D'oh, you are absolutely correct. I was used to the slide in design of my TS80P. It works perfectly. But I then assume that won't work with the Hakko tips?
Oh dear, did you check it's manual? You need to unscrew locking nut, only after that insert the soldering iron tip and then screw back lock nut. It will prevent swiveling of the tip. Also it has very useful cover cap for iron tip, immediately after turning off, you can put on this cap on without waiting for tip to cool down. You can even put HS-01 in your pants and not worry that something will break or scratch your leg with that cap
@@EEVblog The soldering iron can work from T12 tips, but firstly, it is not limited by anything inside, as if it falls further than necessary. You can put some kind of restrictive tube on the T12 so that it does not allow the sting to fall further than necessary and there was contact and heating. But at the same time, the sting is not fixed with a nut. And since the resistance of the T12 tip is greater, the power of the soldering iron is less. There are similar short stings on the aliexpress, but they may have a differens with length, I found a photo in the reviews that they are slightly different and you have to put a wire ring on one side of the sting
I love using it, it's so ultra-minimal and neat. I've never had issues with disconnecting tips or the power because I use a decent laptop power block. Also, it's important to unscrew the metal thing before inserting tips because it's what holds the tip. It has lots of features, such as sleep more, etc. I absolutely love working with it, it's the best most minimal iron there is, so pleasant to work with.
Hi Dave, few tips for you and other people with similar soldering pens 1) The bad contact problem appears in most Hakko T12 derivates. Just insert the tip fully inside, rotate it few revs and it will be alright. Just some surface oxidation. 2) you were right about the compatibility with Hakko T12/T15 tips. They are significantly longer, and sometimes must not be fully inserted, just 1 or 2 mm from the end position. But they work. 3) if you were soldering for a longer time, these irons may heat up. There are two standards - T65 and SH72. They are very similar, but differ in length, approx 1cm. It's enough to make your hand less hot. Well, only of FNIRSI uses the shorter T65 standard. 4) directly heated soldering iron tips use copper core, then iron around it, plus chrome that doesn't let tin stick to it. These directly heated tips like T12 or C245 shouldn't be cleaned in wet sponge, as they will die pretty soon. Brass wool is perfectly fine though. 5) they should really consider shipping BC3 (3mm hoof) tip by default. It's far more useful and powerful, as it actually has the copper core almost to the end, while some K type ( knife) have the flat area entirely made of iron, and iron doesn't like to conduct heat very much. Anyway, hope that these tips on soldering tips would be helpful, and thanks for your videos.
I got this! So lovely to use. I was able to use a 22.5w usb C power bank. I worked so much better than I expected but I'm not so experienced soldering compared to someone like you. So awesome!
Pinecil V2 is probably the best new portable soldering iron. Only 26$, 60W, USB PD and barrel jack, mature firmware. Even has Bluetooth control for those who want to do custom integrations.
Pinecil V2 indeed is the best. it's actually more than 60W. It supports PD3.1 EPR, so it can handle 28v input from usb c. I use it with baseus 140w changer and it's a real beast. up to 126W
The pinecil V2 cost more than 60 eur in the EU. I don't get why the huge price difference of the pinecil between the USA and EU, but this cheap fnirsi iron is unbeatable on our market.
As other pointed out, you need to losen the nut to hold the tips in. This thing has become my favorite soldering iron over the last few weeks. I use it for literally everythign and I love it. It heats up fast, has proper power, doesn't roll and feels reasonably well made.
It's a bad look that he didn't read the manual and mentioned that as a negative observation. I happen to use a TP80P as my main iron and I've been very happy with it. I'm thinking of trying out the wireless ones, have you given them a go?
Been using a Sequre SI012 for nearly a year, almost daily. My expectations were low but it's been so reliable and nice to use. I love being able to change temps with a button while working, it heats up really quick, and you can see all the guts.
Gotta give a nod to the cap, if you primarily get by with one tip you don't necessarily need a separate case for it, just cap it and throw it in the kit. Also if it's modelled off the oldschool irons then it should be heat resistant.
I use a TS100 generally but I'm no fan boy I don't like the plastic case or ergonomics particularly but when I got it the TS80 was the only real alternative but being USB only killed it for me. That's changing now with irons like Pinecil and there is now a TS101 with dual inputs.
There's some now that are the body of a vape pen but with a soldering tip, so they run off 1 or 2 18650 lithium ion cells. Not as powerful but very portable and rechargeable by USB.
The Pinecil is only US$26 and goes up to -72W- (version 2 goes up to 120W)! It doesnt come with a power brick, but at least it holds on to the tips properly.
