That $20 soldering iron I laughed at actually works better than my Hakko now

I bought a cheap TS100 clone off Amazon for $22 just to prove a point to my buddy who swore by it. Three weeks later I've barely touched my Hakko FX-888D for board work. The thing heats up in like 7 seconds and the temp control is way more consistent than I expected. Has anyone else had a budget tool surprise them like this or did I just get lucky?

2 comments

2 Comments

davidwright10d ago

Picked up a 30 dollar hot air station from a brand I never heard of just for a one-off rework job. Thought it would sit in my drawer after that but it's held up through like 50 boards and the temp stays steady. Not saying it'll last years but for the price it's been a shock. Did yours come with the weird extra tips that don't fit anything?

sandra6936d ago

Actually the extra tips on those cheap stations are usually for older phone repair boards, not standard size through-hole stuff. If the temp stays steady that's honestly better than some midrange units I've seen.