Low Cost Soldering Station hobbyist use

[bneo99]

Hi, I am a electronic hobbyist and also a 10th grade student. I was watching video of Dave on Youtube and he always says use a good quality temperature controlled soldering station(something like that). Being a student I'm quite poor so I started with just a firestarter iron. Now as I learn more and is more confident to take it to the next stage (SMD soldering).

I was planning to get a Hakko FX-888D but in my country (Malaysia) which uses 240VAC as the mains voltage and the price for the FX-888D that supports 240V is twice the price of it for 120V countries.
(http://my.element14.com/hakko/fx-888d/soldering-station-digital-70w/dp/2280753)

Then I thought of getting a US version and modify its transformer but with the shipping costs etc. added in its quite close to the price of the 240V version.
So I would like to ask you guys to give recommendations on other cheaper soldering stations that is cheap (below USD 100), is reliable and will last for a long time. Getting the replacement tips should also be easy and cheap. I've considered chinese knockoffs but I'm not sure on the quality of them as they are knockoffs.

Thank you for helping and have a good day!
Bryan

[Psi]

I got a 220V hakko 888 for ~US$99 on aliexpress.

Ive heard there are 888 knockoffs but my 888 is legit as far as i can tell.

[bneo99]

I got a 220V hakko 888 for ~US$99 on aliexpress.

Ive heard there are 888 knockoffs but my 888 is legit as far as i can tell.

Can you provide pictures of it? How long have you been using it?

[Psi]

Had it about a year now.
No issues except it blew its fuse once, no idea why, I put a new one in and its been fine since.

[tautech]

I got a 220V hakko 888 for ~US$99 on aliexpress.

Ive heard there are 888 knockoffs but my 888 is legit as far as i can tell.

Can you provide pictures of it? How long have you been using it?

5 second search:
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/220V-HAKKO-888-Fx-888-Solder-Station-Electric-Soldering-Iron/977815289.html

[Psi]

I think he wanted pics of my one from aliexpress. just to see if it looked fake.

That $73 one you posted is obviously a copy, it says in the description lol.

Pls note all Hakko products in our store include solder iron ,hot air gun and
 
solder iron tips are OEMD made in china not original.But we promise 100% tested
 
work then ship out.If you meet any problems ,pls contact us.Anyway, if you want buy
 
original HAKKO products at such a low price ,pls go away

Mine was like $103 + 25 shipping, or something similar to that. So significantly more than $73 with free EMS shipping

[tautech]

I think he wanted pics of my one from aliexpress. just to see if it looked fake.

That $73 one you posted is obviously a copy, it says in the description lol.

Pls note all Hakko products in our store include solder iron ,hot air gun and
 
solder iron tips are OEMD made in china not original.But we promise 100% tested
 
work then ship out.If you meet any problems ,pls contact us.Anyway, if you want buy
 
original HAKKO products at such a low price ,pls go away

Mine was like $103 + 25 shipping, or something similar to that. So significantly more than $73 free shipping

Ya pays ya money and takes ya chances.

Ive heard there are 888 knockoffs but my 888 is legit as far as i can tell.

Maybe your seller wasn't as honest as the one I linked. 

[Psi]

The yellow paint is coming off mine on the stand where it rubs on the iron.
Others on this forum, who got their hakko from an authorized distributor, have said their 888 is doing exactly the same thing.
It's unlikely both the legit version and the copy has this exact same issue.

[Psi]

Here's a few more pics of my one.

Build quality is miles better than my legit Aoyue station.

[bneo99]

Here's a few more pics of my one.

Build quality is miles better than my legit Aoyue station.

Looks quite original to me too. But do you think I can get Genuine Hakko Stations for that price now?

[dannyf]

I would suggest that you find your budget first, and then explore what can be done within that budget.

I would say if you pay more than $40 for a temperature controlled iron, you have paid too much, particularly given that you can use irons intended for China (220v vs. 240v).

There are many ways to control temperature. I would pay more attention to availability / quality of tips, handles and such. There are also irons with the controller integrated into the handle, at a much lower price point.

It may not be worth it, or possible, for you to buy the real Hakko solder iron.

[dannyf]

It's unlikely both the legit version and the copy has this exact same issue.

You would be surprised. In Chinese lexicon, there is a new term, over the last 10 years or so, called "high fidelity" fake, essentially knockoffs that are so real that it is practically impossible for a lay person to tell them apart.

I have seen handbags, watches, phones and electronic parts / etc. that are like that. I think a working principle should be that anyone from ebay is fake unless proven otherwise.

[Rick Law]

I think he wanted pics of my one from aliexpress. just to see if it looked fake.

