Where to get a genuine Hakko soldering handle?

[cskilbeck]

I'd like to replace the soldering handle and heating element on my cheap Hakko clone with the genuine bit, so the heating element sits snugly in the handle (all the cheap elements/handles are loose, so the heating is bad). But getting this product in the UK is difficult, I can't find a vendor anywhere. I tried emailing Dancap http://www.dancap.co.uk but they haven't responded. Does anyone know of a supplier who will ship to the UK?

Thanks,
Charlie.

[RayRay]

I think you might be getting a bit ahead of yourself here to be honest!
Firstly, before replacing anything, you need to know what you're working with.
Each soldering station is built to work with a specific heating element (and specific soldering tips, or "bit" if you will)
And secondly, due to the above, replacing the handle with one that uses the wrong heating element will not only not work, but could potentially fry some of the internal components of your station as well! Please be more specific about what soldering station you're using.
Is it a 936 one? And if so, does it use the A1321 or A1322 heating element? If in doubt, you could simply measure the resistance from the connector and figure it out. If it has a 5pin aviation plug, simply measure both pairs marked on this image:
https://s4.postimg.org/816vvo2b1/s_l1000.jpg
Put your multimeter on the 200ohm range (if it's not an autoranging one)
Set all that aside, even if the the tip is a bit loose, this by itself shouldn't be an issue.
I too have a 936 clone (with A1322) and while the tip is slightly loose, it heats perfectly fine (I also had it properly calibrated btw)
It's possible that you have a bad heating element, not using the right temperature for the job, or that your station is very poorly calibrated (or it could also be a bad soldering technique!) Personally, I do all my soldering works at 350C, also, I'm not trying to be cocky or anything, but I'm just gonna you two simple pointers that could potentially help you out (depending on your level of soldering experience)
Firstly, when desoldering something, there are two techniques that can be used to properly melt the solder, first one is to apply a bit of flux onto the joint, and then heat it with the iron, second is to apply a bit of fresh solder and then go at it with the iron, if you don't do either of those things (and just try to have a go at an old soldering joint dry, you'll get very poor results!) and also, the size of the soldering tip definitely matters (the bigger/wider it is, the more heat it can transfer) so make sure you use the right kind of tip for the job.

[cskilbeck]

Thanks for your advice. The element is the A1321, it's a very commonly cloned one, but getting the genuine article isn't hard. The tricky bit is getting the genuine handle, which I'm hoping will have a more snug fit for the element so it heats up faster and maintains a more stable temperature. I've tried a couple of clone handles and in both cases the receptacle for the heating element is too wide by about a millimetre. This seems to be very common with these cloned handles.

[RayRay]

1MM is nothing, and this by itself shouldn't be an issue (but it depends on how you'd define loose of course!)
With my 936 station, while there's also about 1MM of space for the the tip (with the cover removed), it sits perfectly fine (and doesn't budge) with the cover on. And by cover, I mean the metal piece on the middle of this pic (which secures the tip into place):
http://linhkiengiatot.net/assets/shops/2016_04/tb2uvuoapxxxxcdxxxxxxxxxxxx_307006015.jpg
So to sum it up, unless you can actually wiggle the tip (with the cover on) then that is 100% not the issue.
And if you're saying that you've tried different handles (and the issue remained) then I'd say it's a temperature/technique issue, use of the wrong sized tip (too small for the job?), or an internal issue with your station's components.
What temperature do you normally use? And is the heating issue more noticeable while soldering, or while desoldering? Also, what tip are you using?

[kcbrown]

Hakko USA sells the ESD safe version of the soldering handle directly: https://www.hakkousa.com/products/soldering/937-digital-soldering-station/c1148b.html

The non-ESD-safe version is discontinued: https://www.hakkousa.com/products/replacement-parts/c1147.html

That might not help you directly, but look at the price ($73.47)!  You'd be better off just getting a Hakko 888D given the price of that handle.

[simone.pignatti]

Hello, we have a FX-888D Silver returned from a fair, brand new, carton box a bit damage, nothing special, we can send you images.
If this help we can provide you a good deal.
About spare parts, let us know and we try to list you the best possibilities.

Thanks.

[HKWDan]

Hello Everyone,

H.K. Wentworth recently acquired DanCap  and have now launched a brand new UK website with the support of Hakko corporation  to supply genuine hakko products in the UK.   Please see below:

www.hakko.co.uk

The new site irons out many of dancaps customers bug-bears such as the not accepting paypal / Card payments.

I hope this helps

I

[Simon]

Oh so Hakko finally back down on being control freaks and micromanaging your business?

[jonpaul]

Decades ago I Found original Hakko 936 at Ham Radio Fleas and more recently on epay.

Great iron, my other favorite is the Metcal SP-200, that I designed in early 1990s.

Worthwhile to find the original part and aviod Chinese illegal copies.

Just my thoughts.....


Jon

[Simon]

The thing is you can't get a genuine Hakko on ebay because Hakko are mad and wwon't let them be sold on ebay because they micromanage the resellers. To be honest I have no incentive to buy a hakko unless "the children" have taken over the business and are living in the 21st century.