Why would you sweat bullets? The fake works, fine, just not 100% as well and probably won't last as long. If anything, if you'd gotten a fake then you'd have the option to get a refund without returning it so you got a free iron out of it, then up to you whether to buy the real deal or not.
0:41 you can tell by the box by the position of the hakko logo, as well as the shape of the station; the fake one's logo is situated further down and the station has more of a curve on the left side of it. thanks so much for this video!
Thanks mate. I used to build power supplies (with a Hakko iron) in Australia for use in many different countries. Our own non-CE versions (with the tick ✓) for shipment outside of complied countries looked like these fakes with similar compromises made in earthing, fusing and build quality. But they were legit. Maybe one is for CE spec for domestic UK, US, AU, market and the other "fake" one may have been for 3rd world production facilities as it has the old N✓ . The two builds are consistent with CE vs N✓ standard and earthing for end-use-environment, typically where an old ELCB should function (CE is getting dated). Wouldn't be the first OEM request of a manufacturer, I would think.
I am in the UK and I am looking at buying one of these very soon. I can see why people are tempted to buy them cheaply from eBay etc because they are very expensive here in the UK when compared to elsewhere for some reason. For example, the going rate for a Hakko FX-888D on Amazon UK is currently around £179. That equates to roughly US $223 or AU $350. If I buy the same thing via Amazon UK but it's shipped from Amazon US then it'll only be £133 including shipping to the UK and that comes with a Hakko 599B tip cleaner thrown in as well, but it's no good because the power connector and voltage are wrong. If it ships from Amazon EU then it's something like £127 with the correct voltage but the wrong power connector. I guess I'll just have to suck it up and pay the rip-off UK price for it, but even if it comes directly from Amazon I'm still wary that it may be a fake. Hopefully your video should help me spot one if it is, although I'm sure their fakery has probably improved somewhat in the 6 years since you posted it. Thanks.
You used to be able to tell from the connector. It wasn’t black. But they have gotten better and better- constantly improving the counterfeit. If they spent the same amount of time making their own quality product they might make more money
Mine was bought in 2013. It has the smaller label underneath but all other genuine features listed in this video - including the fuse board, same temperature control board, pliable soldering iron handle rubber, metal insert in the stand etc. Even same wire colors inside + ground sticker and also the flat screws mentioned. I would say that I think the both label types are possible over the years. Maybe the newer ones have the bigger style and more markings due newer EU (or other market ?) regulations or something which were not in effect earlier?
A genuine hakko soldering station will come with tips that are solid copper (plated with chrome) and non magnetic except at the pointy end where they are intentionally plated with a small amount of iron. Most counterfeit or inexpensive off-brand soldering stations (including the cheapest "red line" equipment from Weller) come with tips that are solid iron from one end to the other, and you can easily tell the difference by use of a magnet. I conducted some tests of various tips on my channel. Iron has poor heat transfer material compared to copper, Which means it may take so long to solder connections that you can damage circuit boards; And the iron tip's being pharaoh magnetic can also set up electric currents in the circuit board and possibly damage sensitive components. If your iron has cheap steel or iron tips in it, change them over to high quality name brand tips that are made of copper and the performance will improve. (PS, The reason that Hakko and other quality tips made of copper have iron plating at the pointy end is because bare copper would easily be dissolved and eaten away by molten solder and flux; the iron plating will wet to the solder but resists being dissolved).
The label size is not an indication. I have a genuine station, and the label is small. It does have the Hakko name and logo and CE mark, however, which the fake does not.
Did you happen to measure the height of the enclosures. It may be just the lens but the fake looks a slight bit taller from the video. Also the yellow area on the fake appears to be a different width each side of the display.
Good to know that both thermometers do what they are supposed to do. All the differences you pointed out, especially the color differences of the back label and the On-button are dead giveaways of fakes. Hakko will always use the same "Hakko blue". The sensor packaging is actually showing a lot of differences: on the back, there are more symbols next to and under the Hakko logo and there are more symbols next to the bar code, on the front, "Lead free" is printed more boldly than on the fake one where the font looks very skinny. Last but no least, the patent number on the fake product does not mean that they paid for it - they probably based their product on it, though, as they always do :-) Very good review, thanks :-) . You just forgot to test the real Hakko sensor on the the fake thermometer - i wonder if it also was about 5C off (higher).
Sometimes the effort counterfeiters put into these is amazing. At a certain point you have to wonder why they don't just take their effort and put it into an original product. If this thing could be under a different name, and have 90% of the functionality&quality/usefulness of the Hakko, but cost a significant amount less, you'd imagine they'd sell pretty well. Instead they put their effort into trying to scam people instead. Kind of baffling. Like low effort unsafe crappy fakes make sense. Make the cheapest piece of crap possible, and scam people for maximum profit. But these? Is the profit margin really that high? Like you can make a product that's so identical and not a complete unsafe dysfunctional piece of garbage and still make enough money to justify it? What an odd niche.
It does happen. Look at GoPro Hero 2 and the SJ4000 / SJ5000. Problem is that the SJ company was producing such a good own branded fakes and now SJ is being faked.
The same reason why most companies spend a lions share of their budget on marketing. The term brand value exists for a reason. Also why sportsballers are paid millions to endorse products.
