30W Electronics DIY Soldering Iron (110V AC)

Pros: Excellent quality! Very nice.
Long flexible cord, comfortable handle,
no rough edges! Heats up fast! Good tip,
plating is nice.
1000% better than what you can get at harbor freight!

Cons: No cons! Excellent for modchipping, hobby, whatever!
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Other: Cheap, good! Buying more for spare!

Pros: Gets hot very quick
Small pointed tip
Handle does not get hot

Cons: Iron smokes when first plugged in, best to plug it in outside first and let the smoke burn off.
You can see the iron gets red hot just behind the tip, I hope it doesnt burn out from getting too hot.

Other: I think this is one of the only 110 volt soldering irons on the site and it does what it is supposed to, get hot quickly. For under 5 bucks you can start modding.
Would be nice if it came with a stand for a couple bucks more.

Pros: I don't know why, but I really enjoy using this soldering iron (and I've used a LOT of them in 30+ years as a hobyist). It's light, but *just* heavy enough that the weight of the cord won't drag it instantly off your desk or stand. The handle is cool and the tip is quite hot. The provided tip is reasonably good for fairly fine work. (see below) It's a cheery blue -- which shouldn't matter, but somehow does.

Cons: I like this soldering iron *but* I figured people would want a full description. If you are thinking of using it with other tips: it uses a long unthreaded shank (4mm diameter, total length ~ 6mm (2.4"), with about 42mm (1.75") in the barrel. You need that shaft length to pick up the full heat from the hollow heating core, so even though a threaded tip may fit, and be held by the two set screws, it won't heat well. I've had inexpensive soldering irons that came this kind of long unthreaded shank, and they served me well for years, but I don't think I've ever seen long unthreaded replacement tips in the stores or at DX. This isn't a big deal, since the tip it comes with is fine for through-hole PCB or even some SMD work, but you may wish you had a thicker tip for electrical wiring (e.g. soldering stranded power cord) or a chisel tip for SMD work. I'd still use it for those, but I've recently really come to appreciate the benefits of using "the right tip for the job" I actually bought this to do some tests on heat distribution with a PID soldering Iron controller I built, but it glows *quite* hot near the base of the tip, so I never used it for the measurements I intended. It was too hot for the Kaptan tape I used to hold the thermocouples (I have some higher temp kaptan tape on order) That's a little bit of a concern, and suggests that this iron may not be as long lived as others. The can also be hotter than I like when working in cramped spaces around wires. Barrel heat can melt nearby insulation and make a smelly smoke.

Other: This is a good basic soldering iron. Don't misread my detailed cons. That's just for your info. I'd still be likely to buy one of these again for general PCB work

Pros: Great for working with consoles, such as upgrading your 360's stock fan to 12v, soldering wire, or any basic need on small electronics.

Cons: Cord is a bit short, easily pulled and knocked over. Tip was loose and flew out of it one day, luckily it only hit the tile floor.

Other: Beginner in soldering like me? Get this, IMO, it's a great tool to start with, for $5, just buy it.

Pros: Very cheap (i checked at some local retail stores, and a comparable iron goes for about 3 times the price). Does what it's supposed to. Decent build quality.

Cons: Cord is a bit on the short side (between 3 and 4 feet), although this isn't a huge problem for me. Also, it would be nice if it came with a little stand but for the price, I'm not complaining.

Other: For the price, this soldering iron is a good buy.

Pros: very very cheap i've seen similar looking products going for for four times more than this price
it heats up really quickly and stays at a good temperature

Cons: the build quality is no that good
when I first received this tems the screws were loose so I had to tighten 'em up but after that it was just fine, I still have to tight them up from time to time though
when you first plug it in, i smokes for quite a white, a good 45 minutes in my case

Other: don't buy one, buy two!

Pros: very good and inexpensive it heats up extremely fast and does exactly what its intended to do. it is great for replacing batteries in ipods, and other electronics, also for modifying electronics

Cons: it smokes a little bit at first but that doesnt matter, just ignore it

Other: buy this to solder anything you need,and you can always help your friends with projects they need ass well.

Pros: This soldering iron heats up fairly quickly and works just as well as any other plug in iron style I've used aside from the fancy ones with temperature controls and bases (that also cost 20 / 30x as much). Didn't electrocute me like some others have mentioned. That's always a pro.

Cons: Smokes for a while when you first plug it in. I think this is a protective coating to keep the tip from corroding, so it's not really that much of a con? Just plug it in outdoors or somewhere with very good ventilation and you're good to go after about 30 minutes. Cord could be longer.

Other: Cheap and easy to use. Well worth the money.

Pros: I used it hot couple of times. It Good item on DX. Nice to have When soldering boards.
It does the work. With the Price its the best. Its ok like it for now.

Cons: it's smokes a little bit doesn't matter, just ignore it cuz it cheap. I like cheap things. Build Cheaply and its Fuzzy sum times. Practice on something first, don't screw up your systems. Practice on something first, don't screw up your systems.

Other: cheap and very cheap build cheap works ok will do for now will get a better one in future.

Pros: This was a great product and comes at a great price. Does exactly what its designed to do. Heats up relatively quickly also, so thats a bonus considering its price

Cons: It would have been better if it had a stand by itself, so it wouldnt just be laying there hot.

Other: Though i would've prefered a stand, for its price, cant ask for much more. Compared to ones out in the market, this is definitely a steal and I would most definitely recommend it to those looking to start off, or just looking for a cheap replacement