Hakko FX-951 Review

[GreyWoolfe]

Here are my first impressions of my Hakko FX-951.  It came today from TEquipment.net and came well packed.  As you can see by the pictures, I ordered the .8 mm, 1.2 mm, 1.6 mm, 2.4 mm and 3.2 mm chisel  tips, extra sleeves and a spare brass curl.  These are the same tips I have for my Hakko 936 and I do use all of them.  I will probably add a bent conical and bevel tip with indent or hoof tip to go with the rest of the collection.

The unit itself is well packed and padded by Hakko and comes with the control unit, cradle, wand, control key, tip sleeve, tip holder, heat resistant pad and interconnect cable for the sleep function.  I do have to agree that the color scheme leaves something to be desired.  I does look a bit toy like.  That's where any comparison to a toy ends.  The control unit has a bit of weight and heft to it at about 2.5 pounds.  It is tall and narrow as compared to the short, squat design of my 936, but there is no sense of it being able to tip over easily.   The display is small but very bright.  There are 4 controls on the unit: the up/down buttons, the # button which initiates a data entry mode and * button for the end of sequence signal.  Here is an example of how this works.  The unit was defaulted to 750º F.  I reset this to 700º.  First make sure the control key is in place.  Press the # and the hundreds digit lights up.  Use the up/down arrows to set the digits.  Press the * and the setting is saved and moves to the 10's digit.  Same procedure until you have the temp you want.  Finish with the * and the temp is set.  Now you can remove the control key and no one can change any settings.

The wand has a very good feel to it.  The cable is very supple, better quality than the 936.  The connector is an 8 pin male DIN with a lock tab.  The fit is snug and it takes a bit in insert the connector and to squeeze the lock tab to remove the cable.  No danger of the cable falling out.  The sleeves make for a comfortable grip, IMHO.  The tips snap into the sleeves securely.   The sleeve to wand fit is quite tight and it does take a bit of effort to unsnap the sleeve from the wand.  There is no slop or wiggle and there is no doubt that the sleeve is going to stay put until removed.  I feel that I have better control with the closer tip to hand distance than the 936.  The tip to hand distance on the 951 is 1.95" and the tip to hand distance on the 936 is 3.87".
The tips themselves seem to be of a good quality.  The tip holder  has a bit of clever design to it.  I discovered that there is a front and back to it even though it is round.  The tips in the back sit higher up than the tips in the front, I suppose to easily tell which tips are which.  The height arrangement is almost like theater seating, lower down in front and gradually raising higher the further back you go.  The holder also has a good amount of weight to it.  I can't see this tipping over and spilling the tips either.

The cradle is made of metal and has a very solid feel to it.  There are diagonal slits cut in it as if to be able to hold a spool of solder.  This isn't something I will use as I have a DIY solution that holds 2 different spools.  When the wand is inserted into the cradle, the cradle moves down slightly, causing the end at the bottom to engage a switch at the back of the holder.  This is for the sleep function.  The sleep function is adjustable.  Mine came set at 0 minutes, meaning it immediately goes into sleep mode when the wand is back in the cradle.  This is fine by me.  The iron is also preset to go into hibernation mode after 30 minutes, adjustable, which is also fine with me.  The cradle also has a spot to hold the container that holds the brass curls.  This sits very tightly in the base.  I spent some time jabbing the wand in and out and there was no movement.

Now on to something slightly more interesting (I hope).  I am not going to go into the technical specs.  Those are readily available on the Internet.  I used a stopwatch to take some time measurements.  From a cold start, the 951 comes to 700º f in 15.12 seconds.  This is about half the warm up time of my 936.  I then tested wake up from sleep mode.  If the wand is in the cradle just long enough to add the next component to the pcb, the tip is back to temp almost immediately.  I let it sit in sleep mode for 5 minutes.  In that time, the iron cooled down to 474º F.  it took about 6.8 seconds to come back up to temp.  Certainly not the fastest on the market but plenty fast enough for me.  When soldering multiple pins/leads, thermal recovery is basically immediate.  Now is the time to mention 1 nitpick.  When the iron comes up to temp or goes into/comes out of sleep mode, there is a rather loud beep.  This is on by default and I will probably turn it off.  I am sure that it will get annoying quickly.  While I had the cover off, I added a bit of electrical tape over the buzzer to mute the sound.  We will see how that works.  I also checked temperature stability but I have a $13 USD 'F'akko FG-100, not the real thing.  The stability is supposed to be+/- 5ºC/9ºF.  I tested the .8 mm(716ºF), 1.6 mm and 2.4 mm tips (both at 730ºF)  I am definitely taking the readings with a grain of salt.  I may adjust the offset down a bit, but that is still up in the air.
 
