Is this a counterfeit Hakko 936?

So I purchased a Hakko 936-12 off of eBay a few weeks ago from a Canadian seller and received it on Friday.  I had the time to take a look at it today and immediately noticed that the tip on the iron is conical rather than the standard chisel tip 900M-T-1.6D.  This set off a few alarms so I did a little searching and found a few pictures of what I believe is a genuine Hakko 936 in the Wikimedia Commons:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hakko_936_soldering_station_complete.jpeg (additional pictures are at the bottom of the page)

I then took a few shots of the station I received and made a few comparisons:









I also noticed that the front panel of the base was rather scratched up for a supposedly "new" unit:



Additional (as well as more detailed) pictures are available in my photo album: Hakko 936 (Fake?)

I've seen Hakko clones (Aoyue, etc.) around Head-Fi in the past but never an all-out counterfeit.  Can anyone who has a genuine Hakko 936 compare theirs to the one I received and confirm that it is in fact not genuine?  Thanks in advance!

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdkJake 

Wow, nice job annotating the pictures.

Hate to say it, but your fake one does not look at all like my real one. My real one looks just like the one you have in the pictures marked real. I got mine on ebay, but, from an authorized dealer. It was more expensive that way, but, at least it was genuine. Can you post a picture of the box it came in as well?

Not sure where you are located, but, if you have a Frys in your area, you can pick up genuine Hakko parts at about the same price you can get them for on eBay. They go on sale all of the time.

Be aware, Hakko has discontinued the 936, so, it you want one, now is the time to get one.

Thanks jdkJake.  More detailed pictures (a picture of the box as well as pictures of unboxing) can be found in my album: Hakko 936 (Fake?).

I'm in Canada so no Frys for me.  I thought it'd be pretty safe to purchase from a Canadian seller since knock-offs generally originate from overseas sellers, but I guess it wasn't the case this time.

jdkJake,

No, it did not come with a box inside a box.  It was shipped in the "Hakko 936" cardboard box with the item's styrofoam holders as padding.  Everything you see in the album is exactly how it was shipped to me and how it looked unboxed.

There are no serial numbers/UPC codes on the cardboard box nor on the inside or on the styrofoam pieces.  The manual is 15 pages long with English from pages 1-7 and Japanese from 8-15.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdkJake 

 

Suffice to say there is not a white rectangular sticker with the model number and serial number on the bottom of the control unit either? It did not look like it from the photos. It would be on the bottom front right corner.

 

 

Nope, no model number or serial number sticker on the bottom of the unit.  The only sticker is what I assume is the production/assembly date.

I haven't used it or even plugged it in.  I've contacted the eBay seller earlier today about a return and a refund, hopefully it goes smoothly.