I dunno. I had one of those and it melted its hot end — all plastic — sagged right off the handle.
Is there a soldering station available from Gearbest or BANGGOOD that goes recommended? I want a simple one for modding and repairs.
Read the reviews here: hobbyking soldering station - Google Search
https://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Abudgetlightforum.com+hobbyking+soldering+station
Seriously? Which model? There seems to be a multitude of them and pretty sure there are quality differences… 
For those of you who prefer the “station” thingie, a few months ago user Don5946 got an FX-951 clone and… there were no further comments in this regard from him, which usually is a good sign. :-)
On the matter thread: Economical soldering station
Cheers ^:)
So right about the tips. I have an Aoyue 937+ digital solder station, and hated it until I bought a genuine Hakko tip. It was like a totally different solder station with the new T18 tip. The 4 Hakko tips I have now cost almost as much as the soldering station, but it sure works good now.
> which ….?
Blue handle, orange temperature dial, the hot end melted off the handle. I forget where I got it.
Yep, that matches my experience.
I am not disagreeing with anyone as I expect most people on this thread have far more experience with soldering irons & soldering than me (hence me asking advice) :+1:
I have had a very basic non controllable 40 watt iron for a few years now & have probably only used it 6-10 times (I have no idea what temperature the tip operates at).
I watched & read a lot of reviews & tear downs of the many 936 clones & in the most part the general consensus I got from what I watched was that a lot of the clones are perfectly adequate for the hobbyist who will only do a limited amount of soldering (like me) without breaking the bank.
Granted they do not have the build/component quality of a more expensive “branded” station, they will not heat up as quick nor re-heat during use as quick & they probably won”t last as long, but then again we are talking $20-$30 stations here & if I did a lot of soldering I probably wouldn”t entertain one of these cheap stations.
I think for someone like me who will only do a limited amount of soldering then the station I have bought will be perfectly serviceable.
If it is not or I find I start doing lots of soldering & want a better station then I have only spent $30 & TBH I am using this station as a bit of a learning curve.
I can liken this to my recent new DMM purchase.
I could have easily spent $100 plus on a new DMM but after looking into it I found that I could buy a perfectly adequate & accurate DMM for $30 that was a big step up from my existing DMM”s & perfectly good enough for the type & amount of measuring I do.
It is no Fluke or Agilent but it is more than good enough for me 
Anyway I have bought the digital station I linked to at the beginning of this thread & I will report back on it once it arrives.
(I also bought a clone Hakko 191 tip thermometer so that I can check the stations calibration).
Search for
936 soldering
and you’ll find a lot of controller boxes that will accept the Hakko hand piece
Do you mean clone stations that will accept genuine Hakko 936 irons ?
That’s what you’ll find claimed.
Try the search.
results e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WI2FyUfWPO4 is a takeapart
Review of the Hobbyking clone 936: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSl1aCh45bo
Maintenance, tips and techniques: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=\_exJEnZN9QI has closeups on tip care and how to screw tips up
(“You never know how to use a tool until you know six ways to break it” — J. Baldwin)
Full of little hints, like, the tip should fit snugly over the heating element, not rattle.
Makes me want to spend money on better tools, though.
I thought that genuine Hakko irons wouldn”t connect to the clone stations as the plug on the Hakko iron is the same “sex”as the connector plug on the clone stations ie. the clone stations connection plug has to be de-soldered, removed & replaced.
Yes I have already watched some of those youtube maintenance videos.
I remember one of them suggesting shimming the inside of the tip with a bit of soda can to allow good heat transfer from the element to the tip, if it is a loose fit.
Anyway I will see what this clone digital station is like when it arrives, likewise the tips & report back :+1:
Looking forward to that my friend. :+1:
I do hope you have plenty of wire, connectors, alligator clips, etc., etc. to practice using it on. 
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Here’s the description of the 5-pin (Hakko) vs. Yihua clone (5-hole socket) connector: Inside a cheap Chinese Yihua soldering iron. - YouTube
He goes into the innards of the clone handpiece
And here’s the EEVBlog review of the $16 HobbyKing “World’s Cheapest” teardown of the soldering station: EEVblog #596 - World's Cheapest Soldering Station - Yihua 936 - YouTube
Second hand rusty chips …. ugly inside.
Tips compared at 16:20
It’s enough to convince me, if anyone ever gets a group buy of a good brand of soldering station together, I’m in.
EDIT: what the heck, I left Hakko a pointer to this thread and asked if they would consider a group buy price.
Feel free to second the suggestion, leave them a message.
They have a “Contact Us” link on this page: https://www.hakkousa.com/products/soldering/hakko-fx-888d-digital-soldering-station-10140.html