I bought mine in 2014 and my label on the bottom is small with a different safety certificate logo specifying it's the US. but everything else is as you say. So there may be some differences from year to year, from region to region
I think the T18 tip that ships with the genuine FX888D is a little larger than the clone. I don't have the ability to confirm but believe the fake ships with old 900M tips that also have a chamfer near the mating point with the heater element. So you need to take out the tip to confirm this. Please post measurements with calipers/micrometer if you have one of each.
I bought a FR301 de-soldering gun on Amazon (sent back with no problem). first clue, everything was in Mandarin (I don't speak it so not sure) so I returned it as a fake. I contacted Hakko via email and then was sent their phone number. There is no number on their website (it's a secret) and the one that came with the 301 was an out of country number. Hakko checked the serial number and said they had no record of the serial number but it still may not be fake (head scratch- an international company that does not keep a database of inventory?). I sent pictures per their request and to date have not heard back.
Looks legit, if they are fake they would be using cheaper PCB boards with horrible soldering job, I'm guessing they are for different markets and you bought one made for a different country.
Its easy to tell them apart, Chinese clones do not bother stating the correct region voltage, all of them are either 110 or 220V while when you buy a genuine one you get the correct voltage localization, like 230V (Europe) or 240V (Australia) .
My mom bought me a pair of Nikes when I was a kid. 3 days later the sole was peeling off and the smell was terrible. I realized the label said "Mike" and the logo was backward. Smh be careful out there!
nice video but . anyone noticed the cable of the gun is a different color?.the fake is black and the original Grey? and the one on sell in Amazon come exactly like the fake one looks...so you said you buy yours in element 14. but we need the link of the web to see the difference of your and the Amazon....so please write the link if the web to. buy it
I found you don’t need to dismantle your newly purchased Hako in order to identify it as real or fake. Get a bright torch with a nicely focussed beam and shine it through the vents on the top of the casing. You will need to move the beam about slightly to get the angle right to illuminate the interior. Look very closely through the vent gaps, and if your Hako is genuine you will see the green ‘daughter-board’, albeit somewhat blurred. If you don’t see this then of course you have a fake.
And here I am searching for irons and up comes my next door neighbour letting me know about the fakes to look out for. Thanks for the heads up buddy. I might stick with Antex instead unless you throw the spare fake over the fence instead mate! 🤗
You mentioned that the outside of the main unit feels not as silky smooth on the fake as on the real one. Smoother things are usually shinier. And sure enough, looking at them in the video (paused at 2:39), I note that the fake doesn't have the same shine across the front edge. It just looks rather dull. Also, being an artist myself with an eye for color, is it my imagination, or are the colors of the main unit slightly different? For example, maybe the gray surrounding the digital readout is darker on the real one? The blue and yellow seem to be slightly off on the fake, just a hair brighter, maybe. I took my hypothesis re: shine and color differences over to Flea Bay, and believe that I have spotted some fakes. The shine difference is the giveaway I think. BTW, this turns out to be about the only clue that you can spot in photos, as everything else requires seeing the box, feeling the parts, or looking inside or on the bottom.
The issue with colour is you can't guarantee that everyone's cameras are calibrated correctly. Remember that 50% of people in the world aren't as smart as an average person
I heard somewere it's not a fake but simply an official version for the chinese marked. BTW I have used one of them for 5 years, worked perfectly good.
TH-camrs: "Here's how to tell the difference between a counterfeit" Counterfeiters: "Thanks for the knowledge! We'll take any advice to improve our fakes we can get."
Id love to find a source for the temp control board in the fake, I have an original with a burned out custom IC, and Id rather replace it with a board that uses easily obtainable parts.
It's probably a custom printed PCB, but the chip is an Atmel according to the video, which is the same chip in an arduino. It wouldn't be too hard to replace it with a straight up arduino that you program. Like a nano or uno, or if you have the know how print your own PCB.
I bought one off eBay and it seems to be an improved version of your fake. The screws where the power board attaches are flat like your genuine, it does have the fuse daughterboard like the genuine one but like the fake has the atmel ic. They have either gotten exceptionally good at reproducing or maybe it’s just a low cost variant for the Chinese market? Weird.
Stuart Cole Nope, it is not a variant. It is counterfeit. It is a sure fire way to tell if the unit is fake. Replicating Hakko’s proprietary processor would be too cost prohibitive. Hakko does not use alternate processors for the FX888D or any of their products.
I've got the real McCoy and it is the last soldering iron I choose to use. All my other irons out perform it. I bought it in 2014, spent a ton on it and it never has worked well & just sits on the shelf. It will hardly melt an SMD joint set at 850 degrees with plenty of flux on the joint. Thanx for the video Lawrence. At least I know I have a real one. Guess I'll sell it on Ebay! ;-) ps- yes, I have contacted hakko.
Have you checked the actual tip temperature? The user interface on the 888D is so horrible, I've accidentally changed the calibration rather than the tip temperature more than once! You could have the thing running way colder than your set-point without knowing. That said, the thermal mass on the 888D does seem to be a bit low - I tend to use an older, larger iron for anything lead free.
Hi LB- I have done a reset some time ago, so it should be good. And I called Hakko about the time I wrote the post above. I think it is like you said, there is not enough mass. Bigger tips do better, but can't use them on SMD stuff. For whatever reason, it seems to be working better after the last reset.
