Cheapest soldering iron on eBay  - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: kalel
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 20, 2017, 10:56:16 am
content: I bought one of those cheapest soldering irons on eBay (I did see BigClive's video):and added some strain relief to hopefully keep the wires in (it can be a bit nasty if the wires come out and touch you).I had a spare tip that was the right shape I like (not the sharp needle type), but incompatible with my current iron, so I bought it as a temporary spare one. No expectations for the price.After I have a chance to use it a bit (will avoid sensitive ICs as possible), if anything interesting happens such as it breaking down or working well, I will keep you updated.

author: MosherIV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 20, 2017, 02:42:34 pm
content: QuoteWhy did you buy one then?Quote

author: kalel
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 20, 2017, 02:47:14 pm
content: Quote from: MosherIV on June 20, 2017, 02:42:34 pmYou can't really complain too much for the price, beside the cable part. But as long as you can provide support and make sure it doesn't fall out, might work.Of course, it has to be used with extreme care and I'm not recommending it to others. For now, it works, however.

author: stj
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 20, 2017, 02:51:22 pm
content: should have got a bakonhttps://www.eevblog.com/forum/chat/bakon-bk950d-soldering-station-my-opinion!!/msg1226616/

author: kalel
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 20, 2017, 03:11:13 pm
content: Quote from: stj on June 20, 2017, 02:51:22 pmLooks good.Edit: I can say that the soldering iron heats up quite fast (not measured how fast exactly) and seems to have a bit of oomph as Clive would say. I didn't try the standard tip though. It did smoke a bit at first as can normally happen, which cleared up. It might last longer if it didn't heat so much (usually not necessary for my use with 60/40), but then, is it really expected to last long anyway. As a note, the cord is pretty short, this can be a bit of an annoyance. I don't know whether or not it will burn out after a couple of uses, but at least we can say it works. Thankfully, live wire is not shorted to the metal part. If they only had a way to make these more safe (e.g. working on lower voltage like those more expensive ones, but a converter costs more than the iron for sure) they would be much more interesting, but other than that important aspect where they don't inspire confidence, it seems like a decently made thingfor the money.

author: P90
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 21, 2017, 12:29:54 am
content: That's not a soldering iron, it's a mains powered death stick...

author: kalel
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 21, 2017, 05:32:44 pm
content: Quote from: P90 on June 21, 2017, 12:29:54 amTrue, but I have used Chinese or even home produced unearthed soldering irons before. So is this part (earthing), the crazy cable situation or inside insulation that you would point to as the most unsafe part?As for the cable, I did definitely add some stuff in there to hold it in place, otherwise, at the first pull, it would show its true colors.