Hakko FX-951 Soldering Station Review

The Hakko FX-951 is a compact yet high-performance soldering station.

Even when soldering lead-free solders the high performance allows lower operating temperatures.

The station features a programmable sleep mode of 0-29 minutes or auto-power shut off at 30 minutes.

The sleep mode reduces the tip temperature to approximately 200ºC (400ºF) after the programmed time (0-29 minutes).

The lower tip temperature will reduce oxidation of the tip and improve the tip performance. When in sleep mode the tip will quickly return to temperature after the iron is removed from the holder.

Specifications

The corded electric power source;
The weight is 2.60 pounds;
The voltage is 120 volts;
The wattage is 65 watts;
1-year warranty;
The dimensions are 5.1 x 3.1 x 5.1 inches;
The composite heater is a key heating element;

Specifications

Design

The FX-951 is a mid-range soldering station from Hakko. Covered by a yellow and blue plastic body, this soldering station comes with the excellent FM-2027 iron, a soldering iron of much higher quality than the mid-level price tag of the tool might suggest.

Build quality is excellent, as we have come to expect from Hakko. The transformer, the heart of the soldering station, has the size and weight needed to perform up to spec. The station is ESD safe and can be used continuously without taking breaks throughout the day. With proper care, the transformer unit will last for decades. The iron and tips wear considerably faster.

The FX-951 is a mid-range soldering station with a professional-quality iron.

The iron holder that comes with the kit is made out of painted metal. A yellow ceramic insert secures the iron without the possibility of anything melting or catching fire. A switch built into the holder puts the soldering station into sleep mode when the iron is positioned in the cradle. This reduces energy consumption and improves tip life at the expense of having to wait for the iron to heat up after taking a break.

Instead of a wet sponge, Hakko chose to include a wire mesh-based tip cleaner with the unit. The mesh cleaner performs just as well as the wet sponge without exposing the tip to the thermal shock caused by the water in the sponge.

The iron is the most compelling reason to choose the FX-951 over other mid-market soldering stations. The wand is one of the smallest and lightest on the market. From a purely mechanical point of view, this soldering iron is one of the easiest to handle in the industry.

A red LED on the handle lights up when the iron is hot. Hakko missed the opportunity to turn the LED green when the iron reached its operating temperature, which is an essential feature for anyone who cannot hear the buzzer. Deaf users will have to rely on their instincts.

There are three parts to the iron: the handle, the tip, and the grip. The pieces are held together by a quick release built into the grip. By mounting the elongated tip directly in the heater coil of the handle the engineers at Hakko did away with the bulky screw fitting near the tip of so many irons. The result is an exceptionally agile iron with very little mass near the tip.

Tip changes are quick. Pressing the quick-release frees the tip and grip from the handle. If you have another handle and tip ready to go, inserting it in the handle is all you need to do to get back to soldering. The tip simply slides out of the grip. Removing a hot tip takes some care, but it can be accomplished without burning yourself.

Design

Hakko offers a wide variety of tips for use with the FX-951. Due to their size, the tips are 1.5 to 2 times more expensive than the tips used on entry-level soldering stations. The iron is compatible with Hakko’s professional soldering station, the FM-203, should you choose to upgrade in the future.

Performance

The FX-951 is very much defined by its iron, the FM-2027. Getting heat where it needs to go has never been this easy. The small wand almost feels like an extension of your hand. The power cable barely weighs it down. Few irons in the industry can match the handling of Hakko’s latest iron. This is one of the best irons for soldering small parts you can find on the market.

Thermal performance is mediocre, however. At times you’ll have to wait almost 10 seconds for the iron to come back from sleep mode. Users who take frequent breaks are better served by a faster iron.

Recovery time between joints is excellent on small parts. You can move from joint to joint without noticing a drop in performance. Every joint will heat up as fast as the one before.

The story changes when working with large parts like voltage regulars. The iron takes considerably longer to heat up those parts compared to the best irons on the market.

The FX-951’s overall performance makes it a good choice for professional users, who use their soldering station for a few hours at a time. The FX-951 performs well in a short burst but will fall behind in a production environment. A second here or there waiting for the iron to heat up won’t matter to many, but these seconds add up quickly when you make your money soldering all day long.

