Spent $120 on a high-end soldering station and wish I'd just stuck with my old one

I got talked into buying a Hakko FX-888D at a trade show last month because the rep said it would make my rework jobs faster. The thing works fine, but the temperature adjustment dial is way too fiddly compared to my old Weller. I wasted an hour on a motherboard trace repair because I kept nudging the temp down by accident. Anyone else stick with older gear just because the interface makes more sense?

3 comments

3 Comments

abbychen11d ago

You ever accidentally melt something with that dial?

robert_hayes11d ago

The #3 setting on my old toaster oven once turned a frozen pizza into a charcoal briquette in about 8 minutes flat. @abbychen I feel your pain, that dial is a lot less forgiving than it looks. I still find little black crumbs in the crumb tray months later.

kai65715h ago

Hang on, the FX-888D actually has a digital display and you lock the temp by pressing the dial in, so you shouldn't be nudging it by accident during work. Idk, maybe the rep showed you the older analog model instead of the 888D version. I've used that station a lot and the temp lock button is right there on the front.