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Hakko FX888 Soldering Station
Replacement:TOL-11704. We're now carrying the FX-888D, an upgraded digital version of the 888. This page is for reference only.
For over 50 years, Hakko has been producing superior quality soldering and desoldering tools. They're dependable, a good value and they work really well! We use Hakko irons in production and we think they're great.
The FX-888 is essentially a re-design of the old standby Hakko 936 model, a soldering iron that's been cloned by everyone in the business. This iron, however, takes up 35% less surface area on your workbench than its predecessor. Also, with improved thermal performance and recovery time, this iron will have no trouble keeping up with your soldering demands.
Note: This iron will come with either the T18-B tip or the T18-D16. Check below for replacements and other options.
- Uses 35% less surface area on your workbench
- Adjustable temperature control with lock/set screw
- Temperature range 392°-896°F (200°- 480°C)
- Maintains idle temperature within 1.8°F (1°C)
- Ceramic heating element and sensor ensures rapid heat-up temperature and fast thermal recovery
- Celsius and Fahrenheit temperature display
- Temperature adjusted by simply turning the dial
- Slender iron handles are padded and have an ergonomic design for comfort and ease of use
- Wide selection of tips available for soldering SMD and through-hole applications
Comments
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Customer Reviews
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I have to agree cypherf0x. I hadn't wielded an iron since I helped my father make ham radio equipment as a teenager. When I started soldering again, with a cheapy weller, I couldn't believe how much I sucked. Finally I convinced myself to buy a Hakko, and the difference is night-and-day. It hasn't changed me into a pro, but at least I'm finding building stuff fun again.
Hands down one of the best irons you'll ever use. You don't need an FX-951 unless you need the ability to lock temperatures for production environments or just want the top of the line iron. The FX-888 is honestly overkill for hobby work. It's an industrial iron so it's going to last a long time.
Out of curiosity, does anyone have a country of origin for these?
Old post, but in case anyone else is wondering, Hakko is a Japanese company.
Hakko is an Asian company, so probably either China or Japan. Or Korea.
Yes, despite being an old post, I think it's important that everyone know that these are NOT made in China or another third world dictatorship. I own several Hakko soldering tools and everything I've ever bought from Hakko has said "Made in Japan" on the back. Saying that Hakko is "Asian" doesn't help at all, since the difference between something being made in Japan and China is remarkable. These Hakko soldering irons will last easily twenty times longer than their Chinese clones, and they just feel much nicer to use - no squeaky handles and cracking plastic. Hakko builds the best soldering equipment I've ever used, I highly recommend getting the FX888 - it's not even that much more expensive than a cheap Chinese clone!
Woohoo... I bought this from SparkFun and then picked up a 230->110V 300W transformer locally for $50. Ended up saving a total of almost $100 over buying the 230V version locally. Thanks Sparkfun!
What would be the best temperature setting for this iron for these two types of solder?
- Leaded solder
- Sparkfun's special blend solder
Thanks
I would recommend between 350°C - 375°C for our special brand and lead solder. Luckily for anyone using the soldering station, it is a variable temperature device, so you can adjust it accordingly as well =).
please 110 and 240 versions
yes i need that too!!!
Look for seller f-home on ebay, 80 USD + 30 shipping worldwide. Mine arrived today in Syd - 220v Brilliant iron.
In terms of quality is this better than Weller?
Any idea if you guys plan to carry the new FX-888D, digital units that are going to replace these? Also any ETA when this might happen?
Chances are, if the digital version FX-888D is being manufactured in place of the analog FX-888, we will carry it. Not entirely sure on a ETA, though.
How critical is the iron calibration/how often does one really need to do it? I was looking at Hakko tip thermometers, and they pretty durn expensive. thanks
It has been our experience that Hakko stations are high quality and perfect calibration might not be necessary. Unless you are dealing with parts that require a very specific heat threshold, it should not be a problem. If the iron feels too hot or too cold at a specific temperature, you can crank the temperature dial either way.
Is there any word on replacement handles?
Glad to see the tips here. Shouldn't they be "Related Products" though?
Great Point! Catalog department added all the related tips. Thanks for your feedback :)
Just ordered one can't wait to play with it.
For those of you looking for the 220-240V version, here's a list of distributors: http://www.hakko.com/world_network.html
After some searching and a couple of e-mails, I was able to locate a distributor in my country (Norway) :D
Where do they distribute these in norway? I couldn't find any....
like I said, Emagenturer. 1350 ex vat.. but they got the new model, 888D with digital readout now.
emagenturer?, I'm trying to get in touch with them now, it will cost me $255 for this unit, and I havent found any price for shipping yet.. Did you see and compare the price for the fx951? I wonder if I should take an vacation to England, the prices there are much better, like $137 for the 888, and $280 for the 951. (well, I don't need the 951, but interresting to see the pricedifferences..)
