I’ve considered that before but never actually got one. For soldering SMD a small hotplate was a difference like day and night already. How cheap could I get away with when buying a hot air station/gun?
The Quick 861DW has been a hobbyist favorite for a long time, and comes in at ~$300 (USD)
An 858-style station costs roughly 1/10th of that and should be fine for hobbyist use; many commercial repair shops use them too.
Or similar/clones, like the Atten ST-862D.
I paid $60 for mine on Amazon. YIHUA 959D.
Save the hundreds of dollars for a good desoldering gun for thru-hole stuff.