Naturally, I had to see how it actually worked.  I had a partially done smd practice board laying around.  First up was a couple of SOT23 transistors using the .8 mm chisel tip.  That was very easy.  The 0402 resistors were harder but that was more due to my eyes (yes, I did use magnification) than any shortcoming of the 951.  Next I tried a quad flat pack 44 pin IC.  I tacked it in place fairly easily.  I drag soldered 1 side with the chisel tip and it worked surprisingly well.  Just 2  solder bridges which cleaned up easily with solder wick.  For fun, I tried to solder the pins on another side one by one.  Much harder but, again, more due to my limitations.  I did have a couple of solder bridges.

Overall, I am very happy with my purchase.   I really couldn't justify the expense of a  JBC CD-1BD, which I really like.  Adding in the same tips that I have and that would have been over $200 USD more.  The price, with everything I got, minus the EEVBlog discount, came to USD $286 and some change.  If the purchase was work related, I could justify the cost of the JBC, mostly.  Since I am just a hobbyist, the cost vs benefit difference just didn't add up.  I can see me using this for years to come as long as parts are available.

I've included some pictures.  Forgive the quality.  I don't have a nice digital camera.  I used my company iPhone 6 for the photography.   I did open it up and had a quick look 'under the skirt' so to speak.  Very neat and tidy as the picture shows.  There are 5 screws that hold the case together.  The grounding is neat and proper, with crimped ring terminals and star washers.  I didn't take a picture of the back side of the pcb as I don't want to unsolder the DIN connector.  If I can get my hands on a better camera, I might just take a second set of pictures under the hood with a better component view.

I hope the review/comments are useful.   This is my first "in depth", at least for me, product review.  You have Nanofrog to thank for this.  He suggested it as there isn't much information other than basic "I like it"/"I don't like it" reviews.  I typically leave a little more than that but I have never written as much as I did here.  Probably has to do with the higher than average technical acumen of the EEVBloggers.  I generally find that the minutia is appreciated here.  Quite the opposite of SWMBO.

[GreyWoolfe]

Some more pictures.

Edit:  I did find out something else interesting.  With my old 936, when finished with it, I would turn it off, clean the tip and apply fresh solder for the cool down.  Can't do that with the 951.  With the heater in the tip, as soon as power is off, the tip is cool enough that it won't melt 63/37 solder.  I had to turn the unit back on, clean the tip and apply a coat of solder then turn it off. 

[sbeube02]

Nice soldering station, I like the colurful tips.

[GreyWoolfe]

The FX-951 is a very nice iron. I like the quick change tips a lot. I also have an FX-950 that I find I actually prefer most of the time. It's exactly the same spec wise, except that it has an analogue dial to set temperature instead of a digital display. While that does mean you can't see the current tip temperature, it makes changing the setting much easier and quicker. Plus, it's a fair bit cheaper than the 951.

Mojo, I do like the analogue simplicity of my 936.  I also really appreciate the sleep and hibernate functions, especially the latter.  I have been known to accidentally leave my 936 on for the better part of a weekend because I forgot to turn it off.  Even after adding a power LED, I still walked away once for a few hours.  Thank goodness that the real Hakko tips are pretty forgiving.  A couple of the tip barrels are sort of black but the tips themselves clean up nice and shiny with some flux and fresh solder.  I could have picked up a JBC BT-8088, NOS, for about $257 USD.  The drawback for me was the analogue design.  I had decided I really wanted sleep and hibernate functions to make up for my own absentmindedness

[nanofrog]

You have Nanofrog to thank for this.  He suggested it as there isn't much information other than basic "I like it"/"I don't like it" reviews.

That, and it's your punishment for not getting a JBC.     

Seriously though, it's a nice station, and at ~$286 for all of that, you just about stole it.  Hope you get many years of use and enjoyment out of it. 

