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populardrow posted Aug 07, 2025 10:32 PM
populardrow posted Aug 07, 2025 10:32 PM

FX-888DX Soldering Station $97.18 - Hakko 20% Off sale 08/07/2025 ONLY - Free Shipping $30+

$97

$121

19% off
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16 Comments

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Pro
Aug 08, 2025 12:24 AM
566 Posts
Joined Jun 2021
Aug 08, 2025 12:24 AM
n0p
Pro
Aug 08, 2025 12:24 AM
566 Posts
Nowadays I would get a soldering station with a directly heated tip. They easily outperform these older Hakkos.
2
Aug 08, 2025 02:23 AM
598 Posts
Joined Nov 2014
Aug 08, 2025 02:23 AM
labjrAug 08, 2025 02:23 AM
598 Posts
When I checkout, it removes the coupon discount. I think because it won't give the discount when you chose free shipping? Anyone else tried it?
Aug 08, 2025 02:51 AM
42 Posts
Joined Feb 2021
Aug 08, 2025 02:51 AM
NumbSchool243Aug 08, 2025 02:51 AM
42 Posts
Quote from labjr :
When I checkout, it removes the coupon discount. I think because it won't give the discount when you chose free shipping? Anyone else tried it?
I chose the free shipping and the coupon code remained applied.
Pro
Aug 08, 2025 02:51 AM
4,313 Posts
Joined Jul 2003
Aug 08, 2025 02:51 AM
Mike C
Pro
Aug 08, 2025 02:51 AM
4,313 Posts
Quote from n0p :
Nowadays I would get a soldering station with a directly heated tip. They easily outperform these older Hakkos.
Not sure if this is a "directly heated tip", but I haven't pulled out my Hakko FX888 once since I got my Pinecil, the pinecil is SO MUCH easier to use, super fast to heat up, easier to solder well with, etc. Could be because of what I use it for (guitar work, installing things in cars like hardwire kits, home elec repairs, etc.).
Aug 08, 2025 02:59 AM
598 Posts
Joined Nov 2014
Aug 08, 2025 02:59 AM
labjrAug 08, 2025 02:59 AM
598 Posts
Quote from NumbSchool243 :
I chose the free shipping and the coupon code remained applied.
It showed full price with the coupon applied. I submitted the order anyway. I noticed the discount was applied in my credit card charge. So their site seems confusing.
Aug 08, 2025 03:16 AM
598 Posts
Joined Nov 2014
Aug 08, 2025 03:16 AM
labjrAug 08, 2025 03:16 AM
598 Posts
Quote from Mike C :
Not sure if this is a "directly heated tip", but I haven't pulled out my Hakko FX888 once since I got my Pinecil, the pinecil is SO MUCH easier to use, super fast to heat up, easier to solder well with, etc. Could be because of what I use it for (guitar work, installing things in cars like hardwire kits, home elec repairs, etc.).
I've been using several soldering stations for many years. I find irons like Pinecil are good for portability but they don't hold up well for frequent use. The FX888D may not heat up as fast but it's a workhorse and tips are inexpensive. Greg Germino uses one of these Hakko irons to build his line of guitar amps.So does Dave Friedman. Dr. Z uses less expensive Weller stations.
Pro
Aug 08, 2025 04:57 AM
4,313 Posts
Joined Jul 2003
Aug 08, 2025 04:57 AM
Mike C
Pro
Aug 08, 2025 04:57 AM
4,313 Posts
Quote from labjr :
I've been using several soldering stations for many years. I find irons like Pinecil are good for portability but they don't hold up well for frequent use. The FX888D may not heat up as fast but it's a workhorse and tips are inexpensive. Greg Germino uses one of these Hakko irons to build his line of guitar amps.So does Dave Friedman. Dr. Z uses less expensive Weller stations.
Well that is the difference, I am just swapping pickups or replacing jacks, knobs, or switches, not building whole amps . And for the car repairs, I am usually on my back and upside down soldering under a dashboard, so portability FTW! Everything else is one or two broken solder repairs. I guess that getting the Hakko (like 12 or 13 years ago) was overkill, but using the cheap radio shack irons was terrible.

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Aug 08, 2025 11:27 AM
74 Posts
Joined Dec 2015
Aug 08, 2025 11:27 AM
deek123Aug 08, 2025 11:27 AM
74 Posts
Quote from Mike C :
Well that is the difference, I am just swapping pickups or replacing jacks, knobs, or switches, not building whole amps . And for the car repairs, I am usually on my back and upside down soldering under a dashboard, so portability FTW! Everything else is one or two broken solder repairs. I guess that getting the Hakko (like 12 or 13 years ago) was overkill, but using the cheap radio shack irons was terrible.
Hey, maybe you can give a fellow guitar tinkerer a tip. I have a hell of a time trying to solder a wire to the flat top of a potentiometer. I've tried at various temperatures. Is there a trick?
Aug 08, 2025 02:40 PM
771 Posts
Joined Apr 2008
Aug 08, 2025 02:40 PM
c3688tAug 08, 2025 02:40 PM
771 Posts
Quote from deek123 :
Hey, maybe you can give a fellow guitar tinkerer a tip. I have a hell of a time trying to solder a wire to the flat top of a potentiometer. I've tried at various temperatures. Is there a trick?
Make sure solder will stick to both sides first by tinning each side separately.
Pro
Aug 08, 2025 03:23 PM
4,313 Posts
Joined Jul 2003
Aug 08, 2025 03:23 PM
Mike C
Pro
Aug 08, 2025 03:23 PM
4,313 Posts
Quote from deek123 :
Hey, maybe you can give a fellow guitar tinkerer a tip. I have a hell of a time trying to solder a wire to the flat top of a potentiometer. I've tried at various temperatures. Is there a trick?
There are a few things...

