Need a new Hakko, but...

[daz]

So what did you have to pay for the 888?
If you said, I missed it.
Kind of Spacey looking.
T

$90. Not necessarily the best deal, tho rather than look for the best possible online price i found one locally and wanted to do it that way in order to inspect it before i bought it. By the way, i forgot to mention the pencil itself looks pretty much just like the one for the 936 except the color and plug. And yeah, it's rather clown like in appearance, but actually I kinda liked it once i saw it in person. They look cheap in pictures.

[g1]

the pencil itself looks pretty much just like the one for the 936 except the color and plug.

Would the new iron work with your old station? Might be worth checking with their engineering dept.

[daz]

Would the new iron work with your old station? Might be worth checking with their engineering dept.

No, I already checked but the connectors are different. The new one has a middle pin. I think it's n/c tho and they probably used it to strengthen the plug since it's non locking. So i still think i could use the old plug if it comes to that. Or if i wanted to use the old one I suppose i could put a different female on it, but the new station is fine as is, so no big deal. Besides, the cartoon look is growing on me.

[g1]

Yeah, I figured you would have to rewire the connector but was wondering if it might work. Then you would have the temp. knob.
I'm sure there are lots of folks needing new pencils to work with their old stations. If you could use the new pencils (retrofitted to old connector) that would be a solution.
As far as the locking connector, I'd rather have the iron unplug than have the station do a faceplant on the floor.

[daz]

As far as the locking connector, I'd rather have the iron unplug than have the station do a faceplant on the floor.

Yeah, u have a point there.

[km6xz]

When you say you had problems with 4 Weller's, was it a specific thing or defect and which model?
My shop had a couple dozen Weller's and a couple others including 2 Hakko 936
I liked Wellers because the parts are still available for decades after a model it dropped and we had very good service from them. My own bench had an old TC202 that I bought surplus and still used it for 25 years and only replaced tips and a couple thermal switches.
All the parts even for that old model are still available new. Generally, I kept my brands limited to those carried by Howard Electronics ( Soldering, desoldering, smt, smd, bga rework and inspection ) because he stocks parts for a dozen brands dating back 40 years. I have a Den-On vacuum desoldering unit that works great but he is the about the only outlet that has parts for them. This thread reminded me that I needed to order some tips and filters for it so just placed an order.
I could not bring my old favorite Wellers here since it is 230vac here so I bought a cheap Chinese YaXun 936, which looks just like the Hakko and even the hand piece is interchangeable, for $45 and it had been just fine, there are a wide selection of tips for it, and I like the dial instead of the digital versions. The temperature dial, once calibrated is very accurate according to my thermocouple measurements. I was having an initial problem with tips corroding quickly but determined it was the quality of solder and started using good flux paste and the problem went away. Two years later, still using the same tips, which are only $1.50 each. Later, I bought one of their re-work stations with hot air, vacuum pump and gun style desoldering hand-piece that has worked really well also and saved $1000 over the brand name version of essentially the same thing.
So put me down as another vote for Weller, being bullet proof in a high volume shop, and never having a hand piece or silicone cable wear out on the old ones( I bought most of them surplus for $25-50 each for TC201 and TC202, plus newer WTC series). If there was a consistent defect with yours, figuring out either what was weak or what usage of them should have explained why everyone else on the forum who posted had better results than you did.

[big_teee]

I have a used WTCPT I gave $40 for over a year ago, and It works great.
I mainily use the 700 degree tips, tho I have 600, and 800f tips for it.
It is a no fuss iron and nothing to adjust.
But, I have no objections to other makes and models.
Whatever works for You!
T