That $15 soldering iron from Harbor Freight actually works okay

I was real skeptical after I grabbed one of those cheap irons on a whim to fix a busted headphone jack on my laptop. Figured it would fall apart after one joint or just not get hot enough. But I actually managed to desolder the old jack and put a new one in without burning the board. Went through maybe 30 joints on a practice board first and it held up fine. Has anyone else had luck with dirt cheap tools that everyone tells you to avoid?

2 comments

2 Comments

faithf778h agoMost Upvoted

The real hidden benefit with those cheap irons is that they force you to learn good technique since you can't just crank the heat up and hope for the best. I've seen way more people ruin boards with a $200 station because they get careless with the temperature control. Actually, having a tip that isn't perfectly plated means you have to keep it clean and tinned properly or it's useless, which is a good habit anyway. Maybe it's just me but I think Harbor Freight accidentally made a decent training tool that happens to also do the job.

aaronf408h ago

That thing about cheap irons teaching you good technique is spot on, @faithf77. I had a similar experience where my tip started oxidizing quick because I let it sit too long without cleaning it. Learned real fast to wipe it on a damp sponge and re-tin it after every couple joints. Honestly, that habit stuck with me even when I upgraded to a nicer iron. The Harbor Freight one is finicky about the tip staying clean, but once you get that down, you can do most basic soldering jobs without any trouble. You just gotta be patient and not rush your joints.