Soldering iron

[Bob n]

Hi,
many months ago i got the Jaycar CAT.NO: TS1465 25 Watt soldering iron, but after using it for many months i have found many faults with it.
1. its too low powered.
2. in the middle of soldering it will stop melting solder and won't do anything.
3. its not hot enough.
I have been looking into other soldering irons so i can get a new one that will faithfully serve me in whatever soldering task i need to do, these are the ones i am thinking about:

-Jaycar Duratech 48W Temperature Controlled Soldering Station CAT.NO: TS1620

-Altronics Micron Economy 40W Soldering Station

-Altronics Micron Combination 60W Soldering & 90W Vacuum Desoldering Station

-Altronics Micron Lead Free Soldering Station 80W

This one seems seems to be really good quality and convenient and is perfect size and seems great:

- FixHub  Power Series Portable Soldering Station SKU: IF145-494-1

Which soldering iron out of these do you thing would work well and which soldering iron would you recommend?

[brucehoult]

You don't say what kind of things you're doing with it, but for general electronic work the Pine64 Pinecil is a good and inexpensive choice.

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/pinecil-v2

[Bob n]

I would use the soldering iron for general use, like through hole, SMD,desoldering etc

[brucehoult]

I would use the soldering iron for general use, like through hole, SMD,desoldering etc

So general *electronic* work i.e. very light on the scale of what some people solder e.g. 200 Amp copper busbars.

The Pinecil is great for what you list.

[Bob n]

Have you used the Pinecil before?
What are the pros and cons of it.I'm questioning the Pincel because if it costs just $26 my thinking is that it won't work well...

[brucehoult]

Have you used the Pinecil before?
What are the pros and cons of it.I'm questioning the Pincel because if it costs just $26 my thinking is that it won't work well...

Yeah, I've got one, It's great for what it is and my occasional light use on, as you describe, through hole and small SMD components, joining bits of wire to each other or to plugs/sockets etc.

There are plenty of reviews around.





Note that in the 2nd video, the iron that does a lot better on the huge pad (MX5200) costs $1000.

>  FixHub  Power Series Portable Soldering Station SKU: IF145-494-1

I'm sure that's better if you don't mind spending AU$460!

Someone compares them here:

https://hackaday.com/2024/09/12/review-ifixits-fixhub-may-be-the-last-soldering-iron-you-ever-buy/

[Whales]

I can also vouch for the PineCil, mine has been great.  I power mine with a discarded HP laptop USB-C supply.  It technically also works from my Kmart USB phone charger, but at dramatically reduced wattage

Get the fat tips set; use the biggest tip you can fit on any job (narrow tips are so much harder to use because of their low thermal conductivity).

[Bob n]

Where can I get the tips you recommended?

[brucehoult]

Where can I get the tips you recommended?

Pine64 sell them, but you can also just Google for "TS100 tips" as the Pinecil is compatible with Miniware TS100 tips and they are available all over the place.

[wraper]

-Jaycar Duratech 48W Temperature Controlled Soldering Station CAT.NO: TS1620

-Altronics Micron Economy 40W Soldering Station

-Altronics Micron Combination 60W Soldering & 90W Vacuum Desoldering Station

-Altronics Micron Lead Free Soldering Station 80W

This one seems seems to be really good quality and convenient and is perfect size and seems great:

- FixHub  Power Series Portable Soldering Station SKU: IF145-494-1

Which soldering iron out of these do you thing would work well and which soldering iron would you recommend?

Neither are worth the money. TS1620 and Altronics Micron Economy are utter trash not worth even 1/3 of their price. Selection of models is strange considering so vast price range.

[Bob n]

Thanks for the reccomendation, i will purchase the pinecil.