Finally switched to hot air rework for SMD caps, kicking myself

I spent 8 years hand-desoldering capacitors with braid and flux pens, mangling pads on nearly every board. Last month I grabbed a cheap hot air station for a $60 repair job on an old receiver, and it took 10 minutes total. The trick that sold me was watching a guy on YouTube preheat the whole board to 100C before pulling parts, zero lifted traces. Has anyone else found their stubbornness about tools cost them more time than the tool itself? I'm curious what other gear I've been ignoring that I should stop avoiding.

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max_schmidt7715d ago

Honestly, how long did you fight the braid before giving in?