FX60101 by Hakko

I finally made the switch from cheap Charlie to this most wonderful solder iron. It’s shorter than most which makes it very easy for me. I’m older and hands shake a bit so shorter eliminates shake. The size of the tip is perfect and the performance cuts my solder time in half. Love this thing.

I bought the Hakko fx601-01 to figure out what it is. The description is accurate however not conclusive.This is a soldering iron made for use in Japan. The electric in Japan is 100 volts and depending on where you are in Eastern or Western Japan 50 or 60 hertzWe will assume, for the sake of argument, that when this is purchased and fulfilled by Amazon in the US, we have purchased an Authentic Hakko product made for the Japan market.To be clear the Hakko fx601-1 (Japan market) is the same as the Hakko fx-601-2 (US market). The difference is where it's used and how it's adjusted. The replaceable ceramic heating element "Hakko A1600" for either market is exactly the same.In the US we use 120 volts which results in a higher wattage soldering iron.Volts x Amps = WattsHiger Watts will not make the iron better, tip temperature is what matters.To keep the fx-60101 soldering iron from overheating and probably failing before it should in the US you'll need to:1.) Convert 120 volts to 100 volts.You'll need a step down transformer rated at 200 watts or more. (NO fiddling required, Just plug into 100 volts and it should work perfectly)2.) Use the Adjustable calibration.Turn the + CAL screw Counter Clockwise before you plug in the iron to 120v.Set your temperature to 360 Celsius.(360*C should be approximately correct temperature that a Hakko fx601 starts melting 50/50 solder) plug in the iron and melt some 50/50 solder. If it doesn't melt simply turn you CAL screw clockwise at 1/16th of a turn until it does. That should get ya real close.Also want to point out the wrench that most people are unable to figure out.It works by removing the temperature knob to expose where the wrench fits.It's used to reduce the chance of changing the temperature by accident.Conclusion great soldering iron. All of this information is available on the Hakko web site. Hopefully I've made it easier to understand.

I had a soldering iron of this same brand and model number for years with great success. It died and I replaced it with what I thought was the same, but this one is nothing like the old one. It has a large, clunky tip and no extras for exchanging; it takes forever to heat up then cools too quickly for me to make a smooth line even on the highest setting; and the handle is uncomfortable to hold. I am very sorry I bought this and recommend that you don't waste your money on it.

This little guy is amazing. Super lightweight and easy to use. Temperature control is super nice. I'm a beginner, so I can't say much about any other soldering iron, but this one is pretty nice! And at a great price!Most other soldering irons in this price bracket are made in China. This one is not.

This is the first iron I've owned, so I have very little to compare it to. But, as a beginner, I have to say it's fantastic! I love being able to adjust the temperature, it's easy to use, and the handle is fairly comfortable to hold.My two issues with this iron:1. From the beginning I could tell I was going to need to change the tip out for something different. It's not the worst thing in the world and I certainly put up with it for a while, but I did end up buying a chisel tip, which I much prefer.2. The cord does not feel long enough. I have to sit at a weird angle with the cord in an inconvenient place to use it. There's no available wall outlet that's comfortable to sit at with this iron. I might eventually use an extension cord for it.All in all, this is a great starter soldering iron. It's a little on the pricier side compared to other "starter" irons, but I wanted a higher quality iron that would stay with me for a while. I would say this is well worth the price tag!

Works great! Love it!

This has worked perfectly for doing stained glass soldering. It heats up fast and the tip allows you to easily drag/push solder to where you need it while smoothing out lines. I like having the temperature control right on the handle too.

I am just learning stained glass soldering and found that this iron was recommended by experienced artists. The packaging and instructions are in Japanese so I used google translate and shared the screen shots with this review. I don’t think a language barrier should be reason for a bad review but I understand why that is frustrating to some. It seems to work fine but the blue light is always flashing and I wish I knew what the light was indicating because sometimes it feels like the heat is inconsistent. So far it does the job just fine.