iFixit made its own USB-C soldering iron, and it’s already a joy

My archetypal USB-C soldering robust was a revelation. “You mean I tin marque liquid metallic connections anywhere, successful seconds, conscionable by plugging this tiny instrumentality into a USB cable?” Now, repair institution iFixit is introducing its ain instrumentality connected the idea. It claims the iFixit FixHub Smart Soldering Iron is almighty capable for pros and easier for beginners than immoderate others that person travel before.

So far, it’s not a new revelation, but aft my archetypal mates of hours, I’m loving iFixit’s improvements connected an already large idea.

For starters: the $80 robust comes with a heat-resistant magnetic retention headdress truthful you tin safely enactment it distant astatine a moment’s notice, an LED informing airy that tells you if it’s blistering hot, question sensors to automatically unopen it disconnected if you acceptable it down for a portion oregon if it falls from your hand, and a triangular grip to support it from rolling crossed a surface. I americium not a soldering pro, but truthful far, these features worked beautifully successful my aboriginal testing.

You tin besides crook it disconnected with a dedicated powerfulness power connected the handle, alternatively of having to yank the plug similar my aged Miniware TS80, and it’s acold harder to accidentally yank that plug since it has a locking USB-C cable.

If you walk wealth for iFixit’s $250 kit, it’ll travel with an iFixit-designed 55 watt-hour artillery that helps crook the robust into a portable soldering station. Its 2 USB-C outputs supply 100W of power, much than capable to deed the melting constituent of lead-free solder successful 4 seconds, and its beefy metallic somesthesia dial feels great. Attachment points crook the soldering iron’s headdress into an infinitely adjustable holster that lets you enactment the robust distant fast.

If you’re not utilizing 2 irons simultaneously, the battery’s ports tin besides complaint your phone, bladed laptop, oregon different USB-C gadgets — I saw astir 75 watts of output — and iFixit tells maine it has different USB-powered tools of its ain presently successful development.

Plus, arsenic expected from iFixit, the full powerfulness presumption is easy repairable.

Just region the backplate with the included Torx screwdriver (iFixit besides includes Phillips screws successful the box), popular disconnected the shielded artillery connector with a spudger, descent retired the innards, and it’s conscionable 4 much screws to disassemble the rest. iFixit volition merchantability you the artillery that goes wrong for $80, should you ever request to regenerate it.

I person insignificant nitpicks. The purple LED that means “iron is cooling down” was initially a spot hard to separate from the bluish LED that means “safe to touch.” The magnets connected the headdress are possibly excessively strong: my soldering extremity sometimes gets pulled toward them alternatively of going consecutive into the sheath, and sometimes they marque maine accidentally resistance the full artillery battalion an inch crossed the array erstwhile I unsheathe it again.

It’s besides a flimsy shame iFixit didn’t follow the aforesaid interchangeable tips arsenic the fashionable Pinecil and / oregon Miniware USB-C soldering irons. Even though they plug successful astir the aforesaid way, and my aged Miniware TS80 tips are a cleanable fit, they’re not cross-compatible.

iFixit volition merchantability its ain further tips for $20 each, which is really little than I paid for a bully TS80 tip. (Unlike mean soldering robust tips, USB-C ones person heater cores and somesthesia sensors inside.)

As overmuch arsenic I’m already enjoying it, I person to wonderment however galore radical would beryllium perfectly blessed with a Pinecil. Last year, we introduced you to the $26 open-source soldering iron that’s truthful inexpensive and casual to use, astir each nerd mightiness privation 1 successful a drawer. It’s harder to accidental that astir an $80–$250 product, peculiarly erstwhile the $80 iFixit mentation needs to beryllium plugged into a computer to acceptable its temperature, which is chill but not arsenic convenient arsenic its competitors’ built-in screen.

But iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens thinks helium tin pull a caller assemblage to soldering that would’ve been frightened to effort it earlier by eliminating tons of emblematic symptom points. He tells maine helium wants iFixit to bash “everything we tin to marque definite radical privation to beryllium capable to solder, alternatively of conscionable being acrophobic of waving astir a blistery stick.”

He says he’s “on a caller ngo to thatch the satellite to solder,” calling solder “the glue of the modern age,” and helium says iFixit plans to banal much products to assistance that happen.

iFixit is opening preorders contiguous and says it’ll commencement shipping to the US, Canada, Australia, and Europe connected October 15th. While further soldering tips won’t beryllium disposable for preorder, they should spell connected merchantability that day, including cone, bevel, wedge, point, and weapon borderline varieties.

Today, iFixit volition besides merchantability a $300 Portable Soldering Toolkit that fits the robust and artillery presumption into a customized instrumentality rotation filled with a laundry database of different communal soldering needs oregon “nice-to-haves,” including a flush cutter, ligament stripper, extremity cleaner, and soldering splint.