When you’re building or working on a
3D printer, most of the time you won’t need to solder anything. But once you
start using your machine for projects, there will come a time in every maker’s life
when you will need to solder a couple of things. So what are the differences between a $25
soldering iron and a nearly 200€ soldering station and is it ever worth spending that
much more? We’ll take a look at three different soldering stations, two USB-powered soldering
irons, and the no-name station that I’ve been using for the last decade. We’ll test how fast
they heat up, what jobs you can use them for and we’ll find out which one is the best. Right
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get started on your next project today! The soldering irons and stations I’ll be
comparing today come in at a wide range of prices, but they’re the ones that you all suggested on
Twitter when I asked which ones I should test. So starting at the cheapest end, we
have the Pinecil, coming in at only $25, but after shipping, imports and fees I paid
closer to 40€ until I could hold it in my hands. In the box you get the main soldering iron handle
and a single standard tip. The Pinecil “Reaches operating temperature in 12 seconds. Support
for on-demand rapid boost feature.” We’re going to test that. The Pinecil is made in China.
Next up, we have the Miniware TS80P. In the box you get the body and a standard tip,
as well as a USB-C cable, power supply, and grounding wire kit. The Miniware sells
for about 120€. The Miniware is made in China. Next, the Hakko FX-888D. This is a very
popular soldering station combo among makers and it comes in at 125€. In the box,
you get the iron itself, an iron holder, a sponge and curly brass wiper as well as the
main station. The Hakko is made in Malaysia. Next, we have the Weller WE 1010, which is
also a set of an iron and a base station, and this one is the education kit. So you also
get a spool of solder, flush cutters and an extra tip in addition to the usual set of the iron,
an iron holder and the base station. Just the basic set costs 145€. The Weller is designed
and engineered in Germany and made in Mexico. And topping off the range for this test, we have
the Ersa i-Con Nano. You also get the iron itself, which is already connected to the base station,
as well as an iron holder. Usually the Ersa sells for around 195€, but currently the best
offer is 210€. The Ersa is made in Germany. So before we take a closer look at each of these
setups, I should do the disclosure: The Miniware, Weller and Ersa were provided to me free of
charge by Sainsmart, Weller and Ersa respectively, with the option to keep for myself or give
away to a Makerspace after testing. As always, no money changed hands and none of the
companies get any influence in this video whatsoever. I bought the Pinecil, Hakko and
my old soldering station with my own money. So you may notice that these aren’t exactly
all comparable. They differ in price, concept and power, but I also want to find
out where the limits of each solution lie. The Pinecil comes very bare-bone and you will need to
provide your own USB-C cable and charger or an up to 21V power supply, and depending on which power
supply you get, the iron will have between 17 and 60W of usable output power. There is a
limited compatibility list on the website, but it ran at 17W with the power supply I use
for my camera, about 30W with this powerbank and the full 60W using my Huawei laptop charger.
Pine also sell a compatible power supply for $25 plus shipping, fees, and imports.
The Miniware comes with a power supply that allows it to have its full 30W of power,
the Hakko has 65W, the Weller is 70W, and the Ersa is 80 or 68 (so close) watts depending where
exactly you end up looking. My old station is 80W, supposedly, but I don’t quite believe that.