That $73 one you posted is obviously a copy, it says in the description lol.

Pls note all Hakko products in our store include solder iron ,hot air gun and
 
solder iron tips are OEMD made in china not original.But we promise 100% tested
 
work then ship out.If you meet any problems ,pls contact us.Anyway, if you want buy
 
original HAKKO products at such a low price ,pls go away

Mine was like $103 + 25 shipping, or something similar to that. So significantly more than $73 with free EMS shipping

...Anyway, if you want buy original HAKKO products at such a low price ,pls go away...

Now that kind of product description actually makes me trust the seller.  He told it like it is!

[poorchava]

Get a Xytronic LF1600 or LF2000. In Europe those go for about $140 or something like that. Those are made in Taiwan and except for cheap capacitors being used, the build quality is very decent. I'd say that there is cheap shit like all Hakko clones, Attens, Yihua, Zhongdi and other stuff like that and there are name brands like Weller, Hakko, JBC, Ersa (which is sometimes crap too, but that's another story) and such. Xytronix is somewhere in between those two ranges.

[dannyf]

There are also irons with the controller integrated into the handle, at a much lower price point.

Here is what I meant, shamelessly copied from ebay.

I have two of them, bought 5 - 10 years ago and thoroughly abused, one with its heating element broken, and one with its tip going red hot (more like white hot). They are still working today.

They are my throw-away irons, except that they simply refuse to die.

The brand name is called "Yellow Flower", with transparent body. The latest iteration has a lcd read-out, going for 5 - 6 usd in China (220v version). They should be better than mine (knock offs).

[WattsUp]

5 second  eBay search turned up this for £109.95
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Xytronic-LF-1600-80W-Digital-Soldering-Station-Temperature-Controlled-/121392154128?pt=UK_Home_Garden_PowerTools_SM&hash=item1c43894610

[WattsUp]

Or for a bit cheaper
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BK-3000LF-premium-digital-soldering-station-70W-solder-iron-UK-Co-and-warranty/221383898373?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D28111%26meid%3D2f356e3ac95b44d4984ab212e02d97c2%26pid%3D100005%26prg%3D11472%26rk%3D5%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D121392154128&rt=nc

[WattsUp]

I don't recommend the soldering guns, they have no place in SMD work, which is the purpose you want it for

[Psi]

Email all the soldering iron manufactures saying your a 10th grade student and asking them where is the best place to buy one of their stations without the huge element14/RS/etc. markups. 

There is a real chance one of them will either hook you up with a cheap station, or just send you a free one.

(dont ask for a free one though, ask where you can buy one at a fair price)

[retiredcaps]

Here's a few more pics of my one.

@Psi, I don't remember the various details spread across multiple threads, but isn't the FX888 supposed to have a Hakko branded chip in position U1.  I can clearly see the U1 pcb designation in Dave's 242 episode.

Aren't the fakes supposed to have a generic chip in IC1?  Your picture shows a LM324 in IC1.

[nanofrog]

Genuine Hakko's run a custom MCU, fakes don't have them (most are based on LM324 IIRC).

Take a look at the pics in this thread, the location at U1 in particular (definitely not an LM324  ).

FWIW, the original FX-888 hasn't been produced for a couple of years or so (analog knob instead of LED display and buttons like are on the FX-888D).

[Psi]

Does the analog 888 have this chip though? The digital 888 would need a mcu/custom chip for the led display.

If mine is a fake then its the highest quality fake ive seen, it works awesome and solders anything i throw at it with ease.

[nanofrog]

Does the analog 888 have this chip though? The digital 888 would need a mcu/custom chip for the led display.

If mine is a fake then its the highest quality fake ive seen, it works awesome and solders anything i throw at it with ease.

Custom chip, but not the same as the digital version (pics in the link are of a US voltage analog unit). Even the package changed between the two models.

You can also check out Dave's video on the original FX-888 for close up images IIRC.

[poorchava]

Those prices for Xytronic are very high. Here's an european example:

http://www.reichelt.de/XYTRONIC-Loetstationen/STATION-LF-1600/3//index.html?ACTION=3&GROUPID=4543&ARTICLE=88890&OFFSET=16&

I've had it for 3 or 4 years now and it is a really good iron. One thing is that thermal coupling between the heater and the tip could be better, but it's still quite good.

[larsdenmark]

Those prices for Xytronic are very high. Here's an european example:

http://www.reichelt.de/XYTRONIC-Loetstationen/STATION-LF-1600/3//index.html?ACTION=3&GROUPID=4543&ARTICLE=88890&OFFSET=16&

How long do your tips last?

Do you know if one can get replacement tips? I can't find any at Reichelt that fits.