I ended up with same setup as this one: http://letsmakerobots.com/node/32675
Just ordered mine. I am new to electronics but did not want to buy a cheap soldering iron to learn with. I figure a cheap soldering iron can ruin the experience. Anyways, after my free day winnings it only cost me ~15 with shipping.
SPARKFUN rules!
nice
Anyone interested in internal pics?
Also I picked one of these up, great iron. Unfortunately not from sparkfun, shipping to Canada was $50 and I got it locally for $100 with free shipping.
The tip it comes with is a little large for what I need, but good for replacing some large mosfets on a UPS I'm repairing (my weller just didn't have the power).
The well under the sponge is neat, it keeps the sponge wet much longer.
But ya, Hear are some pics: Hakko
Just an update, the sponge has managed to stay wet for 12 hours. Perfect for a day of soldering :)
Hakko seem intent on ripping off those of use who use 220-240VAC because there's at least a 70% premium being charged for non-110V versions of this iron.
I suspect they won't sell the 220V unit to Sparkfun because it would mean that their European and Asian distributors would have to reduce their margins (to a reasonable amount) in order to compete.
Sucks!
There are 4 color variations of this product. They all look cool devices on your workdesk.
http://eleshop.jp/PRODUCTS/CATALOG/TOOLS_HAKKO/PHOTO/fx88801sv.jpg
Eurpean power plugs with this ?!?
The Iron on this looks exactly like the 907 (936's 'Medium' iron), any chance the 907 tips will fit this iron? I already have 3 or 4 tips that I use regularly on my 936, and i don't want to spend the wad on equivalent 888 tips.
I love my 936, but i find it too bulky for my desk/bench.
I was thinking exactly the same. I bought one anyway.
Deal is the 900M tips are a bit loose on the 888's heating element (slightly larger diameter hole) and they're slightly longer. Not really a resounding yes or no. I put one on, it heated up fine and was quite able to use it. However I don't know how that's going to effect the heating element in the long run being a bit loose?
I wont use them as my daily tip, but I'll definatly hang onto them for those odd jobs I need an odd shaped tip.
I would guess that the heating element would get shorter lifespan, since it cannot give the heat to the tip?
After some use, I guess I'm wrong on this, the size difference of the t18 and 900m tips are little, if any. Mostly the difference in size is clones etc. At leat the room between the heater and the tip is not that big.
It doesn't look like they will work. The FX-888 uses T18 tips, where the 936 uses 900M tips. They look similar, but are different tips, sorry.
In researching tips for the Radio Shack Digital/AT201D I found that the 900M tips (AT201D compatible) were replaced by the T18 series. Hakko's site notes this and lists compatibility:
How would this one compare to a Weller? Say the WES51? I am just worried about finding tips for the Hakko.
Personally (this is only my opinion), Hakko is pretty far beyond Weller. I wouldn't worry too much about tips, we are switching ALL of our irons over to Hakko or Hakko compatible, so we will be stocking tips. And like I said elsewhere on here, I've had my Hakko tip for 10 years and used it heavily for that time (half of its life was in a production environment), and it's as good as new.
If you're using Hakko for production are you going to sell the T15 series tips? I normally order from Hakko but if you carry them I'll give Sparkfun my money instead just because you guys rock.
does anyone know if these are calibrated from the factory, or is that something we do ourselves?
In theory, they will be very close from the factory, but different tips will need calibration. Check out what the manual says about it.
Any word on the 220V version?
Quote from above:
"110v only. We can't get the 220v version :-("
Yes, I saw that one :), seeing the other comments below it got my hopes up, but alas, it was final.
No worries, plenty of other interesting stuff in here.
If you are going to spend $100 on a soldering iron, you should consider a Metcal soldering iron. You can get them on Ebay for a reasonable price.
I'm sure this iron is a great piece of equipment.
But, just a suggestion.
Haha If you could find one for 100 bucks PLEASE let me know ;)
Ive looked everywhere for a Metcal and couldn't find anything "set" under 300. But man are they sexy lol
This is a great iron. I had a $20 junk iron from the hardware store and upgrading to this iron made soldering fun instead of a chore! I live in NZ so needed the 220V version - only place I could find it was on element14. Costs ~$US165 on there. Bet you'll sell a stack of these at $US100 if you can get the 220V version!
okay, we want connector for 220volts on next weeks new product post please.
best iron ive ever owned
You should get the 220v version, it's not easy to find online so I guess many people would buy it from you.
Uhmmm... EUROPEAN conector please! :)
Too bad it's 110v and not 240, else it would have been an instant buy :/
we need iron tips for this one
They're on order.
I couldn't wait, so I went ahead and ordered a few tips directly from Hakko. The tip this iron comes with is fine for general purpose soldering, but too blunt for anything fine pitched or smd.
