Any experience with these $8 soldering irons?

[mtdoc]

Does anyone here have any experience with these super-cheapo $8 irons from eBay?

We're putting together a "maker-space" at my son's elementary school.  I'm donating an old Weller WLC100 I have lying around.  Eventually I'm thinking of purchasing a bunch of cheap irons so that I can teach a group to solder.  I realize these are crap - but I did use a similarly cheap iron once while visiting the Noisebridge Hackerspace in San Francisco. As cheap as it was, it was actually usable.

I'm wondering if these cheap ones are reasonably safe and usable for kids.

Any personal experiences much appreciated.

[ataradov]

I don't know about safety. Different people have different concepts about it. And working with kids may put additional limitations.

I personally find them acceptable for "coarse" work - through hole components only. SMD work is possible, but gets really annoying. If you know what you are doing and have a goal to reach, you will make any tool work. But having poor tools when you are starting may discourage you from going further.

[Ian.M]

A mains heating element and a two pin plug is *NOT* a good combo from a personal or equipment safety point of view.  You said 'elementary school' so your intended users are pre-teens.  Do you *really* want to buy mains powered tools to be used by kids from a sketchy Hong Kong EBAY seller?

At the very least, I'd be looking for a seller with a real US presence and either a three pin plug or if two pin, evidence its compliant with US safety standards.

[mtdoc]

I personally find them acceptable for "coarse" work - through hole components only.

Ha - yes through hole only - by new to soldering 6-12 year olds - yes "coarse work" would be an understatement.

[mtdoc]

A mains heating element and a two pin plug is *NOT* a good combo from a personal or equipment safety point of view.

You said 'elementary school' so your intended users are pre-teens.  Do you *really* want to buy mains powered tools to be used by kids from a sketchy Hong Kong EBAY seller?

Even if it is properly insulated?  The reality is there are LOTS of two pin mains powered appliances (often UL listed) - toasters, lamps etc that these kids are exposed to everyday with no supervision.

I'm not sure what "sketchy Hong Kong EBAY seller" means.  The link is to a seller with over 79,000 sales and a 99% rating. Ships from New Jersey - though admittedly that doesn't mean much.

Look - of course it would be preferable to purchase 3 pin UL listed irons. But the reality is there are 2 pin mains powered devices that are safe (UL listed or not).  There are plenty of 2 prong irons sold by US sellers on Amazon in the 15-30 dollar range - mostly likely made in China.

Since I would be buying several of these, I'm hoping to not spend more than necessary.  I won't supply a bunch of poorly insulated and/or unusable irons.  Which is of course why I asked if anyone had personal experience with one of these.

I may just have to buy one and test it/tear it down myself.

[Ian.M]

I did a bit of searching on the seller of the item you linked to and it seems they are Hong Kong based, although there is a US contact address.  Its not uncommon for Chinese EBAY sellers to use a relative in the US as their contact address but actually drop-ship from mainland China, as the cheapest USPS flat rate box is $6.10 to business customers, but ChinaPost international rates are heavily subsidised.

At the very least, if I were you, I'd buy a sample, HiPot test it, both cold and hot, and tear it down - it *MAY* be entirely satisfactory from a safety point of view, but that's not a gamble I'd be willing to take without evidence to support it when a child's life + all the assets that are in your name are on the line.

Its unfortunate that you don't have the budget for Antex CS 18W 115V irons.  Their slimline handle, short shaft and light weight makes them vastly preferable for younger users that may have difficulty controlling a full size iron.   Of course they aren't anywhere near as good as a >50W temperature controlled iron or station.

[mtdoc]

Its unfortunate that you don't have the budget for Antex CS 18W 115V irons.  Their slimline handle, short shaft and light weight makes them vastly preferable for younger users that may have difficulty controlling a full size iron. 

That's a good point about the ergonomics that might be particularly important for small hands. I'll keep that in mind.

At this point I am just thinking about options. The Makerspace is still being developed and I am not yet sure how much of it will be devoted to electronics. I've volunteered to help with that part but it is all a work in progress at this point.

If the electronics curriculum proves popular then more money may become available from other parents or grants and purchasing better irons may be an option. The money will not come from the school.

The revelation in the $300 lab thread that the Hakko 936 clones can be purchased for $24 shipped from Amazon means they could be an option if/when more money is available.

