+1 on genuine Hakko tips if you use a Hakko clone.
I have been using chinese T12 tips, and they don't compare in the level of finish to my Hakko T18 tips. The better ones are more than decent, but the QC is lacking.
Chinese BCF3
#1 is not so bad, other than a big notch and a finish that is ridged like a soup can.
#2 is a trainwreck. This is brand new, unused:
There are chips in the chrome all the way around the face, but this spot is the worst. The cracks go farther up, so I expect a lot more chrome to fall off after the first couple of uses. It looks like the tip took a big impact that made it flare out at this spot. I might have blamed shipping/handling, except the sealed plastic bag and factory tinning on the face of the tip are both pristine and unblemished.
Genuine Hakko T18 CF3:
You can see where the chrome wears away, but mind that this is the exact spot that has been dragged across perhaps 280,000 thousand IC pins in 4 years. The rest of the tip is pristine (a little dirty, though
)