Electronics > Beginners

'Cheap' soldering iron: TS100 or CircuitSpecialists 60 Watt?

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brych34:
Hi all,

Up to this point I've been using a soldering iron that just plugs into a wall socket. It takes ages to heat up and struggles to melt solder when there is a large mass attached to it.

I'd like to upgrade to a soldering station, but I was wondering which one? My budget is only around £50, or $64.

I've been looking at these irons:
TS100 - https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32860309312.html

CircuitSpecialists 60 Watt - https://www.circuitspecialists.com/60_Watt_Soldering_Station.html

Does anyone have any experience with either? Or do you recommend something else?

Thanks.

thinkfat:
TS100, the other one doesn't have a directly heated cartridge. The drawback of the TS100 is, it's a bit flimsy. If you have more than one thumb on each hand, might be a problem.

I have a TS100. It's not my main soldering station. But as an on the road tool it's fine.

brych34:
Ok - TS100 it is!

Thanks!

Domagoj T:
I too have TS100 as a secondary iron, and it's pretty decent. What I like most about it is that I can hook it to a small motorcycle battery and have a decent portable iron that just happens to be floating.
It is still a bit of a struggle if you try to solder something big. There is a quite significant difference between TS100 and Weller WSP 81 which is my go to iron.

Gyro:
These days, portable drill batteries and chargers make a convenient portable power source. In the UK, Lidl are the cheapest.

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/teardown-lidl-20v-2ah-lithium-battery-pack-and-charger/msg2469087/#msg2469087

If you use the Ralim TS100 firmware, it has Lithium battery level monitoring and low voltage shutoff included.

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