Of the tips I got, here are the ones I like (and why):
T18-BL This is a great fine-point tip for tight PCB soldering. I expect it to last longer than the two below, so I'll use it most of the time.
T18-S4 This tip has more thermal mass and lower thermal resistance than the above and so it is good for soldering PCB pads that are connected to a plane that acts like a heat sink.
T18-C05 This tip is great for reaching into very tight areas when you don't need high heat flow such as SMD leads.
Cheers,
- Dean
Would the tips fit the saprkfun hakko 936 knockoff? the wand looks very similar!
Is this the 110V or 220-240V version?
110v only. We can't get the 220v version :-(
If you open the unit, there seems to be a connector labeled 220 where you can probably solder your mains cable to and get it routed to a 220 primary coil. Sparkfun, can you please verify if we can work around this by tinkering the unit a little? (it will require a second iron but hey that's what friends are for...)
There is no dual taps, you need to swap the transformer. There are a lot of information about this on internet.
I don't think the transformer has dual taps. I think it's only setup for 110v. I'd open mine up, but I have the FX-951 which is a bit different.
A little bit offtopic, but regarding the fx951 (and probably the 888), which solder tips are recomended for various types of soldering?, I guess you do an fair bit of soldering, smd, throughhole etc, so I guess you have an idea of an good selection? I finally found someone who sells the fx951 220v, so I couldn't help myself but ordered it. (yes, I know, way overkill I guess) I gonna do mostly smd (0603 and bigger), and some throughhole. Right now I'm using mostly D12 and D32 on an hakko clone.
And I guess you wouldn't carry those T15 tips? (btw, is the T12 tips exact match?)
This is a VERY hard question to answer. Personally, I used the big hoof tip (bevel) for all SMD stuff, and everything really. I liked the chisel as well. It really depends on your style and how you use it.
As for the T15, I don't think they work with this. The T18 series works with this iron.
Every guy in production uses their tips a bit different. The bevel was my rework and grunt tip, the chisel was for more precise stuff where the bigger tip just couldn't fit. I used the bevel 90% of the time. Some people never used it...
Yes, I was refering to the fx951, I know the 888 use T18/900M tips, but since we have some crazy prices on Hakko equipment here in Norway, I searched around, and found an US ebay seller that sells the 220v version of fx951 (which is probably way overkill, but hey), and that with shipping for similar price as I have to pay for an fx888 here in Norway. So, the choice was kinda easy. (Even so, since I haven't found any 220v versions of the 888 anywhere) But the naming of the tips (except for the prefix (t12, t15, t18, 900m)) looks to be similar. So, I guess I'll get couple chisels and an bevel then. If I now can find someone to sell me T15 tips, without raping me. (The basic tips cost like $40 here.. and spatula tips cost like $170.. ) Don't ask me what I pay for an beer..
I have a 15+ year old hakko that I'm using the original tip on still. If it's a good tip and you take care of it, one will be enough. No need to buy multiples. Good luck!
you can use a step down transformer for use in 220/240vac regions such as this one
http://www.beststuff.co.uk/store/HQ-100-Watt-Step-Down-Voltage-Converter.htm
http://www.hakkousa.com/kb/Article.aspx?id=10524
"Other voltages are available from American Hakko by special quote. Please contact American Hakko Customer Support at 1-800-88-HAKKO (4-2556) for information on ordering an alternate voltage."
And you didn't find this information important enough to put ANYWHERE in the description? Come on guys, wake up, you ship your stuff internationally! I know it's obvious to YOU that you are a U.S. company, but for the potential buyer - not necessarily so. You just have to realize that.
http://wikitravel.org/en/Electrical_systems
We are well aware of all of this. However, you might not realize that certain companies will only ship their 220vac versions to those countries. In this case, we can't get the 220vac version shipped to us, and we only have a US warehouse.
We are fully aware of the power systems in the rest of the world. We will try to stock other irons in 220, but at this point, it's not possible with the Hakko.
This is not so easy, I have been checking around for an 220v model myself (I'm from Norway) I have found this unit in UK, for $137, but they are not allowed to sell outside UK. I found it in Norway recently, but that will cost me $255. I found one at DealExtreme for $111, but that one is an fake, looks decent, but totaly different inside. (No MCU, lm234(?) for controlling it etc) Various chinese ebay sellers have it for $189(+$40 in shipping) and god knows if it is fake. In Denmark, I found it for $160 (but they sell only to companies, not for private.. )
But, the partnumber of the transformer inside, partnumber B3491 for the 220volt model can be bought, for $54, so it is possible to rebuild one, but that would still be expensive.
As an comparision, the 951 model, cost like $280 in UK, and an wooping $710 in Norway, and $405 in Denmark...
So, Hakko, you kinda suck at this, segmenting the market and creating marketing monopoly around. (I still want one though.)
Hakko website claims you can get 220V in US as well, as a special request. I am sure you would sell a couple of them