Review on 🔧 Hakko FX888D 23BY Digital Soldering Station: Superior Performance and Precision by Michael Sharp

I used to work for a company that had a couple of Hakko soldering stations. They worked fine. But because of the price, I never thought of buying it for my own use. Every soldering iron I've ever owned costs less than ten dollars. And after a few years, it was no surprise that they were ready to be thrown in the bin. I looked at several good irons ranging from $40 to $60. But I figured if I was willing to spend that much, I'd spend a little more to get something really good. Pros: 1. It heats up very quickly. After approximately forty-five (45) seconds, it will heat up to 750 degrees Fahrenheit and be ready for use.2. Stable temp. And it has quick recovery.3. Digital temperature display (Celsius or Fahrenheit).4. Has up to five pre-programmed temperature settings (600F, 700F, 750F, 800F and 850F) that can be accessed quickly (you can change the preset temperatures to your own if you wish).5. Has a wide operating range from 120F to 899F.6. The accuracy of the peak temperature can be calibrated (if you have the right thermometer).7. The iron holder is separate and not part of the Power Base. This offers more flexibility in how and where you set up your workstation. The iron stand is heavy and not easy to tip over. Also, it includes both a sponge and a wire cleaner.9. Hakko offers many different styles of lace. And the tips are easy to change.10. The iron lies comfortably in the hand. And does not heat up during use.11. Although I don't care, the settings can be password protected. This can be useful if other people are using the iron and you don't need any unwanted changes.12. The iron is connected to the Power Base. If the iron is burned out or damaged, you can replace it without replacing the whole soldering iron.13. When you turn on the device, the last temperature setting is used by default. CONS: 1. Since there are only two buttons on the front of the power supply, it is not intuitive to program or set up. Some changes/adjustments require you to press and hold certain keys before turning on the device. Other changes require you to press and hold a button for two seconds, then do something else, etc. Programming is easy once you understand how to do this. The hardest thing is remembering how to do it. If you don't use this device every day and don't make frequent adjustments, you probably won't remember how to make changes next time you need to solder something. And if you make the mistake of pressing the wrong key, you may need to perform a factory reset (I did). Just take a look. Where did I leave the instruction manual for this thing? Hakko has several videos online that explain how to make changes and adjustments. You are very helpful. But it would be even more useful if Hakko opted for a simple and intuitive design. Guess what? This design already exists. It's called a rotary knob. do you remember pens You know. These are these round things that you can work with intuitively. A pair of rotary knobs on this unit would have made the settings clear. But I think Hakko finds the pens too old-fashioned and whimsical. COMMENTS: That's it. I don't have any other disadvantages. However, I would like to point out that this device was not made in Japan. Although Hakko is a Japanese company, some parts/accessories are marked "Made in China". And the bottom of the power adapter says "Made in Malaysia". Spring. Now it's about global production. Regardless of where the parts are made (or where they were assembled), the quality of this device still seems very good. Despite the non-intuitive setup/programming process, the device performs well. I haven't had that soldering iron for a long time. I've only used it for a few projects so far. Time will tell if it holds up. I will update in a year or so.