Yeah I've found that SAC solder typically doesn't contain nearly enough flux to get the job done (just 2% at most, seriously?!). Small joints like really tiny wires work great at something like 370C so I can just touch it for a split second and it's instantly done, for anything else it's dripping into flux paste time and it works almost as good as leaded used to. Would've been easier to streamline the process if the rosin core was like 10% or 15% instead.
Not all types of flux work well though, my local store sells something that has no labels but seems to be very aggressive and works exceptionally well, the more common no clean types don't do anything at all.
Tips are definitely eaten a lot faster than leaded, but it's not exactly a huge expense when they're like a dollar or two for a 10 pack on aliexpress.
Not all types of flux work well though, my local store sells something that has no labels but seems to be very aggressive and works exceptionally well, the more common no clean types don't do anything at all.
Tips are definitely eaten a lot faster than leaded, but it's not exactly a huge expense when they're like a dollar or two for a 10 pack on aliexpress.