I power mine either from an old laptop charger I got at a thrift store, or with the PinePower USB PSU, or from a DeWalt drill battery with an adapter to DC jack,
@@PedroDaGr8 it's not on pine's specs for the v2 but with a 28v usb-pd psu it'll draw 110w to heat up, tested by one of the people that contribute to IronOS
I would still use my Pinecil. Which is a clone of the Miniware TS100, but with both DC jack and USB-C PD. And it comes with IronOS preinstalled. And it is also $26 The TS101 does have the 2 plugs but no IronOS.
My Pinecil v1 never could negotiate PD more than 9W (or something around that), even after updating the firmware. I tried every laptop USB-C power brick I could get my hands on (90W, 120W, 150W). It finally put itself out of misery by dying (sort of - dead screen) when I tried to connect with a barrel connector. Now it heats itself when connecting to USB, but only inside the handle not the tip. So there are a lot of things which can go wrong with Pinecil. Don't believe the fanboys ! Google it !
I know this is an old video, but the $30 option is for the iron and tip only. You don't get the 65W supply or sexy cable for that much. They are about $25 more.
Two thumbs up for the short mailbag excerpt, and the nifty soldering iron! Amazing what $30 gets you. Maybe get a Pinecil and do some kinda shootout with the TS80 and this iron? 👍
Heh, You over there mr. professional think these things aren't for use with the plug pack. However for us amateurs, these things are better than soldering stations up to a substantial hobbyist investment price point. Well after the nice oscilloscope on my priority list.
A Hakko 888 (or whatever equivalent) is a hundred bucks US. If you don't have a real iron you're kidding yourself. I shudder to imagine what you think a "nice" scope's price point ought to be; I have a Rigol MSO and I still don't consider it "nice". They say it's a poor workman who blames his tools, but it's a worse one still who doesn't understand the limits of the tools he's got.
I've been using one of these for months now and love it! It heats up so quick. Also I heard you should use brass wool and not a wet sponge to clean the tip. The wet sponge could ruin the tip. Not sure why, of if that's even true. I'm perfectly happy with the brass for all my soldering, TBH. Paired with good USB bank this has become one of my favorite portable tools
I actually bought myself some 510 (vaping devices socket) soldering iron pieces: 8W and 20W ones, and I'm quite happy with them for now. Yes, they won't do you beefier soldering joints, but for smaller jobs they actually serve me well, and they have several kinds of tips.
I gotta point that the whole kit is closed to 80 bux rather than 30. 30 is the iron, one tip and a chinsy adapter to a barrel jack. No fancy cable, multiple tips or charger included
Dave , it would seem you did what many of us do - do not read the instructions ;) , the box at 0:28 shows that the knurled cone is screwed off - insert tip - then screw cone back one ? Then maybe the tip with not " disconnect " ---- ? Thanks again
@EEVblog I got it few months ago. I don't experience temperature jumps at all, my startup is a lot smotther, just few stops at few temperatures (might be just PID calibration thing) and than stays at temp with no problems. I use 100W powerbank or 100w power brick. It might help to lower the voltage depending on power source.
I would love to see a shootout between all these portable soldering irons (and a pinecil too if possible) to see which ones do best on a lower power budget. I already carry around a 30W PD battery bank with wireless charging for my phone and I'd love to see which iron does best with that. I'm obviously aware of the benefits of these attached to a brick but I'd be buying it mostly as a backup for on the road.
The Pinecil tips DOUBLE the price of the iron. And when you need to replace one, you have to buy 4 And only from one place. Yeah, you can use TS100 clones, but then you don't gain the advantages of the Pinecil V2 extra wattage.
My Pinecil v1 could never negotiate PD more than 9W (or something around that), even after updating the firmware. I tried every laptop USB-C power brick I could get my hands on (90W, 120W, 150W). It finally put itself out of misery by dying (sort of - dead screen) when I tried to connect with a barrel connector. Now it heats itself when connecting to USB, but only inside the handle not the tip. So there are a lot of things which can go wrong with Pinecil. Don't believe the fanboys ! Google it !
this is amazing! wow only 30$ and its crazy lol :) but its 30$ without cable brick and other tips its 60 to 70 with that silicone cable , brick, and few tips just checked.
Did you force the PD output on the 48P? Why would you need to turn PD on unless you mean the PD trigger feature it has, which forces PD at the voltage you have to select, meaning you can force 20v into a lower voltage device by accident. Am I missing something here? What is the input USB C cable on the 48p connected to that it didn't just send the voltage requested by the iron.
Well just received mine. Received from one of the famous stores. Didn't include the usb-c to jack thing cable and the stand while they said it was included. Not happy about that one.