[GreyWoolfe]

Nanofrog, what little soldering I did with it yesterday just to make sure that it was fully functioning was NICE! The beep is loud but hopefully the little piece of electrical tape that I taped over the hole in the buzzer will dampen the sound enough.  The overall response is amazing.  Of course I am comparing it to the 936 as that is my only frame of reference.  I do expect many years out of it.  Since I've never tried a JBC, I don't know what I am missing, but I know what I have and that is plenty for me.

[nukie]

I once had to do a decision between the FX-951 and a Jbc, I ended up with the Jbc because of the shorter work piece. I think it's really important when it comes to precision work. It's power delivery is amazing for a small tip compared to my 936.

[Deathwish]

Nice purchase, looks good on your bench, would look good on mine too so am sending a self addressed envelope 

[GreyWoolfe]

I once had to do a decision between the FX-951 and a Jbc, I ended up with the Jbc because of the shorter work piece. I think it's really important when it comes to precision work. It's power delivery is amazing for a small tip compared to my 936.

With the tip to hand distance almost 50% less, i find I have much better control then the 936.  The thermal delivery of the 951 runs rings around the 936 as, I'm sure the JBC runs rings around the 951-it should for being twice the price.  Some day, maybe I will be able to afford a JBC and make the 951 my back up iron.

Nice purchase, looks good on your bench, would look good on mine too so am sending a self addressed envelope 

[GreyWoolfe]

Mojo, I do like the analogue simplicity of my 936.  I also really appreciate the sleep and hibernate functions, especially the latter.  I have been known to accidentally leave my 936 on for the better part of a weekend because I forgot to turn it off.  Even after adding a power LED, I still walked away once for a few hours.  Thank goodness that the real Hakko tips are pretty forgiving.  A couple of the tip barrels are sort of black but the tips themselves clean up nice and shiny with some flux and fresh solder.  I could have picked up a JBC BT-8088, NOS, for about $257 USD.  The drawback for me was the analogue design.  I had decided I really wanted sleep and hibernate functions to make up for my own absentmindedness

Actually the one disadvantage of the 950 is that it doesn't have the sleep function. Personally I never use it anyway and keep the cable unplugged, but if it's something you want then you have to get the 951.

With my setup for power distribution on my workbench, it isn't convenient to plug/unplug.  I have an APC SmartUPS 1500 on a bottom shelf and some Belkin surge protectors connected to it, also under the bench top with 1 attached to the frame at the front of the bench for extra quick outlets.  It's probably time to rethink the locations of the surge protectors as they are a pain to get to.  Sounds like a project when I am on vacation in August.

[GreyWoolfe]

Update on using the 951:  what a pleasure using it.  Gets to temp fast, comes out of sleep fast, almost instantaneous thermal recovery, I love it.  My only nit to pick is how loud the piezo buzzer is when going into and out of sleep mode.  Cheap fix was to put a piece of electrical tape over the buzzer, now it is muted and not annoying. 

[nanofrog]

Update on using the 951:  what a pleasure using it.  Gets to temp fast, comes out of sleep fast, almost instantaneous thermal recovery, I love it.  My only nit to pick is how loud the piezo buzzer is when going into and out of sleep mode.  Cheap fix was to put a piece of electrical tape over the buzzer, now it is muted and not annoying. 

You sound like a happy camper.  And kudos for your buzzer volume solution (no need to over-complicate matters). 

[GreyWoolfe]

Yup, it's all about the KISS principle and I surely qualify for it

[Erythros]

The annoying beeper was troublesomeness I remembered from one of the few sales video on Youtube and one of two reasons why I didn't buy this soldering station. (The other one was the insanity masquerading as user interface.)

BTW it is quite odd that there aren't review video of this station. Everybody who bought 888 is doing unboxing, teardown and solder melt test but not so for 951.

[neslekkim]

BTW it is quite odd that there aren't review video of this station. Everybody who bought 888 is doing unboxing, teardown and solder melt test but not so for 951.

Are you serious? https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=hakko+951+review

[GreyWoolfe]

The annoying beeper was troublesomeness I remembered from one of the few sales video on Youtube and one of two reasons why I didn't buy this soldering station. (The other one was the insanity masquerading as user interface.)

BTW it is quite odd that there aren't review video of this station. Everybody who bought 888 is doing unboxing, teardown and solder melt test but not so for 951.