There is also the difference that the Pinecil and the Miniware use what’s called “active
tips”, which are assemblies where the tip itself, as well as the heater and temperature
sensor are a single part, while the Hakko, Weller and Ersa use separate heaters that
you slide the tip over. Supposedly an “active tip” corrects faster for external disturbances
like a PCB or component lead wicking away heat. Also, companies like Hakko, Weller and Ersa have
a huge range of different stations with different features. These are already from the lower end
of their range, and you can get even more basic setups from them, as well as super-high-end kits
that would be used in an assembly line. So with those differences and the price gap in mind, let’s
have a closer look at these soldering solutions. the Pinecils body is made from all plastic and
it has this rubber sleeve at the front which does slide around it is slightly taller than it is wide
but for gripping that is fine for my hands there are two locking screws in the front where you can
secure the tip otherwise it is very easy to slide out by hand there is also another screw in the
back which allows you to connect a grounding lead and that has a low impedance connection up to the
tip the main user interface is through this tiny oled screen on the body itself you get two buttons
to navigate the entire mini structure as well as to set temperature as you're using the iron
itself the operating system that is running on the 32-bit processor inside the soldering iron is
Ralim’s iron os but there are several open source alternatives available the included tip is the
standard pencil style but you can get sets of four tips with four different styles for another 25 the
same as the iron itself which means after imports taxes fees and all that it's going to be about
40 euros for a set of four tips the ts80p has an all aluminum body it has this ejector sleeve
at the front that i guess helps you to get hot iron tips out quickly the tips use
a headphone jack which just slots into the body there is no locking screws or anything
but this is quite secure as is just like on the Pinecil the back has a small m2 screw where you
can connect the included spiral cable to ground the entire iron the body as well as the power
input has a low impedance connection to the tip the ts80p has the same tiny oled screen as the
Pinecil but this one runs a proprietary firmware which is a lot simpler to use but not quite as
pretty however you can flash the same iron os to this iron that is running on the pine sole the
ts 80 piece tip looks quite fragile with this very thin tube section in the back here these
tips are available with couple different tip options however you always have to buy this entire
thing just like with the Pinecil and these tips are fairly expensive one of these tips costs about
22 plus shipping handling imports and fees on aliexpress or 30 to 40 euros if i buy it directly
from amazon the components on the hakko are a mix of materials the solar iron holder is all metal
this is all cast metal as well as the solder insert it has a little rubber thing in here which
i honestly don't know what it does because it doesn't touch anything the solder iron itself is
a plastic handle with a nice molded looking rubber grip which is easy to slide off though and you
can actually see my old cheap iron is basically a straight up clone off the original hakka one the
tips are interchangeable as well the tips on the hakko are directly connected to the ground input
on the plug so these are straight up grounded um the handle also i was able to measure a roughly
100 mega ohm resistance to ground as well so this is a ever so slightly conductive esd safe plastic
the station's main body is all plastic it has a small led screen in the front the power cable
is fixed but the iron can be removed with this non-locking connector in the front because the
Hakko only has this three digit led screen in the front and two buttons using it and going
through the deeper menus is a bit cryptic so you will need to consult the manual for some of
the more advanced functions however adjusting the temperature is fairly easy you just go in here and
you can adjust every digit by itself which i think is what you're going to be using most of the
time so that's good at least the tips and the hakko are quite easy to replace but since this
is an all metal construction you will need to use a tool to undo this nut as it does quite
hot if the tip has been heated to temperature genuine replacement tips are about 6 0 60 and in
case you're wondering about dollar prices just replace that with dollars they're about the same
alternatively you can also grab cheap third-party tips but i don't know how good the quality of
those are i've gotten lucky with a couple on my no name iron but i wouldn't use them if you
already have a good soldering station like this and at six and a half euros for a genuine tip
like it's a it's a real no-brainer getting the genuine ones overall the hakko feels quite
basic especially with the small led screen but it is all very solid this is all metal the
soldering iron itself feels very good and it is a fairly slim main station so it's not going
to take up all that much space on your desk the iron on the vela is very confidently made too
it's got a very slim base profile but then this nice comfortable squishy almost foam like grip
at the front which is almost a bit too large for my small hands but that is just down to personal