@Bob Ograv. It sounds like your unit might need some calibration. Just because it is factory reset doesn't mean it is accurate. It is still not calibrated, at all. The way I test my 888D without a temp probe is just to melt solder. I set it to 183C and try to melt lead solder. If it doesn't melt, hold UP until it displayes "ADJ" then hit enter. Then change the "1.8.3." to something a bit lower, like say "1.7.5." and hit enter. Repeat these steps until the solder melts. When you want to adjust the temp, you hold ENTER, not UP. "ADJ" will not display, and the decimal points will not be lit up while the digits are flashing. For a soldering iron with this terrible of a UI to receive 4.8 rating with over 400 reviewers (US Amazon), the iron must work pretty damn good, actually. Mine do, and 99% of my soldering is small SMD parts. TSSOP, QFN, 0603, and SOT23-X's are my bread and butter. I don't get too concerned with the actual numbers, anyway. If the joints are taking too long to flow and/or leaving dingies, I turn it up. If the flux is burning off too fast, I turn it down. KISS. Once you got it working how you want, you can enable presets.
I cant tell if mine is fake, the labels on the bottom seem fake like on your fake one but the chip inside is small and there are no labels on the connector. The strain relief on the handle seems soft too. One thing that wasn't clear in the video to me, is the base of the iron stand supposed to be all metal on the genuine? My one is plastic with metal plate insert.
Dominic - sounds like you're ok. The iron stand on my genuine is made of a die cast base and has a piece of sheet metal inserted. The fake is a single casting with no insert.
Actually that might explain the labels, the items is clearly meant for a different market since it has what looks like an Australian plug but then strangely the instructions are in Chinese.
I have a fake one, did not know until it arrived. the pictures on the sales page was of the "real one", the one i got have a analog chassis, but with digital display. but it has lasted for about 15months with relatively heavy hobby use. so I'm not complaining. fake does not necessarily mean crap. the temperature is spot on, and it heats up fast. ESD safe (tested.)
I just bought one from Amazon. I appreciate the video. I hate flee Bay sellers! You have to worry about stuff like this. Ebay itself is great. The just have to figure out how to authorize big name brands like Amazon. Take care
I just bought one in Nov 2023 (not from ebay or aliexpress). The only differnce I see i the smaller sticker on the bottom. I doesnt look like the on in this video but it's much smaller than the on the real one. The rest of the details are the same as the real one in this vid.
Man I just bought one of these on Amazon and I was worried about getting a fake, then I looked up the person who I was actually buying it from on there and it turns out they were a real authorized dealer. Then I learned about commingling, then I see this shit. I even ordered a T18 chisel tip for it off Amazon, because I can't find one anywhere else, now I'm hoping that isn't fake. Wish there was a way to tell the difference in fake tips or not *on top of waiting to see if my Amazon one is fake*
I was holding someone that got a fake hakko and how did it do as far as soldering they seem.to be ok.?but I am sure real is always the way to go since you have both I say get some use our of the fake.
Not really, once a seller is caught selling counterfeits they will just use their other account names to continue and set up new accounts to replace those that get shut down.
But now the true question: Will it blend? Either way, great video that showcases things well. My paranoid self just had to be sure everything checked out.
Hi Lawrence, do you still have your 240V model Hakko FX-888D? If yes, could I ask for the value of the varistor soldered on the FX-888D P.W.B (fuse board on the transformer)?
I heard you have to get some sort of official certificate from counterfeit testing professional to prove your claim. otherwise no refunds. And getting such certificate can get expensive.
If you can't refund it, sell it marking it as a fake. You can put a similar price to the fake and you will lose only a few euros/dollars/pounds/whatever. After all, fakes are still quite good.
Thanks for your video ,that's why I like ebay,I run into several had sellers but what or pay pal take care of you .someday I want to buy a hakko ,but after this video I will be more careful .
Did you ever think it may have come from a different Hakko factory located in another country.?. Its construction can be a bit different if thats the case. Cars are the same , Mitsi lancer 2 different indicator stalks, Look identical until you remove it for replacement then you find out its from the Indian factory not the Japanese one. Its why they ask for the VIN No.
Having worked in manufacturing, I reckon there's no chance - the parts lists are totally different (custom chip, versus an Atemel), they wouldn't change things like the resins for injection moulding either.
Fair enough but I have seen different on cars as Im a mechanic and it just depends where the car was made to whats in it. Interior patterns and fabrics also change. I have also since found out that the fake Hakko is the blue one, apparently the silver and black or white are all OK. But as you say simple open it and check the main chip for authenticity
I agree with Cooper Cruse. This is not a Rolex watch. It's a cheap sub-$100 solder station. To set yourself up to make a copy of a Hakko would be cost prohibitive. There's little or no profit in it.
That's why I stopped buying on Ebay, I have also had counterfeit items from Amazon Too. Some of the same sellers that sell on Ebay also sell on Amazon.
Yeah, it's something that makes me consider the type of items I purchase from therm. To be fair to eBay - their fakes policy is really good. Full refund, and the seller isn't allowed to get their goods back (to foist on someone else).
Fakes are fun when you know they are fake, like buying a $25 "Rolex" or $20 Nike shoes on the street in Bangkok, but there's nothing funny or cute about fakes that are intended to fool consumers
I have a fake one from China. My cousin gave it to me as a present, when I was there. What do you think about the combination: fake station with original soldier iron? that could work well, right?
