TheHobbyGuy
Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2017
I have gotten a lot of use out of this thing. Funny enough, I have not used it to solder anything--I use it mainly for wood burning. It would be a good soldering iron as well, but I am very impressed with it as a wood burner. It gets plenty hot enough in order to be effective. It does get a little bit hot after it has been on for a while but if you hold it right and just be careful its fine enough. I actually wood-burnt the boards in my TheHobbyGuy photo with this tool so you can see its capability right there.On top of it being a great wood burner or soldering iron, it comes with a bunch of stuff. I found these tools to be useful when wood burning. The tweezers are useful for other hobby's as well. Having a carrying case for everything is very convenient. The case seems pretty cheap but it will not be getting tugged on too much or too roughly anyway, so I think it will hold up fine.The zipper zips pretty far back into the "binding" of the case. So it can be a bit hard to close at first but you get used to it over time. Overall its a good product for a good price.Dimensions can be seen in the photos I have attached.Included:-Tin/Lead Solder-Solder Pump-Curved needle nose tweezers-Straight needle nosed tweezers-Plastic tray with wet sponge (iron rest)-Soldering Iron-Assortment of circuit board toolsPros:Cons:*Zipper zips too far into binding (-1/4 of a star)*Handle of the iron gets a bit hot (-1/4 of a star)Additional Considerations:Overall: 4.5/5 stars (>=.5 rounds up, 5 starsIf you have any further questions regarding the product in my review please leave a comment below and I will get back to you as soon as possible.
Austin
Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2017
Quite pleasantly surprised with this kit. My cheap Walmart soldering iron had broke and I needed a replacement quickly, so I ordered this one. The case isn't fantastic quality, a bit thin, but it holds all the pieces and has room for a couple extra tools like diagonal cutters and a wire stripper. As others have mentioned the iron is NOT a truly temperature controlled iron. Instead, it just controls how many watts are being used. I think my dial may have been off, it didn't get hot enough to use until the dial was set to 375 - whereas the 350 setting should have been plenty hot to meld solder if it were a true reading.Overall:- Great value for the money. Pair this with a cheap "third hand" and you'll be amazed at how easy things become. I resoldered all of my joints on my arduino project just because I loved how beautiful they were coming out with my new kit.- Room for a small diagonal cutter and/or wire strippers. Makes the case a nice complete kit.- Actually decent quality solder included. It is not lead-free, but it's good stuff.- Solder sucker is a life-saver.- The little stand isn't fancy, but it works and packs up small.- Tweezers are great for managing small parts or yanking header pins out of boards as you use the iron to release them.- Rubber grip on the iron is comfortable and insulates well against the heat.All told, I can forgive the temperature knob not being properly calibrated. Spend some time getting to know the iron and you'll be making great looking joints in no time!
M Lewus
Reviewed in the United States on September 24, 2016
I have been involved with electronic design and such for some 40 years, and in that time I have used some great soldering irons. The Weller WES51 with digital temperature readout comes to mind. This is not one of those, but it's not $150 either.I was looking for an inexpensive soldering to use in the field, since my Weller is way too big to fit in a bag. I expected to be working on a range of devices, from 100 amp power connectors to trying to fudge an 0805 SMT resistor back into place. This calls for temperature control, which is what drew me to this kit.It arrived and the contents looked pretty good. A small 60 watt iron, some solder, a solder sucker, and some various picks and other non-screwdriver tools. Why they always include these sets of picks with soldering irons is beyond me, as I have almost never had use for them while soldering. But the curved end tool is good for grabbing small springs, and as for the rest - well, the space in the bag is useful to hold a set of flat and JIS cross (not-Philips) drivers.The soldering iron works great. It heats quickly, and the tips take solder well. The temp knob is not calibrated and I suspect it's power control than actual temperature control, but it's certainly good enough for a $29 field iron. It even includes a little folding stand with a tiny sponge to clean the tip, and replacement tips. The assortment of tips provided are more than adequate for most uses, and they look like the standard "hole into which you insert heater" design so replacement tips should not be too hard to find. Finally, it all comes in a very useful zipper case that is large enough to store a small tool kit (pliers, cutters, screwdrivers etc) in addition to the soldering tools.The other tools in the kit are good quality for the price, especially the solder sucker which is made of aluminum rather than plastic. Keep the o-ring inside lubed with silicon grease and it may outlast you! The solder included is old-timey 60/40 lead/tin rosin core, so if you are going to be working on newer boards (ROHS) you may want to pick up some lead-free solder (ie, tin/copper). I'm guessing Amazon can accommodate you there :JOverall, I gave this 5 * not because it's the greatest soldering iron - it's not - but because the vendor really managed to pack a lot of value into that $29 zipper bag. If you're just getting into the hobby, this will do you well for few years. If like me you're looking for a field kit, it will also work fine.