That's a shame.  I really like the station and you could've added the tape on the buzzer like I did.  Honestly, I don't find the interface that bad.  This is my first digital station.  I have a Hakko 936 and just picked up a Metcal MX-500P II so analog is prevalent here.  It's not like turning a pot knob, but changing the temperature isn't terrible and you probably won't be changing the temperature all that much. The unit was set up to go into sleep mode as soon as the wand is put in the cradle and the hibernate is set for 30 minutes, this was perfect as I would have set the same parameters.  Just out of curiosity, what did you end up buying?

[GreyWoolfe]

BTW it is quite odd that there aren't review video of this station. Everybody who bought 888 is doing unboxing, teardown and solder melt test but not so for 951.

Are you serious? https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=hakko+951+review

I looked at the first 3 pages.  There were FX-888 and other Hakko product reviews mixed in, there were projects worked on using the 951, there were no audio complaint videos on what turned out to be fakes and unboxing videos.  Most of the 'useful' videos were promo videos by Hakko or distributors.  Grimmer2005 had the most watched video and even his wasn't much of a review.  He showed warmup time and then complained about the looks, having to actually lift up his hand to take the iron off the stand and the fact that the rubber feet leave a mark on the workbench.  Nanofrog encouraged me to do my review probably for the same reason as Erythros mentioned.  I chose not to do a video as I have no experience doing them, my friends who have done some video production didn't want anything to do with it and finally, I am an old, fat Jersey boy with a terrible(to me) sounding voice.  Add to that, there are far more crappy youtube videos than good ones and I didn't want to crap up the bandwidth any more than it is.  Besides, it took far less of my time to write up the review than it would have taken to do a video.

[nanofrog]

(The other one was the insanity masquerading as user interface.)

For the FX-888D, I'd agree with this statement. But for the FX-951, I'm with GreyWoolfe (4 button interface vs. 2 = a lot easier IMHO).

FWIW, my Weller uses 5 buttons (3 "radio" preset buttons for quick temp changes, + UP and DOWN buttons). Rather intuitive for normal operation. Special menu access = RTFM for the correct sequence for the desired menus, and that's not that hard either.

...just picked up a Metcal MX-500P II so analog is prevalent here.

PM sent. 

It's not like turning a pot knob, but changing the temperature isn't terrible and you probably won't be changing the temperature all that much. The unit was set up to go into sleep mode as soon as the wand is put in the cradle and the hibernate is set for 30 minutes, this was perfect as I would have set the same parameters.  Just out of curiosity, what did you end up buying?

FWIW, I use the preset buttons by far the most on mine. Amazing just how useful they can be. 

Preset examples:

• 500F for sensitive stuff/low-melt bismuth solder alloy
• 600F for general purpose
• 700F for connectors, soldered mechanical stress relief pins on PCB's, ... sort of stuff that requires a bit more thermal capacity

Grimmer2005 had the most watched video and even his wasn't much of a review.  He showed warmup time and then complained about the looks, having to actually lift up his hand to take the iron off the stand and the fact that the rubber feet leave a mark on the workbench.

Definitely more of a gripe-fest over one very minor issue (rubber feet making black marks), and one personal preference issue (iron height).

Both of which have simple solutions. Simply pick the damn thing up if you want to move it rather than drag it (if you can't be bothered to do that, get clear or white rubber feet), and you won't get drag marks.  Second, RTFM (adjustment screws in stand). 

I would have thought either of these as common sense, but obviously not.   

Nanofrog encouraged me to do my review probably for the same reason as Erythros mentioned.

Exactly.    The videos out there are useless or nearly so (couple of Hakko's do show the features, but they never show real world operation a potential buyer needs to help make a decision). Nor have I seen any written reviews either (few comments here and there here in the forum, but that's it).

Buying blind is obviously risky, and the ~30 day trial/test drives manufacturers offer may not necessarily be an option for a hobbyist. Even if they do opt for the test drive, there may be fees associated with returning it should they not like the unit (or they may not get it at the best price, depending on the distributor that sends the unit).

[neslekkim]

BTW it is quite odd that there aren't review video of this station. Everybody who bought 888 is doing unboxing, teardown and solder melt test but not so for 951.