Hey Dave, fair review I thought. I’ve owned and been using one now for a few weeks after watching Richard at Learn electronics repair channel. Bought it to replace my very tired old Weller pu-2d iron. I purchased the full kit which comes with a usb to laptop charger adapter and loads of tips. I’ve been using the iron on the laptop charger and can confirm it heats up fast and holds its heat well using a better supply. Don’t know what your one was doing going up and down when you first used it ? Never seen mine do that, even under load on heavy ground planes I found the same as you. It would do it but it took time, even with the bc3 tip. I’d like to know how to tear it down and replace the usb port and what one it takes as I can see this being a failure point in the future. Brill review cheers Dave !!
Does anyone here have any recommendations of channels similar to EEVblog that do a lot of audio equipment teardown, design, and such? Like how to properly isolate DAC outputs, ADC inputs, filter audible noise, etc.? I've found a few channels, but I'm specifically looking for ones this community has found to be valuable.
I already have ts100 and Pinecil in my arsenal. Please suggest something similar portable for micro soldering. It’s just for a quick rework of decently larger smd components (larger than 0402 size). Main drawback of pinecil is the length of the tip. Too large for micro soldering applications in the field. I had to replace capacitors on a few boards in a remote place. I didn’t have enough replacement boards at that time. Had to solder directly.
the 30$ is surely the price for just the iron -- the 80$ for the ts80 is usually what it went for WITH the charger, the iron itself was also around $40 .. bit more expensive but, way sexier
The charger bundle with extra tip and liquid silicone 65w cable, and stand, and 65w charger, does seem to reflect a more expensive bundle.. the offer around 30 seems to be the most barebone.
The OLED display on my TS80 is almost completely burnt out, but it's okay because I set it up one time and never feel the need to change anything in it.
The temperature jumping around is probably from a bad connection since it doesn't hold the tip securely. It needs a more robust power connector, I doubt it will take long for that USB C connector to get broken off.
i think the A$30 is for the iron itself with no tips, for the whole kit, with pd supply, cable, extra tips, its like A$117 ish... so you should note that in your video
Get the Alientek T80P, supports 100w and supports JBC tips so you got a option of a ton of tips, performance is great, best portable iron and price is great, around 40usd
Why didn’t they just add a threaded retainer for the tip, like in other soldering irons. That and the temperature reading are the only drawbacks I see.
They did. The clue is the knurling around the metal collar where the iron meets the tip. The collar screws down after passing over the tip and onto the body.
It looks pretty nice though far from perfect, and the big grip looks reassuring. Hell, I wonder if that crazy Czech guy will make a video on it too. He seems to be the to-go Fnirsi review guy lately.
based on the thumbnail I can already tell it is too good to be true. edit- surprised how capable it is, but I think I will just try not to do any soldering in the field to begin with haha.
be carefull: dynamic pricing so that the price increases over time and has reached over 34$ and of cause without that GAN charger, just the bare soldering ircon for that price. Even though I had ordered one with 2 tips from another store which filled up the next 20$ to get another 2$ discount. And I appreciate the move to Type C which is available more or less everywhere you find a smartphone, tablet or Laptop nowadays.
@@EEVblog Gonna be honest, I prefer old fatter Dave, even if he does only update once a week. But as long as Skinny Dave doesn't turn into a Shorts channel she'll be right.
A question: is it not worth looking inside these plug packs from Ali express (and eBay, etc.) and examine the safety margins when doing these reviews? I've been wary of anything plugged into the wall from these cheap sites ever since seeing the blog posts dissecting cheap knockoff Apple chargers. Are these concerns outdated?
No, they are more than current. You should only buy plugpacks that have GENUINE certification for your country. Generally that means only buy from a local "bricks amd mortar" retailer, and never from China directly.
@@johncoops6897 Thanks, that's what I've been thinking as well. If there's no local importer with legal liability in the same country, then don't buy any 220 V stuff.
One cool idea for those that may not want to buy a separate iron, lot of power tool companies like Ryobi sell mini inverters that run off their tool batteries, great way to power a plug in solder iron, or even a scope, out in the field. Good way to float a scope too. ;)
Seconded (although I've taken the plunge and ordered one anyway - fingers crossed. There's a couple of thorough reviews by others though and it looks decent)
@@kd1010163 - don't bother with any Dave Jones review of anything cheap. There are many UA-camrs who review products fairly and with consideration of their price, instead of making the negative decision before even plugging them in.
@@johncoops6897 plus 25% danish VAT and even more expensive shipping, which makes it hmm yeah expensive here in northern Europe, where we look at these non CN-taxed countries like AU & US etc with price envy.
My Pinecil v1 never could negotiate PD more than 9W (or something around that), even after updating the firmware. I tried every laptop USB-C power brick I could get my hands on (90W, 120W, 150W). It finally put itself out of misery by dying (sort of - dead screen) when I tried to connect with a barrel connector. Now it heats itself when connecting to USB, but only inside the handle not the tip. So there are a lot of things which can go wrong with Pinecil. Don't believe the fanboys ! Google it !
