Wouldn't it be great if soldering stations...

[MacMeter]

Wow, buy 4 tips and get the soldering iron free!  If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.  Mauroh, I doubt that I would personally try it.  I also have the FX-951 and I will say that it is worth every penny.  You don't know how stable the power supply is.  Yes, you can adjust the temp.  Does it have setback features?  I don't see a silicon pad to remove the tips.  That would be an extra cost.  I have a collar for each tip I have.  Easy in and out and I don't even need the tip removal pad.  I won't mention the wand holder. 

For you and eugenine, here is what it boils down to.  How often are you going to use it?  What is the range of uses?  Strictly SMD  or SMD through 10 ga wire and every thing in between.  What is your time worth and, more importantly, what is your frustration level worth?  My dearly departed father would always say, buy the best tool you can and only buy it once.  You buy a cheap tool and it sucks and it isn't worth the trouble of returning it, then you buy a different tool with the same result and further down the rabbit hole you go until you spent the cost of the really good tool trying a bunch of cheap substitutes with the attending frustrations and then spend the money that you should have spent up front.  I don't solder for profit, I solder for fun and it's a lot more funner with my FX-951 and Metcal MX-500 than it was with the firesticks and the Hakko 936 that I have owned.

Is the temp adjust simple with the buttons on the 951? I didn't enjoy the complicated menu system on the 888.

[mauroh]

Wow, buy 4 tips and get the soldering iron free!  If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.  Mauroh, I doubt that I would personally try it.  I also have the FX-951 and I will say that it is worth every penny.  You don't know how stable the power supply is.  Yes, you can adjust the temp.  Does it have setback features?  I don't see a silicon pad to remove the tips.  That would be an extra cost.  I have a collar for each tip I have.  Easy in and out and I don't even need the tip removal pad.  I won't mention the wand holder. 

For you and eugenine, here is what it boils down to.  How often are you going to use it?  What is the range of uses?  Strictly SMD  or SMD through 10 ga wire and every thing in between.  What is your time worth and, more importantly, what is your frustration level worth?  My dearly departed father would always say, buy the best tool you can and only buy it once.  You buy a cheap tool and it sucks and it isn't worth the trouble of returning it, then you buy a different tool with the same result and further down the rabbit hole you go until you spent the cost of the really good tool trying a bunch of cheap substitutes with the attending frustrations and then spend the money that you should have spent up front.  I don't solder for profit, I solder for fun and it's a lot more funner with my FX-951 and Metcal MX-500 than it was with the firesticks and the Hakko 936 that I have owned.

I totally agree, and for my needs I think I'll take the FX-951, but I was amazed by the extremely low price for a soldering station that use T12 cartridges as the FX-951.
I was hoping to get the feedback of someone that bought it, because I think it could be a good replacement of the Hakko 936 as a general advise for an entry level soldering station.

Mauro

[nanofrog]

Can you recommend 3-4 must have T-15 TIPS, for the Hakko FX-951-66?

I really don't do a lot of soldering, but I hate cheap $20 ones with no control. Over the years in my amateur hands, I came to believe I simply suck at soldering, destroying any confidence. The few times I used the 888 and received some basic how to advice, I did much better. For general hobby work I assume 3-4 different TIPS would be a good start, but there are so many to choose from. The only tip I used with the 888 was the T-18-D16, and it worked well. I'm going to have to study up on the different purposes for all those tip choices. And one of these days, besides online how to videos, I would love to take a hands on class as well. THANKS!

1. A few chisels, say 1.6, 2.4, & 3.2mm (covers SMD that doesn't require a microscope as well as Thru-hole)
2. 3 - 4mm Hoof and/or dedicated drag soldering tip (hoof can do more, but isn't quite as easy to use for drag soldering vs. dedicated tip)
3. Bent conical (great for passive SMD parts)

This small grouping of tips can do an amazing amount of work and relatively comfortable to use as well (i.e. not having to work at weird angles).

FWIW, Hakko's Tip Selection page is worth perusing.

[Back2Volts]

You guys are tempting me to sell my fairly new 888 and get a 951!   
But I have half a dozen tips...    Replacing them would really add up.   Some of the 951 tips are $16   

[nanofrog]

You guys are tempting me to sell my fairly new 888 and get a 951!   
But I have half a dozen tips...    Replacing them would really add up.   Some of the 951 tips are $16   

FWIW, Hakko tips will last 10+ years with basic care (keep it tinned properly to avoid oxidization of the iron plating on the tip  ).

