A quick heads up about those cheap hot air station tips on Amazon

For years, I just used the standard brass nozzle that came with my old station, figuring it was fine. About six months ago, I was working on a tiny Nintendo Switch charging port and melted the plastic housing right next to it. The heat spread was awful. I switched to a set of those smaller, focused stainless steel tips I saw a tech use on YouTube. The difference is night and day for SMD work. Has anyone found a specific brand of these that holds up better than others?

3 comments

3 Comments

nancy_smith2mo ago

My old generic set from iFixit finally gave out after a year. Honestly, the Hakko tips are a bit pricier but mine have lasted through three years of constant board work.

the_adam2mo ago

@nancy_smith is probably right about Hakko lasting longer, but honestly I've been using a $15 set from some random brand on Amazon for two years and it's fine. You guys are making this sound way more dramatic than it is.

umathompson2mo ago

Oh man, I feel that. I melted a perfectly good headphone jack with my old clumsy tip (I was not having a good day). Those focused ones are a total game changer.