Saw on ebay a seller has a bunch of beat up Hakko 937's. Listed at $30 -$40 each.

Shipping adds about $12. Anyone think this would be a good Idea? Between getting a new iron ($80) and a holder ($35) and tips. Add S/H and around $170 total.

Hakko 937 Digital Solder Station w/Stand, Iron, Manual on CD and Card Key TESTED Hakko 927 ESD Digital Soldering Station Power Supply With Keycard. Download-honda-accord- automotive-repair-manual-models.html, 03-Sep-2015 07:02, 11K.

There would also be time spent calibrating it. How durable are the 937's? I know Hakko is well know for quality but how long will one last. Thought about getting 2 just in case one dies. I looked at some of the clones and with the exception of a xytronic 1600 I didn't feel the others were worth risking.

Read too many bad things. Been doing more and more work and the Radio shack is just not going to make it another month. What do the experts think? I do agree that yes the RS iron has done an excellent job. It is an older model originally bought it to do mods on xbox 1. The tip does need to be replaced but that is after repairing several thousands worth of equipment.

Its more than paid for itself. The only thing I'm having trouble with ( and one reason why I thought about upgrading to an adjustable temp) is its taking a bit longer to get the new caps in. Granted the tip it down to a nub. Its only 15 watts and it takes a bit to warm up. I read in a couple of forums guys suggest a 'chisel' tip. I'm not sure if they make it in that wattage for R shack irons or not. Just checked RShacks site and the 25 watt pencil is 8 bucks.

WTF why are Hakkos $80. That must be some serious markup ESD or no ESD.

One major reason for the upgrade/change was I have a led driver project that I want to do and would need to do a couple of SMD parts. Dostudio authoring edition. Nothing too complicated. Still considering putting together a hotplate. I know Ratdude747 posts a lot about the adjustable temp Xytronic iron for $20. Maybe I'll just go that route depending on what tips I can find for it. Have to admit a Hakko 937 for $40 is tempting.

Just don't know how long it would last. Appreciate the feedback from you guys. 15 watts is a little low. I use a 30 or 40 watt iron I found in someone's trash.

I tried a fine tip on someones 25-watt weller. It wouldn't melt the solder. I recommend a standart conical tip. Just keep shaving the sides to get the dirt and oxide off and keep it in a conical shape. Yea the newer motherboards post-socket 370 have really small lead holes and they take some skill to get the caps in.

Yes, a higher watt iron will help you here, but you can also acquire the skill to to it with the cheap irons. You need to flux the joints and have patience, but I've done it on many motherboards with great success. I almost bought the 937 but ended up getting the FX-951 since the price difference wasn't that much new. The 937 is now discontinued so no chance getting it new anymore. IMO it's just the 936 with a digital display instead of a manual dial.

The FX-888 is the replacement for the 936 no digital display on the low ends anymore. I used an unregulated Hakko Dash 20W (around 30 bucks) for the longest time before I upgraded to a real station. The Dash blew Ratshack irons out of the water just like the FX-951 was an improvement over the Dash.

It's one of those things where once you use a real iron you won't want to go back to the cheap electronics store crap. If you're doing this for any extended length of time you WILL notice the difference. I still remember when I left my Dash on for hours (doing board assembly work) the end of the plastic handle would get pretty hot.

If the handle is that hot imagine the high temps at the tip. This is the result of no temperature regulation and if you're not careful and leave the iron in contact with the board for too long it will result in damage. As for why it's so expensive I don't find 80 bucks for the FX-888 a regulated station expensive it's a pretty good deal. Stations aren't just a heating element plugged into the wall. The step down transformer and regulation circuitry cost extra. Another example my Ratshack DMM was fine until I got my hands on a Fluke 87-5. Did the Ratshack do what I wanted it to do?