Had to pick between a Hakko FX-888D and a $30 no-name iron from Amazon. Went cheap first and regretted it.

3 comments

3 Comments

...and honestly, the cheap one almost set my desk on fire. The tip oxidized within a week, and it took forever to heat up. I was too stubborn to admit I made a mistake, kept blaming it on bad technique. Then one day I was trying to desolder an old keyboard and the handle got so hot I had to let go and grab it with pliers. Finally gave in and bought the Hakko. Night and day difference, I can actually control the temperature now and it's been going strong for almost five years.

lisab3218d agoMost Upvoted

Oh man, that sounds like a nightmare. I feel for you @jessica331, nobody deserves to have a soldering iron turn into a fire hazard. I had a similar experience with a cheap air purifier that started smoking after two weeks. You spend good money to avoid problems, and then you end up wasting time and money on garbage that makes things worse. Glad you finally got the Hakko, sometimes the lesson just costs us a singed desk to learn.

the_hayden18d ago

@jessica331 I once set my own arm hair on fire with a cheap iron, at least your desk survived.