I prefer the gas powered ones tbh. They can get stupid hot if you need and have heat blower attachments as well. In the shed i will stick to the Weller :)
I gotta say, this has to be the most positive review of a low price China product I think I've ever heard Dave give, I mean correct me if I'm wrong. But now I want one and they're $90 🤣
That's a crappy one. My ts100 is 80 dollars and heats up incredibly fast, reads accurately and has better screwdown tips. So little handhelds can be good
Hey, there's no reason why someone cant attain expert-level soldering skills using only conical tips! Back in 1985, some of us only had conical tips! That Archer 15W iron.. it'll make a man out of ya! I dare say I am now a soldering expert, with decades of experience, and I can solder a QFN100 with a lukewarm potato, and I prefer conical tips!
Portable yes, but unusable without a suitable length, super flexible cable, the type that seem to be unobtainable as a replacement, so these type of irons are ultimately destined for the junk pile. The user interface is also dire, although this one might possibly be better than the TS80/100.
you have to take the nut off .. then slide the tip in .. then put the nut back on and it will hold the tip in using the ring on the soldering tip..
D'oh, you are absolutely correct. I was used to the slide in design of my TS80P. It works perfectly. But I then assume that won't work with the Hakko tips?
i was thinking the same thing. looks like as you get older you have to read the manuals :P
The innuendos, I can't take it lol
This will probably stop the apparent temperature swings as well.
@@Chriva Just the tip?
Well, looking at the comments, it seems like the Pinecil fanboys have taken over from the rabid TS100 fanboys.
Yep. They are pretty good
Hakko is now dead to me aside from the tips. Good bye my beloved stations
I mean, the Pinecil is basically a unofficial TS100 update for a cheaper price.
Makes sense fans of the TS100 would convert over.
@@-DeScruff Miniware released the TS101 after the Pinecil had already taken over. And it is not as good as Pinecil for 3 times the price.
@@rasungod0 - since Dave only judges thing on price, that means the Pinecil is 3 times worse than the TS... and 20 times worse than a Hakko 😂
@@rasungod0 I agree with you 100% they miss their target with the ts101,Sequre is doing much better and Pinecil too
Oh dear, did you check it's manual? You need to unscrew locking nut, only after that insert the soldering iron tip and then screw back lock nut. It will prevent swiveling of the tip. Also it has very useful cover cap for iron tip, immediately after turning off, you can put on this cap on without waiting for tip to cool down. You can even put HS-01 in your pants and not worry that something will break or scratch your leg with that cap
Yes, I already pinned a comment about this. I assume this won't work for Hakko tips though?
@@EEVblog The soldering iron can work from T12 tips, but firstly, it is not limited by anything inside, as if it falls further than necessary. You can put some kind of restrictive tube on the T12 so that it does not allow the sting to fall further than necessary and there was contact and heating. But at the same time, the sting is not fixed with a nut. And since the resistance of the T12 tip is greater, the power of the soldering iron is less. There are similar short stings on the aliexpress, but they may have a differens with length, I found a photo in the reviews that they are slightly different and you have to put a wire ring on one side of the sting
I love using it, it's so ultra-minimal and neat. I've never had issues with disconnecting tips or the power because I use a decent laptop power block. Also, it's important to unscrew the metal thing before inserting tips because it's what holds the tip. It has lots of features, such as sleep more, etc.
I absolutely love working with it, it's the best most minimal iron there is, so pleasant to work with.
Hi Dave, few tips for you and other people with similar soldering pens
1) The bad contact problem appears in most Hakko T12 derivates. Just insert the tip fully inside, rotate it few revs and it will be alright. Just some surface oxidation.
2) you were right about the compatibility with Hakko T12/T15 tips. They are significantly longer, and sometimes must not be fully inserted, just 1 or 2 mm from the end position. But they work.
3) if you were soldering for a longer time, these irons may heat up. There are two standards - T65 and SH72. They are very similar, but differ in length, approx 1cm. It's enough to make your hand less hot. Well, only of FNIRSI uses the shorter T65 standard.
4) directly heated soldering iron tips use copper core, then iron around it, plus chrome that doesn't let tin stick to it. These directly heated tips like T12 or C245 shouldn't be cleaned in wet sponge, as they will die pretty soon. Brass wool is perfectly fine though.
5) they should really consider shipping BC3 (3mm hoof) tip by default. It's far more useful and powerful, as it actually has the copper core almost to the end, while some K type ( knife) have the flat area entirely made of iron, and iron doesn't like to conduct heat very much.
Anyway, hope that these tips on soldering tips would be helpful, and thanks for your videos.
they're shipping with BC2 as stock kit now 🎉
@jiribekr Do you recommend using Hakko T12 tip with this HS? because Hakko tip is 4cm longer, more difficult to handle?