Are you serious? https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=hakko+951+review

I looked at the first 3 pages.  There were FX-888 and other Hakko product reviews mixed in, there were projects worked on using the 951, there were no audio complaint videos on what turned out to be fakes and unboxing videos.  Most of the 'useful' videos were promo videos by Hakko or distributors.  Grimmer2005 had the most watched video and even his wasn't much of a review.  He showed warmup time and then complained about the looks, having to actually lift up his hand to take the iron off the stand and the fact that the rubber feet leave a mark on the workbench.  Nanofrog encouraged me to do my review probably for the same reason as Erythros mentioned.  I chose not to do a video as I have no experience doing them, my friends who have done some video production didn't want anything to do with it and finally, I am an old, fat Jersey boy with a terrible(to me) sounding voice.  Add to that, there are far more crappy youtube videos than good ones and I didn't want to crap up the bandwidth any more than it is.  Besides, it took far less of my time to write up the review than it would have taken to do a video.

I bought my 951 based on these videos:
https://www.youtube.com/user/xboxhaxorz/search?query=951

Turned out that the same person sold fake hakko's though.. But he mentioned JBC in some of the videos I think (or was it email, don't remember), so I bought an JBC after (from another place of course)

[GreyWoolfe]

UPDATE: I got to work the 951 today, modifying a serial cable and a couple of Astron power supplies.  I used a couple of different tips and temps and am very happy with it.  The instantaneous sleep mode when the wand goes back in the cradle is nice, I don't mind the few seconds it takes to come back to temp.  The soldering went from small diameter wires into a DB-25 to bleeder resistors on large copper pours (1.6 mm chisel tip) and all was a breeze.  Overall, it was fine soldering at 600F instead of the 700F I normally did on my 936.  Sure, I walked away from a JBC, but the 951 is absolutely no slouch.  If you're contemplating getting one, go for it , you won't be disappointed. 

As a side note, I found a good deal on a MX-RM3E wand and a 1.76 mm chisel tip for my free Metcal MX-500P II.  They will be here next week and I can't wait to give the Metcal a try.  Now I have 2 nice soldering irons and can sell my Hakko 936.  I know someone in my ham radio club looking for a good deal.  6 tips and a spare power supply, I'll make her an offer she can't refuse.

[nanofrog]

As a side note, I found a good deal on a MX-RM3E wand and a 1.76 mm chisel tip for my free Metcal MX-500P II.  They will be here next week and I can't wait to give the Metcal a try.

Looking forward to this. 

[Fsck]

As a side note, I found a good deal on a MX-RM3E wand and a 1.76 mm chisel tip for my free Metcal MX-500P II.  They will be here next week and I can't wait to give the Metcal a try.

Looking forward to this. 

you'll probably find it very similar to the 951.

[nukie]

The FX-951 should be the unit that everyone need to buy. The integrated heater in tip is a much better technology compared to the ancient 936 heater and tip loosey thermal coupling. It should be put to death but everyone keep buying it and Hakko see no end to keep milking it with the release of 888.

[GreyWoolfe]

The FX-951 should be the unit that everyone need to buy. The integrated heater in tip is a much better technology compared to the ancient 936 heater and tip loosey thermal coupling. It should be put to death but everyone keep buying it and Hakko see no end to keep milking it with the release of 888.

The problem is that the heater in tip technology is obviously more expensive, $236.49 for the 951 against $85.95 for the 888D on TEquipment.net before EEVBlog discount.  I got mine because I sold some ham radio gear that was given to me but I had no use for.  Otherwise I would still be using my 936.  There is a place for good entry level soldering station such as the FX-888d or the Weller WESD-51.  The failing is that here in the US, we seem to have the best prices compared to everywhere else and that is the difficulty.  Before I had my 936, I used a firestick.  I learned to work with it and for many years, that's all I knew.  I took on a project for work and used that as an excuse to upgrade to the 936, which was all I could afford at the time.  Again, for years that's all I knew.  When the money came to me to upgrade, I took advantage after doing a painful amount of research.  Just ask Nanofrog about all the PMs.  Many people here on the forum and world wide are working with tight budgets.  If everyone could afford a 951, JBC CD-1BD or Metcal MX-5000, that's what would be sold and there wouldn't be a need for more basic stations.  What really frosts my pumpkins are the cheap clones and obvious fakes that abound.  That's the market that really needs to be killed.  As long as people continue to shop on price and never consider the longer term total cost of ownership, including the aggravation of something 'almost good enough', these products will continue to proliferate.  All we can do is try to encourage the saving of extra coin of the realm to buy better instead of instant gratification.  My dearly departed father, who was a construction worker and depended on his tools, always preached to me about the necessity of buying quality tools.  He would say, "Buy it once and forget about it. If you buy it again, you didn't buy it right the first time."  50 years later and I still have some of his hand tools that I use regularly.