[amyk]

936 clones can be had for <$20. Parts and tips are plentiful. Dave reviewed one a while ago:



It's pretty crap compared to real Hakkos and Wellers, but still far better than the $8 non-temperature-controlled ones being discussed here. From a safety standpoint, the heater is low voltage (24V) and although the Chinese seem to be bad at isolation on cheap SMPS, this design uses a traditional big linear transformer. The iron is lighter and grip-tip distance shorter than a mains-powered iron. Plus, it's ESD safe!!

[kingfisher]

I have one (it's slightly different, but it's basically the same) and use it pretty often. It's exactly what you would expect from an $8 soldering iron kit. Every few months I need to get a new one, but I get more use out of it than most people. I run a soldering workshop for kids with these kits, and they are perfect for the job.

[CatalinaWOW]

I have no experience with that particular iron, but have used many similar over the years.  My biggest safety concern would be burns from the hot iron.  Possibly a worse hazard in this style of iron because many I have had contact with get very hot even in "handle" region.  Of course you will have significant danger from burns with the best possible iron you can get, so as others have said, whether these cross the acceptable safety boundary is a matter of opinion.

Remember it is not your opinion, or any of ours that matter.  It is the opinion of the child's parent (or possibly the parents legal team) after an accident has occurred.

[mtdoc]

I have one (it's slightly different, but it's basically the same) and use it pretty often. It's exactly what you would expect from an $8 soldering iron kit. Every few months I need to get a new one, but I get more use out of it than most people. I run a soldering workshop for kids with these kits, and they are perfect for the job.

That's a useful data point. Thanks.

As far as burn risk - I wonder how hot that "heat shield" along the shaft between tip and handle gets during use?

I'm gonna see what develops with this school Makerspace. If there's an interest in soldering lessons, I'll probably buy one of these and test it.  I can't really do a proper High Pot test - since I have no high voltage AC supply but I do have a high Voltage DC (3000V) supply I can use.

In the meantime maybe money will become available to purchase several better irons.

As far as liability risk - there's always that but in this case it will be minimal.  The Makerspace will be part of a separate, "highly capable" school program that is quite small (70-80 kids). This is a small town and  many of the parents are personal friends.

[ataradov]

As far as burn risk - I wonder how hot that "heat shield" along the shaft between tip and handle gets during use?

As hot as a piece of metal attached to the tip will get. It will burn if you touch it.

[KL27x]

I remember learning to solder with an iron like these. In a class when I was 9 or 10. I gave myself a blister, once, but nothing bad. Probably 15 kids to one teacher. No problems. They're better than nothing. But as the numbers go up, you might keep in mind the maintenance involved when the tips start going south.

[stj]

this is the best for the price.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/EU-plug-BK-950D-mini-Portable-Digital-soldering-station-Electric-solder-iron-T12-tips-Heating-Core/32714184325.html

you can probably find a seller with a u.s. plug if your lucky - if there is a "standard" plug for the u.s.

[MaximRecoil]

What will the kids be soldering? A 60-watt wall iron gets too hot (over 900 degrees F usually) for typical PCB soldering. You should look for a 25-30 watt one.

When you have a temperature-controlled solder station, there's no such thing as too much wattage, but with a wall iron like that, it just runs, like a light bulb in a basic lamp, and it gets as hot as its wattage will allow, limited only by the point that it reaches equilibrium between the heat it's pumping to the tip and the heat the tip is losing to the air.

[tautech]

As far as burn risk - I wonder how hot that "heat shield" along the shaft between tip and handle gets during use?

As hot as a piece of metal attached to the tip will get. It will burn if you touch it.

Yep, one very similar to in the OP got my youngest son when he was ~10 and I'd bought it for his B'day.
He got quite good at TH stuff, well good enough to top the school in electronics that year. 
Shame he lost interest a few years later when he found girls. 

Anyways it's just a cheap firestick iron, some are earthed, some not. 

But they can be tamed heaps by just adding an incandescent light bulb dimmer and become perfectly usable .........what I used for many years before I got a cheap but OK rework station.

[GreyWoolfe]

I have one (it's slightly different, but it's basically the same) and use it pretty often. It's exactly what you would expect from an $8 soldering iron kit. Every few months I need to get a new one, but I get more use out of it than most people. I run a soldering workshop for kids with these kits, and they are perfect for the job.

Not sure I understand how they are perfect for the job if you have to replace it every few months.  Why don't you get a decent unit and stop replacing it every few months?  You spend far more in the long run that if you bought quality up front.  Even getting one of those Yihua 936  http://www.ebay.com/itm/YiHua-110V-936-Rework-Soldering-Station-SMD-Desoldering-Solder-Iron-Handle-ESD-/361195877186?hash=item5418f3b342:g:m00AAOSwGvhULmR5  Cheaper than the cost of 3 of those $8 units you replace every few months.  You will probably get more life out of it and come out cheaper in the long run, plus it's ESD safer.

