Hey gang, Tim here at Core Electronics, and today it's showdown time. It's Hakko vs Weller, and it's time to rumble. You asked and we listened. Now, let's get some things clear before we face off.

Soldering Station is a multi-purpose power soldering device designed for electronic component soldering, and they find their homes on any modern maker's desk. They're also widely used in electronic repair workshops, electronic laboratories, in industry, for household applications, and just for hobbying.

So, before me, two such great soldering stations are the Heiko FX-888D and the Weller WE-1010 Digital. Now, at Core Electronics, we have many great tutorials regarding soldering to get you right up to speed. Soldering 101 and How to Choose a Soldering Iron are both excellent starting locations, and you can find all the details about this battle online too.

And also, both the Heiko FX-888D Soldering Station and the Weller WE-1010 Digital Soldering Station are both excellent products. They are both perfect for most soldering situations. And with that, let's start the showdown. We'll now push through the similarities and the differences of this German-designed station versus this Japanese-designed station.

Both turned on, both have electricity running through them. This one, 70 volts. This guy over here, also 70 watts. The pencil, this gets 65 watts direct to the soldering iron. Whereas, the Weller over here, this guy gets 70 watts directly to the soldering iron. Five watts different. The voltage of the Heiko is 240 volts, whereas the voltage of the Weller is 230 volts.

The Heiko is password protected. This is to protect its five preset temperature setting options. And this guy, you can also password protect it. This is toLock the station so you can't turn it on. Having a look at the two pencils, let's compare them. I personally find the Weller has a more ergonomic grip, whereas the Heiko is more sturdy. The Weller is also slightly longer, and I find the Weller is more balanced.

Now, let's look at the station holders. This has a very vintage-looking station holder, one of those springy springs. It also has just one of these sponge pads, and also places to hold your tool tips, but I wouldn't put them in there when it's hot. On the other hand, the Heiko has this small sponge section, but it also has ironed wool, which you can use to get rid of unwanted solder on your tool tip. It also has a big section in here to store tool tips and whatever else you want. Personally, I find the Heiko one more sturdy and better, but if you're into the old vintage look, this is a great option.

Coming into the weight of these two, this one is 1.4 kilograms altogether, and this one is 1.2 kilograms altogether. Looking at temperature range, this one goes all the way up to 480-degrees Celsius, whereas this one goes all the way up to 450-degrees Celsius. You don't need to go any hotter than 450-degrees, but that's just how it is.

The length of the soldering iron cable, this one is 1.2 meters long, whereas the Weller is 1.4 meters long, so it is slightly longer, this, if that is of importance to you. The actual wire casing is high temperature resistant, so even if you accidentally touch it with your soldering pencil, they won't melt. One interesting thing, the power in is locked on the Heiko, you can't take it out, whereas the power in on the Weller, you can pull out and put back in.

Now, when it comes to actual inputs, the Heiko has six preset settings, andIt takes a little bit to set them up, but once you have them set up, you can cycle through them by pressing up, whereas this one is much easier to go up and down with temperatures, but it doesn't have preset settings, so you end up rushing all the way up and all the way down. This one's more intuitive, but this one's better once you set it up.

The connector right here, for both of them, are six pin DIN connectors. This one, over here, actually has a little locking mechanism, so that way it can't come out, whereas this one will just come out if you pull on it.

Dimensions of the stations, this one has a smaller footprint, this one has a slightly larger footprint. Both stations are very robust. This one, a little bit less, but unless you're going to be throwing them around the walls, you're not going to be breaking either of these. They're very quality-built instruments.

Both have one channel. Both have good temperature stability. The real big difference between these two is the aesthetics. The Heiko, you either love it or you hate it. I think it's very cute and charming, whereas the Weller is very professional-looking. It looks like you're in a workplace and you're getting some real stuff done.

The Heiko uses T18 soldering tips, whereas the Weller uses ET series soldering tips, and they're not compatible with each other. If you have one particular tip type, then you're going to have to stick with that one particular brand.

When it comes to replacement soldering irons, the Heiko is slightly cheaper than the Weller. The Heiko is made in Malaysia and it's designed in Japan, whereas the Weller is made in Mexico and it's been designed in Germany. They both heat up real quick and they are ready to solder within a minute.The ultimate decision on which device you go for really depends on your personal preference. Both are fantastic, high-quality soldering stations with features you would normally only find in much more expensive setups. When it comes to actual soldering jobs, they both perform incredibly similar to each other.

The Weller WE1010 Digital offers greater ergonomics when it comes to the interface controls, and I find the soldering pen equally more ergonomic, whereas the Heiko FX888D takes up less footprint on your desk and is overall a sturdier package. The stand of the Heiko station is also better. Style is also really the big factor in the final decision, and the Heiko can be very polarizing in that regard, but personally I find it adorable and that's the reason why you see it in the back of our Makerverse.

So, no matter the choice you make, you will be receiving a state-of-the-art soldering station that will put you in good stead for many years to come. If you go check out our online tutorial, you'll be able to see the data sheets for both of these, and also a wonderful write-up talking about both of these differences in tabulized form.

And with that, stay cozy.