I got this! So lovely to use. I was able to use a 22.5w usb C power bank. I worked so much better than I expected but I'm not so experienced soldering compared to someone like you. So awesome!
Pinecil V2 is probably the best new portable soldering iron. Only 26$, 60W, USB PD and barrel jack, mature firmware. Even has Bluetooth control for those who want to do custom integrations.
Pinecil V2 indeed is the best. it's actually more than 60W. It supports PD3.1 EPR, so it can handle 28v input from usb c. I use it with baseus 140w changer and it's a real beast. up to 126W
I agree. I hardly ever turn on the Weller anymore.
Pinecil ships with a useless tip and you have to buy a 4-pack of tips to get a better tip.
The pinecil V2 cost more than 60 eur in the EU. I don't get why the huge price difference of the pinecil between the USA and EU, but this cheap fnirsi iron is unbeatable on our market.
Love my Pinecil! I use it a LOT.
The initial temperature fluctuation is a feature. All Chinese T12 series tips do this.
Just "burn" them at 400°C for a while and then they work fine.
As other pointed out, you need to losen the nut to hold the tips in.
This thing has become my favorite soldering iron over the last few weeks. I use it for literally everythign and I love it. It heats up fast, has proper power, doesn't roll and feels reasonably well made.
It's a bad look that he didn't read the manual and mentioned that as a negative observation. I happen to use a TP80P as my main iron and I've been very happy with it. I'm thinking of trying out the wireless ones, have you given them a go?
Been using a Sequre SI012 for nearly a year, almost daily. My expectations were low but it's been so reliable and nice to use. I love being able to change temps with a button while working, it heats up really quick, and you can see all the guts.
I like this shorter one item mailbag. Much easier to watch.
Gotta give a nod to the cap, if you primarily get by with one tip you don't necessarily need a separate case for it, just cap it and throw it in the kit. Also if it's modelled off the oldschool irons then it should be heat resistant.
Yeah, forgot to mention that you can put it away when it's still hot, that's handy.
Who knew vaping would affect the quality of soldering irons.. amazing
I use a TS100 generally but I'm no fan boy I don't like the plastic case or ergonomics particularly but when I got it the TS80 was the only real alternative but being USB only killed it for me. That's changing now with irons like Pinecil and there is now a TS101 with dual inputs.
I'm glad someone let him know about the nut Retainer for the tip👍
Looks much better then the propane types for mobile work.
There's some now that are the body of a vape pen but with a soldering tip, so they run off 1 or 2 18650 lithium ion cells. Not as powerful but very portable and rechargeable by USB.
The Pinecil is only US$26 and goes up to -72W- (version 2 goes up to 120W)! It doesnt come with a power brick, but at least it holds on to the tips properly.
The Pinecil V2 with IronOS firmware will go up to 120W if you can supply the voltage for it
I power mine either from an old laptop charger I got at a thrift store, or with the PinePower USB PSU, or from a DeWalt drill battery with an adapter to DC jack,
@@Motolav Wow! I didn't know that. Updated my comment.
@@PedroDaGr8 it's not on pine's specs for the v2 but with a 28v usb-pd psu it'll draw 110w to heat up, tested by one of the people that contribute to IronOS
There's nothing wrong with it, he clearly just didn't put the tip in properly. The nut obviously holds it in when done correctly.
I would still use my Pinecil. Which is a clone of the Miniware TS100, but with both DC jack and USB-C PD. And it comes with IronOS preinstalled. And it is also $26
The TS101 does have the 2 plugs but no IronOS.
Give it time, I'm sure they'll port IronOS to the TS101.
@@MMuraseofSandvich I believe that since Miniware started using st32 clones, ironOS doesn't support them. This may have changed
My Pinecil v1 never could negotiate PD more than 9W (or something around that), even after updating the firmware. I tried every laptop USB-C power brick I could get my hands on (90W, 120W, 150W). It finally put itself out of misery by dying (sort of - dead screen) when I tried to connect with a barrel connector. Now it heats itself when connecting to USB, but only inside the handle not the tip. So there are a lot of things which can go wrong with Pinecil. Don't believe the fanboys ! Google it !
I know this is an old video, but the $30 option is for the iron and tip only. You don't get the 65W supply or sexy cable for that much. They are about $25 more.
Those very long videos I can only watch on the weekend, so I very much like the idea of shorter mailbag segments!
Two thumbs up for the short mailbag excerpt, and the nifty soldering iron! Amazing what $30 gets you. Maybe get a Pinecil and do some kinda shootout with the TS80 and this iron? 👍
Heh, You over there mr. professional think these things aren't for use with the plug pack.
However for us amateurs, these things are better than soldering stations up to a substantial hobbyist investment price point. Well after the nice oscilloscope on my priority list.
