Hakko FX-888D: How to spot a fake (real or counterfeit)! Real time (live) unboxing... 

3 years in and my Hakko is on the blink! It is not heating correctly and I can hardly melt solder on a 3-way switch (on a guitar)...

Very helpful! Thanks a bunch for taking the time to make the video.

I just bought a FX-888D off Amazon (for ham radio projects). I looked up the 'fulfilled by' seller on the Hakko website and they were an authorized retailer. If buying off Amazon, that's a good way to ensure you get a legit unit. Great video and appreciate all the points you shared. Keep on rocking on!

Another Great Video Victor,Thanks very informative. We use the Hakko units where i work they take beating and keep working.

Got mine yesterday and key signs you mention are all there. Thanks for the excellent info man and mostly and above all thanks for sharing for time and effort

Thank you for making & posting this video.

Thanks for sharing! Know what to watch out for now!

hakko is insane, vfm and performance, since this is from may from my experience with it you probably love it

Great unboxing! Sad we all have to go through this process when we purchase certain items over the internet...I spend hours going over how to identify fake Les Pauls before I bought mine.

Very nice unboxing. Good information.

I bought my Hakko FX-888D about 8 years ago. I never thought to check if it is a fake till today. Well the bottom label is a small one but I took it apart and everything else from screws to chip looks genuine . It still fires up good and I definitely got my $75.00 worth out of it.=)

Hey thanks for the video. I just bought one of these as I've never had a decent soldering iron in my life. Obviously I found out that this is apparently one of the most counterfeit soldering irons on the market after I bought it 😬 So your video has been very helpful putting me at ease knowing that I have indeed bought a genuine. Also by some weird coincidence I also bought mine form the same eBay seller 😅

Thank you for sharing this video! Subscribed! I see that you are also into the world of Guitars; cool! Great to go through this video along with the device in front of me just to check if everything is alright; apart from opening it up - I bought it as a present - it all looks good! Interestingly and maybe someone can confirm; but I have the Silver Edition of this Hakko FX-888D. From the research that I have done, I couldn’t find anyone stating that there are fakes in circulation that happen to be the silver edition. I however decided just to check a few things by watching this video. Again, thank you very much! Good look with your channel and see you on another video. Cheers from the Netherlands -Devin

Just recived my unit today from amazon uk but on mine the base sticker is small but the screws flat and every thing se looks genuine not sure iif can open the unit, amazon may not accept it back.

I've also brought (from Amazon UK) a Hakko FX-888D and done all the same that things that you have done (i.e. from opening the box onwards) and I can report that everything looks as it should (e.g. cable retaining screws in the main unit have flat bottoms, it has a silicon rubber cable protector on the soldering iron, there's a metal insert inside the soldering iron rest, there's a fused daughter board inside the main control unit as well as an integrated circuit - labelled IC2 - in the middle of the main board)... the only thing that's different is that the sticker on the base does not span between the feet but is approx 1cm shorter than the sticker shown on your unit (go figure?)... but in all other respects the unit I've just received is identical to the one that you show in this video.

Awesome vid! What do you call and where did you bought that amazing dark colored working mat board you have in your table?

how do you know when a soldering station isn't working 100% ? and is it salvageable ? meaning is it always the station itself that wears out or is it the tip or the whole pencil ?

Thanks for the tips no pun intended.

How much to have my fender strat plus lacquer touched up and buffed out mate

Are you still enjoying this Hakko? Any issues? I'm looking for a setup for guitar electronics and cables and this was one of the models I'm looking at. Thanks for the video!

Only thing i noticed in the video is that the UK plug is a removable type and therefore illegal, all new appliances sold in the UK must have a "molded on" plug. So it could be a grey import from another country that has had the correct UK plug fitted by the seller, it might also not have a warranty.

I bought from amazon uk - everything else is same as yours part from the sticker. Is it possible to confirm if its a real product with the serial number?

lol you do know led in pencils are condutive

Congrats, mate. I am jealous!

Sir, which canister in this direction can transmit it, the transistor is damaged

Does it work the same

Thank you Russell Crowe

I don't get it... Why bothering with dodgy ebay sellers, if you can get one from the official hakko.co.uk website for £119?

I don’t buy off eBay

I've just bought mine from the same seller, yet to receive it but I'm still sceptical just because of the price, this guy has sold a lot of these and I'm just cautious still thinking maybe it's just a very good copy. I'll have to see what it's like when it arrives.