#1996

Episode 1996
sent into the channel for review
Battery powered soldering iron, it did come with 6 sponges
www.amazon.com...
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[@sirblack1619]

I just received this soldering iron today from Amazon. They had two discounts so I was able to get it for a lower price. This soldering iron is perfect for soldering on my HO scale model train layout. I love that you can control the heat. That will come in handy when adding power feed lines to the track and soldering on circuit boards plus and metal kits that I put together. Time will tell on the battery life.

[@aerofart]

I’ve owned this exact soldering iron for a few months now. I use it all the time since it is so convenient and works well. Be aware though that the TIP of the the chisel tip just fell off on me one day just after the iron had reached temp from a cold state and I pulled it off the stand. I suspect it must be due to thermal expansion characteristics of the tip not being well matched with the metal of the tip body. Either that, or shoddy mfrg tolerances from their tips supplier. It’s a great iron but I wish there was some way to set the sleep timer on it to last longer because if you want to work with it for any period of time where you set it down and pick it up at intervals that exceed the sleep timer, waiting for it to heat up again does get annoying. The alternative is to just plug it to a PD source and it charges and operates at the same time, doesn’t sleep.

[@jeffschroeder4805]

Looks like a great soldering iron for precision work. Put it on my wish list!

[@mnoxman]

The old weller ISOTIP in the 80s was a good 'grab-n-go' iron for quick jobs. You wouldn't put a heathkit together with one but it might do 50 pcb joints or 20 pins on tube sockets. The 80s ones were Ni-Cad so if they updated it with LiON it might do more. No heat control on those though.

[@ChrisDreher]

100% agree on everththing you said about the Weller ISOTIP. Still have mine purchased in the late 1980s. Works well for light and medium work.

[@1shARyn3]

What is the solder duration (and re-charge time)?

[@aerofart]

@@1shARyn3 Iron ON and ready to solder duration is about a minute or so after it reaches temp. It reaches temp in about 10 seconds or so, depending on how much it cooled since you last used it. Recharges pretty quick (faster than many USB devices I use) and can be used while charging, which is a minor inconvenience.

[@KeritechElectronics]

Pretty nice, and being battery powered, it doesn't tie you down. Probably better than Pinecil or Fnirsi, but temperature adjustment leaves a bit to be desired. Nice collection of tips - they look great for SMT work.

[@richysradioroom]

This is great to hear. I ordered the exact same iron yesterday before I saw this video 😊

[@monteceitomoocher]

Looks quite nice, the stand should have some parking positions for your favourite tips though, plus a better water sponge container, could've done with that when i was doing field servicing, might still put it on my wish list.

[@schmitzbeats6102]

The real test for any soldering iron is to desolder through hole parts from 4 (or more) layer PCBs, where some pins are leading to internal GND planes. Like a pot, or a connector. The internal GND planes sink a lot of heat.

[@DimasFajar-ns4vb]

wow and peace be upon you sir from me

[@dalesmith8015]

Looks perfect. Ordered.

[@tvelektron]

Are the tips the classic JBC style? At least they look somewhat similar... They may be smaller but on the other hand it is very difficult so say as there has to be a lot of space for batterys in this handle compared to regular soldering station.

[@eggmangoogle3146]

Amazon page linked above refers to them as C210.

[@EfieldHfield_377]

I like it. I have a debug bench and a rework bench. Many times i just need to tack on a test wire and having to disconnect everything to solder a single test lead on another bench can be problematic. Not moving to another bench, but hav8ng to disconnect everything. This would be perfect. Two issues. Can't remember the last time I used a solder sucker seems like a waste. A stand without some Cu wire cleaner does not offer much value. Two questions. Does it auto shutoff. Is there an alert for low battery.

[@thunderbuilt77]

Heat setting run time? Seems to heat quickly so turning off between rounds may be okay.

[@WyssAJ]

Would you recommend this for someone wanting to learn how to solder just to fix a few things around the house or should I look at something different? The cordless nature of it is really appealing to me due to convenience and I can pack it up easier when I'm not using it.

[@IMSAIGuy]

yes

[@fritzkinderhoffen2369]

What do you prefer to use as a solder pen tip wipe? I've always used a wet sponge not knowing anything better. Thanks for the demo.

[@IMSAIGuy]

hakkousa.com/599b-tip-cleaner.html

[@Narwaro]

When you are out in the wild a slow soldering iron is infinitely better than no soldering iron. That said Portable irons have come a long way.

[@MrMersh-ts7jl]

When you do reviews on soldering irons like this, is it possible to just solder two pieces of 16 or 18 gauge wire together? I do a lot of soldering of broken or chewed wires in vehicles at work and butane irons are no good because of the exhaust port. Electric irons have come so far and there are two minutes to choose from and this one looks excellent. Thanks for everything you do!

[@wa4aos]

Wonder if the large tip might have enough oomph to do a PL 259 connector? AND can the battery be swapped once it's aged out wo damaging the tool ?????????????????????????????

[@leleblanc]

doubt it lol

[@mykehdoom]

You don't have to tin the tip?

[@IMSAIGuy]

tips come pre tined. you can re-tin later if needed.

[@MyK1E]

Do your tips come out after you lock them down? Mine do, and they spin around when I use it. I even used pliers to try and lock the tips down to no effect at all, I can pull them out and spin them around at the same pace as locking them down or with no fastening nut attached to it at all. This Soldering Iron has a huge safety issue and I do not recommend anyone buying it.

[@IMSAIGuy]

The screw down collet holds the tips firmly in my unit.

[@salahuddinbangash4785]

It is cool 👍

[@ats89117]

Wow, 750F ~= 400C. You like a hot iron...

[@IMSAIGuy]

this is from Kester (solder manufacture): How can a good lead-free hand soldering process be had, which will ease the lead-free soldering operation? In a recent study, which appeared in the Lead-free Update by Tech Search International in December 2004, hand soldering was found to be more problematic to implement when compared to lead-free wave soldering and SMT. The reason could be that hand soldering is more operator dependent than reflow and wave soldering but also the surface tension in lead-free solders is slightly higher. Wetting or spread is also a little slower when compared to 63/37. To reduce operator issues and reduced wetting proper optimization of the soldering process is key. To avoid issues use a flux content of 2-3% by weight in the solder wire, use a solder tip temperature of 700 to 800ºF. Also Tin-Silver-Copper (SAC) solder will flow more readily than Tin-Copper (SnCu) solder. The main issues encountered with lead-free hand soldering are cold solder joints, poor wetting, flagging and de-wetting. These can be avoided.

[@ats89117]

@@IMSAIGuy I will use 63/37 or 62/36/2 leaded solder as long as I can find it, and solder at 300C. Most parts specify a curve which tops out at 260C, so even that is pushing it. I guess the theory is that with hand soldering, you need less than a second to get in and out, but as an old guy with declining vision, I can't guarantee this...

[@IMSAIGuy]

my very first iron (weller) was in 1978. They came standard with 700F (370C) tips, my Metcal was also standard at 700F. That is what what I've always used at home or at work. lower might be OK with some solder but may require more care to get good wetting.

[@LouiseRosemary-q1v]

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