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A customer's odd complaint about my soldering iron tip
A guy brought in a vintage radio and, after I fixed it, he said my Hakko FX-888D tip looked 'too shiny and new' to be trusted. I started keeping a slightly used, tinned tip on the bench just for show during consultations. Anyone else get weird feedback about their tools?
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keithbutler14d agoMost Upvoted
Wait, he judged your soldering iron tip on how it looked? Honestly, that's the weirdest thing I've heard all week. Tbh, a clean, well-tinned tip is the sign of a good tech. What did he want, some crusty old thing covered in burnt flux?
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Oh man, I get it! I used to think like @keithbutler, that a clean tip was the only right way. But after a few older customers side-eyed my shiny gear, I realized for some folks, visible wear just feels like proven experience. It's a weird trust signal.
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cameronjenkins9d ago
Right? I had a guy question my multimeter because the screen was too clear and digital. He wanted to see an old needle gauge to feel like the reading was "real".
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