A Hakko 888 (or whatever equivalent) is a hundred bucks US. If you don't have a real iron you're kidding yourself. I shudder to imagine what you think a "nice" scope's price point ought to be; I have a Rigol MSO and I still don't consider it "nice".
They say it's a poor workman who blames his tools, but it's a worse one still who doesn't understand the limits of the tools he's got.
A nice review video
I've been using one of these for months now and love it! It heats up so quick. Also I heard you should use brass wool and not a wet sponge to clean the tip. The wet sponge could ruin the tip. Not sure why, of if that's even true. I'm perfectly happy with the brass for all my soldering, TBH. Paired with good USB bank this has become one of my favorite portable tools
Good to see you rating the cheap hobby grade gear. I’m gonna get myself one
Ah glad this ended well, just bought one.
The price that Dave mentions is for the iron with one tip but without power adapter.
Not sure if there was a deal before including the power adapter.
I actually bought myself some 510 (vaping devices socket) soldering iron pieces: 8W and 20W ones, and I'm quite happy with them for now.
Yes, they won't do you beefier soldering joints, but for smaller jobs they actually serve me well, and they have several kinds of tips.
Why waste my time if you operate it incorrectly, just remove the video and upload another one.
Dave, totaly the wrong iron :( The one to go for is the E210 with the 3 tips, as badged by NorthridgeFix !
I gotta point that the whole kit is closed to 80 bux rather than 30. 30 is the iron, one tip and a chinsy adapter to a barrel jack. No fancy cable, multiple tips or charger included
Dave , it would seem you did what many of us do - do not read the instructions ;) , the box at 0:28 shows that the knurled cone is screwed off - insert tip - then screw cone back one ?
Then maybe the tip with not " disconnect " ---- ?
Thanks again
@EEVblog I got it few months ago. I don't experience temperature jumps at all, my startup is a lot smotther, just few stops at few temperatures (might be just PID calibration thing) and than stays at temp with no problems. I use 100W powerbank or 100w power brick. It might help to lower the voltage depending on power source.
The manual that Dave never reads covers the temperature glitches, which occur if your power source is insufficient.
I would love to see a shootout between all these portable soldering irons (and a pinecil too if possible) to see which ones do best on a lower power budget. I already carry around a 30W PD battery bank with wireless charging for my phone and I'd love to see which iron does best with that. I'm obviously aware of the benefits of these attached to a brick but I'd be buying it mostly as a backup for on the road.
That kit shipped is $114AUD & the basic iron set is $42.63AUD, calibration between those T12 tips will vary by ~100degC
Another Pinecil fanboy here. Open source, well built, and great price. Can't go wrong with the Pinecil.
Except the tips
The Pinecil tips DOUBLE the price of the iron. And when you need to replace one, you have to buy 4 And only from one place.
Yeah, you can use TS100 clones, but then you don't gain the advantages of the Pinecil V2 extra wattage.
My Pinecil v1 could never negotiate PD more than 9W (or something around that), even after updating the firmware. I tried every laptop USB-C power brick I could get my hands on (90W, 120W, 150W). It finally put itself out of misery by dying (sort of - dead screen) when I tried to connect with a barrel connector. Now it heats itself when connecting to USB, but only inside the handle not the tip. So there are a lot of things which can go wrong with Pinecil. Don't believe the fanboys ! Google it !
this is amazing! wow only 30$ and its crazy lol :) but its 30$ without cable brick and other tips its 60 to 70 with that silicone cable , brick, and few tips just checked.
Did you force the PD output on the 48P? Why would you need to turn PD on unless you mean the PD trigger feature it has, which forces PD at the voltage you have to select, meaning you can force 20v into a lower voltage device by accident. Am I missing something here? What is the input USB C cable on the 48p connected to that it didn't just send the voltage requested by the iron.
I think, the new Sequre S60 is the killer of all portable irons. It uses the JBC 210 tips, and works a treat.
Thanks for your video. To be fair i guess a new review is needed after using the screw to tighten the tip 😊
Well just received mine. Received from one of the famous stores. Didn't include the usb-c to jack thing cable and the stand while they said it was included. Not happy about that one.
Hey Dave, fair review I thought. I’ve owned and been using one now for a few weeks after watching Richard at Learn electronics repair channel. Bought it to replace my very tired old Weller pu-2d iron. I purchased the full kit which comes with a usb to laptop charger adapter and loads of tips. I’ve been using the iron on the laptop charger and can confirm it heats up fast and holds its heat well using a better supply. Don’t know what your one was doing going up and down when you first used it ? Never seen mine do that, even under load on heavy ground planes I found the same as you. It would do it but it took time, even with the bc3 tip. I’d like to know how to tear it down and replace the usb port and what one it takes as I can see this being a failure point in the future. Brill review cheers Dave !!
