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Swapped to a Hakko FX-888D after 6 years of using a $25 iron from Amazon
The difference in heat recovery alone saved me about 15 minutes per board on a batch of 20 PS4 HDMI ports I fixed last month, has anyone else noticed how much cheaper irons struggle with ground planes?
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kim_martin9d agoTop Commenter
Isn't it wild how much of a difference a good iron makes once you hit those ground planes? I had the same experience with my old $30 station, I could literally sit there for 20 seconds watching the solder just refuse to melt on the board. The Hakko's heat recovery is no joke, I cut my rework time almost in half on HDMI ports and USB-C connectors once I switched. People don't realize how much time they waste fighting a cheap iron until they try something that actually keeps up.
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hollym828d ago
Even a decent tip tinner can make a huge difference on cheap irons too. The key is keeping that tip properly wetted so the heat transfers fast instead of just sitting there. Once you get a station with real recovery, you'll wonder how you ever lived without it.
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