[nanofrog]

you'll probably find it very similar to the 951.

I suspect so. 

My hope is it will put the "Curie Point induction stations kick everything else to the curb" claims in the trash bin.    Not to say that such stations aren't top tier performers (far from it), but rather that they're not leagues beyond anything else out there types of claims (v. recent/current products, not stuff from 20+ years ago). And that similar performance can be had at a reasonable cost, possibly even lower. Especially after tips are taken into consideration.

Should make decision making for hobbyists a lot easier at any rate, regardless of which way they decide to go. 

The FX-951 should be the unit that everyone need to buy. The integrated heater in tip is a much better technology compared to the ancient 936 heater ... It should be put to death but everyone keep buying it and Hakko see no end to keep milking it with the release of 888.

The FX-951 is certainly an excellent value in North America at least (outside of NA, the value diminishes from what I've seen, but YMMV). 

That said, I don't see this being released as a ~$100 entry level station in the next few years. So I'm with GreyWoolfe with the notion the tech used in the 936 & 888D will likely be around for some time yet, as it does allow them to make an entry level product at the ~$100 price point.

I got mine because I sold some ham radio gear that was given to me but I had no use for.  Otherwise I would still be using my 936.  There is a place for good entry level soldering station such as the FX-888d or the Weller WESD-51.  The failing is that here in the US, we seem to have the best prices compared to everywhere else and that is the difficulty.  Before I had my 936, I used a firestick.  I learned to work with it and for many years, that's all I knew.  I took on a project for work and used that as an excuse to upgrade to the 936, which was all I could afford at the time.  Again, for years that's all I knew.  When the money came to me to upgrade, I took advantage after doing a painful amount of research.  Just ask Nanofrog about all the PMs.  Many people here on the forum and world wide are working with tight budgets.  If everyone could afford a 951, JBC CD-1BD or Metcal MX-5000, that's what would be sold and there wouldn't be a need for more basic stations.  What really frosts my pumpkins are the cheap clones and obvious fakes that abound.  That's the market that really needs to be killed.  As long as people continue to shop on price and never consider the longer term total cost of ownership, including the aggravation of something 'almost good enough', these products will continue to proliferate.  All we can do is try to encourage the saving of extra coin of the realm to buy better instead of instant gratification.  My dearly departed father, who was a construction worker and depended on his tools, always preached to me about the necessity of buying quality tools.  He would say, "Buy it once and forget about it. If you buy it again, you didn't buy it right the first time."  50 years later and I still have some of his hand tools that I use regularly.

I have to ask, were you a Horse Trader in another life or something?   

Seems we've definitely a similar background (from starting with firesticks to the position on purchasing quality products & the reasoning behind it).   

BTW, it wasn't that many PM's. 

[GreyWoolfe]

I may have been a horse trader in another life, who knows?   My thing is that disposable income has never been in excess so I always want to make smart choices on how I spend it.  If there is no dire need, I research things to death and then go on the hunt for the best pricing.  I don't want to be an 'instant gratification' buyer.  I have done it a couple of times and ended up regretting the decision.  What I don't understand, and it may be because I am old school, is why people don't simply do some research instead of the "ready, fire, aim'.  There are so many soldering iron threads on the forum, maybe Dave needs to start another catagory .  No one seems to go back and read them, so it's new threads with the same questions, the same sage advice, the same purchase of fakes or clones and the same moaning and groaning down the road of the purchase of the fakes or clones and the purchase of something better that should have been done in the first place.  It's like a soldering iron Mobius Loop. no beginning or ending.   On my last job, some of us had a saying about some of the contract technicians, there was never enough time to do it right but always enough time to do it over.

Anyway, I was happy to find a NOS RM3E for $72 shipped.  I just listed a modified Astron 35A power supply on my ham club website to pay for it and get a proper auto sleep cradle.  In the meantime, I found a cheap metal coil stand for a firestick in a box that will serve to hold the wand for now.  I might do a limited comparison review of the MX-500 and the 951 to see if there are really major differences that would justify the price difference for a hobbyist or a "1 man band" looking for a quality tool that won't be in a multi shift production environment which is where the Metcal really shines.

