TS100 Soldering Iron test ?

[sn4k3]

Yea but ib ternmof smd and thermall mass ts100 is better even than a genuine t12 hakko, right?

TS100 is very good and strong, thermal mass have a fast recovery if you use proper PSU, i can say its better in any way than a T12 clone at least for me.
About geniune T12 hakko + its station i can't say because i don't have any to compare, better let others come and say something about it.
But i can say you will never go wrong with TS100, for me is a must have/buy! Even if you own a 400-800€ soldering station, TS100 will be handy. I have brought 6 of them
I have tried TS-I and TS-ILS for tiny smd, leg by leg, multi layer board it work flawless and we are talking about 0.2mm and 0.15mm tips, so respect here for TS100

[hpapagaj]

Thank guys for the answers, I just ordered from GB. If anyone interested, here is a coupon code DANY090, price will be 38,99$. This coupon is valid for 10pcs, and I bought 1pc. I think you can't find better price. 

[sn4k3]

Thank guys for the answers, I just ordered from GB. If anyone interested, here is a coupon code DANY090, price will be 38,99$. This coupon is valid for 10pcs, and I bought 1pc. I think you can't find better price. 

Nice price
Write about it when you get it 

[tautech]

Member Defpom has just done a vid on these:

[MacMeter]

I saw this a few hours a go, and left him some hopefully constructive criticism on YouTube. There are many reviews of this product in the last 1.5 years, this review or better put, “first time user unboxing”, misses the mark on many levels. Don't base a buying decision on this video alone, there is a lot of missing information that would have been addressed if the reviewer had learned more about the product doing some pre-review homework.

[DarrenHerondale]

Would you buy this as a main iron (for smd work) ?

[Shock]

Would you buy this as a main iron (for smd work) ?

Portable when a power supply or battery bank/pack is available. Firmware can be updated. Looks like large amount of thermal mass in the tips which can help deliver heat.

I'm not trying to hate on it, there are just many downsides.

Has no storable temp presets. Not really designed for easy tip swapping, limited range of tips. Has a warning in the manual that 40mins use it gets to between 50-60C (so could be uncomfortable to use). Possibly be slippery after a while with hand oils (I know but I had to point it out). If you need a work horse or in a dirty environment perhaps not the best choice.

It's not ESD safe by default, requires a separate ground wire to be attached to a screw. Requires you to supply your own 24V 2.7A power source for full 65W power. The warm up time is on that supply to reach 300C/572F is 11s . On a minimum 12V 1.4A supply it's 40s. Aside from no power supply, there is no stand, no sponge, no brass wool etc (you get the idea).

The working tip distance is deceiving and has no finger guard. Not really suitable for large hands. Here is a comparison photo of the new Pace TD-200 120W iron that comes with the ADS200 station. Note the guy with the TS-100 iron is really bunched up on it.

[Miti]

Nice toy but just a toy in my opinion. And "not ESD safe" is a bummer for me coming from a manufacturing environment where ESD is an obsession. I would rather make this one:
http://dangerousprototypes.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=56&t=7218&p=61175#p61175

Wait, I did make that one. 
I just didn't have time to put it in a box. It can take Hakko, JBC, Weller, Ersa, you name it. Works with AC, DC, you can make it portable if you want, iron auto detection. A bit over engineered in my opinion but works well. Oh, and the software is open source.

[tecneeq]

"not ESD safe" is a bummer for me

I don't use it for stuff where this is relevant, but there is a screw where you can earth your iron. Shouldn't that be enough to be ESD safe? 

Anyway, got mine, but not tested yet. It's small. Smaller than expected. 

[Gyro]

Yes, using the provided tip grounding screw makes it entirely ESD safe.

[rbm]

Louis Rossman also reviewed this iron a few days ago on .  He recommends it, if that adds value to this conversation.

[KL27x]

Rossman has a very specialized need out of his soldering equipement, lol.

Wonder how he gets away with a BR tip on multilayer boards? It's the amazing response due to cartridge tip technology and a superior station, of course.
https://youtu.be/ao39bPEyok4?t=541
Or maybe he sets the station to the max temp of 840F and throws away the key. That is one way to solder an 0201 passive. I suppose Hakko or Pace is preferred if you want your tip to last more than a few hours, but I don't know what kind of technology can make an iron NOT be able to solder at a set temp of 840F. Not that the cost of tips matters on a $600.00 repair job, but perhaps his soldering techniques are somewhat special. Let's hope Hakko makes an FX-961 that goes up to 850F for Louis. Some peeps are obviously being limited by this arbitrary maximum. Maybe this is why he prefers BGA flux. Regular flux probably burns up on contact.

I hope he staged this to show the quirks in the Hakko UI. But if the max temp quirk is a problem, you might suppose he does routinely operate at the ceiling.

[Shock]

Don't believe everything you see in a youtube video, especially when they are selling the product or doing affiliate sales etc.

If you ask me this just looks retarded. Not to mention he recommended his beginner audience to buy a 19V power supply that limits the iron to 40W and the 24V power supply has exposed mains contacts. If he read the manual he would have seen the warning about the handle overheating to 50-60C after 40 mins use.

[Shock]

Bakon does a T12 handle that looks very similar to a metcal handle. Combined with a T12 clone controller (some have DIY firmware) and your own power supply and a genuine tip. The handle appears to have a small working distance. I'd prefer going down this avenue but I decided to bypass T12 series in the end for something with better performance.

[KL27x]

^ I call that the Bakon handpiece. I believe they are the first and/or only company to offer that handpiece. I think it's an improvement, overall. But in certain instances (say with a knife or a large chisel tip), the tip can just ever so slightly spin while you are using the iron. The tip to grip is just about the same as with a 951 handpiece, which is quite short, yeah.

[lisafig]

The third time I used this solder, the OLED backlight did not work anymore, which makes it useless (in the troubleshooting section of the notice, MINI says "check if the screen need to be replaced", absurd). I paid 44€, for the TS100 + an extra-tip + earth clamp)

I will let you know if banggood is serious about warranty (it's the third time I used it), MINI, the seller offers 1 year warranty.

EDIT 1. It's bad: the 7 days delay is over. I did not find the way to contact banggood neither the seller about my after sale problem. The contact menu only offers 2 option: "Package was broken" "I don't like this product". So no way to contact them after 7 days.

I tried to contact banggood using the first one. I'll keep you updated...

EDIT2: bangood replied (within 24h), they offer me to "solve the case" for 7 €... Warranty means nothings for banggood.

I manage to find the manufacturer website  (Mini) and sent them a message through their contact form. I'll keep you updated...

[salavat]

Contact morningtrade.ez@gmail.com, they will reply.