The king is dead, long live the king.
The 936 is discontinued as of 2011/01/17 and will be replaced by the FX-888. The 937 is discontinued as of 2011/01/18 and the recommended replacement is the FX-951. What bothers me most is the statement that: "Replacement parts for the Hakko 936-ESD Soldering Station will still be
available only until the present parts supply is exhausted." A similar statement is made for the 937.
The bulletins are available at:
http://www.hakkousa.com/doc_library.asp?DocType=Product%20BulletinAnd I just bought a 936 a few months ago.......<sigh>
Regards
Christian
The good news is that the FX-888 tips fit in the 936 iron (I think). Dave tried it out, I think in one of the live shows, and aside from a bevel in an unimportant spot it seemed to work fine for him.
Let's hope anyway. I'm with you, my 936 is only a year old.
Yes, I actually posted that earlier about the 900 series tips being dumped and replaced with the T18 series which are used with the new 888. Here is the official blurb from Hakko USA on the tips:
http://www.hakkousa.com/T18-900M_cross.aspOh well, these units are pretty darn reliable and I suspect that even if parts become unavailable from Hakko directly, someone will have a stash of suitable bits somewhere for quite some time to come.
I see the new FX-888 is listed under $100 at Hakko so hopefully street prices will be less yet. I just don't know what I think of the color....
Regards
Christian
I just bought a 936 4 months ago and love it, but actually I'm sort of annoyed that the FX-888 wasn't released in the states at the time -- it was the only entry-tier station available in the rest of the world, but the U.S. was totally left out! It would been too much money and hassle to import one so I bought the 936 instead. No regrets.
These units have been copied so often by other manufacturers. You should also be able to get spare parts from other manufacturers. The quality will be different, however.
You could test Hakko's support by sending them an e-mail and asking them what they really mean with "only until the present parts supply is exhausted".
In general, if a company stops not only the production of a unit, but also drops the spare part production like a hot potato it shows that they haven't reached quality brand status. Something to keep in mind when asked to recommend a soldering station next time.
Hmm.... I thought I replied to this yesterday but I don't see it, so here goes again. The discontinued tips that are not replaceable by the new 888 tips will continue to be available by special order, whatever that means. You can see the statement at the bottom of the old tip/new tip chart, link listed above.
Regards
Christian
Yes, did see that, didn't mean to imply you didn't mention it. I fear special order often means higher cost and waiting. How practical this will be remains to be seen, limited runs with make buying it impractical unless a lot of people do the same. However, the 936 has so many tips, more than I can use, that some of the T series tips are good substitutes.
.
Hmm.... I thought I replied to this yesterday but I don't see it, so here goes again. The discontinued tips that are not replaceable by the new 888 tips will continue to be available by special order, whatever that means. You can see the statement at the bottom of the old tip/new tip chart, link listed above.
Regards
Christian
I just bought a FX-888 this 1st week of January about $182 from Hakko Philippines but haven't used it yet due to busy work schedule. The unit is specified @ 230V 50/60Hz meaning units sold in the Philippines are the same sold in Australia and New Zealand.
The stylish design really doesn't look industrial-functional, and looks like its main market is hobbyists.
Reminds me of 1950s style design, like Bakelite radios: curved lines, wide thick knobs.
Alas, the industrial functional box design of the 936 was stack-able with other rectangular boxes, but now this must stand alone, in its beauty
According to Hakko Philippines the 936 is also discontinued I have no choice but to buy its recommended replacement.
Hi Ronnie,
Did not mean its less good than the 936! On the contrary, it has pros and some cons; the 936 is slightly bigger and bulkier you know. I think if I didn't own a 936, I would buy the 888 without a second thought.
According to Hakko Philippines the 936 is also discontinued I have no choice but to buy its recommended replacement.
There are many 936 look alikes, but none say they really work a like. I think so many clones are a reason Hakko phased out this model.
I always thought there is only one or two clone manufacturers, and they just print whatever brand you like on the enclosure when you buy in volume.
BTW, I never saw proof that Hakko was the original developer of the 936
Clone makers: very possible they are all the same. See below.
The 936 is one of the few all made-in-japan things I find today. I haven't opened mine to find if its PCB is still made there, but it does have 'made in japan' marked on the casings of its components.
The 936 first appeared in the late 1990s? 97? and no look alikes appeared until mid-2000s, ~ 2004-06; this matches a google search on terms and the year the terms first appeared.
~ 2007/8, Hakko filed suit in China against the 2 factories that together produce the "Aoyue" products, and won for copyright infringement. There are more suits listed here:
http://www.hakko.com/english/company/ip/ip_news.html#news7IMHO, the technology in the 936 base is fairly basic, and can easily be copied; the real tech part is the alloy used in its tips, and are more distinctive of Hakko. Hakko has also been slow to enforce its intellectual property.
So, based on the above, I think the Hakko 936 was originally designed and all non-clones built, by Hakko in Japan.
There are many 936 look alikes, but none say they really work a like. I think so many clones are a reason Hakko phased out this model.
I always thought there is only one or two clone manufacturers, and they just print whatever brand you like on the enclosure when you buy in volume.
BTW, I never saw proof that Hakko was the original developer of the 936
I've got the Hakko FM-202
. Simply an incredible workhorse. Uncompromised quality, impeccable operation and aesthetically beautiful industrial design (if that matters
).
The selection for the tips is overwhelming. I've got a couple of tips - one is shown below in the pictures. It is bent at a 30 degree angle with a flat side for higher contact surface area. This is heats up in 4 seconds from 0 to 700F! I got this baby for $50 off of eBay...awesome deal if you ask me.
Simply an incredible workhorse.
I agree! We have 2 units at our engineering lab after more than 5 years still in great shape. I decided to purchase the FX-888 for personal use because FM-202 is a bit pricey.
