Okay, I’m about ready to buy a hot air rework station. I already have a “cheap” temperature controller iron – are the irons on these likely to be any better?
I’ve been eyeing the HR2738 – but would go with the mini if the consensus is that’ll suit my needs (the shipping to Canada will certainly be a savings!).
Thanks,
-marc
Nobody got any advice/opinions? 
well, here’s my opinion:
the ‘real’ station was the Hakko 850 (then 851, 852). It’s a Japanese unit and they did a lot of R&D to create it.
the ‘fake’ ones are Chinese copies of the Hakko. They copied the way it looks right down to the yellow over black design, the location of the controls, the nozzles, etc. It’s a knock-off to the extreme. They even called them the 850, 851, and so on (857A). They then called their ‘companies’ stuff like ‘Quakko’ to make it sound like ‘Hakko’ but also they are sold under a hundred other names like, in Spark Fun’s case, ‘Aoyue’
I think that normally this sort of thing would be grounds for some serious legal action, but I guess it’s considered OK in China. So to be quiet honest, I would go get the Hakko or (if you can afford it) the Cooper Tools ‘weller’ station. If you can’t, then buy a used Hakko or Weller on eBay.
I must agree with this. I think it's very unethical of Sparkfun to support these knock off companies. Also, it should be noted that the knock offs, though cosmetically nearly identical, are not functionally identical. The one I have specific experience with is the Hakko 936. These units do not heat up as fast as the 936. Additionally, the handle is prone to overheating to the point where it cannot be held. Lastly, they are prone to breaking. I have heard many reports of the temperature control pot on the 936 clone breaking.andrey:
well, here’s my opinion:
the ‘real’ station was the Hakko 850 (then 851, 852). It’s a Japanese unit and they did a lot of R&D to create it.
the ‘fake’ ones are Chinese copies of the Hakko. They copied the way it looks right down to the yellow over black design, the location of the controls, the nozzles, etc. It’s a knock-off to the extreme. They even called them the 850, 851, and so on (857A). They then called their ‘companies’ stuff like ‘Quakko’ to make it sound like ‘Hakko’ but also they are sold under a hundred other names like, in Spark Fun’s case, ‘Aoyue’
I think that normally this sort of thing would be grounds for some serious legal action, but I guess it’s considered OK in China. So to be quiet honest, I would go get the Hakko or (if you can afford it) the Cooper Tools ‘weller’ station. If you can’t, then buy a used Hakko or Weller on eBay.
Definitely stick with the real thing.
From some youtube video, these are not knock-offs, these are exactly the same as Hakko. (The heating element, control cirsuits, enclosures, etc.)
No matter what name brand it has, it all comes out from the same OEM factories in China.
It is a pitty, Hakko doesn’t have some strict control on their OEM factory. So it creates way so many low cost competitors on its own product at 1/2~1/3 of normal price.
It may sounds good to the end-user, but in a long run, not good for Hakko and this tooling industry.
Maybe Hankko want to flood the market with its own over-manufactured products just like Microsoft flood China with pirate Windows/Office which eventually killed the local Chinese OS and Office software vendors. (10~20 years later, chinese have to pay all those back since there is no competition on this market as before.)
It may eventually make the Hankko design the standard of the industry. But I don’t think this is a good approach.
This definitely made a big hurt to some other toolset vendor, like Weller.
Wow, this thread was three years old. Some of the people who participated in it back in 2006 might not even be alive now.