I did a little soldering in high school. It's like 20 years ago. So I'm practically a newbie. I recently decided to swap out all those crappy electrical components on my electric guitar (a cheap knock-off Strat guitar). So I bought this kit along with pots, caps, pickups etc. Turns out I had all the desoldering and soldering done in one evening session. The tip heats up very quickly and holds the temperature very well. (I don't remember school doing this.) In a soldering station, everything is intuitive. Also, most YouTube videos recommend lead solder, but the lead-free solder in this kit worked great.