preference it does have a bit of an edge back here where the cable enters the tips are replaced with
the same mechanism as on the Hakko but this one has a plastic nut so this one is always
comfortable to touch even when the tip itself is all the way heated up and then this tip
just drops out with a bit of effort just like on the other stations the tip on the Weller
is grounded as well with a low resistance the base station says it is esd safe but
i couldn't measure a resistance between or i couldn't measure conductivity between the
handle and ground the iron holder on the velar is quite basic it's got this spring mechanism here
which you know gets your eye on to bounce around there are a couple spots for replacement tips
on the side and it does come with a sponge that you do need to wet before use but no space
for any of the brass curly wiper stuff that for example the Hakko and the Ersa come with the
bass station itself is very minimalistic it has a rather large screen which unfortunately is not
backlit so it can be a bit hard to read under non-perfect conditions however it is super easy
to use you can adjust the temperature with the buttons over here or you can go through the three
mini settings with this button down here standby time temperature offset and celsius or fahrenheit
and that's it a soldering station i don't think needs to do much more than this and this mini
system is pretty much perfect for what it needs to do placement tips for the Weller are available
in any shape and size you'd like and they're about six euros a bit over six euros each the Ersa is
quite interesting because it is the fanciest one of the bunch it does have a very techy angular
playful design almost that unfortunately i think it's going to look very dated very soon it's
got a very like 2010 aesthetic to it already but technically it is actually quite nice so starting
with the handle itself look at how small this thing is so with my hands this fits pretty much
perfectly and coincidentally it is a very similar shape to the ts80p i you know there might be some
inspiration there it's also got a very short stick out at the tip comparing that to the Weller you're
working much closer to where you're actually gripping the tool so you have very precise control
over where you're positioning the tip with your hand this is all plastic there is no rubber
cushioning at the front which honestly is fine and the same as on the vela there is the plastic
nut that allows you to remove the tip very easily the Ersa’s iron holder is quite interesting
too because the entire thing is made of rubber there is this ceramic insert so as you're sliding
the iron in and you might be touching the tip to it you're not going to burn it this sleeve on
the Weller is plastic and on the Hakko it's metal there is some of this brass shaving wool included
but no watery sponge and i prefer it this way and then on the back here this is where you
can store your tips so either you can slide them over over these brass rods or i guess you
can also stick them like this the base station again has a display that is not illuminated so
you have to look at it at the right angle setting temperature is very easy to do you just press up
or down and then for some of the more advanced settings you have to hold both buttons and you
get to calibration or to standby delay if you need any more advanced settings you have a micro
sd slot on the side where you can i guess store a configuration file too and just change everything
you'd like the tips are available in various shapes and sizes for about eight and a half to ten
euros each but since the tip is actually getting snapped into this nut right here which you have
to press it out of every time you want to switch the tip and that is quite hard to do and i guess
a burn risk if it's hot i would recommend getting a couple of these nuts and like spacers as an
extra you can get them for about five and a half Euros each and then you can just leave them on
your preferred tips and just swap them as a unit Next up, let’s do some actual tests
with these stations. We’ll test how fast each iron heats by first seeing what it's reading
from its tip and then checking if the reported temperature is accurate by testing how fast it can
actually start to melt solder after powering up. Then, we’ll see which wire gauge each of the irons
can tin. We’ll also test how much energy each iron can introduce into a solder joint by measuring
how far it can heat up a large copper plane in 30 seconds. Lastly, we’ll test how fast we can swap
a hot iron tip in the middle of a soldering job. I’ve been using lead-free solder for over a
decade and I’ve never looked back to the old days of using leaded solder. Lead-free solder is a bit
less forgiving on bad equipment and bad technique, so not only will it actually force you to
learn good technique, but in these tests, it’ll nicely show the differences between each
setup. Always use proper ventilation, and that is not just blowing the solder fumes aways, but
actually either filtering them or venting them outside. I’m doing both for these tests.
Let’s start with the heatup times. I’m measuring the time between powering up the iron
and it reaching 350°C according to its sensor. The Pinecil saves the last set temperature
and only requires the cable to be plugged in and one button press to start heating. It
reaches temperature after just 12 seconds. The Miniware does not remember the last
temperature and it needs to be set manually each time. It takes 21 seconds to reach temperature.