Performance

Pros:

Auto switch off if the device is idle for 30 minutes;
Low-temperature alarm;
Special locking card that protects from unauthorized access;
Very low heating time;
Audible alarms to indicate temperature status;
Comes with a wire for the sleep mode function;
Control and information for the tip temperature;
High quality;
Superior heat transfer and thermal recovery;
Auto shutoff after 30 minutes of non-use;
Low-temperature alarm;
Lockout key card;
No calibration required
Composite tips;
One of the smallest soldering irons on the market;
Good thermal capacity;
ESD safe;
Automatic rest mode;
Color-coded, quick-release grips;
An excellent heat-resistant tip holder;

Cons:

Temperature setting is not accurate;
Only supports 120 Volts;
Expensive;
A key must be in place to adjust the temperature;
The lock can be defeated with a piece of paper;
No visual indication the iron has reached its operating temperature;
Tips continue to heat up after the ready alarm goes off;
No soldering tip is included;
You can’t use the device without a control card;

The Hakko FX-951 is a mid-range soldering station with a professional touch.

Performance

The exceptionally good iron makes the many flaws of the soldering station worth living with. After working with the iron for only a few minutes you’ll never want to go back to a larger, heavier model. Hobbyists and professionals alike will notice the remarkable difference in handling.

The FX-951 is a good package that will leave hobbyists and infrequent users wanting nothing. Professional users should look at more powerful models to bring the iron’s recovery time down. Everyone else gets one of the best irons on the market today.

Main Features

The Controls

The control panel is needlessly complicated. Simply changing the temperature requires three buttons to accomplish. The * button selects the digit to change and the Up and Down buttons move it. The # button is used to set the temperature offset based on the thermal capacity of the tip mounted in the iron.

Forget switching the unit from the factory default Fahrenheit to Celsius without the aid of the manual. The process involves holding buttons while turning the unit on. Configuring the sleep mode is even more insane.

Once the station is set up, however, the temperature control is easy enough to use. Even after coming back to the hobby after a few months, it takes only a few seconds to relearn how it is done. It’s just frustrating to see engineers make something so simple so complicated.

The Control Lock

The key that locks the controls is poorly engineered. Every FX-951 uses the same plastic key. That’s only a minor oversight when your workers can defeat the mechanism by inserting a plain piece of paper. A determined attacker will get around the lock in under a minute.

Even if you don’t care about the lock, the key still manages to get in the way. It must be seated in the keyhole for the control panel to function at all times. Thankfully, clever users can do away with it entirely by gluing a piece of paper between the jaws of the optical sensor that controls the mechanism.

Thermal Performance

The FX-951 is not a particularly powerful soldering station. Rated at 75 Watts it is just barely more powerful than Hakko’s own entry-level station, the FX-888D. All of it adds up to the good, but ultimately mediocre performance. It takes the unit ~20 seconds to reach 350 degrees Celsius from a cold start. Recovery from sleep mode takes 5-10 seconds depending on how much time the iron had to cool.

Thermal capacity is more than adequate for general-purpose soldering. The limits of this soldering station lie exactly where you’d expect them to be judged solely by the transformer’s 75 Watt power output. Only parts with high thermal capacity give this iron trouble. Small joints are ready for soldering in under a second.

The good thing about the display is that its temperature measurements are consistent. You can be confident that the temperature you set your iron to will be the same every time, but not necessarily exactly the temperature indicated on the display. It’s just a matter of finding a temperature you are comfortable with, and the FX-951 will perform the same every time you turn it on.

PCB Manufacturing Process

Main Features

Material Of Heating Element

Manufacturers more often use nichrome or ceramic heaters for this purpose. Nichrome is not the best solution as it is not very durable. Ceramic heaters provide much better heat distribution. Despite the high price, they warm up much faster.

Adjustable Temperature Range

It is one of the most important characteristics of a soldering station. The simplest models often fail to maintain a stable temperature. In this case, with insufficient heating of the soldering tip, the solder alloy cannot be evenly distributed around the targeted area. It leads to a poor connection of the soldered elements. To eliminate such a defect, soldering stations will be more suitable as they provide sufficient temperature for soldering all types of surfaces and materials. The ability to regulate and preset temperatures will allow you to use a soldering station in a wide variety of conditions with the best results.

Heating Time

A traditional soldering iron takes from 5 to 10 minutes to heat up to a temperature sufficient for reliable melting of the solder and soldering.

Besides, the temperature of the tip falls and you need to constantly warm up a soldering iron. Soldering stations do not have this drawback. They heat up in seconds and maintain the temperature. The recommended heating time is 10-20 seconds.

Power

This parameter is the first one to consider when buying the device. It is crucial if you are engaged in soldering delicate details on tablets, smartphones, and other gadgets. The choice depends on the work for which you are using the soldering station. For soldering circuit boards, a power of 25-40 watts is sufficient.

