One reason soldering with an iron can be difficult is because your hand is so far away from the tip, like trying to write with a pen held by the end. Newer iro

One reason soldering with an iron can be difficult is because your hand is so far away from the tip, like trying to write with a pen held by the end. Newer irons, especially for SMD work, have gotten smaller and the grip-to-tip distance also shrunk; here's a good visual comparison: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/grip-to-tip-distance-of-various-soldering-tools/ https://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/grip-to-tip-distance-o... It's worth noting that the longest one there is already much shorter than the classic mid-century unregulated irons, and all of those can be held like a pencil.