1) most pots have a coating on them to prevent corrosion that will hinder the solder from sticking (and will also prevent the ground from working if you do get the wire to stick because the coating is an insulator). That coating needs to be removed where you want to solder the wire to, a coarse grit sand paper will work (like 100/200 grit) or in my case I use a dremel with a sanding tip on it, only takes a few seconds that way.

2) use a good solder with flux core, so you shouldn't need to flux the wire end or the pot, although you can if you want, it might even help. I don't do that so I dunno. I see most folks recommend silver solder, but I use a tried and true Kester 44 tin/lead solder that is amazing (this is the tube I am into right now: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AVLM4SO), it has lead though so just don't eat any .

3) make sure you start with a completely clean soldering iron tip, use the copper desoldering wick to clean it, but if it isn't clean after that then low heat it and use some medium-fine grint sand paper to clean the tip.

4) as mentioned above, tin both the wire end and the pot where you want to solder the wire too, only use a little solder, just enough to coat, no blobs. Then you can heat the pot on the edge of the patch you tinned, touch the wire to the pot near where your soldering tip is right in the center of the tinned patch, and it should stick perfectly.
Aug 08, 2025 05:25 PM
74 Posts
Joined Dec 2015
Aug 08, 2025 05:25 PM
deek123Aug 08, 2025 05:25 PM
74 Posts
Quote from Mike C :
There are a few things...

1) most pots have a coating on them to prevent corrosion that will hinder the solder from sticking (and will also prevent the ground from working if you do get the wire to stick because the coating is an insulator). That coating needs to be removed where you want to solder the wire to, a coarse grit sand paper will work (like 100/200 grit) or in my case I use a dremel with a sanding tip on it, only takes a few seconds that way.

2) use a good solder with flux core, so you shouldn't need to flux the wire end or the pot, although you can if you want, it might even help. I don't do that so I dunno. I see most folks recommend silver solder, but I use a tried and true Kester 44 tin/lead solder that is amazing (this is the tube I am into right now: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AVLM4SO), it has lead though so just don't eat any .

3) make sure you start with a completely clean soldering iron tip, use the copper desoldering wick to clean it, but if it isn't clean after that then low heat it and use some medium-fine grint sand paper to clean the tip.

4) as mentioned above, tin both the wire end and the pot where you want to solder the wire too, only use a little solder, just enough to coat, no blobs. Then you can heat the pot on the edge of the patch you tinned, touch the wire to the pot near where your soldering tip is right in the center of the tinned patch, and it should stick perfectly.
Thank you!!!
Aug 08, 2025 05:25 PM
74 Posts
Joined Dec 2015
Aug 08, 2025 05:25 PM
deek123Aug 08, 2025 05:25 PM
74 Posts
Quote from c3688t :
Make sure solder will stick to both sides first by tinning each side separately.
thank you
Pro
Aug 08, 2025 09:02 PM
566 Posts
Joined Jun 2021
Aug 08, 2025 09:02 PM
n0p
Pro
Aug 08, 2025 09:02 PM
566 Posts
Quote from Mike C :
Not sure if this is a "directly heated tip", but I haven't pulled out my Hakko FX888 once since I got my Pinecil, the pinecil is SO MUCH easier to use, super fast to heat up, easier to solder well with, etc. Could be because of what I use it for (guitar work, installing things in cars like hardwire kits, home elec repairs, etc.).
I mean the kind where the heating element and temperature sensor are built into the tip itself. Like T12 irons and TS100 variants, the Pinecil is one of them. The better feedback loop and faster heat transfer make these perform so much better.
Pro
Aug 08, 2025 09:10 PM
4,313 Posts
Joined Jul 2003
Aug 08, 2025 09:10 PM
Mike C
Pro
Aug 08, 2025 09:10 PM
4,313 Posts
Quote from n0p :
I mean the kind where the heating element and temperature sensor are built into the tip itself. Like T12 irons and TS100 variants, the Pinecil is one of them. The better feedback loop and faster heat transfer make these perform so much better.
The pinecil is amazing, and it was SO CHEAP compared to it's capability imho. I love this little thing. All I need is a PD powerbank and my little 8" x 5" x 3.5" soldering box that holds the pinecil and everything else I need to solder and more (tons of tips, different types of solder, hemastats, etc.) and I can fix anything .

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Aug 08, 2025 09:31 PM
387 Posts
Joined Dec 2007
Aug 08, 2025 09:31 PM
James MasonAug 08, 2025 09:31 PM
387 Posts
Quote from deek123 :
Hey, maybe you can give a fellow guitar tinkerer a tip. I have a hell of a time trying to solder a wire to the flat top of a potentiometer. I've tried at various temperatures. Is there a trick?
lightly sand the pot metal with 500-1000 grit.. Buy a flux pencil, etc.. You Need to put a little flux on the pot. Tin the wire and solder.

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