Ergonomics

When selecting a soldering station, opt for models with compact sizes. It will allow you to be engaged in long-term operations without quick hand fatigue.

Main Features

A good soldering station should have replaceable accessories and supplies. You may need several configurations of tips and nozzles for the air heater. And it is important to check if these are available on the market to purchase separately.

FAQ

Does the display of Hakko FX-951 show the actual tip temperature or just the preset?

It is actually both, you preset the temperature, then can see the temp climb as the tip heats up, and it holds very accurately at the set temp. There are several modes it can display and it tells you when sleep mode is active as well.

Does Hakko FX-951 come with the wire for the sleep mode function?

Yes, it does.

Does this device come with a B2756 tip tray?

Yes, it does.

Is the Hakko FX-951 made in America or made in China?

The original soldering iron is made in Japan. The fake ones are made in China.

Is there a complete manual for this device?

Complete instructions should be included with all shipments from authorized distributors. You can also find the instruction manual on the Hakko website as well as other technical documents.

What tips to get for this Hakko FX-951 unit?

The FX-951 comes with the FM-2027 iron, which takes T15 tips. If you’re looking for tips on how to solder effectively, Hakko’s website has all sorts of literature.

Does it come with the 599B tip cleaner holder and brass sponge?

The FX-951-66 soldering station comes with the items shown in the photograph EXCEPT for the solder chisel (the part that actually gets hot), which is sold separately. It includes the base station controller with A/C power cord and transformer, chisel handle/pen with an electrical cord to the base station controller, soldering pen holder, and soldering chisel holder that holds up to 12 chisels.

Experts strongly recommend purchasing several different tip sizes of chisel for electrical work, as some component parts are much too small to use a wide chisel.

What is the warranty for Hakko FX-951?

It comes with a 1-year factory warranty.

Are Hakko soldering stations good?

Based on my experience with the Hakko FX-951 soldering station, we can confidently say that they are indeed a reliable and high-quality brand. The temperature control on this particular model is very precise and allows for easy adjustments while soldering. It also has a convenient sleep function to conserve energy when not in use.

Which is better – Weller or Hakko?

Many seasoned professionals argue that it ultimately comes down to a matter of personal preference. However, the Hakko FX-951 has proven to be a reliable and durable choice for electronics enthusiasts and professionals alike.

One key feature of the FX-951 is its temperature control knob, which allows users to easily adjust and fine-tune the heat for any project. Additionally, the soldering iron heats up quickly and maintains a steady temperature throughout usage.

The included chisel tip also provides a precise and clean solder joint, making it perfect for delicate projects such as circuit board repair.

Are Weller and Hakko tips interchangeable?

In general, the Hakko soldering stations are known for being reliable and durable. Many users praise their ergonomic design and ease of use.

There is no clear winner in the debate between Weller and Hakko as it ultimately comes down to personal preference. Both brands offer high-quality products. The FX-888D has received positive reviews for its precision and temperature control capabilities.

How do you clean a Hakko soldering iron?

One way to clean a Hakko soldering iron is by using a damp sponge. Make sure to wipe off any excess residue and then dry the tip before starting to solder again.

Another option is to use a brass wire tip cleaner, which can be gently rubbed on the tip of the iron to remove any buildup.

It’s important to regularly clean your soldering iron in order to maintain its effectiveness and longevity.

Where are Hakko products made?

Hakko is a Japanese company that was founded in 1944. It’s difficult to determine which Hakko soldering station is the best as it depends on individual needs and preferences. Some popular models include the FX-951, FX-100, and FR-300.

What soldering stations use Hakko tips?

The Hakko FX-951 soldering station uses standard HAKKO T18 series tips. These tips are interchangeable with other soldering stations that use the same style tip, such as the JBC CD-1DE and Weller WES51.

What sets the Hakko FX-951 apart from other soldering stations?

One feature that sets the Hakko FX-951 apart is its temperature control knob, which allows for precise temperature adjustment in increments of 10°F (5°C). It also features a digital display for easy reading of the current temperature setting. Another standout feature is its fast heat-up time, reaching 350°F (177°C) in just 15 seconds.

Additionally, the Hakko FX-951 has a slim, compact design and can easily fit on crowded workbenches. It also comes with a convenient storage compartment for extra tips.

Overall, the Hakko FX-951 soldering station offers precise temperature control, fast heat-up time, and a compact design for an efficient and comfortable soldering experience.