GOOD IRON ALL GOOD NEW SHORT VIDS. ALLLL GOOD HERE
Dang, these things are evolving fast!
Agreed.
thank you
ive been looking for a good field soldering iron hope you get into options on the market .
.
Does anyone here have any recommendations of channels similar to EEVblog that do a lot of audio equipment teardown, design, and such? Like how to properly isolate DAC outputs, ADC inputs, filter audible noise, etc.?
I've found a few channels, but I'm specifically looking for ones this community has found to be valuable.
There's an English guy - 'learn electronics' or something like that, he covers audio equipment repair amongst other stuff.
I already have ts100 and Pinecil in my arsenal. Please suggest something similar portable for micro soldering. It’s just for a quick rework of decently larger smd components (larger than 0402 size). Main drawback of pinecil is the length of the tip. Too large for micro soldering applications in the field. I had to replace capacitors on a few boards in a remote place. I didn’t have enough replacement boards at that time. Had to solder directly.
I see you are a fan of the ILS tip from Hakko. I use an ILS tip on my TS-100 soldering iron.
the 30$ is surely the price for just the iron -- the 80$ for the ts80 is usually what it went for WITH the charger, the iron itself was also around $40 .. bit more expensive but, way sexier
I showed what you get for the $30, charger included.
@@EEVblog You sure about that? I didn't see any listing that included the charger for that price. Used your link too.
The charger bundle with extra tip and liquid silicone 65w cable, and stand, and 65w charger, does seem to reflect a more expensive bundle.. the offer around 30 seems to be the most barebone.
The OLED display on my TS80 is almost completely burnt out, but it's okay because I set it up one time and never feel the need to change anything in it.
The temperature jumping around is probably from a bad connection since it doesn't hold the tip securely.
It needs a more robust power connector, I doubt it will take long for that USB C connector to get broken off.
No, I think it's the firmware sensing and tracking.
The instruction manual explains why it's occurring. And Dave didn't assemble the product correctly, hence tips falling out.
I will buy it for the charger and type-c cable, can you do a teardown video about the charger? Can we use them on smartphone charging, is it safe?
i think the A$30 is for the iron itself with no tips, for the whole kit, with pd supply, cable, extra tips, its like A$117 ish... so you should note that in your video
The portable iron makers should get together and standardize tips. Use the same heater resistance of 6 ohms and same physical dimensions etc.
Get the Alientek T80P, supports 100w and supports JBC tips so you got a option of a ton of tips, performance is great, best portable iron and price is great, around 40usd
Why didn’t they just add a threaded retainer for the tip, like in other soldering irons. That and the temperature reading are the only drawbacks I see.
They did. The clue is the knurling around the metal collar where the iron meets the tip. The collar screws down after passing over the tip and onto the body.
Bought it with your affiliate link. Thabks Dave!
t12 tips? I might have to buy one of these immediately.
It looks pretty nice though far from perfect, and the big grip looks reassuring. Hell, I wonder if that crazy Czech guy will make a video on it too. He seems to be the to-go Fnirsi review guy lately.
Mr. D G Wild?
@@_BangDroid_ no other! :)
I love when cheap chinease stuff has a metal case, it's very nice for very cheap
Nice! I bought a smart watch for about 190 euro and it doesn't support the hand swap function.
based on the thumbnail I can already tell it is too good to be true.
edit- surprised how capable it is, but I think I will just try not to do any soldering in the field to begin with haha.
be carefull: dynamic pricing so that the price increases over time and has reached over 34$
and of cause without that GAN charger, just the bare soldering ircon for that price.
Even though I had ordered one with 2 tips from another store which filled up the next 20$ to get another 2$ discount.
And I appreciate the move to Type C which is available more or less everywhere you find a smartphone, tablet or Laptop nowadays.
Looking at the image, it doesn't look like the kit with the charger was ever $30. The selected item option is the smallest kit.
@@mdfyui8000 Nicely spotted. Yeah, confirmed, $30 without the charger. $40 with the charger from one seller.
Thanks for cheering me up. ps just bought the pine iron which is sim and grrrrreat. :)
Pretty short video dave we want more
This is a new slimmer Dave.
@@EEVblog Gonna be honest, I prefer old fatter Dave, even if he does only update once a week. But as long as Skinny Dave doesn't turn into a Shorts channel she'll be right.
It doesn't come with a carrying case because it has a cap (which I find brilliant and too rare on portable irons)
it's not really $30 as shown here, with the power adapter, nice cable and accessories it's more like $90
What kind of power brick should be used with this? I'm interested in getting one for field work.
A PD 3.0 one rated minimum 100W (20V 5A).
It's easy to fix the loosely problem and it's really cheap to use, great!
