Thank you for the advice on getting a shorter iron, I also have shaky hands and didn't even know you could get irons like that. Mind blown, I'd conveniently found the same effect using those cheap rechargeable irons but those are obviously only good for small jobs. I'm clumsy as hell so I appreciate your attention to safety when reviewing this.
I have a JBC and a Weller on my bench, and wouldn’t want to use anything else for day to day work, but… I sometimes have to do some work on-site and for a quick repair I really love my Pinecil (which is a product very similar to yours). It also takes USB-C power, and so I just take a USB power bank and off I go, don’t even need a wall outlet! Very, very useful.
Having started with an old wood-burner in my youth I'm now all set with Metcals and such on my bench, but I wanted a soldering iron I could pack in a toolbag with me that didn't need to be plugged in to AC so I could do soldering on preamps out on experimental antenna circuits, solder during power outages, or just build things wherever I happened to be, a soldering setup that was always handy and just worked without being babied. I tried the propane ones and was never satisfied with them. They broke down, the tips oxidized almost immediately, and temperature control sucked. They were just something that got hot. I tried an electric one with an internal battery pack and it didn't get hot enough and the battery died much too quickly to do anything more than a few connections. So I finally got one that ran on an external 18 volts DC USB supply, and I made an adapter connector to plug it into my Cordless drill battery. So now I have a compact soldering iron that holds a specific temperature, that won't die on me after a few connections, and doesn't need to be plugged in to AC.
@@mikebond6328, a Kaiweets KETS02. I don't have enough time using it to provide a valid review. But gets hot, holds solder, holds temperature on small connections. So far so good.
I have the pinecil v2 and I really like it. Forty bucks with two tips. I didn’t pay the extra for the power supply. It has USB-C and a 5.5mm x 2.5mm dc barrel jack. I already had a 95 watt laptop charger with the appropriate plug so I just use that. It works just as well on 12 volts in my experience. Heats up to 400c in about 8 seconds.
The large(ish) copper grounds are what finally sealed the fate of my older Tandy soldering station. Good to see this one doesn't appear to have that problem. The Tandy got replaced with at Hakko FX-888 which I find delightful to use.
The FX-888 is probably the most common bench soldering station in Japan. I don't really like the interface of the newer digital version but I still have an older 888 with a knob which is great.
@@Peter_S_ Yes, well I just replaced the Tandy about 6 months ago, it was digital version only. The analog 888 appears to have been discontinued over 10 years ago.
@@jrkorman I think they really should have kept making the original knob version of the FX-888 but it's still a decent iron that will serve you well for hobby or serious production work. If I had known they were discontinuing the analog 888 at the time I probably would have bought a spare and stashed it in a closet.
Lack of guard is really bad, I don't trust the acrylic enclosure either. Other than that, I'd say it's functionally similar to Fnirsi but uses two types of tips - T12 and some other one I'm not familiar with.
I would think you would be pushing buttons and changing the settings just by using it, Supose you would get used to it…Comparing it to a MetCal is kind of a harsh reality though, Even My Weller suffers in that light.
This looks like a Miniware TS100 clone with the added ability to hold Hakko T12 tips. My TS100 heats up in a matter of seconds which is really nice. (Since it stops heating when you put it on its stand.) I am used to long tips. But I can see the benefit of short ones 🤔
That's a shame. I use a Sequre S60 along side my Weller and I really like it. Although it has the same end stop fault, I end up using it more than the Weller. This one is so poorly designed it's on the verge of ridicules'. The programming buttons are too close to your fingers, you will be changing heat temps every time you pick it up. I sometimes do that on mine, and the buttons are way farther away from the tip than this one. The major complaint about almost all of these soldering pencils, is the imbalance of the iron and the cable that powers it. The power cable that comes with this iron would be a total nightmare to work with. You'll fight with it every time you pick it up. I usually really like your videos, but this time I don't feel this was a very honest review. Don't worry, if you give something a "bad" review, they'll still send you stuff. I'd send this one back and refer them back to the drawing board.
Even on the handle it would need to be fairly heat resistant. ABS would probably work. They’re very expensive but I was reading about some carbon fiber filaments that can withstand 200*C.
Good but too long, plus the rest stand is not to my liking, prefer the hot tip to be out of harm's way, really, OKI Metcal have soldering all wrapped up despite their many pretenders.
The iron is nice, but i realy would like to see a much better stand with a well usable cover. I don't want to burn my hand or anything else on the table. Long time ago my soldering iron melted through a 230V power cable, which ended with a bang and "fireworks" 💥💥😱 That point I finally purchased a "large" soldering station with a useful soldering iron rest 🥰
I agree about the hand stopper. With some slick plastic like that I can see myself slipping and end up with a hot tip in my hand. Been debating to buy a Pine64 Pinecil. It's cheap and the tips are plentiful.
We've come a long way in compact soldering gear. The most important requirement for me personally is tip availability.
Good point. You reminded me to buy a few spares for mine while the company is still in business.
Thank you for the advice on getting a shorter iron, I also have shaky hands and didn't even know you could get irons like that. Mind blown, I'd conveniently found the same effect using those cheap rechargeable irons but those are obviously only good for small jobs. I'm clumsy as hell so I appreciate your attention to safety when reviewing this.
