5) It comes from a no-name manufacturer and the longevity of the support for it would almost guaranteed zero.
Those tips with integrated heating must get expensive in the long run. One needs to factor that in when evaluating cost.
If another person asks me to compare the TS100 open source iron to a bench soldering station, I'm going to kill a cute puppyGood decision. Not reviewing is better starting one with a prejudice.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see, without even having used the TS100 that:
1) It's a tiny iron designed for portable use
2) It doesn't come with any bench stand
3) It's power output varies greatly with the supply used.
4) It uses any generic power lead with requisite issues with piss-poor strain relief, contact issues due to barrel jack compatibility, flexibility and handling issues as a result, and no burn-proof lead.
5) It comes from a no-name manufacturer and the longevity of the support for it would almost guaranteed zero.
And people want me to compare this with a properly designed bench soldering station that are designed to be very reliable and last decades?
Yeah, I'm biased...
It's like asking for a review of a pen-style multimeter compared to a regular handheld one.
And I didn't say I'm not going to review it, I'm just saying I'm not going to compare it in a shootout with bench stations.
Bigger issue: The ergonomics are absolutely non existent.
There is no rubber to grab on, there is no endstop for your finger.
THe key difference i s the thermal contact area between the tip and heater. With an integrated tip this contact is perfect. With a tip in a sleeve there is a large air gap and the actual contact area is small ( the tip wiggles on the heater ). ideally you should put some thermal transfer compound in there ... but even then.
So an integrated tip has better thermal transfer and has better temperature sensing ( for the same reason) so the control loop behaves much much better.
I don't know why there's not an iron for the bench similar to the TS100 design with a stand, a linear power supply and burn-proof cord etc. It's not rocket science anymore. There's plenty of knock-off parts for the FX-951. Including entire stations. So why not something that's not a total rip-off?
Huge number of people are waiting for your T100 review.
As I say, no need for you to review it, the mikeselecticstuff review serves just fine. [/s]
EDIT: I just re-read your final sentence, I look forward to when you do get around to reviewing it.
I think the real comparison should be between a $50 chinese clone "new style" iron that takes T12 tips, and a "old style" iron like the FX-888D. After doing some research online, all the chinese clones seem to be of questionable quality. I think the response of the control loop will have an impact on the thermal performance, and it's unknown if they are doing this properly. Furthermore, it's not encouraging that all of the chinese clones are doing cold junction compensation incorrectly by putting the thermistor inside the main unit instead of in the handle where the cold junction actually is.
I am looking for a new iron to replace my cheapo fx936 clone, and I think I'll still go for a fx-888d. I was thinking there could be a open hardware project to use genuine fx951 handles, but it seems like the handle costs half as much as the unit. Maybe it could have a better ui, but it's definitely not going to be an improvement on cost.
No market? If there was money in it, it would be a thriving product.
I don't know why there's not an iron for the bench similar to the TS100 design with a stand, a linear power supply and burn-proof cord etc. It's not rocket science anymore. There's plenty of knock-off parts for the FX-951. Including entire stations. So why not something that's not a total rip-off?
I also don't see the value in a linear power supply when it's well into the power level where a good switcher is far cheaper.
Metcal uses SMPS, and they are heavy as rock due to the HUGE cast aluminum casing/heatsink.
It seems to me that the TS100 has bridged the gap between bench and portable and that is why so many want a comparison review. Another reason to make the review to try to pin down where on the line from bench to strictly portable the TS100 lies.
What happened to the video and my comments?
old style, but with a metal wrap around the heating element that touches the tip: Weller WXP 65 Watt
well, you've got the fx-206 for 1400$ or Fx-801 (300W) lol
The FX-888D ... have horrible ergonomics