Hakko FX888D: A Worthwhile Investment
Now, this is an audio tech blog. You may be wondering why I'm talking about a soldering iron. Well, firstly, I'm studying electrical engineering and it's my blog, so ha! But, on a more serious note, as commercialization of microcontrollers and 'hobby' electronics become more and more common, we will more and more often see DIY-based audio gear. In fact, in the extremely near future, you'll see my DIY rat's nest of a MIDI controller. So, as a tool to assist in both the creation and the repair of audio tech, I think this is an extremely pertinent product type to cover.
This is the Hakko FX888D. The package I bought off Amazon included the iron, power supply, iron holder, sponge, wire tip cleaning pad, and five different tips. This is another huge benefit to buying name-brand irons; that you can actually find and purchase new tips.
Now how did I come to choose this iron? Well, I'm glad you asked! So I work in a research lab at the moment and we periodically host workshops for students from high school or so to come in and learn whatever it is we have planned that week. Well, when soldering, we pull out a bunch of these and have them use them. That was my first introduction and, intrigued, I looked them up on Amazon and immediately recoiled at the price.
But, I've known for a long time before now that, when I eventually pulled the trigger on an iron, I'd end up spending $100+ just to make sure I got a good one. So, I added it to my wish list and went on suffering through my half-corroded $3 iron.
The turning point for me, however, was learning that the local company we use to populate circuit cards ALSO use these irons. And these guys are doing incredible and ultra-precise work, all by hand and with these irons. So, I figured, if it's good enough for those guys then it HAS to be good enough for me. I'd already used the iron myself at this point so I was also fully aware of what I was buying.
So, with much pain, I hit the order button and haven't regretted it since. Not a week ago, the idea of soldering at home sounded absolutely horrible but, now, it's the easiest thing. I can just sit down, turn it on, and be soldering in just a minute or so.
As for settings, I'll be honest. I just use what I've been told by people smarter than me and not questioned it. For temperature, we do 750 F or 395 C. The iron was set to Fahrenheit when I got it and, seeing no reason to change it, I've been using 750. As for solder, I use 63/37 .6mm flux core.
While kind of a hard pill to swallow on the price (even though it seems perfectly fair, just a lot for a college kid), I really highly recommend this iron to any hobbyist or, well, really anyone. I already love it and I'm sure others would too.
The best Soldering Iron & Station Manufacturers surprised us with its reliability. Some of its features are usually only found in models that cost twice as much.
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