When you’re looking for a relatively cheap soldering station that also works well for you, the Hakko 936 is one of the more popular choices; it is a good piece of machinery that meets a lot of your soldering needs, without being as expensive as many others and it only takes about fifteen seconds to heat up. With full temperature control and a reliable output, the Hakko 936 is great for anyone who has just started to solder, or they are looking for a station to help them with some smaller jobs. The downside to this soldering station is that it is no longer manufactured, but that should not stop you from looking to buy one as there are usually quite a few to be found online. The average price for a Hakko 936 soldering station is $80, but it all depends on what the seller wants for it and the condition it’s in. You can however still buy soldering tips that are specifically made to fit the 936 and other similar models, so it’s not all bad.
Time to compare: The Hakko 936 vs. Weller wes51
There are two soldering stations that are pretty similar in a lot of respects, and these are of course the Hakko 936 and the Weller wes51. Temperature-wise it’s the Hakko that gets the hottest and can reach up to 896 F whereas the Weller is limited to 850 F, having said that, they both have a good temperature range and start off some 500 degrees cooler. Both stations have a 24 volt output but it’s the Hakko once again that comes out top with a 60 watt input whereas the Weller only has 50 watts. Depending on your electrical system though, a lower input may be ideal if you tend to use a lot of power for hours on end.
Both stations are quite comfortable to use thanks to their slim handles and neither take long to heat up or cool down, which means they can both be used effectively and quickly. When it comes to pricing, both the Hakko 936 and the Weller wes51 are quite similar, so the real difference between the two is the power input and the temperatures, so for a lower temperature and voltage, the Weller may be the one for you, whereas if you have no voltage issues and prefer a higher temperature then the Hakko might just do the job.
The Hakko 936 heating element
There are still a fair few Hakko 936 heating elements available for you to buy online including the Hakko Heating Element that is suitable for medium to large 900 irons. This heating element is a particularly good one and it can also be used on the 928 and 937 Hakko models. Weighing just 16 ounces and priced at around $20 or less, this element is a reliable one. There have been a few concerns that it could snap because it appears brittle, but this very rarely happens.
If you would like to buy more than one heating element at a time then you will be pleased to know that the Hakko 936 Heating Element does come in a pack of 2, unfortunately you may just have to go wholesale and buy 100 packets of 2’s, but if you tend to get through a lot of heating elements or you have a lot of people soldering for you, then it could work out cheaper. 100 2 packs can be found for just over $51, which is a huge saving as compared to buying them individually.
A fair Hakko 936 review
If you would like to read a Hakko 936 review then you should check out this website it goes into a lot of detail about this soldering station and gives the new and experienced user some good tips. This is a particularly good review because it gives you the good and the bad points to using a Hakko 936, and that should help you to decide whether this is the soldering station for you.
If you are looking for a good number of different reviews then you will find them right here you can always be sure to find some very honest reviews by people who have used the Hakko 936 soldering station and are happy to tell you what they think. It’s worth checking back now and again to see if any more comments have been added in case you’re still unsure.
Where to buy a Hakko 936 tip
Sometimes it’s just not that easy to find the right tip for the right price but at alibaba.com you will be able to find the Hakko 936 tip at a good price. The tips here are sold individually or in packs of 2 or more, and this can be ideal for a team of people who use soldering stations frequently, if not every day. The list of tips is extensive and the good points about each tip is highlighted, plus you also get the chance to purchase your tips from different sellers, which means you may just be able to save a few dollars here and there. It always pays to shop around and it sometimes pays to shop in bulk or wholesale, so if you get through a lot of tips and you can afford to pay the bulk or wholesale price outright, then it’s recommended that you do.
You do not of course have to shop at the above website if you do not wish, but it is a good one that will help you to compare the prices of the tips from a variety of sellers. Granger.com is a fairly good site that also sells Hakko 936 tips, and they are pretty reasonably priced too. Where you live may reflect the availability and the price of the tip, but you do have the option to search for a store near you that may sell it. Having said that, you can buy it online from Granger.com, but it’s good to see a site that lets you choose whether you want to buy it from them, or elsewhere. Because of this, the prices may be kept low so the sellers remain competitive.
The Hakko 936 is possibly the most copied soldering iron on sale today and the chances of discovering for sale a genuine Hakko 936 is becoming quite rare if not almost impossible. Many of the Chinese manufactured clones available often prove to be potentially electrically unsafe and prior to deciding which to purchase, a search on Google will reveal without physically opening the case, the difficulty in sorting the ‘good from the bad’ and ‘electrically safe from lethal’ . There are a few better known clones reviewed on YouTube that although coming nowhere near to the quality and efficiency of a genuine Hakko, would serve someone soldering any electronics components that are not sensitive to excessive heat, ESD etc. There is available for sale on eBay, Alibaba, Aliexpress etc. a vast array of cloned tips that will fit a Hakko 936 clone. Hakko tips are expensive for a reason – they are extremely efficient and with correct care, will last for years. While clone tips are extremely inexpensive and suitable for the ‘hobbyist’, when compared to those from Hakko, their poor quality becomes evident if used for more than the occasional solder joint.