Hi, thanks for this video, it appears that I have the true version, not a fake, but my display keeps blinking H-E . Do you know why? Thank you very much.
Thank you but sadly i watched this video 2 years too late. I'm honestly saddened that my iron is a fake. Thank you for making this as others can be spared from the same fate
Ebay probably looked at the seller’s record and saw that there were a lot of buyers who also complained about the authenticity of the item and concluded that the seller is likely selling fakes.
What about an authorized Hakko on EBAY? I found a site that sells the FX-888D for about $100. I asked them about it, and they claimed to be authorized Hakko dealer, and that I could get credit if it proved not to be. Would you trust this?...'seems' legit!
+Lawrence Billson When you contacted eBay regarding the knockoff Hakko , did they just take you at your word that it was a knockoff or did they require additional proof ? The reason why I ask is , what's to stop people from buying things off eBay and then lying by saying it's counterfeit so that eBay will refund that persons money ? I'm not saying that you are lying , I'm just saying that people could do that in order to get free shit. But if eBay required proof of your suspicion or having received counterfeit goods then that's totally different.
I got on the front foot and sent photos in my initial contact. From there, they (eBay) were super good. I imagine buyers trying to blarney refunds by falsely claiming to get counterfeit goods are a small problem. I'm glad they care about their reputation as a safe place to trade!
It prevents you from using a fake product. If you purchased a fake, you can get your money back. There's never going to be a way to know something is a fake without buying only from authorized dealers and even then you never know, but this video helpfully points out the differences he noticed. Examining the received product is really the only way.
Yes but it's not prevention, it's taking action after the bad thing happened. Prevention would be not going through the hassle of buying and returning the fake in the first place.
Is a black power lead a red flag on one of these machines, i just ordered one of these on amazon (north american 120v model) and the power lead is black, it's already ordered but im curious
I could tell right away which one was fake. The real one was real, and the fake one had a big piece of tape that said Fake on it.
You'd think the manufacturer would have realised that mistake.
lol 😝
supper being, let them think about this issue before i overthink with decision they came up with 🤗
Yeah, me too. Clearly this guy is not too bright. He could have just read it off the tape :S
What happens if you take the fake label off and put it on the genuine one. No there isn’t supposed to be a question mark you idiot.
lol j/k.
I remember sweating bullets watching this the first time, Thank god I got a real one.
I just took the cover off of mine to see, it's real.
Why would you sweat bullets? The fake works, fine, just not 100% as well and probably won't last as long. If anything, if you'd gotten a fake then you'd have the option to get a refund without returning it so you got a free iron out of it, then up to you whether to buy the real deal or not.
Lol same. Thank god mine is real.
Or, you got an even more convincing fake 😄
0:41 you can tell by the box by the position of the hakko logo, as well as the shape of the station; the fake one's logo is situated further down and the station has more of a curve on the left side of it. thanks so much for this video!
Thanks mate. I used to build power supplies (with a Hakko iron) in Australia for use in many different countries. Our own non-CE versions (with the tick ✓) for shipment outside of complied countries looked like these fakes with similar compromises made in earthing, fusing and build quality. But they were legit. Maybe one is for CE spec for domestic UK, US, AU, market and the other "fake" one may have been for 3rd world production facilities as it has the old N✓ . The two builds are consistent with CE vs N✓ standard and earthing for end-use-environment, typically where an old ELCB should function (CE is getting dated). Wouldn't be the first OEM request of a manufacturer, I would think.
I am in the UK and I am looking at buying one of these very soon. I can see why people are tempted to buy them cheaply from eBay etc because they are very expensive here in the UK when compared to elsewhere for some reason. For example, the going rate for a Hakko FX-888D on Amazon UK is currently around £179. That equates to roughly US $223 or AU $350. If I buy the same thing via Amazon UK but it's shipped from Amazon US then it'll only be £133 including shipping to the UK and that comes with a Hakko 599B tip cleaner thrown in as well, but it's no good because the power connector and voltage are wrong. If it ships from Amazon EU then it's something like £127 with the correct voltage but the wrong power connector. I guess I'll just have to suck it up and pay the rip-off UK price for it, but even if it comes directly from Amazon I'm still wary that it may be a fake. Hopefully your video should help me spot one if it is, although I'm sure their fakery has probably improved somewhat in the 6 years since you posted it. Thanks.
Thanks for this video. Just bought one from Amazon and now just checked to make sure it's genuine. Seems exactly like your genuine, even the box!
my amazon look all good apart from the sticker on the bottom. im worried
You used to be able to tell from the connector. It wasn’t black. But they have gotten better and better- constantly improving the counterfeit. If they spent the same amount of time making their own quality product they might make more money
Aussie version has a "Roo Bar" option and the sponge should be moistened with contents a VB stubby !
the fake one has an brighter red led display on the case and the grip has a slightly different shade of grey on the solder tool
Mine was bought in 2013. It has the smaller label underneath but all other genuine features listed in this video - including the fuse board, same temperature control board, pliable soldering iron handle rubber, metal insert in the stand etc. Even same wire colors inside + ground sticker and also the flat screws mentioned. I would say that I think the both label types are possible over the years. Maybe the newer ones have the bigger style and more markings due newer EU (or other market ?) regulations or something which were not in effect earlier?