The Hakko only requires the power switch to be flipped, but it is the slowest
yet at just over 35 seconds. The Weller only requires the power switch to be
flipped, but is even slower at over 46 seconds. The Ersa goes through a lengthy startup
process, but still reaches temperature in only a bit over 14 seconds total
and is only beaten by the Pinecil. My old soldering station reaches temperature
after only 13 seconds and moves into second place. But can we trust these numbers and
does the temperature on the display actually match the temperature of the tip? I’ve
pre-tinned all the tips with my favorite solder wire to make sure they can quickly wet and melt
and fresh solder we get in contact with the tip. The Pinecil starts off with only an impressive
15 seconds until it can melt solder. The Miniware requires the extra
step of setting the temperature, but is still ready for use after just 22 seconds. The Hakko has a much larger and heavier tip, and
it takes 30 seconds until it can melt solder. The Weller is not far behind and takes
33 seconds until it can melt solder. The Ersa is very quick to heat up and only takes
11 seconds until it melts solder. Very impressive! And my old soldering station reports that
it’s up to temperature after just 13 seconds, but it takes a full 54 seconds
until it can actually melt solder. So the Pinecil and my old station actually report
to be at temperature even before they can melt solder. All the other stations are ready to use
right around the time they display reaching 350°C. The Ersa is the quickest one at just 11
seconds, the Pinecil at 15, Miniware at 22, Hakko at 30 and the Weller at 33.
Next, let’s see which stranded wire gauge these irons can tin. I’ve prepared equal 10cm long bits
of 2.5, 4, and 6mm² wire, stripped 12mm off the ends and twisted the strands. We’ll see which of
these gauges each iron can tin, and we’ll cut off the test at 60 seconds. For this test, I’m using
the solder supplied by Weller, as I’m running short on the solder I usually use, made by Felder.
The Pinecil has no problem tinning the 2.5mm² wire. The Pinecil also has no problem tinning
the 4mm² cable. The Pinecil struggles with the 6mm² wire and only manages to tin one corner.
The Miniware breezes right through the 2.5 and 4mm² wire, but only tins
one side of the 6mm² wire. The Hakko easily tins the 2.5 and 4mm²
wires and finishes tinning the 6mm² wire right at 60 seconds.
The Weller tins the 2.5 and 4mm wires with ease and finishes
tinning the 6mm² wire in under 45 seconds. The Ersa has no problems at all
with the 2.5, 4 and 6mm² wires and finishes each one in under 30 seconds.
My old soldering station is already struggling with the 2,5mm² wire. All these
tests were done with the irons set to 350°C and usually I set my old station to the maximum
450°C to get any work done. However, the higher peak temperature increases tip wear and the amount
of fumes kicked up into the air from the flux, so this isn’t really that should be recommended.
Overall, none of the soldering setups had any problems with the 2.5 or 4mm² wires, but only the
soldering stations managed to tin the 6mm² wire as well. The Ersa did so very quickly and
probably has quite a bit of headroom left. Next, I tested how much heat each iron can
introduce into a difficult solder joint. This PCB uses thicker 2oz copper and
has a large ground plane at the back, both of which will try to wick away heat from the
solder joint. I’ll heat up one of the solder pads and measure how much the copper fill rises
in temperature with my thermal camera. For the soldering stations, I’ll also test this with
a larger tip that should be able to store more heat and also more easily transfer the heat into
the PCB. I’ll stop each test right at 30 seconds. The Pinecil starts off with a very
solid performance and manages to heat up the copper fill to 90°C in 30 seconds.
The Miniware has a much smaller tip and only half the power, but it still manages
to heat up the copper to about 80°C. The Hakko ties for first place with
the Pinecil and manages to heat to 90°C with the pencil tip and about 100°C
with the larger half-round or bevel tip. The Weller pulls into the lead by
heating to 92°C with the standard tip and about 102°C with the half-round tip.
The Ersa delivers very impressive performance by heating to 96°C with the standard pencil
tip and 106°C with a larger chisel tip. My old station barely manages to heat the
copper past 40°C with both the standard pic and a larger half-round tip.
