Weller WESD51 or Hakko FX-888D which is the best?  - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: nerone
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: August 14, 2015, 09:07:39 am
content: Hello!I need to solder connectors on 12AVG wire.So I need a new soldering statio.I was looking at this one's Weller WESD51 or Hakko FX-888DI need a fast heating and a station that can keep the heat at the right temperature, because the wires always cool the soldering.Please come with suggestions maybe on other models and whith tips I should use.Best regardsSebastian

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 14, 2015, 09:24:19 am
content: Ersa I-CON Nano if you need ESD safe or I-CON Pico if you can live without it. Note that all cheap 230V Hakko stations sold over various places (ebay, amazon, aliexpress...) are counterfeits. Price of the genuine 230V 888D in EU is 2x of the 120V version in US. Cheapest genuine 888D you can get is from Batterfly (Italy)http://www.batterfly.com/shop/hakko_fx-888d, hmm, they have a huge discount, price never seen in EU. But personally I won't buy it anyway because it sucks compared to ERSAs. Of course to solder 12AWG you'll need to get some bigger tips too (Hakko comes with conical tip IIRC). Cheap cloned tips for HAKKO suck. As for ERSA, 1.6mm chisel default tip can do 12 AWG, but better to get some bigger ones. BTW ERSA tips are not expensive compared to the other stations of the same performance.

author: nerone
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: August 14, 2015, 10:03:02 am
content: I was actually looking to buy the hakko from butterfly.it because they was listed as distributors in Italy on the hakko website, so I hope it's genuineI was thinking about the 5mm tip for the hakko.I have never seen the ersa before.What makes it so good?

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 14, 2015, 10:19:43 am
content: Quote from: nerone on August 14, 2015, 10:03:02 amVery serious German company, mostly specializing on production soldering equipment, they are much more serious than weller in that regard. Solder iron is very small (much smaller than 888D) but more powerful. Your hand is much closer to the soldering point, so precisely controlling position of thew tip is much easier. Very good temperature control, sensor is the end of the heater, directly touching the tip (with most most tips less 6-8mm from the end of the tip). Heat up time from room temperature, to 350oC is about 9 seconds.

author: timofonic
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 14, 2015, 11:08:44 am
content: Quote from: wraper on August 14, 2015, 10:19:43 amI'm from Spain so maybe buying a German product could make it cheaper.How much do they cost? Are there more distributors than the ones for Hakko products?Are there good quality (not only crappy ones) third party tips for them? Are they at least as diverse as Hakko ones?

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 14, 2015, 11:25:05 am
content: Quote from: Circuiteromalaguito on August 14, 2015, 11:08:44 amFor example, here I have a local shop which sells ERSAs at reasonable price. Check the prices, could could try to figure out if this company ships internationally (I don't know)http://www.ersa-shop.com/#&panel1-3But AFAIK there are plenty places in EU where you can buy ERSA. Amazon sells them too.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 14, 2015, 11:26:14 am
content: http://www.amazon.de/ERSA-i-CON-digitale-L%C3%B6tstation-0IC1200A/dp/B002MQLJ46/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1439551542&sr=8-1&keywords=I-con+nanohttp://www.amazon.de/ERSA-i-CON-PICO-L%C3%B6tstation-0IC1300/dp/B008HPD0L6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1439551564&sr=8-1&keywords=I-con+pico

author: continuo
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 14, 2015, 11:45:28 am
content: The genuine i-tool tips are really cheap and of good quality, no need to buy clones to save a few bucks. I doubt they even exist...

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 14, 2015, 12:32:28 pm
content: Quote from: continuo on August 14, 2015, 11:45:28 amNobody was talking about clone tips for Ersa. I'm not aware of any clone tips for i-tool, though there are some clone tips for older types made by Plato. They aren't cheap though, so won't save much, if anything. As much as I have read about them, they are about the same quality as original tips.

author: T3sl4co1l
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 14, 2015, 01:24:25 pm
content: Honestly I think I'd recommend a WESD51 over the FX-888D. The old analog version (no -D) is better, if you can find one legit...I've used an ERSA before, but wasn't impressed. It might've been abused. The cable or tip was flaky and would drop sometimes (of course, a momentary drop in the sensor caused the base to fault out, freezing the tip, even during work..), and the tip (a rather steep cone type) was utterly hopeless at holding solder.Tim

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 14, 2015, 01:42:49 pm
content: Quote from: T3sl4co1l on August 14, 2015, 01:24:25 pmShould be some old type with a tip being held by a spring? Any tip can be made worthless by not tinning it properly until it burns out. At my previous job, I haven't seen a single weller with a tip that can be tinned, all burned out. Who (in sane mind) uses a cone for a general job anyway?

author: nanofrog
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 14, 2015, 02:36:14 pm
content: Quote from: T3sl4co1l on August 14, 2015, 01:24:25 pmFWIW, the WES51 is only made with a 120V mains transformer.TheWS 81uses a knob to set temps and is available in the UK/EU market, but it's a lot more expensive.

author: GreyWoolfe
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 15, 2015, 03:31:24 pm
content: Quote from: nanofrog on August 14, 2015, 02:36:14 pmThat price is ridiculous. We can get the WES51 for $100 USD or $103.51 delivered from Zoro.

author: nerone
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: August 15, 2015, 05:30:12 pm
content: Can you please link?

author: Frost
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2015, 06:27:28 pm
content: Quote from: nerone on August 15, 2015, 05:30:12 pmOr use Google (10 seconds)http://www.zoro.com/weller-soldering-station-60w-120v-wes51/i/G0743032/?q=WES51

author: nanofrog
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 16, 2015, 03:07:49 am
content: Quote from: GreyWoolfe on August 15, 2015, 03:31:24 pmQuite true, but do keep in mind that although they're not too far off of one another in how they're built, there are some differences in the specs. The WS 81 is more powerful (80W instead of 50W), and it has a better iron (WSP 80 instead of PES51). Other differences too of course as a result, such as more tip profiles (LT series rather than ET series).I wouldn't go so far as to say it's worth the 222GBP they're asking however (~$347 according to xe.com), as it's possible to get a WD1002 here without discounts for that (i.e. ~$345 from All-Spec). Better yet, it can be had for $260.62 from TEquipment, and the WD1002T for $284.32 after the discount. And in the EU/UK market, it's possible to get an Ersa iCon Nano for 198EUR, incl. VAT (~$220), making it a better value.