Warning: The new Hakko FX-888D iron tip I bought oxidized in two days

Just got a fresh chisel tip from the local supply house, ran it at 700 degrees on a basic board job. Wiped it on the brass wool like always, but it turned black and wouldn't take solder by the third morning. I'm not running it hot, and my old tips last months. Has anyone else had a bad batch of Hakko tips recently, or did I just get a dud?

2 comments

2 Comments

murray.gray1mo ago

My last Hakko chisel tip did the same thing after maybe three hours of use, which felt like a personal insult from my workbench. I run at 680 degrees for lead-free stuff, and it just gave up on life way faster than my old beat-up ones. I wonder if their plating process has gotten a bit thin lately, or if we both just hit a weird batch of tips that can't handle reality. I'm back to using my crusty old tip that's half gone but still works perfectly, which is its own kind of sad joke.

jesse_west1mo ago

My soldering iron and I have a similar relationship with commitment issues.