Overall, all the new solder setups I’m testing today delivered good performance. The
Miniware drops off a bit due to its lower wattage, while the Ersa definitely delivers the
highest amount of heat into a solder joint. For the last test, let’s see how quickly I can
swap a tip without letting it cool off completely first. This is most likely not how you’re supposed
to swap tips, but I can guarantee that almost nobody will be patiently waiting for their tip to
have completely cooled off before they swap them. The Pinecil has two extra locking screws on
the top and bottom, but then you can simply pull out the tip with pliers and insert a
new one. This takes a total of 17 seconds. The Miniware has no locking mechanism and
even features an ejector collet. However, the Miniware firmware crashes after inserting
the new tip and restarts, requiring you to set the temperature again. Even with the firmware
reboot, a tip swap only takes 20 seconds. The Hakko has a metal sleeve
and nut that get hot during use. You need to use pliers or gloves to unscrew it
when the iron is still hot. The tip then simply slides off and you can install a new one and
tighten the collar. The Hakko is the slowest yet, and it took me 33 seconds to complete.
The Weller has a plastic nut with the collar that doesn’t get as hot during use, so
you can use your bare fingers to unscrew it. The tip can be pulled out and a new one inserted. The
Weller pulls into second place at just 19 seconds. The Ersa also has a plastic nut that is very
easy to remove. However, it seems that the tip is actually jammed on the heater now. The tip already
felt weird installing it before this test while it was still cold, and on closer inspection it seems
like the coating on the tip might have flaked off and wedged itself into the very thin
gap between the heater and the tip. When changing tips on the Ersa, you always have
to push out the tip from this metal collar, so hot swaps are not the best idea in
the first place, and usually people end up buying a couple extra nuts and collars to
just leave permanently attached to their tips. Here are a couple of things I noticed or
learned during the tests. While there is some documentation on the IronOS firmware that runs on
the Pinecil, the Pinecil itself has no manual. For the TS80P, Miniware include only a very incomplete
manual, and a full manual is only available for the previous-generation TS80, but not thisTS80P.
I believe they are quite similar, though, but in either case you have to find that manual
yourself, it is also not included in the box. The cryptic abbreviations in the menu are explained
in there; for example, if you want the iron to start up with a temperature other than 300°C, you
have to explicitly set that in the menu. Honestly, I wouldn’t have figured that out.
The Miniware and the Pinecil have an accelerometer and wake up from their sleep
function simply by picking up the iron. The Hakko, Weller and Ersa require you to
push a button on the station to wake up. The Miniware also sometimes crashes and reboots
when you pick it up to wake it from standby. Lastly, the Ersa has no
rubber feet under the station, so it very easily slides around on a table. So which of these Irons would I recommend?
They each have unique features that none of the others can provide, but overall, my
favorites are the Pinecil and the Weller. The Pinecil is very cheap, and even after adding
a suitable power supply, is still by far the most affordable option in the bunch. It performs very
well, and is almost, but not quite comparable to the much larger Hakko. I think in a lot of cases,
the Pinecil will be a perfectly suitable option. The Miniware TS80P is better made than
the Pinecil, but its high base price, ridiculously expensive tips and the buggy firmware
make the Pinecil a universally better choice than the TS80P. Also, what’s the point of
having a 32-bit processor in a soldering iron when the software running on it isn’t any good?
The Hakko FX-888D is alright, but its soldering performance is at the bottom of the bunch of the
actual soldering stations and the tedious LED display menu isn’t doing it any favors, either.
The Weller WE1010 is actually the least flashy one of these stations, and I like it a lot
for that. The hardware is well-made, robust and most importantly, it’s incredibly easy to use.
The Ersa i-Con Nano is probably the hardest one to judge, and I like that it’s trying to be not
just another soldering station. It is definitely, by far, the best performing soldering setup on
this table, but I can’t shake the feeling that it’s trying to do too many things at once, and in
the process ends up forgetting what’s important to actually make a good product.
So I hope you enjoyed this not-very-3D-printing-related video, I had a lot
of fun making it, doing something different every now and then really helps to get those creative
juices flowing. Obviously, shoutout to Project Farm for the inspiration for the video style,
all these videos are viewer-supported, so maybe consider grabbing a YouTube membership, check out
Patreon, or just like, subscribe, share, that’s always appreciated, too. Thank you for watching,
keep on making and I’ll see you in the next one.