[nanofrog]

My thing is that disposable income has never been in excess so I always want to make smart choices on how I spend it.  If there is no dire need, I research things to death and then go on the hunt for the best pricing.

Makes perfect sense to me (money = way more effort to earn than spend  ). 

Anyway, I was happy to find a NOS RM3E for $72 shipped.  I just listed a modified Astron 35A power supply on my ham club website to pay for it and get a proper auto sleep cradle.  In the meantime, I found a cheap metal coil stand for a firestick in a box that will serve to hold the wand for now.  I might do a limited comparison review of the MX-500 and the 951 to see if there are really major differences that would justify the price difference for a hobbyist or a "1 man band" looking for a quality tool that won't be in a multi shift production environment which is where the Metcal really shines.

Sounds good. 

[GreyWoolfe]

I received the MX RM3E wand and STTC-042 tip yesterday.  All I did was plug it up and make sure the wand and tip were good.  Even though the wand was listed as NOS, I wanted to be sure.  When I opened the package, it really was NOS.  Plugged into the first port, powered the MX-500P up and the tip came quickly up to temp.  I will see if I can find time to do a little comparison between the Metcal and the Hakko.  Should be interesting.  Nothing super in depth but some real world things like soldering  16 ga wire to a 4" copper pcb with equivalent sized tips and things like that   That will be in another thread.

[TheBay]

I've got a Hakko 951 and a Weller WSD80 with a WSP80, I prefer the Hakko. But the controls are easier on the Weller. The beep is annoying on the Hakko, so I changed the sleep time. That works better for me. The trouble is finding genuine tips for the Hakko in the UK. I can get weller tips easily.

[GreyWoolfe]

I've got a Hakko 951 and a Weller WSD80 with a WSP80, I prefer the Hakko. But the controls are easier on the Weller. The beep is annoying on the Hakko, so I changed the sleep time. That works better for me. The trouble is finding genuine tips for the Hakko in the UK. I can get weller tips easily.

Do what I did, open it up and put a piece of electrical tape over the piezo buzzer.  It mutes it quite a bit, but I can still hear it.  Then you can put your sleep time back to immediate.  That's how I have set mine.  It gets back up to temp fast enough that I like the immediate sleep.  The controls don't really bother me as I basically leave it on 1 temp-600F.  It has soldered everything so far including adding a 5W bleeder resistor to a couple of good sized pours-almost an inch square- for the smoothing cap in an Astron 35A power supply.

[TheBay]

Yeah I might just do that, good tip!

I know those Astron Linear, HUGE cap to solder and sometimes they get snapped off!
The sleep is good as it doesn't power off the iron it puts it at a lower temp so it ramps up to speed quickly. This iron does not seem to be bothered by anything, from SMD up to big stuff it just works.

Have you got the 599B tip cleaner with yours, I think it's brilliant 

I've got a Hakko 951 and a Weller WSD80 with a WSP80, I prefer the Hakko. But the controls are easier on the Weller. The beep is annoying on the Hakko, so I changed the sleep time. That works better for me. The trouble is finding genuine tips for the Hakko in the UK. I can get weller tips easily.

Do what I did, open it up and put a piece of electrical tape over the piezo buzzer.  It mutes it quite a bit, but I can still hear it.  Then you can put your sleep time back to immediate.  That's how I have set mine.  It gets back up to temp fast enough that I like the immediate sleep.  The controls don't really bother me as I basically leave it on 1 temp-600F.  It has soldered everything so far including adding a 5W bleeder resistor to a couple of good sized pours-almost an inch square- for the smoothing cap in an Astron 35A power supply.

[GreyWoolfe]

Mine came with the 599B and no sponge.  I don't know why I didn't go to brass curls sooner.  It does a much better job of cleaning without the thermal shock that the sponge gives.  When I ordered my 951, I ordered an extra so I would have it on hand.  I noticed that the Thermaltronics auto sleep cradle that I will be getting for my Metcal MX 500 also has the brass curls.  No more water bottle on the workbench.

