Thank you for the much needed feedback gentlemen. I set the iron to 650 degrees and this being the first time the solder actually flowed, I thought the heat was sufficient. I will retry using more heat and perhaps a larger tip. If the Hakko is a dud, I will definitely look into circuit specialist iron as suggested by incubus. Well thanks all. I have to get back to soldering. Those joints aren’t going to solder themselves.
When I was using the fx-888 I found that right around 700f was a good point for most work. Only time I needed more was with larger than 12 gauge wire. I imagine at 650, with the effect of heat transfer, that may be why the joints aren't as good as they can be.
But they look a lot better than some I've seen so you're on the right track.