Soldering Iron Pen

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sudo

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#314927 30-May-2024 06:21

I'd like to replace my gutless 30W Iron with something that is quick heating and adjustable (can be cranked up, if required)

There's a lot of reviews on the soldering iron pens, mainly the TS100(now 101). This can run on a variety of power sources, including USB PD,

But there other brands like Sequre and Pinecil, which seem to be cheaper with similar capability.

Can someone weigh in if the TS101 is worth it, or should I get a another brand, or just an adjustable mains powered model (which is cheaper)

I am at the hobbyist level, where I do mostly wiring terminations and playing with Arduino/ESP devices. A few days ago I spent too much time trying to clean up the solder when removing an old component.

richms

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#3242541 30-May-2024 07:41

Pinesil and the like are fine but an awekward shape to hold IME. If you do get one, get a good silicone USB cable that has flex because most decent current USB cables are needlessly chunky to make them say "quality" to people, with braiding etc on them.

If you are going mains powered, that basically means getting locally and paying the premium for that, whereas a USB powered one is fine to get off aliex etc as it doesn't have to worry about insulation and clearances been done properly like a mains iron.

Richard rich.ms

tehgerbil

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#3242655 30-May-2024 10:56

Just thinking out loud, I went through the same problem as you recently.

I have a 10W pencil iron and a 80W 230V iron, I find myself reaching for the 80W more often than not, even for large jobs, the 10W just lacks the thermal mass for anything more than a quick once-off job, even at full heat on idle.

The amount of heat wicked away the second you touch the PCB makes me wonder how much thermal mass comes into play, I can turn off the 80W and it's still good for 20-30 seconds. The 10W is cool within 10, regardless of heat level.

So if you're going for a svelte usb-c iron, go for the highest wattage you can.

And with that in mind, I wouldn't go cheap on something drawing 5amps at 20v you're holding in front of your face to melt metal.