Overheard a tech in Long Beach say he fixes bad solder joints with a $15 hot air rework station from Amazon

2 comments

2 Comments

miles9461mo agoTop Commenter

Used one of those cheap stations for years, they actually work fine for small stuff like phone boards if you're careful with the temperature. Just don't expect it to last more than a year or two of regular use.

olivia_harris191mo ago

Oh man, that totally reminds me of something. So @miles946, my buddy got one of those really cheap hot air stations off Amazon a few years back and it worked great for like eight months. Then one day the handle just melted in his hand while he was trying to reflow a tiny resistor on an old laptop board. He was fine but it was a mess. I got lucky with mine though, I think. I bought a used Hakko from someone on Craigslist for barely more than those cheap ones cost and it's still going strong after three years. But that's just my luck, your experience will probably be different. Point is, those cheap stations can work but you're rolling the dice every time you use them.