Appreciation post: My old Weller soldering station vs that new Hakko I tried

I picked up a used Weller WES51 at a pawn shop in St. Louis about 8 years ago for $40, and it's been rock solid. Last month a buddy let me borrow his Hakko FX-888D for a week to fix a power supply, and honestly I kept grabbing my Weller back because the tip temperature felt more consistent on the old iron. Has anyone else stuck with an older station even after trying newer gear, or is it just me being stubborn?

3 comments

3 Comments

grant.felix1mo ago

A PAWN SHOP for FORTY BUCKS?

beth_reed1mo ago

Yeah forty bucks is robbery. Pawn shops usually give you like 10-20% of what something is actually worth. They gotta make their money back when they sell it so they lowball hard.

kevin_west1mo ago

Read somewhere that pawn shops also factor in storage time and how quick they think the item will sell. So if it's something niche or out of season, they lowball even harder.