[saturation]

Its cheap enough you can buy one and test it, then report back.

I've used cheapos because in a pinch it'll work for a quick fix, one use, disposable, the type you buy at Home Depot or Walmart.    They self destruct because often materials are not compatible with the heat it generates, but it will last longer if you keep the duty cycle low, i.e., unplug it until the moment you need it.  The finger guard and top portion tend to get hot and melt first.

Be careful with that stand design.  If the powered iron touches the spiral, the whole stand will get hot.  If the base is not metal but plastic, it will melt or loosen the screw and spiral fall off.  If the spiral heats up it will also melt the plastic iron holder on the spiral, as well as handle of the iron.

1/3rd of that kit is a cellphone battery change kit that often sells for $1: 2 small drivers, suction cup, plastic pry tools, guitar pick.

Unknown is the vacuum tool, flux and tweezers.  It could be good but my bet is all aren't.   If the vaccum tool works, the weak point of that design was the tip; its supposed to contact the component and if not made of heat resistant plastic, will melt soon with use as well as hot solder make small defects in the tool tube; if that happens the o-ring in the plunger will leak and no longer seal.  You can prolong the tube life by swabbing it with silicone grease so only the tip wear becomes the issue.  If the tweezers are not fair grade steel, it will bend with minor force and be useless soon or rust.  Maybe the flux is good?

Does anyone here have any experience with these super-cheapo $8 irons from eBay?

We're putting together a "maker-space" at my son's elementary school.  I'm donating an old Weller WLC100 I have lying around.  Eventually I'm thinking of purchasing a bunch of cheap irons so that I can teach a group to solder.  I realize these are crap - but I did use a similarly cheap iron once while visiting the Noisebridge Hackerspace in San Francisco. As cheap as it was, it was actually usable.

I'm wondering if these cheap ones are reasonably safe and usable for kids.

Any personal experiences much appreciated.

[edavid]

I think it's worth spending a little more money to get temperature controlled soldering irons:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/110V-Adjustable-Electric-Temperature-Gun-Welding-Soldering-Station-Iron-Tool-60W-/390937101537

[mtdoc]

I'm going to wait and see how this school "makerspace" develops. As I mentioned, I'm donating an older Weller iron I no longer use.  At this point it is not clear how much electronics interest there will be.  The main person organizing it and the teachers involved don't know much about electronics and their initial supply request shows it.  They are writing grants and asking for parental donations to get things like  "ozbot" and "little bits" classroom kits and "makey-makey" kits but not much stuff for basics electronics other than a soldering iron and solder.  I'm hoping I can get some interest going for actually building stuff.

If it looks like the interest is there I will definitely need to dig deeper into cheap soldering iron options.  I'll probably order one of these $8 irons for now to test and tear down.

BTW - a visit to my local hardware store revealed a couple of different but similar looking, cheap, 2 pin directly into mains soldering irons for sale.

I think it's worth spending a little more money to get temperature controlled soldering irons:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/110V-Adjustable-Electric-Temperature-Gun-Welding-Soldering-Station-Iron-Tool-60W-/390937101537

I think for this situation it's probably better to avoid a very cheap iron with a temp control. I think these are probably more fragile and subject to fail under the abuse of the little monkeys.

If more money becomes available - I think getting some of the $24 Hakko 936 clones would be the thing to do.

I appreciate everyone's ideas and input!

[stj]

the hakko T12 clones i listed would be cheaper to keep running,
either way, you need teperature controlled irons if they are going to be soldering kits with cheap pcb's

you probably want to be using lead-free solder & fume extraction too - given your in the country of liability actions!

[stj]

I think it's worth spending a little more money to get temperature controlled soldering irons:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/110V-Adjustable-Electric-Temperature-Gun-Welding-Soldering-Station-Iron-Tool-60W-/390937101537

i would avoid that - it does not look earthed.

[edavid]

I think it's worth spending a little more money to get temperature controlled soldering irons:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/110V-Adjustable-Electric-Temperature-Gun-Welding-Soldering-Station-Iron-Tool-60W-/390937101537

i would avoid that - it does not look earthed.

It appears to have an isolated heater, and a ground clip for the tip.

[B-Skunktail]

A teardown is available on one of those irons if you're interested.

He doesn't seem impressed...

[stj]

lol
any time the tip is held by a screw your looking at a craft / branding iron - not a soldering tool.