I have a JBC and a Weller on my bench, and wouldn’t want to use anything else for day to day work, but… I sometimes have to do some work on-site and for a quick repair I really love my Pinecil (which is a product very similar to yours). It also takes USB-C power, and so I just take a USB power bank and off I go, don’t even need a wall outlet! Very, very useful.
Having started with an old wood-burner in my youth I'm now all set with Metcals and such on my bench, but I wanted a soldering iron I could pack in a toolbag with me that didn't need to be plugged in to AC so I could do soldering on preamps out on experimental antenna circuits, solder during power outages, or just build things wherever I happened to be, a soldering setup that was always handy and just worked without being babied. I tried the propane ones and was never satisfied with them. They broke down, the tips oxidized almost immediately, and temperature control sucked. They were just something that got hot. I tried an electric one with an internal battery pack and it didn't get hot enough and the battery died much too quickly to do anything more than a few connections. So I finally got one that ran on an external 18 volts DC USB supply, and I made an adapter connector to plug it into my Cordless drill battery. So now I have a compact soldering iron that holds a specific temperature, that won't die on me after a few connections, and doesn't need to be plugged in to AC.
What kind did you get?
@@mikebond6328, a Kaiweets KETS02. I don't have enough time using it to provide a valid review. But gets hot, holds solder, holds temperature on small connections. So far so good.
I have the pinecil v2 and I really like it. Forty bucks with two tips. I didn’t pay the extra for the power supply. It has USB-C and a 5.5mm x 2.5mm dc barrel jack. I already had a 95 watt laptop charger with the appropriate plug so I just use that. It works just as well on 12 volts in my experience. Heats up to 400c in about 8 seconds.
The large(ish) copper grounds are what finally sealed the fate of my older Tandy soldering station. Good to see this one doesn't appear to have that problem. The Tandy got replaced with at Hakko FX-888 which I find delightful to use.
The FX-888 is probably the most common bench soldering station in Japan. I don't really like the interface of the newer digital version but I still have an older 888 with a knob which is great.
@@Peter_S_ Yes, well I just replaced the Tandy about 6 months ago, it was digital version only. The analog 888 appears to have been discontinued over 10 years ago.
@@jrkorman I think they really should have kept making the original knob version of the FX-888 but it's still a decent iron that will serve you well for hobby or serious production work. If I had known they were discontinuing the analog 888 at the time I probably would have bought a spare and stashed it in a closet.
It's 2024 and USB C PD is everywhere. My TS101 is great for a simple job. 30 seconds and it's ready to go.
Lack of guard is really bad, I don't trust the acrylic enclosure either. Other than that, I'd say it's functionally similar to Fnirsi but uses two types of tips - T12 and some other one I'm not familiar with.
I would think you would be pushing buttons and changing the settings just by using it, Supose you would get used to it…Comparing it to a MetCal is kind of a harsh reality though, Even My Weller suffers in that light.
This looks like a Miniware TS100 clone with the added ability to hold Hakko T12 tips. My TS100 heats up in a matter of seconds which is really nice. (Since it stops heating when you put it on its stand.) I am used to long tips. But I can see the benefit of short ones 🤔
That's a shame. I use a Sequre S60 along side my Weller and I really like it. Although it has the same end stop fault, I end up using it more than the Weller. This one is so poorly designed it's on the verge of ridicules'. The programming buttons are too close to your fingers, you will be changing heat temps every time you pick it up. I sometimes do that on mine, and the buttons are way farther away from the tip than this one. The major complaint about almost all of these soldering pencils, is the imbalance of the iron and the cable that powers it. The power cable that comes with this iron would be a total nightmare to work with. You'll fight with it every time you pick it up. I usually really like your videos, but this time I don't feel this was a very honest review. Don't worry, if you give something a "bad" review, they'll still send you stuff. I'd send this one back and refer them back to the drawing board.
The ability to use two heating element styles seems really nice, but not supporting USB-C PD kills it for me.
In one of the closeup shots one could see that it also has a usb-c socket labeled PD3.0, so I‘d guess that’s also where it can get power…
4:20 What 3D printing plastic can withstand that much heat? ABS?
You put the 3d printed piece over the handle, not the element.
Even on the handle it would need to be fairly heat resistant. ABS would probably work. They’re very expensive but I was reading about some carbon fiber filaments that can withstand 200*C.
Good but too long, plus the rest stand is not to my liking, prefer the hot tip to be out of harm's way, really, OKI Metcal have soldering all wrapped up despite their many pretenders.
Metcal rules
I would much rather use Xytronic or JBC over Metcal.
@@Peter_S_ good for you
Yup, been using Metcal for thirty years, still by far the best system, just don't drop the tips, that's instant death!.
@@monteceitomoocher yeah I have had tip issues.
@@mr1enrollmentWe all have tip issues eventually.
Cool retro hand vice. I never though of using mine for electronics. I bet my pin vice could be useful too.
I got the hand vice at the same estate sale I got the Sargent parallel pliers
The iron is nice, but i realy would like to see a much better stand with a well usable cover. I don't want to burn my hand or anything else on the table. Long time ago my soldering iron melted through a 230V power cable, which ended with a bang and "fireworks" 💥💥😱 That point I finally purchased a "large" soldering station with a useful soldering iron rest 🥰
I agree about the hand stopper. With some slick plastic like that I can see myself slipping and end up with a hot tip in my hand.
Been debating to buy a Pine64 Pinecil. It's cheap and the tips are plentiful.