This Soldering Iron Is Actually Nice | Voltlog #471

In recent years, the majority of soldering iron manufacturers have switched to using cartridge-style tips, which integrate the heater and thermocouple for optimal thermal conductivity and fast response. As a result, most soldering irons and stations that use these tips offer adequate soldering performance for the average user.

While reviewing thermal performance in great detail may not be as crucial nowadays, aspects like usability and accuracy are more important to consider. The FNIRSI HS-01 soldering iron is a portable and capable option that impresses with its excellent build quality and functionality. It comes with a 65W GaN USB-C charger, a flexible silicone-insulated USB-C cable, and a compact holder for the iron.

The tips are similar to Hakko T12 or T15 but shorter, allowing for greater precision when soldering small components. One standout feature is the intuitive temperature adjustment in 10-degree increments, making it quick and easy to dial in the desired setting. The iron also offers a sleek OLED display, a power percentage bar graph, and various settings accessible through a menu system.

In testing, the FNIRSI HS-01 handled soldering tasks with ease, from melting solder on large pads to precisely soldering pin headers and SMD components. Its ability to run from a power bank adds to its portability, making it an excellent choice for on-the-go soldering or as a backup to a dedicated soldering station.

Overall, the FNIRSI HS-01 soldering iron is a highly recommended option for those seeking a portable and capable soldering solution, offering excellent value for its performance and features.

8W Rechargeable e-Cig Soldering Iron Review & Teardown | Voltlog #307

These days there is a wide choice of portable soldering iron and I think very few people still consider gas powered soldering irons who were quite popular 10-15 years ago because of their portability. 

Now you can get USB powered soldering irons like this one for about $6, it’s rated for 8W, takes a 5V USB input and you can plug this into any power bank and fix a solder joint remotely. I’ve used this a couple of times while doing some electrical work on a car and it was very convenient.

You can also get more powerful, more polished soldering iron like the TS100 which normally takes a DC input from a laptop power brick in the 20V range but since USB Type-C with Power Delivery is a popular thing these days, you can also power it from a power bank capable of at least 12V. But this will be in the $50-60 range and you need to purchase a special power delivery trigger cable separately.

However today’s video is not about these two options, I’m gonna show you something that fits in between these two. It’s delivered rather impressively in a cheap plastic bag but let’s see what we get in here. Looks like they included a small amount of solder wire, that’s nice, every soldering iron should come with a small amount of solder. We get one of these small foldable sheet stands so you won’t burn something when setting the iron on a surface. This looks like our soldering iron tip and inside here we must have the soldering iron body itself and a charging cable