Bought a cheap soldering station to save $70, now I'm out twice that

I needed a new soldering station for some board work, so I grabbed a $40 no-name one off Amazon. First week the tip wouldn't hold temp, then the handle melted on the third job. I spent another $70 on a Hakko after that, plus $20 in ruined components from cold joints. Has anyone else had junk tools cost them more in the long run?

2 comments

2 Comments

james_clark18d ago

Yeah that cheap stuff always gets you in the end, learned the same lesson with a heat gun once.

quinn_nguyen17d ago

@james_clark Thats what happened to me with a cheap torque wrench. Felt fine for a bit but then it just snapped clean off. After that I went and got a name brand one from a tool truck. Paid more but that thing has held up for years now. You ever think about getting a quality replacement after that heat gun gave out on you?