Just checked my Hakko FX-888D...and it is real! Bought it on eBay...big sigh.
Mine all checks out except the label which is small like the fake one, the insides are correct too
A genuine hakko soldering station will come with tips that are solid copper (plated with chrome) and non magnetic except at the pointy end where they are intentionally plated with a small amount of iron. Most counterfeit or inexpensive off-brand soldering stations (including the cheapest "red line" equipment from Weller) come with tips that are solid iron from one end to the other, and you can easily tell the difference by use of a magnet. I conducted some tests of various tips on my channel. Iron has poor heat transfer material compared to copper, Which means it may take so long to solder connections that you can damage circuit boards; And the iron tip's being pharaoh magnetic can also set up electric currents in the circuit board and possibly damage sensitive components. If your iron has cheap steel or iron tips in it, change them over to high quality name brand tips that are made of copper and the performance will improve. (PS, The reason that Hakko and other quality tips made of copper have iron plating at the pointy end is because bare copper would easily be dissolved and eaten away by molten solder and flux; the iron plating will wet to the solder but resists being dissolved).
The label size is not an indication. I have a genuine station, and the label is small. It does have the Hakko name and logo and CE mark, however, which the fake does not.
Thanks for the video!👍,
I just purchased one and just waiting for it to arrive. Thanks to this, I will be able to see if it’s genuine or not.
David P where did you buy yours from? and was it genuine?
Did you happen to measure the height of the enclosures. It may be just the lens but the fake looks a slight bit taller from the video. Also the yellow area on the fake appears to be a different width each side of the display.
Just got one off Amazon... Ripping it apart tonight to check.
Good to know that both thermometers do what they are supposed to do. All the differences you pointed out, especially the color differences of the back label and the On-button are dead giveaways of fakes. Hakko will always use the same "Hakko blue". The sensor packaging is actually showing a lot of differences: on the back, there are more symbols next to and under the Hakko logo and there are more symbols next to the bar code, on the front, "Lead free" is printed more boldly than on the fake one where the font looks very skinny. Last but no least, the patent number on the fake product does not mean that they paid for it - they probably based their product on it, though, as they always do :-)
Very good review, thanks :-) . You just forgot to test the real Hakko sensor on the the fake thermometer - i wonder if it also was about 5C off (higher).
Sometimes the effort counterfeiters put into these is amazing. At a certain point you have to wonder why they don't just take their effort and put it into an original product.
If this thing could be under a different name, and have 90% of the functionality&quality/usefulness of the Hakko, but cost a significant amount less, you'd imagine they'd sell pretty well. Instead they put their effort into trying to scam people instead. Kind of baffling.
Like low effort unsafe crappy fakes make sense. Make the cheapest piece of crap possible, and scam people for maximum profit. But these? Is the profit margin really that high? Like you can make a product that's so identical and not a complete unsafe dysfunctional piece of garbage and still make enough money to justify it? What an odd niche.
NexaEntertainment excellent comment!
I was literally going to say the same thing, why not just compete with better pricing?
Majority of the cost will be in the transformer. A cheap transformer will not last or perform well.
It does happen. Look at GoPro Hero 2 and the SJ4000 / SJ5000. Problem is that the SJ company was producing such a good own branded fakes and now SJ is being faked.
The same reason why most companies spend a lions share of their budget on marketing. The term brand value exists for a reason. Also why sportsballers are paid millions to endorse products.
I bought mine in 2014 and my label on the bottom is small with a different safety certificate logo specifying it's the US. but everything else is as you say. So there may be some differences from year to year, from region to region
I think the T18 tip that ships with the genuine FX888D is a little larger than the clone. I don't have the ability to confirm but believe the fake ships with old 900M tips that also have a chamfer near the mating point with the heater element. So you need to take out the tip to confirm this. Please post measurements with calipers/micrometer if you have one of each.
I can't believe this about Famous Hakko having his cousin, hahaha. I hope that cousin is as good as his own, FX888, let's see, .😊
Thanks for your comparison, I was about to buy this unit two times and both of them were fake.
The C-Tick mark is actually an RCM mark, the replacement for the C-Tick, but much the same purpose. I think it also replaced the A-Tick.
I bought a FR301 de-soldering gun on Amazon (sent back with no problem). first clue, everything was in Mandarin (I don't speak it so not sure) so I returned it as a fake. I contacted Hakko via email and then was sent their phone number. There is no number on their website (it's a secret) and the one that came with the 301 was an out of country number. Hakko checked the serial number and said they had no record of the serial number but it still may not be fake (head scratch- an international company that does not keep a database of inventory?). I sent pictures per their request and to date have not heard back.
You have a super nice voice dude, thanks for the overview/comparison.
0:38 The Hakko logo in the upper corner is a bit lower on the fake box. No need to smell the box anymore ;)
Armadillo I am pretty sure they can improve on the printing now that you called attention to it ;)
The power cord is completely different, cheap thin one on the fake, It would be interesting to open them up and see internal differences.
Looks legit, if they are fake they would be using cheaper PCB boards with horrible soldering job, I'm guessing they are for different markets and you bought one made for a different country.
Its easy to tell them apart, Chinese clones do not bother stating the correct region voltage, all of them are either 110 or 220V while when you buy a genuine one you get the correct voltage localization, like 230V (Europe) or 240V (Australia) .