[GreyWoolfe]

Wow, buy 4 tips and get the soldering iron free!  If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.  Mauroh, I doubt that I would personally try it.  I also have the FX-951 and I will say that it is worth every penny.  You don't know how stable the power supply is.  Yes, you can adjust the temp.  Does it have setback features?  I don't see a silicon pad to remove the tips.  That would be an extra cost.  I have a collar for each tip I have.  Easy in and out and I don't even need the tip removal pad.  I won't mention the wand holder. 

For you and eugenine, here is what it boils down to.  How often are you going to use it?  What is the range of uses?  Strictly SMD  or SMD through 10 ga wire and every thing in between.  What is your time worth and, more importantly, what is your frustration level worth?  My dearly departed father would always say, buy the best tool you can and only buy it once.  You buy a cheap tool and it sucks and it isn't worth the trouble of returning it, then you buy a different tool with the same result and further down the rabbit hole you go until you spent the cost of the really good tool trying a bunch of cheap substitutes with the attending frustrations and then spend the money that you should have spent up front.  I don't solder for profit, I solder for fun and it's a lot more funner with my FX-951 and Metcal MX-500 than it was with the firesticks and the Hakko 936 that I have owned.

Is the temp adjust simple with the buttons on the 951? I didn't enjoy the complicated menu system on the 888.

The way it works is you put the control card in and adjust hundreds, press *, adjust the tens, press * and adjust the ones.  It is a bit clunky but I find I just leave the temp set at 650F and I can solder what I need.  I think I only adjusted the temp once.  The FX-951 has some serious thermal capability and recovery so I just size the tip to the job.  I have a collar for each tip I have so it is quick out and in and the temp comes up very quickly.

[Back2Volts]

FWIW, Hakko tips will last 10+ years with basic care (keep it tinned properly to avoid oxidization of the iron plating on the tip  ).

Argument not significant at my age.    What could have weigh is how long would they last with no care 

[Back2Volts]

Is the temp adjust simple with the buttons on the 951? I didn't enjoy the complicated menu system on the 888.

The way it works is you put the control card in and adjust hundreds, press *, adjust the tens, press * and adjust the ones.  It is a bit clunky but I find I just leave the temp set at 650F and I can solder what I need.  I think I only adjusted the temp once.  The FX-951 has some serious thermal capability and recovery so I just size the tip to the job.  I have a collar for each tip I have so it is quick out and in and the temp comes up very quickly.

So the 951 does not have the five presets P1/2/3/4/5 ?    Just the one, which you have set to 650F?

[nanofrog]

Argument not significant at my age.    What could have weigh is how long would they last with no care 

They'd still last a long time as Hakko's tips have the thickest iron plating I'm aware of. 

Also, using the brass wool is easier than a damp sponge IME. 

[eugenenine]

Ok, I did it, Hakko 951 and tips ordered.  The 'how much are you going to use it' question; I really couldn't justify the higher priced model but my logic in the end was if I order the higher priced model maybe it will entice me to use it more often

[GreyWoolfe]

Is the temp adjust simple with the buttons on the 951? I didn't enjoy the complicated menu system on the 888.

The way it works is you put the control card in and adjust hundreds, press *, adjust the tens, press * and adjust the ones.  It is a bit clunky but I find I just leave the temp set at 650F and I can solder what I need.  I think I only adjusted the temp once.  The FX-951 has some serious thermal capability and recovery so I just size the tip to the job.  I have a collar for each tip I have so it is quick out and in and the temp comes up very quickly.

So the 951 does not have the five presets P1/2/3/4/5 ?    Just the one, which you have set to 650F?

I never bothered to read the manual to see how many, if any, presets it has.  I just set it to 650F and left it there.  I solder anything I need at that temp.

[eugenenine]

... had a cool down mode where it turned off heating and kept temperature display ramping down to know when it is safe to switch tip?   May be a three position power switch with ON-COOL-OFF.

As a hack, I wonder if it would be possible to use a cheap infrared sensor in the iron stand to determine temperature with some degree of accuracy.   If so, an MCU could

1)  Measure/display tip temperature

2)  Detect iron going off base to turn on smoke fan

3)  Detect iron going on base to turn off fan after some delay 

Wouldn't you guys like something like that ?

So I just got my Hakko 951.  The stand is mounted on a pivoting panel which simply presses a switch when the iron is placed in it so thats how its doing its sleep mode.  Would be really easy to either interface with their switch or even easier just mount a second switch right beside it.