Worth It? Soldering with the IFixIt Soldering Toolkit

[@SmokeyKibbles]

loved the video man awesome job!

[@Solorfb]

Great video man

[@TKMakes-2024]

Thanks! Was exited to find one in the wild while delivery dates were so far out.

[@geckowingman]

Good video mate

[@TKMakes-2024]

Thank you!

[@ConnorWeller]

but where did you buy it?

[@TKMakes-2024]

Microcenter. I have text there in the intro because I forgot that part

[@bcerrati]

300 dobblers???? yuh...no!

[@blazini]

The need for flux is pretty much 100% due to the way you are soldering. Solder contains flux, on through hole stuff you should be heating the joint and feeding the solder into the joint. No need for flux at all. The way you are soldering, putting flux on the joint then putting solder on the tip is something you do with SMD soldering for the simple fact that you don't have enough hands to hold solder and tweezers and the iron, and the extra flux is necessary to keep pins from bridging. There's zero reason to use pre-applied flux on through hole components like this.

[@TKMakes-2024]

If I didn't mention it I'm a solid amateur but learning the right way to do it with enough knowledge to be dangerous. It makes sense and I did some of the through hole stuff without solder since the video is so cut down. I'll have to look more into the proper technique and wouldn't mind saving some money on flux with the right technique :)

[@blazini]

@TKMakes-2024 sure, you mentioned it and I'm giving you some advice. The Flux craze that took over the youtube soldering world teaches bad practices. You always use the joint to melt the solder, not the iron. It leads to cold solder joints. Sometimes there is a reason to do otherwise but this is generally not one of them.

[@montvydasklumbys7584]

Came here to literally say the same thing 😅 I like to use a beveled tip, placing the flat side onto the PCB pad+ touching the pin that I want to solder. Then waiting 1-2 seconds and start feeding the solderwire onto the PCB pad rather than the tip of the solder iron. If the solder doesn't melt - it's not hot enough or you haven't waited enough time for the pad to heat up. Also one reason the solderwire was that came with the package is "thick and difficult to clean" is potentially bc it's non-clean flux, which hardens and doesn't cause corrosion, so you don't need to clean it, but I haven't seen the label so it's just a guess..

[@TKMakes-2024]

@@montvydasklumbys7584 It is no clean flux so you're right I shouldn't have tried cleaning it off and I had no idea it hardened. Thanks!

[@nickm9102]

No thanks, I'll stick to my butane soldering iron if I have to do something away from my workshop. It was $20.00 at RadioShack and doubles as several other butane tools.

[@duroxkilo]

quite mobile indeed BUT difficult to impossible to control tip temp. so depending on what one works on, the butane might be perfect or useless (super thin insulated cables, especially in tight spaces, get damaged quickly)

[@demidermak713]

Get a pinecil and a battery bank? You can use that battery bank for you laptop too. And wtf is this? Proprietary? This is supposed to be ifixit. I wonder what the repair score for this thing is

[@julianweiser9985]

Better yet, you can connect a standard 20V power tool battery to it.

[@prongATO]

Yeah, for 300.00 I’d recommend a Weller soldering iron. Only brand I’ve ever used. I have a soldering station I picked up in college in 2000 that heats up the tip from room temp to soldering temp in 8 seconds.

[@zybch]

The Weller stations are (or at least were) great. We used them in college too but I was there way back in the early 90's. I'm on the lookout for a new setup and the Weller kits are top of my list.

[@RenanSuat]

my pinecil v2 seems better haha

[@ghrayfahx]

I agree. A Pinecil with a battery would do the same thing for a fraction of the cost.

[@RenanSuat]

@@ghrayfahx exactly and all the setting would be adjustable thru the app with bluetooth or right on the soldering device itself

[@TKMakes-2024]

If I did the desktop station with a portable iron on the side that looks like a solid one to get.

[@DanN-x9v]

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHHAHAHAHAHAAHHA no overpriced proprietary trash thanks.

[@d.b.cooper]

This thing is pretty stupid. You can buy a battery bank for 90 bucks and a soldering iron for 40 bucks and be way ahead.

[@stopitnowlol6697]

Yeah, a battery bank and a pinecile or similar and it’s way cheaper

[@julianweiser9985]

Thats not even close. Get a Pinecil 88W pen shaped iron and connect a makita battery to it. That'll run you about 35$ if you have the battery laying around.

[@instrumental]

Good idea but I'd never buy from them again. Bought the first Gen toolkit back in the day. $75 for $30 worth of tools. This looks about the same, probably worse due to increased popularity and inflation