Dropped $85 on a Hakko FX-888D and it fixed my soldering overnight
Bought it 6 weeks ago after my old Radio Shack iron died mid-repair on a Pentax K1000 meter circuit. My joints on flex cables were always cold and blobby, and I was chasing bad connections on 3 separate cameras. First session with the Hakko I reflowed a shutter ribbon and it worked on the first try. Temp holds steady, heats in 30 seconds, no more guessing. I was skeptical about spending that much on an iron but I've already saved 4 jobs from the scrap bin. Anyone running something cheaper that actually holds temp, or is 85 bucks just the price of entry now?