How (well) Do T15 Tips Work?

[kemal]

I'm looking into getting a Hakko FX-951 station.  Started reading up about the product and could not find any complaints or experiences otherwise on/about how the tips last.  Has anyone had the heater fail in a tip?  How about a tip rotting out from RoHS solder?

I'm also wondering how the heater/sensor is constructed.  How do you put a NiCr heater in series with a thermocouple?  I know Chromel is kinda close to heater wire so are Hakko using the heater wire as one side of a K or E thermocouple?

Seems just the iron handle and cord cost USD77 to replace.  Is there some magic in that handle?

Thanks for your time /s

[GreyWoolfe]

I don't think that there are too many of us who one one.  I do but I only have it a couple of months.  I don't use RoHS solder but any lead free solder is harder on the tips due to having to use higher temps to melt.  That will cut the lifetime of any tip.  If you plan to do lead and lead free soldering, ideally you should have 2 separate sets of tips to avoid cross contamination.  With the 951 you can get sets of tip holders in 2 separate colors so you could see at a glance which tip is which.

[John Coloccia]

No tip lasts forever, but the T15 tips last a good long time. Really, out of all the major/popular manufacturers (Metcal, Weller, Hakko, JBC, Pace), the only one that comes to mind when it comes to tips is Weller, and that's because they've had problems with their tips in the past. I don't know if that's still the case. I left out Ersa because I don't know much about them, but the rest of them, including Hakko T15 tips, all seem to last a long time if you take care of them. Most tips need to be replaced more because of abuse than because they've simply worn out, so you're really the determining factor typically.

[djQUAN]

I have my 951 since 2013 and still using the same tip I first got for it. I do have a bunch of spares though and using  only leaded solder.

I also used the 951 heavily in my previous job with many others using  the same station. Besides the abuse (which some I've seen can make you cringe), the tips last a while even with lead free solder.