Rant: That solder station at the shop saved me 2 hours on a build

I was at a meetup in Portland last Saturday and this guy named Mike pointed out I was using a cheap iron on a hotswap board. He handed me his Hakko FX-888D and my joints actually looked clean for once. The difference between a $15 iron and that $100 station made me feel dumb for struggling so long. Has anyone else had a random stranger give you gear that just clicked?

2 comments

2 Comments

rosew3724d ago

Oh, that reminds me, have you ever had one of those moments where you just got handed something and suddenly everything made sense? I was at a flea market a few years back and this old timer selling junk gave me his old Weller soldering station for free. He said he could tell I was about to give up on a project. That thing is beat up and the tip is all pitted but it heats up steady and my joints actually stay put now. Made me realize half the battle is just having gear that doesn't fight you.

beth_baker6923d ago

OH man that hit me RIGHT in the feels. It's wild how often we blame ourselves for struggling when the TOOL is the real problem, like using a dull knife and wondering why your hand hurts. I've noticed this pattern everywhere from cooking to woodworking - people think they just suck at something when really they're fighting gear that was designed to frustrate them.