Will any soldering iron work for micro soldering?

[Serg1]

I just scooped up a locally made 80W 3A soldering station, it's not a Weller or Hakko, but it works fine compared to what I've used before. It uses Weller EW tips, and I grabbed a good deal on the single station version since I didn't want to wait months to save for the dual one. Now I'm thinking about getting the micro pencil add-on, it's 65W and uses the more expensive RX tips, but would it actually make a big difference for SMD work? Will any soldering iron work for micro soldering, or is the micro pencil really worth saving up for? Right now I'm using a 0.8mm tip on my main iron. Can that handle tiny stuff or am I missing out on something better?

 

[LightsUp345]

you can try with a 0.8mm tip, it might feel a bit awkward on really small stuff. A dedicated micro pencil with finer tips will likely give you better results and less frustration in the long run

 

[Serg1]

'll keep trying with the 0.8mm for now, but yeah, sounds like the micro pencil might be worth it down the line for trickier SMD work

 

[TheOhmBreaker]

The 0.8mm tip on your 80W station works well for most SMD tasks. If you need something for really tiny parts, the 65W micro pencil with RX tips heats up quicker and keeps the temperature steady, but it does cost more. If you're not working on super small stuff yet, you're fine with what you have. But if you start needing more precision and speed, the micro pencil might be a good investment