amy692•1mo ago

Called BS on ultrasonic cleaners until I used one on a crusty iPhone board

I always thought those little ultrasonic tanks were a waste of bench space, just fancy soap sloshers. Then I grabbed a $60 Vevor off Amazon after a customer's water-damaged iPhone 7 came in with corrosion everywhere. Twenty minutes in that thing with some Branson cleaner and the board came out looking like new. Anyone else had a tool they mocked turn out to be a lifesaver on a specific job?

2 comments

2 Comments

nina1801mo ago

Oh man, I had the exact same reaction to my hot air rework station. I bought a cheap one years ago thinking I'd never use it, just wanted it for emergencies. Then I tried reballing a graphics chip on an old laptop that was totally cooked, and it worked perfect. Now I swear by it for stuff like removing stubborn epoxy or shrinking heat shrink tubing on wiring repairs. It's funny how some tools just sit there collecting dust until you find that one weird job they're made for. I think the key is knowing when to ignore the hype and just try the cheap version first. The ultrasonic cleaner you mentioned is definitely next on my list after hearing this.

lane.mason1mo ago

I actually read a post on another forum where a guy brought his grandma's old jewelry back to life with a cheap ultrasonic cleaner, like rings and necklaces that were super tarnished and dirty from decades of wear. He said it took a few cycles but they came out looking almost brand new, which honestly blew my mind. I've been thinking about getting one for cleaning circuit boards and small mechanical parts, but hearing stories like that makes me want one even more. Hot air stations are one of those things where you can definitely start with a budget model and then upgrade later if you use it a lot, but an ultrasonic cleaner seems like a no-brainer for the price. I'm with you on trying the cheap version first though, sometimes you get lucky and it does the job just fine.