Compared a $30 soldering iron to a $120 one and it was night and day

I was using a cheap Weller WLC100 for like 2 years and couldn't figure out why my joints looked terrible. Swapped to a Hakko FX-888D last month and the temperature control is actually real, not just a knob that does nothing. My tinning on that Arduino project came out perfect first try. Has anyone else had that moment where a better iron just fixed everything?

3 comments

3 Comments

hannahs451mo ago

The real game changer for me wasn't even the iron itself but getting a proper temperature controlled station. I spent months blaming my technique with that Weller only to find out it was running 50 degrees colder than what the dial said. Once I got a TS100 and actually measured the tip temp with a thermocouple, everything clicked. Its wild how many cheap irons just lie about what heat theyre actually putting out.

barbara_baker571mo ago

Yeah but a cheap iron can still work fine if you know how to use it.

emmaj3314d ago

Right? It's like some irons think "temperature" is just a suggestion. Glad you caught it before you lost your mind completely!