[TheBay]

I always used a sponge and water, then I got this and I am a convert, no more dried up sponge, having to get water or accidentally pouring IPA instead 

These copper curls seem to rinse out well in the sink too 

Mine came with the 599B and no sponge.  I don't know why I didn't go to brass curls sooner.  It does a much better job of cleaning without the thermal shock that the sponge gives.  When I ordered my 951, I ordered an extra so I would have it on hand.  I noticed that the Thermaltronics auto sleep cradle that I will be getting for my Metcal MX 500 also has the brass curls.  No more water bottle on the workbench.

[nanofrog]

These copper curls seem to rinse out well in the sink too 

How is that affecting performance?

I ask, as I'm wondering if it's rinsing the dried flux off in the process, which could affect how fast you have to replace them.

[mtdoc]

My FX-951 arrived today. Quick shipment from Zoro after taking advantage of their sale - $184 yeah!

It's an awesome iron!

After reading about the loud alarm, I was all set to put tape over the buzzer as others have when I found out that it can be turned off.  Apparently Hakko listened to their customers and updated the firmware. The manual - actually the piece of paper - included with the iron, did not have complete directions for changing all settings but a more complete manual is available on their website.

[GreyWoolfe]

Thanks for posting that.  Now it is time to check the website out to see if the firmware on mine can be updated.

Edited:  should have checked the website   I have the current firmware and the buzzer is now turned off.

[staze]

Fix for beeper: http://assets.tequipment.net/assets/1/26/Documents/Hakko/fx-951-newparameters.pdf

[raptor1956]

Have had the FX-951 for a while now and like it -- my first actual soldering station after years/decades of pencil irons.  I like the accurate temp control, the sleep function when you put it into the cradle, the quick change tips and the reasonably quick return to setpoint when you pick it back up.  My kit includes the following tips: T15-D52, T15-DL4, T15-D32 and T15-D24.  The D24 is my most used tip but sometimes when you need to solder something heavier I'll use one of the other tips.  I'm not sure I'll need a smaller one than the D24 but I haven't done any SMD yet and that might drive a smaller tip.  What tips do the folks soldering SMD use?

Recently added an 858D clone hot gun but haven't used it that much yet.  My 858D clone is from Kohree and is the "Kohree 110V LED Digital 858D SMD Hot Air Rework Station Solder Blower Heat Gun."  Interestingly the front of the unit says "W.E.P 858D" so not sure what the difference is between Kohree and W.E.P.


Brian

[nanofrog]

I'm not sure I'll need a smaller one than the D24 but I haven't done any SMD yet and that might drive a smaller tip.  What tips do the folks soldering SMD use?

It'll depend on the package sizes you're doing, but for stuff that can be done without a microscope, you'll find a 1.6mm is most useful IME (i.e. 0603 & 0805). And a dedicated drag soldering tip or hoof/bevel for IC's. A fine point bent conical is useful as well (i.e. tacking down corners on IC's or pulling out bridges).

Hakko's Tip Selection Page might be of interest. 

[raptor1956]

I'm not sure I'll need a smaller one than the D24 but I haven't done any SMD yet and that might drive a smaller tip.  What tips do the folks soldering SMD use?

It'll depend on the package sizes you're doing, but for stuff that can be done without a microscope, you'll find a 1.6mm is most useful IME (i.e. 0603 & 0805). And a dedicated drag soldering tip or hoof/bevel for IC's. A fine point bent conical is useful as well (i.e. tacking down corners on IC's or pulling out bridges).

Hakko's Tip Selection Page might be of interest. 

Yeah I figured a drag tip would be useful for SMD work and a bit smaller chisel such as the 1.6 is probably a good idea to.  Hadn't thought about a conical for cutting bridges -- sound like a good idea...

I've been to the Hakko webpage to research tips when I ordered a while back...


Brian

[nanofrog]

Yeah I figured a drag tip would be useful for SMD work and a bit smaller chisel such as the 1.6 is probably a good idea to.  Hadn't thought about a conical for cutting bridges -- sound like a good idea...

FWIW, the dedicated drag tip is a bit easier to use than a hoof/bevel (i.e. tinned face only version) for drag soldering, but the difference isn't drastic at all. And you also pay for it, as the more specialized the shape, the more it costs (~$20 for the drag tip).

The bevel has a couple of advantages; it's cheaper, and can be used for other things as well (they're very nice to have IME). I've both shapes (even in a couple of sizes for each shape), and won't give 'em up either.