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Nov 2, 2014
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The Hakko 888D is Hakko's first product to ever be made in outside of Japan (Malaysia, specifically), and at a claimed 55W output, has a smaller heater, and one that is exposed, and hence much easier to break, as with the Aoyue heater I've referenced.
Further, in my own field tests, I've had two units that failed within 6-8 months from what seems to be unbroken heater failure -- possibly somewhere in the low voltage power supply portion of the driving circuit.
Finally, while the Hakko units claim to have extremely _precise_ temperature control, they do not claim to have _accurate_ temperature control, and in practice, using several high quality cooper-atkins and omega thermocouples and a fluke thermometer (that, to be fair, or not? cost about 5 times as much as the two soldering stations combined...), I found that the Hakko unit wandered in absolute temperature by as much as 50-70 degrees celcius.
My view is that, for introductory irons, temperature control gives the _illusion_ of accuracy and control, when in fact neither is actually gained.
I chose the Edsyn cl1481 because it is currently the most durable fixed temperature iron on the market at the lowest cost. The heater self-regulates to about 370 degrees celcius, which is the perfect processing temperature for the Kester 44 63/37 eutectic rosin core solder included in the kit, and the heater is an open core ceramic unit that is fully sleeved in stainless steel and, alone, is larger than most _soldering irons_ in its class, much less heaters.
Further, tip changing is simple: it requires only a 1/4" hex wrench (aka an interchangeable tip screwdriver), and Edsyn offers some of the cheapest high duty cycle tips on the market, with full compatibility between its hobbyist and serious, manufacturing assembly line irons.
The Weller WES51, along with the Edsyn 951sx (and now sxe) has been a stalwart of manufacturing assembly lines for quite a long time, and I do recommend it, despite some issues of how consumer friendly it may be because of its roots and lack of current support from Weller (now a wholly owned sub-brand of Apex Tool Group).
Futher, I'm not sure of the manufacturing origin of current WES51 units, and contrary to the comments in this thread, the soldering station alone costs 67% of the highest price point on this drop. Once you add tips (of a very old Weller design that is not compatible with any other current Weller stations..) and solder, you far exceed the price of this kit.
I know and trust Edsyn units not just because I have examined their designs and assembly from an engineering and practitioner standpoint but because I literally know the people that make these units (Hi Jesus!), and have 100% trust in their abilities and the pride that they take in their work and quality control.
Nov 2, 2014
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