Pro tip: A customer told me my solder joints looked sloppy and I changed my whole technique

Some guy brought in a vintage receiver last month and pointed out my joints had too much flux residue. He was right, I was rushing. I switched to a smaller tip on my Hakko iron and started using rosin core solder instead of the cheap stuff. Cost me like $15 for a new tip and it cleaned up my work a ton. Has anyone else had a customer call them out on something that actually made you better?

4 comments

4 Comments

the_harper1mo ago

Read somewhere that a lot of the old school tech guys swear by those tiny chisel tips for precision work. Sounds like that guy accidentally gave you a really good lesson.

murphy.mason1mo ago

Switched to a tiny chisel tip myself after reading that. Best $12 I ever spent on soldering.

davis.noah1mo ago

Yeah that tiny chisel tip makes a world of difference for tight spots.

linda_dixon491mo ago

Oh come on, is a tiny chisel tip really a game changer? I've been using the same basic conical tip for years and my solder joints come out just fine. I get that it might help with those super cramped boards where everything is packed tight, but for most standard through-hole stuff I just don't see the huge difference. Sounds like one of those things where people get all excited about a tiny upgrade and suddenly it's the best thing since sliced bread. Do you really have that many tight spots to work in that a regular tip won't do the job?