I have purposedly bought a fake one, but it has better quality than the fake shown here. It has worked well for quite a long time :D
My mom bought me a pair of Nikes when I was a kid. 3 days later the sole was peeling off and the smell was terrible. I realized the label said "Mike" and the logo was backward. Smh be careful out there!
nice video but . anyone noticed the cable of the gun is a different color?.the fake is black and the original Grey? and the one on sell in Amazon come exactly like the fake one looks...so you said you buy yours in element 14. but we need the link of the web to see the difference of your and the Amazon....so please write the link if the web to. buy it
Thanks for that, just bought one and made sure it was genuine. Very nice unit.
I found you don’t need to dismantle your newly purchased Hako in order to identify it as real or fake.
Get a bright torch with a nicely focussed beam and shine it through the vents on the top of the casing. You will need to move the beam about slightly to get the angle right to illuminate the interior. Look very closely through the vent gaps, and if your Hako is genuine you will see the green ‘daughter-board’, albeit somewhat blurred. If you don’t see this then of course you have a fake.
No "in-video" commercials.. You RoCk!
Thank you. What a relief to have several checks. Have an awesome day
And here I am searching for irons and up comes my next door neighbour letting me know about the fakes to look out for. Thanks for the heads up buddy. I might stick with Antex instead unless you throw the spare fake over the fence instead mate! 🤗
You mentioned that the outside of the main unit feels not as silky smooth on the fake as on the real one. Smoother things are usually shinier. And sure enough, looking at them in the video (paused at 2:39), I note that the fake doesn't have the same shine across the front edge. It just looks rather dull. Also, being an artist myself with an eye for color, is it my imagination, or are the colors of the main unit slightly different? For example, maybe the gray surrounding the digital readout is darker on the real one? The blue and yellow seem to be slightly off on the fake, just a hair brighter, maybe.
I took my hypothesis re: shine and color differences over to Flea Bay, and believe that I have spotted some fakes. The shine difference is the giveaway I think. BTW, this turns out to be about the only clue that you can spot in photos, as everything else requires seeing the box, feeling the parts, or looking inside or on the bottom.
The issue with colour is you can't guarantee that everyone's cameras are calibrated correctly. Remember that 50% of people in the world aren't as smart as an average person
That grey sleeve grip on the fake iron is longer, covers the front knurled nut and is trimmed badly at each end
I heard somewere it's not a fake but simply an official version for the chinese marked.
BTW I have used one of them for 5 years, worked perfectly good.
TH-camrs: "Here's how to tell the difference between a counterfeit"
Counterfeiters: "Thanks for the knowledge! We'll take any advice to improve our fakes we can get."
Id love to find a source for the temp control board in the fake, I have an original with a burned out custom IC, and Id rather replace it with a board that uses easily obtainable parts.
It's probably a custom printed PCB, but the chip is an Atmel according to the video, which is the same chip in an arduino. It wouldn't be too hard to replace it with a straight up arduino that you program. Like a nano or uno, or if you have the know how print your own PCB.
Thanks for the heads up mate
Shop on eBay and hope I get a fake, then get money back and still have a decent iron.
I bought one off eBay and it seems to be an improved version of your fake. The screws where the power board attaches are flat like your genuine, it does have the fuse daughterboard like the genuine one but like the fake has the atmel ic. They have either gotten exceptionally good at reproducing or maybe it’s just a low cost variant for the Chinese market? Weird.
Stuart Cole Nope, it is not a variant. It is counterfeit. It is a sure fire way to tell if the unit is fake. Replicating Hakko’s proprietary processor would be too cost prohibitive. Hakko does not use alternate processors for the FX888D or any of their products.
I love having a Micro Center near me...
I've got the real McCoy and it is the last soldering iron I choose to use. All my other irons out perform it. I bought it in 2014, spent a ton on it and it never has worked well & just sits on the shelf. It will hardly melt an SMD joint set at 850 degrees with plenty of flux on the joint. Thanx for the video Lawrence. At least I know I have a real one. Guess I'll sell it on Ebay! ;-) ps- yes, I have contacted hakko.
Have you checked the actual tip temperature? The user interface on the 888D is so horrible, I've accidentally changed the calibration rather than the tip temperature more than once!
You could have the thing running way colder than your set-point without knowing. That said,
the thermal mass on the 888D does seem to be a bit low - I tend to use an older, larger iron for anything lead free.
Hi LB- I have done a reset some time ago, so it should be good. And I called Hakko about the time I wrote the post above. I think it is like you said, there is not enough mass. Bigger tips do better, but can't use them on SMD stuff. For whatever reason, it seems to be working better after the last reset.
@Bob Ograv. It sounds like your unit might need some calibration. Just because it is factory reset doesn't mean it is accurate. It is still not calibrated, at all. The way I test my 888D without a temp probe is just to melt solder. I set it to 183C and try to melt lead solder. If it doesn't melt, hold UP until it displayes "ADJ" then hit enter. Then change the "1.8.3." to something a bit lower, like say "1.7.5." and hit enter. Repeat these steps until the solder melts. When you want to adjust the temp, you hold ENTER, not UP. "ADJ" will not display, and the decimal points will not be lit up while the digits are flashing. For a soldering iron with this terrible of a UI to receive 4.8 rating with over 400 reviewers (US Amazon), the iron must work pretty damn good, actually. Mine do, and 99% of my soldering is small SMD parts. TSSOP, QFN, 0603, and SOT23-X's are my bread and butter. I don't get too concerned with the actual numbers, anyway. If the joints are taking too long to flow and/or leaving dingies, I turn it up. If the flux is burning off too fast, I turn it down. KISS. Once you got it working how you want, you can enable presets.
