My Review of the Hakko 936 Soldering Station
The Hakko 936 is, quite frankly, the best possible Hakko soldering station (or any other soldering iron) you can get for under $100. I’m a hobbyist involved with RC cars and ham radios — both of which require frequent soldering work in the course of pursuing my passions. So, understandably, picking the right soldering station is hugely important to me. I’ve gotten by with a lot of subpar equipment over the years, but I finally decided that after spending hundreds and hundreds on RC car parts and radio stuff, I could *probably* do with upgrading my soldering station. After basically no due diligence or research, I picked up the Hakko 936 on a whim (mostly influenced by its price). And, somehow, I’m actually not disappointed. Because the Hakko 936 is awesome.
The Hakko 936 Functions Perfectly
First, of course, let’s deal with the very basics — how good of a job it does in, well, soldering. In this department, the Hakko 936 is supreme. The unit literally heats up in less than 15 seconds — you don’t have to waste your life waiting and waiting for the crappy gun you’re using to finally get up to usable levels. On top of that, once it’s heated up, the Hakko 936 will stay almost exactly at the temperature you’ve specified for as long as you want. It won’t vary at all and screw up the fine work you’re doing like some much cheaper soldering guns would. On top of that, if you’ve used a lot of soldering guns and soldering stations like I have, you’ll know that an incredibly annoying, clunky cord can be a disaster when trying to maneuver around a sensitive solder. Luckily, the Hakko 936 has a very flexible cord, which can be wound around and moved out of your way wherever you want it. This may not sound like a big deal if you’re not a huge solderer, but my god, it almost makes the Hakko 936 worth the price just by that one small feature!
A couple things you’ll want to know is that getting some tip cleaner is important for solid, dependable long-term results with the Hakko 936 (or any other soldering station). Additionally, you’ll want to look into whatever the most recommended solder is for the project you’re doing — you can find information like this on myriad online communities devoted to soldering and soldering stations. The Hakko 936 will work wonderfully with any kind of solder that you want to use, but you should just be sure to use the appropriate stuff for the project you’re working on.
Ultimately, the Hakko 936 is the perfect Christmas (or whatever holiday you celebrate) gift for the dad, grandpa, uncle, distant cousin etc. who’s obsessed with small electrics. It’s a pretty inexpensive soldering station, but it does everything you need in a system, will last for years and years, and requires basically no maintenance. That, combined with the awesome flexible cord, is more than enough reason to get the Hakko 936 when you’re looking to buy a hobbyist or amateur electrician something nice that will help them in their hobby!