Whats the advantage of this one versus a 14.99 one from Radioshack which to me, seems to work very well?
This is a very good tool at a very reasonable price.
whatever youve bought from radioshack is a piece of ****.
The tips and filters for this are readily available at multiple outlets for very little money. If you can get replacements for the ratshack trash, you will likely only find them at ratshack.
If the hakko breaks, all of its parts are replaceable. Basically with the hakko, like any good tool, buy it once, buy it for life, pass it down to your kids when you die. If the ratshack breaks, it goes in the trash. Buy it multiple times, place it directly into the garbage after each use.
The hakko is variable temperature, the rat shack is just a **** pen iron. The hakko has more suction than the ratshack one can even imagine.
There really isnt a way for me to say with words how much better the hakko is because I am too stupid. But when you finally use a real tool, you will see the massive difference and you will wonder why you ever afflicted that ratshack trash upon yourself.