Mine is a genuine and has the small sticker on the bottom. Made in 2013. Otherwise was the same as the genuine showed in the video.
Mine is from 2014 has same small sticker at bottom too.
I cant tell if mine is fake, the labels on the bottom seem fake like on your fake one but the chip inside is small and there are no labels on the connector. The strain relief on the handle seems soft too. One thing that wasn't clear in the video to me, is the base of the iron stand supposed to be all metal on the genuine? My one is plastic with metal plate insert.
Dominic - sounds like you're ok. The iron stand on my genuine is made of a die cast base and has a piece of sheet metal inserted. The fake is a single casting with no insert.
Yes, on closer inspection the chip looks genuine. Still, odd that the labels on the bottom don't have the compliance markings.
Dominic - different countries require different compliance testing and labels. Why not post a video showing what they look like for your country?
Actually that might explain the labels, the items is clearly meant for a different market since it has what looks like an Australian plug but then strangely the instructions are in Chinese.
I have a fake one, did not know until it arrived. the pictures on the sales page was of the "real one", the one i got have a analog chassis, but with digital display. but it has lasted for about 15months with relatively heavy hobby use. so I'm not complaining. fake does not necessarily mean crap. the temperature is spot on, and it heats up fast. ESD safe (tested.)
Differences may occur depending on the year of production and the country of production.
I'm like oh noo.
fortunately it checked out, whew!
Thanks for this, was worried mine was counterfeit, its real, just with a broken heating element 😅
Mine was a genuine one. But I think that is usually the case when buying from within the EU. Very strict laws on that!
How much was the fake and the real Hakko ??
I guess I am kinda lucky that there is a store near where I live called Fry's Electronics and got that unit with a coupon.
I just bought one from Amazon. I appreciate the video. I hate flee Bay sellers! You have to worry about stuff like this. Ebay itself is great. The just have to figure out how to authorize big name brands like Amazon. Take care
The same sleazy sellers are all selling on Amazon too -- maybe more so.
Tons of fake stuff on Amazon as well. Usually the fakes are from third party sellers though and not from amazon with prime shipping.
I just bought one in Nov 2023 (not from ebay or aliexpress). The only differnce I see i the smaller sticker on the bottom. I doesnt look like the on in this video but it's much smaller than the on the real one. The rest of the details are the same as the real one in this vid.
Man I just bought one of these on Amazon and I was worried about getting a fake, then I looked up the person who I was actually buying it from on there and it turns out they were a real authorized dealer. Then I learned about commingling, then I see this shit. I even ordered a T18 chisel tip for it off Amazon, because I can't find one anywhere else, now I'm hoping that isn't fake. Wish there was a way to tell the difference in fake tips or not *on top of waiting to see if my Amazon one is fake*
Exactly what I was looking for. Cheers!
I was holding someone that got a fake hakko and how did it do as far as soldering they seem.to be ok.?but I am sure real is always the way to go since you have both I say get some use our of the fake.
Two different model numbers: "...06BY" vs. "...21BY".
detailed video good job. Knock off good if it was branded orig name like "Krappo" and set at $33.66.
The big question is who sold this to you on ebay? That would help alot of us
Not really, once a seller is caught selling counterfeits they will just use their other account names to continue and set up new accounts to replace those that get shut down.
I gess the real questions is.. .. does it work ok? (similar that original)
I guess I'd answer "good enough". If the price was low enough and you expected a fake, then maybe it would be okay.
Thanks... original is 400 usd here...
But now the true question: Will it blend?
Either way, great video that showcases things well. My paranoid self just had to be sure everything checked out.
Theres an obvious difference in the cord itself. Looks like the cord on the fake is black and the cord on genuine is grey and seems thicker.
Isn't the color of the power cord a give-away? And the label on the bottom is way different, right?
but the genuine cable say´s bahoing
Hi, Lawerence, I was wondering if you knew where I could still buy a Genuine Hakko FX-888D board itself. Thanks! I hope you're still active. :)
Hi Lawrence, do you still have your 240V model Hakko FX-888D? If yes, could I ask for the value of the varistor soldered on the FX-888D P.W.B (fuse board on the transformer)?
I heard you have to get some sort of official certificate from counterfeit testing professional to prove your claim. otherwise no refunds. And getting such certificate can get expensive.
If you can't refund it, sell it marking it as a fake. You can put a similar price to the fake and you will lose only a few euros/dollars/pounds/whatever. After all, fakes are still quite good.
victor saari No need because eBay usually sides with the buyer especially if the seller already have a lot of complaints filed against him or her.
Thanks for the video!
Thanks for your video ,that's why I like ebay,I run into several had sellers but what or pay pal take care of you .someday I want to buy a hakko ,but after this video I will be more careful .
