My Hakko FX-888D made me realize my old Weller was junk

I compared them side by side on a stubborn ground plane joint and the Hakko heated up in 15 seconds while the Weller took over a minute. The tip temp on the Weller was all over the place too. Anyone else notice how bad older Wellers drift after a few years?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_laura1d ago

Yours might just be a lemon. My old Weller has been stable for over a decade and still keeps up with newer irons on big joints.

hunt.quinn1d agoMost Upvoted

A decade with stable temps? @the_laura that has to be a miracle or you got one of the few good ones. My old Weller drifted so bad after year four that I had to check it with a thermocouple every time I soldered something important. The Hakko is just night and day different, like comparing a rusty screwdriver to a power tool. Warm up time alone tells you everything about the heating element quality. I felt stupid for not upgrading sooner honestly.