There is no need to fix anything about the loose tip. You simply need to read the instruction manual and fit the tips correctly.
Dave, just get the nut on the handle oit and slide the tip in and lock the nut.
A question: is it not worth looking inside these plug packs from Ali express (and eBay, etc.) and examine the safety margins when doing these reviews?
I've been wary of anything plugged into the wall from these cheap sites ever since seeing the blog posts dissecting cheap knockoff Apple chargers. Are these concerns outdated?
No, they are more than current. You should only buy plugpacks that have GENUINE certification for your country. Generally that means only buy from a local "bricks amd mortar" retailer, and never from China directly.
@@johncoops6897 Thanks, that's what I've been thinking as well. If there's no local importer with legal liability in the same country, then don't buy any 220 V stuff.
One cool idea for those that may not want to buy a separate iron, lot of power tool companies like Ryobi sell mini inverters that run off their tool batteries, great way to power a plug in solder iron, or even a scope, out in the field. Good way to float a scope too. ;)
ITS 72$ not 30$!
34$ is WITHOUT power adapter.
Can you check the hs 2?
Seconded (although I've taken the plunge and ordered one anyway - fingers crossed. There's a couple of thorough reviews by others though and it looks decent)
Thanks for the video. I've never heard anyone refer to a soldering iron as sexy 😂
I have it and I love it!
What power supply would people recommend for this? 🤔
I hope you're able to check out the $33 portable mini scope from the same company. Looks interesting.
FNIRSI 138 Pro Oscilloscope
I've looked at several, they are pretty crap.
@@EEVblog I've seen and enjoyed your past video's on low cost, mini scopes. Thank you for being a UA-camr that interacts with your audience.
@@kd1010163 - don't bother with any Dave Jones review of anything cheap. There are many UA-camrs who review products fairly and with consideration of their price, instead of making the negative decision before even plugging them in.
I think the best budget is the one that takes T12 tips
i bought one for 5$ it actually solders..tho for some rreason it does not keep power bank on ..at least tip does not pop out
You know what would be awesome sauce? A Pinecil that can accept TS80 series tips.
21$ with full tip set you could find with shipping. Looks gr8 for that money.
the 88w pinecil is $26
PLUS DELIVERY which makes it quite expensive here in AU.
@@johncoops6897 plus 25% danish VAT and even more expensive shipping, which makes it hmm yeah expensive here in northern Europe, where we look at these non CN-taxed countries like AU & US etc with price envy.
Grrr - UA-cam deleted my long previous reply. Paskiaiset (finnish) 😢
My Pinecil v1 never could negotiate PD more than 9W (or something around that), even after updating the firmware. I tried every laptop USB-C power brick I could get my hands on (90W, 120W, 150W). It finally put itself out of misery by dying (sort of - dead screen) when I tried to connect with a barrel connector. Now it heats itself when connecting to USB, but only inside the handle not the tip. So there are a lot of things which can go wrong with Pinecil. Don't believe the fanboys ! Google it !
don't spill water on the manual - read it. the tip is inserted different
Same problem with tips as GVDA300 :( It is great solder but since tips disconnecting all the time it becoming basically useless.
Dave simply assembled it wrong. There is definitely ZERO issue with loose tips with this product.
£36 is the cheapest I can find in the UK and that does not come with either the PSU or the cable.
Is it actually that powerful? Just curious since most of these super cheap items lie about their stats.
I prefer the gas powered ones tbh. They can get stupid hot if you need and have heat blower attachments as well.
In the shed i will stick to the Weller :)
Try Pinecil v2 with 140W PD3.1 power supply
Thats what I got too.
I gotta say, this has to be the most positive review of a low price China product I think I've ever heard Dave give, I mean correct me if I'm wrong. But now I want one and they're $90 🤣
So ditch my butane one?
Would love to see that against fx951-51
Love my TS80P but the tips are NOT cheap.
And very nice for Soldering Iron Wood Art 😎
could it be that the tip is slightly loose to accommodate for heat expansion of the metals?
That's a crappy one. My ts100 is 80 dollars and heats up incredibly fast, reads accurately and has better screwdown tips.
So little handhelds can be good
Hey, there's no reason why someone cant attain expert-level soldering skills using only conical tips! Back in 1985, some of us only had conical tips! That Archer 15W iron.. it'll make a man out of ya! I dare say I am now a soldering expert, with decades of experience, and I can solder a QFN100 with a lukewarm potato, and I prefer conical tips!
A USB c adaptor for 18v power tool battery would work great!
Capable of 96W according to them. Not bad at all if accurate
Portable yes, but unusable without a suitable length, super flexible cable, the type that seem to be unobtainable as a replacement, so these type of irons are ultimately destined for the junk pile. The user interface is also dire, although this one might possibly be better than the TS80/100.