Hakko still the best option for a good quality hobbyist soldering station?

[shimanole]

This thread seems like the perfect place to ask a few questions.

I've never soldered a day in my life but I'm committed to learning to complete several projects.  1st I need to terminate some single color LED strip lights to wire and I have about 10 vintage HiFi tube amps that I plan on repairing/modifying etc.

After doing a ton of research I'm hoping someone can help with the following:

1.  Soldering station.  I might use it 3 or 4 hours a week tops.  I'm looking at T12 stuff like Ksger (can't find the Bakon) and Hakko/Pace
     products but I would like to stay around $150.  Any recommendations and tip model advice would be great.

2.  Desoldering.  I'm going to get some braid and paste for some small stuff but after opening the cases of a few amp, holy crap, I think
     I'll need a desoldering gun.  After researching and seeing some reviews, this one seems like it might work. Pro'sKit SS-331H  Any
     recommendations here would be great also.

As a novice, I welcome any tip,tricks or recommendations that might make this endeavor less frustrating.

Thanks all!

[joeyjoejoe]

This might be the best thread to share, but I whipped up something for the FX951D for those considering it.

https://github.com/gcormier/fumebuddy

I love it as a hobbyist, since I don't need a fan running non-stop in my relatively quiet home lab. For production I'm guessing it's not a needed feature.

[KL27x]

Checking out your project was deeply eye opening.

Reading through the document made me aware how out of touch I am with modern embedded electronics design. Fume extractors that host and connect to wifi! 'Changing settings is easier done on the computer if you've already done it on mobile!' I spent 10 minutes looking at this, and I still don't know exactly what it does.

I gather you can re-program it wirelessly? To tweak parameters that switch the FumeBuddy on and off? And so I assume it has some sensor inputs, too? Does it use the station's sleep stand microswitch to turn the fume extractor fan on/off? And how much fancier can re-programming a FumeBuddy make that? 

[joeyjoejoe]

I mean, it's "IoT", so you could do anything. You could have your workbench lights get brighter when the iron goes off-hook A microscope light turn on. Some soothing music queues up gently as your prepare to fix that 0201 bodge

I've thought about ways to get my hot-air station doing something similar, but the use-case would be far more infrequent. Hence why I added a touch sensor to FumeBuddy - I just touch it to force the fan on when I'm using hot-air.

Yes it can all be done from a PC as well - sometimes I forget about that since I'm typically wired LAN for everything. First-time setup needs something with WiFi, as the ESP32 makes it's own access point the first time you connect to in order to setup the actual WiFi connection from the ESP32 to your home wifi.

It replaces the stands microswitch. Next to the ESP32 itself, those darn OMRON switches are the next priciest thing on the board, and there's two of them so it can work in "dumb" mode.

The basic parameters are beeper on/off, touch switch mode, and how long after putting the iron back until the fan turns off again. That's done via the web portal. Anything else would be coding to implement.

[joeyjoejoe]

Okay new thread started - https://www.eevblog.com/forum/projects/hakko-fx-951-mod-fume-buddy/

[fubgumfaw]

In the US you can get the Pace ADS200 with the instant setback stand for $227 after discount from Tequipment. As for prices elsewhere in the world they are all over the place, but generally cheaper than the Hakko FX951 with the power save stand.

I'm not into the new Wellers with the LCD screen and the plastic nut on the handpiece, I liked the older Weller designs though.

I wish I had seen this thread sooner. I just bought a Hakko 961. It's sooo much faster than my 10 year old Hakko 936. It still works fine, but I needed more wattage.
I did look on Amazon for the ADS200, but it's selling for $450 and that's way too much IMHO. Just now I saw your post and looked up Tequipment. The cost for the ADS200 is less than what I paid for the Hakko 961 I just bought on Amazon!

[Shock]

I've replied to you in the Pace ADS200 thread. When they came out 3 years ago ~$200 and ~$220. They were ~$265 just a couple of months ago in the US on special.  RRP and full price right at this moment ~$350.  Tequipment with our discount code ~$330 delivered.

[Hydrawerk]

Is there a reason to buy a Hakko FX-951 soldering station today when you can have a PACE ADS200 for a similar price? I find it strange overall. The case is made of plastic. It has 75W of power only. No temperature presets. The cartridge change seems uneasy to me. Temperature setting is strange and uneasy too.
https://youtu.be/YYZs_pewRd4
Hakko FX-951 was released probably in 2010, it might have been good back then. Formerly it was cheaper than JBC and there was even no PACE ADS200, only that  PACE ST-50.

[rsjsouza]

The Hakko at $250 is ~$100 less than the Pace, which is understandable given the difference in power.

Regardless, our work saw many FX951 over the years and, regardless of the material used or the tip exchange mechanism, many were beaten to death and still worked wonders when were retired due to some bs related to PbFree.

Not knowing Pace, I don't know how good they last, but I would get an FX951 today.

[Jackster]

I ended up going with the Hakko FX-951 as I needed a wedge flat tip and they were the only ones in stock, that I could get shipped out that day.
It is a pain to change the settings but if I recall correctly, it is marketed as a production line iron where they just want the set temp and the operator does not get to mess with it?
So it is not ideal for hobby/electronics desk work.

They sell a few other models in the T15/T12 range with better temperature changing but they cost more.


If you want to go Hakko, the FX888D bundle is a much better deal and a lot easier to use. About the same wattage as the FX-951 but has smaller tips.
If I did not need the wedge flat tips, that is what I would go for.

Hakko's own tips are not that expensive. If you are buying a half-decent iron, why cheap out on clone tips?

[tooki]

Not knowing Pace, I don't know how good they last, but I would get an FX951 today.

Pace is extremely well made, and basically last forever. They sell spare parts for years, thanks to being widely used in military and aerospace.

[Shock]

Would give it to the Pace ADS200 in almost every category over the FX951. But they are different prices now. Pace uses very little plastic and the Hakko is mostly plastic aside from the stand.

[jonpaul]

use old Hakko 926, 936 and genuine Hakko tips for years.

Newer digital models ( blue, Yello) less reliable and worse life, construction

Favorite is my Metcal SP-200 design of 1990s.

Have several

Jon

[KG7AMV]

Yes, even us pro's use hakko direct drive only!

You can get a used FM-202 for under $200 then add the Irons you want.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/185070312446

I ordered one I made an offer and they accepted check it out.

[KG7AMV]

Newer digital models ( blue, Yello) less reliable and worse life, construction

Jon

I will disagree the new ones are very reliable and constructed well and will out preform the older 937/937 models in a heartbeat with thermal recovery on thick PCB's they also have a better selection of tips. But Avoid the FX951 it is very limited unless you want to be stuck with 2 irons FM-2027 and the micro FM-2032!