Did you ever think it may have come from a different Hakko factory located in another country.?. Its construction can be a bit different if thats the case. Cars are the same , Mitsi lancer 2 different indicator stalks, Look identical until you remove it for replacement then you find out its from the Indian factory not the Japanese one. Its why they ask for the VIN No.
Having worked in manufacturing, I reckon there's no chance - the parts lists are totally different (custom chip, versus an Atemel), they wouldn't change things like the resins for injection moulding either.
Fair enough but I have seen different on cars as Im a mechanic and it just depends where the car was made to whats in it. Interior patterns and fabrics also change. I have also since found out that the fake Hakko is the blue one, apparently the silver and black or white are all OK. But as you say simple open it and check the main chip for authenticity
I agree with Cooper Cruse. This is not a Rolex watch. It's a cheap sub-$100 solder station. To set yourself up to make a copy of a Hakko would be cost prohibitive. There's little or no profit in it.
I have one that when I reset it now I only get 450°
they were both made in china but different companies and for sale in different countries
Does it work the same or different
I wonder why the foam goes over the nut on the fake ones..
I can't believe I didn't notice that!
heh I am shopping for an extra handles and noticed it on most ebay listings.
That's why I stopped buying on Ebay, I have also had counterfeit items from Amazon Too.
Some of the same sellers that sell on Ebay also sell on Amazon.
Yeah, it's something that makes me consider the type of items I purchase from therm.
To be fair to eBay - their fakes policy is really good. Full refund, and the seller isn't allowed to get their goods back (to foist on someone else).
I notice the fake was labeled 220V not 240 like the original
Are they really made in Japan, I just purchase one but it says made in Malaysia just wanted to know if that makes it a fake one?
I guess the real ones are made in malaysia while the fake ones are made in china with fake made in malaysia label
Fakes are fun when you know they are fake, like buying a $25 "Rolex" or $20 Nike shoes on the street in Bangkok, but there's nothing funny or cute about fakes that are intended to fool consumers
is it a knockoff ?
Wow, that’s pretty good knock off. I have the real one. What was the price difference and does it work well, or didn’t you try it out.
I have a fake one from China. My cousin gave it to me as a present, when I was there. What do you think about the combination: fake station with original soldier iron?
that could work well, right?
Mazinga probably better than than the other way around!
Hi, thanks for this video, it appears that I have the true version, not a fake, but my display keeps blinking H-E . Do you know why? Thank you very much.
When it blinks H-A, that's when you really need to worry.
Thank you but sadly i watched this video 2 years too late. I'm honestly saddened that my iron is a fake. Thank you for making this as others can be spared from the same fate
Is it good enough?
honestly if you never knew the difference when using it till you checked the internals maybe its not that bad
Hey man, I’m trying to find a real one for South America with a EU plug and 220v. Do you know where could I order one?
Thank you so much in advance!
China might use your tips to make a better fake. The sticker can easily be improved at least.
The custom chip would be a bit of a pain in the arse.
Yes its real that some irons are fake!, But I have a JBC station right on my table and it works great.. just bought from amazon
i checked the element 14 and the price is ~$300 while locally i can get one for ~$130. what's the reasonable price for the genuine ones?
That is an impressive fake, well spotted.
How do you convince Ebay when you receive a fake? Surely they don't just take your word for it and refund your money.
Umm, yep, that's pretty much how it happened.
Ebay probably looked at the seller’s record and saw that there were a lot of buyers who also complained about the authenticity of the item and concluded that the seller is likely selling fakes.
Thank you.
What about an authorized Hakko on EBAY? I found a site that sells the FX-888D for about $100. I asked them about it, and they claimed to be authorized Hakko dealer, and that I could get credit if it proved not to be. Would you trust this?...'seems' legit!
+Lawrence Billson
When you contacted eBay regarding the knockoff Hakko , did they just take you at your word that it was a knockoff or did they require additional proof ?
The reason why I ask is , what's to stop people from buying things off eBay and then lying by saying it's counterfeit so that eBay will refund that persons money ?
I'm not saying that you are lying , I'm just saying that people could do that in order to get free shit.
But if eBay required proof of your suspicion or having received counterfeit goods then that's totally different.
I got on the front foot and sent photos in my initial contact. From there, they (eBay) were super good.
I imagine buyers trying to blarney refunds by falsely claiming to get counterfeit goods are a small problem. I'm glad they care about their reputation as a safe place to trade!
+Lawrence Billson
Awesome answer , thanks.
Sir thankyou for nice video. From where u bought 240v?. I need one geniune one.
Appreciate if you can forward any link.
I got it from element14
Thank you for the piece of mind I just got :)
Well, not sure how useful this is in prevention.
It prevents you from using a fake product. If you purchased a fake, you can get your money back. There's never going to be a way to know something is a fake without buying only from authorized dealers and even then you never know, but this video helpfully points out the differences he noticed. Examining the received product is really the only way.
Yes but it's not prevention, it's taking action after the bad thing happened. Prevention would be not going through the hassle of buying and returning the fake in the first place.
eBay forbid returning a counterfeit item to a supplier - no 'hassle of buying and returning' at all!
Is a black power lead a red flag on one of these machines, i just ordered one of these on amazon (north american 120v model) and the power lead is black, it's already ordered but im curious
No. Black power cable is not a sign of a fake. My genuine Hakko has a black cable.
Damn Deal Done i got mine, definently a genuine, very happy