Soldering Iron suggestions

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Senecio

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#295258 16-Mar-2022 19:08

Does anyone have any experience/recommendation for soldering irons?

I had one years ago and its time to buy a new one as I have a couple of projects coming up. The main use is going to be auto-electrical, wiring up caravan/marine lighting etc.... The one I had years ago was the cheapest POS at the time. The temperature fluctuation was insane. Don't mind spending a bit more this time to get a better tool.

Any experience with the butane irons? They appeal to me for the portability to use away from a power point.

michaelmurfy

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#2887360 16-Mar-2022 19:30

Simple answer - https://pine64.com/product/pinecil-smart-mini-portable-soldering-iron/

Heaps of reviews online but this is what I personally use too. I power mine off a USB battery pack (has to do power delivery) but the soldering iron is very good and the price is also crazy cheap.

Also who doesn’t want a soldering iron with a 108MHz risc processor?

The firmware these run is fully opensource and again, very good - https://github.com/Ralim/IronOS.

Lastly. I also recommend grabbing some additional tips and also ensure you grab some of their Silicon USB cables - I regret only getting 2.

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dimsim

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#2887361 16-Mar-2022 19:31

When I was a BMW technician I had a Goot soldering gun which was fantastic for auto electrical work. It had a trigger so you should almost instantly change the wattage if you needed more heat for any reason. Even managed to solder a wire to a nut being held in a metal vice.

k1w1k1d

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#2887362 16-Mar-2022 19:32

I use a Bosch PLP100 100Watt soldering gun for most soldering jobs. I like the gun because it heats up instantly and is not too affected by wind. Don't have to worry about a hot iron falling over and burning something.

Unfortunately they are not available anymore. I believe the Weller soldering guns are good.

I also have a Scope 12v iron for use when away from power. It also heats up in a few seconds.

I tried a butane iron, but got sick of waiting for it to heat up and it was useless in the wind.

dimsim

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#2887363 16-Mar-2022 19:34

michaelmurfy: Simple answer - https://pine64.com/product/pinecil-smart-mini-portable-soldering-iron/

Heaps of reviews online but this is what I personally use too. I power mine off a USB battery pack (has to do power delivery) but the soldering iron is very good and the price is also crazy cheap.

Also who doesn’t want a soldering iron with a 108MHz risc processor?

The firmware these run is fully opensource and again, very good - https://github.com/Ralim/IronOS.

Lastly. I also recommend grabbing some additional tips and also ensure you grab some of their Silicon USB cables - I regret only getting 2.

That looks like a great little device.

Ge0rge

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#2887397 16-Mar-2022 21:40

A couple of the nut-stranglers at work have these. I've been super impressed by their performance and are fantastic for field work. It sits really nicely on it's base for tinning wires and also has a small LED light to illuminate the tip - great for working in average places.

If you want a decent bench unit, almost anything by Pace or Weller will likely outlast you.

mattwnz

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#2887445 17-Mar-2022 00:46

I wanted a fine tip one so ordered a soldering and hot air station from trademe several years ago for about 100. It think it is a Chinese unit but it works quite well for me and you can control temperature. HOt air is good if using heat shrink. Also have a Weller soldering gun that is very old, but the tip is far to large for fine electrical work. I would suggest watching some youtube reviews and see what some of the repair people use who do review some.

neb

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#2887848 17-Mar-2022 19:26

Ge0rge:
If you want a decent bench unit, almost anything by Pace or Weller will likely outlast you.

And from Asian vendors, Goot and Hakko are really good. Hakko is pretty pricey so what you do is get a Chinese-clone bench unit and then an original Hakko pencil and tips (they're relatively cheap) to replace the rubbish Chinese one it'll come with. Best iron I've ever used, with that and the illuminated magnifier that I posted a photo of a week or two back fine electronic work is a breeze.

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insane

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#2887881 17-Mar-2022 20:24

I bought a cheapish one from Jaycar, only needed it for one job and it was only ok. Cordless is a must for automotive, but wish I had spent a bit more to get one that had better temp control.

That one above that Michaelmurphy posted looks awesome!