt0g4QoLrQ

That said, my desoldering tool is Hakko FR-301 and the brand definitely has high build quality and is meant for true workplace environment. More expensive brand, but again a name with quality.

@Soo Line posted:

Hako  FX 888D   Expensive but this is one of those cases where you get what you pay for.  Excellent unit.

I second or is it 3rd the Hakko 888.  I got one a few years ago and it has worked flawlessly for me.  I don't use it every day, but when I need to solder something or wire DCC to my loco's it works nicely.  Whichever you get make sure you can get different sized tips for different needs.  Good luck!

I’ll fourth on the Hakko 888. I purchased after it was recommended on here. I couldn’t be happier with my purchase. I second the recommendation for multiple tips for each wiring set up you’re planning on soldering.

The Hakko is a good iron, but I went with the Weller 1010NA digital iron and works great. Temp is adjustable up to 750 degrees and recovery time is excellent. I previously used an Ungar Race Station, but it's no longer made and tips are not readily available. The Weller is not cheap, but like others have said, you tend to get what you pay for when it comes to soldering irons.

Another good Hakko is the 951 if you can find a used one.

I'll add a vote for the Hakko FX-888D, bought one a few years ago and never looked back.  It's a great iron, and it has one feature that can't be underrated if you do PCB work, it's capable of being calibrated!  That means the temperature you're seeing on the base is the actual tip temperature, very important for PCB work!

You can buy the FG-100 calibrator for around $20 on eBay.  Yes, it's a clone of the Hakko calibrator, but it's accurate and that's what matters.

Hakko is the only thing I use at work and at home.

How do you guys know what temperature to use on different applications.

I don’t mess around, I leave mine set at 700 deg F and use different since tips depending on the job.

You can buy Hakko's on Ebay, But are they knockoff's or the real deal?

@superwarp1 posted:

I don’t mess around, I leave mine set at 700 deg F

Well, I really don't mess around. I crank up my Weller 1010 to 840º !  (I generally do not work on delicate PC boards.)

@romiller49 posted:

How do you guys know what temperature to use on different applications.

Experience.  For soldering SMT stuff, especially temperature sensitive stuff like LED's, I use 500-550F.  For general wiring, I use 600F, and for heavy duty stuff that needs more heat, 700F.

@feet posted:

You can buy Hakko's on Ebay, But are they knockoff's or the real deal?

You can buy them on Digikey or Mouser, and you know they're the real deal.

Hakko  FX 888D = Awesome!  I swap out tips for different applications and keep her at 675F.  I think out of the box they are set to 650F... but, there's that memory thing.

Remember, without a calibration, you really don't know what the tip temperature is.   Also, swapping the tips may affect the temperature, the instructions say it does.  I have a second wand with my flat point for heavier work.

@Bruce Brown posted:

Well, I really don't mess around. I crank up my Weller 1010 to 840º !  (I generally do not work on delicate PC boards.)

I don’t know if this is true or not but I was always told lead gets released in to the air above 800 deg F.  Why you would ever need to go that high is beyond me.  If you need a iron that hot to melt the solder, you need a bigger iron with faster recovery.