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I swore by my old Hakko iron for years, but a job in Phoenix last month made me switch
I was working on a big board repair for a local arcade, one of those old 90s machines with a ton of through-hole parts. My trusty Hakko 888 was my go-to for everything. It was hot, maybe 110 degrees in that back room, and I was trying to replace a bank of capacitors. The iron just would not keep up with the thermal mass of the old board, even cranked all the way. I was there for hours, fighting it, and the joints looked terrible. The shop owner saw me struggling and handed me his Pace station, just a basic one. I got the rest of the caps done in twenty minutes with clean, shiny joints. It wasn't about brand loyalty anymore, it was about the right tool for the actual job. Has anyone else had a specific repair that forced you to upgrade your basic gear?
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tara_sanchez6mo ago
My old Weller met its match on a pinball machine.
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cameron4266mo ago
Oof, that's a tough way for a soldering iron to go. Those old machines are built like tanks, full of thick metal and stubborn solder. Bet it was a ground braid or a massive connector. Sometimes you need the big iron, not the usual pencil tip. Sounds like a job for a serious desoldering gun instead.
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ninabutler5mo ago
Ugh, I feel your pain. That's the worst when a tool just gives up on you mid-job.
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