I finally gave up on my old hot air station and it was the best choice I made this year

For the longest time, I was using a cheap hot air station I bought back in 2016. I thought, 'it gets hot, it moves air, what more do you need?' I was replacing phone charging ports and it would take me forever, like 5 or 6 tries sometimes, to get the old solder off without lifting pads. My buddy Mike came by the shop last month and saw me struggling. He handed me his newer station and said, 'just try it on that next board.' The difference was crazy. The heat was way more even and the air flow didn't blast tiny parts across the room. I did the job in one go. I saved up and bought a similar model, the Quick 861DW, and my rework time has been cut in half. I was so stuck on the idea that my old gear was 'good enough' that I was making my own job harder. Has anyone else had a tool upgrade that felt like a total game changer for a specific repair?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_sam2mo ago

The 861DW actually came out in 2017, not 2018. I remember because that's when a lot of shops started switching over. The point about wear is totally valid though. A cheap station from 2016 was probably dying a slow death, but even a worn out good tool often beats a new cheap one. The airflow control on those older budget models is usually terrible from day one.

angelarivera2mo agoTop Commenter

Wasn't the Quick 861DW released in 2018? Your old station might have just been worn out.

hayden_craig952mo ago

I remember reading a forum post where someone's 861DW just stopped heating after a few years of heavy use. The general vibe was that even good stations can wear out if you're using them all day. It's probably not just an age thing but how hard it was worked.