Howdy guys, Hobby King has the Hakko soldering station on sale again.
Non affiliate link as always
They do charge shipping so you might want to look around and see if there is anything else you want while you are there. Fantastic place to buy all kinds of stuff from.
Now just a hint. If you go to this page and leave it loaded you will get a popup with a one time offer to get the station for a lower price. Just leave the page up and wait and you will get this message. Add it to your cart and get the reduced price.
The only thing to keep in mind is that although these are labeled as EDS safe they are not. They are not a static free unit, not that you will need this for flashlights but if you need static free for something else this is not the unit for you. Some people have reported that on it’s hottest setting it’s not hot enough to reflow emitters with but I had no problems with mine and the temp is way hotter than you need for any basic soldering. Plus it is adjustable and that part works really well.
I don’t know if “static free” is the right word but it’s the basic meaning of EDS safe.
I love these units mostly because they will save you money on tips over time. The Hakko tips are great and they can be found cheap and they last a long time too. They have a great variety out there.
If you use FF with no script, make sure to allow hobbyking to get the pop ups. I think it blocks them, well it should thats what its for. Aussie version comes up at $16.33 US…
I had one as part of a combo unit, but I could never get it hot enough for my needs. It soldered wires, but when it came to 18Ga on copper mcpcbs, then it took a long time and it wouldn't work well for larger springs either.
It might work great for some, but I went with something else, with a thicker tip, to hold more heat longer. I think it's just that the tip is so thin, it looses all it's heat fast. Other than that, it's a good unit. If you are just doing smaller stuff, it would be fine for most people.
Yep I absolutely recommend this unit and Hobby King as well. These Hakko clones are a real bargain and really nice to work with. Tips can be found all over and for really cheap too.
I already have one of these but, it’s so rare that Hobby King has these in stock in the US, I’m thinking about ordering another one for when the one I currently have breaks. At this price range, they’re bound to break eventually Been going strong for a little over a year now and I have no problems whatsoever with it not getting hot enough.
It’s a good station, I bought two a few months back. -You can’t mod a soldering iron without a soldering iron.
BTW here is a link for all EU residents. (230V, EU/German/French/some other countries plug)
But the tip you get with it is pretty much useless. For the most stuff you’ll need a screwdriver/chisel tip. For staters everyone might want to watch some soldering tutorials, there is a good one on the EEVBlog.
A while back when I bought one it was about $16 for unit and $16 for shipping, as others have stated the shipping is high but it’s still cheap for what you get.
Been going strong for a little over a year now and I have no problems whatsoever with it not getting hot enough.
