DIY Electronics Site Gives the Soldering Iron Some Love

While technical advances abound in the electronic components and tools engineers and hobbyists work with, one relatively low-tech but important tool─the soldering iron─has arguably been left behind as far as significant advances. Yet, as a properly soldered connection can be the difference between a product that works or doesn’t, soldering irons remain an important tool in an engineer’s or hobbyist toolkit. With that in mind, the well-known electronics DIY and repair site iFixit has taken it upon itself to refine the lowly soldering iron.

On a company blog post, iFixit recently announced the introduction of FixHub / Power Series of repair tools. The first two products are the Smart Soldering Iron and Portable Soldering Station, which iFixit noted are partially in response to personal experiences where the company’s founder needed to drag an extension cord to his car so he could plug in a soldering iron to fix a car stereo.

The first product, the Smart Soldering Iron, is a handy, portable soldering tool enables the user to instantly perform soldering whether in the field or on a workbench. The soldering iron that can output up to 100 W of heat and reaches soldering temperature in under 5 seconds. An integrated accelerometer automatically cools the iron while idle, which helps prolong the soldering tip’s life and ensures safety. The iron can plug into any USB-C power source to get power almost anywhere.

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Handy power station

iFixit’s FixHub series also offers the Smart Soldering Iron as part of a package called the Portable Power Station. The power station incorporates a dual-port battery supply than can power two irons at the same time or even charge a mobile phone from one port while the soldering tool is plugged into the other port. The station’s large 55 Wh battery allows eight hours of continuous soldering on a single charge, which iFixit said can handle over 2,000 through-hole joints.

The company says the power station allows for quick battery replacement, which is fitting for a review site that highly values repairability.

iFixit is also bundling the power station and soldering tool with a handy tool kit packaged in a durable tool roll. The tools provided include a flush cutter to trim leads and cut electrical wires; a wire stripper; precision angled tweezers; silicone work mat; no-clean flux; electrical tape; and several other handy soldering aids.

Good reviews for this soldering iron

Given iFixit’s recognition as a teardown and review site, it is not surprising its products were reviewed on other electronics sites. At least two sites gave favorable reviews, one being the gadget site Hackaday, which titled its review “The Last Soldering Iron You Ever Buy.” Another site, Tom’s Hardware, also wrote a positive review.

US prices are $79.95 for the Smart Soldering Iron, $249.95 for the soldering iron and battery pack, and $299.95 for the iron, battery pack, and toolkit.