The Pinecil soldering iron is surprisingly good
I've been a longtime user of the TS100 soldering iron, and have been happy with it. This viewer donation is a nice step up and improvement over the TS100. I'm very impressed with it, especially considering the price.
Note, this may be the last Mid-Week-Mini-Mail-Call. I'll be posting most Mail call items on the second channel from now on.
-- Info
Pinecil by PINE64
The tip I use is the BC2 tip -- I recommend this as the best one for the TS100/Pinecil
-- Video Links
The Pinecil:
www.pine64.org/pinecil/
Pinecil Store:
pine64.com/product-category/p...
PinePower Desktop Power Supply:
pine64.com/product/pinepower-...
Adrian's Digital Basement ][ (Second Channel)
/ @adriansdigitalbasement2
Support the channel on Patreon:
/ adriansdigitalbasement
-- Tools
Deoxit D5:
amzn.to/2VvOKy1
store.caig.com/s.nl/it.A/id.16...
O-Ring Pick Set: (I use these to lift chips off boards)
amzn.to/3a9x54J
Elenco Electronics LP-560 Logic Probe:
amzn.to/2VrT5lW
Hakko FR301 Desoldering Iron:
amzn.to/2ye6xC0
Rigol DS1054Z Four Channel Oscilloscope:
www.rigolna.com/products/digi...
Head Worn Magnifying Goggles / Dual Lens Flip-In Head Magnifier:
amzn.to/3adRbuy
TL866II Plus Chip Tester and EPROM programmer: (The MiniPro)
amzn.to/2wG4tlP
www.aliexpress.com/item/33000...
TS100 Soldering Iron:
amzn.to/2K36dJ5
www.ebay.com/itm/TS100-65W-MI...
EEVBlog 121GW Multimeter:
www.eevblog.com/product/121gw/
DSLogic Basic Logic Analyzer:
amzn.to/2RDSDQw
www.ebay.com/itm/USB-Logic-DS...
Magnetic Screw Holder:
amzn.to/3b8LOhG
www.harborfreight.com/4-inch-...
Universal ZIP sockets: (clones, used on my ZIF-64 test machine)
www.ebay.com/itm/14-16-18-20-...
RetroTink 2X Upconverter: (to hook up something like a C64 to HDMI)
www.retrotink.com/
Plato (Clone) Side Cutters: (order five)
www.ebay.com/itm/1-2-5-10PCS-...
Heat Sinks:
www.aliexpress.com/item/32537...
Little squeezy bottles: (available elsewhere too)
amzn.to/3b8LOOI
--- Links
My GitHub repository:
github.com/misterblack1?tab=r...
Commodore Computer Club / Vancouver, WA - Portland, OR - PDX Commodore Users Group
www.commodorecomputerclub.com/
--- Instructional videos
My video on damage-free chip removal:
• How to remove chips wi...
--- Music
Intro music and other tracks by:
Nathan Divino
@itsnathandivino
The technology of the bits is quite clever. The outer sheath is referenced to the ground screw, but not the supply, which is good because most ungrounded chargers have quite high AC leakage that could damage some components. Both the heater and temperature sensor seem to share just two connections. I believe the heating element is in series with a thermocouple. To sense the temperature the soldering iron turns the power off to the element briefly and looks at the voltage coming back from the thermocouple. My preference is for the chisel tip too. Bigger mass and gives control over contact area. I tried buying one of these from Pinecil, but despite having a shipping option for the Isle of Man on their site they contacted me and said they wouldn't ship it here, then refunded my money.
I want one of these too, do you know if they ship it to the Netherlands?
If you say it's good Clive, then I KNOW it's good and now I want one too! Sorry about the shipping problem. I wish that they could make an exception in your case. 😕
I'm sure they'll ship it to mainland UK, to a friend of yours, who can ship it to you.
@@borayurt66 Yeah, I don't know anyone in the UK who can and wants to do that for me.
@@RicardoPenders - why don't you just type in your address and find out for yourself?
I've been using one for a couple months, and it's friggin awesome. The company sells repair parts for it on their site, and they're extremely affordable. You can also get a type C GPIO breakout board for it for doing some more firmware fun. Also quite funny that the CPU in the soldering iron is clocked over 10x faster than the IBM computer I was fixing with it :)
The one i had broke after only 2 month's, and you only get warranty up to your house, sorry only 30 days warranty, they said. I will never buy anything from them ever again, and do not forget they can only have max 21v, not 24v, also very strange, my TS100 broke after 1 year (i used him a LOT), and i e-mailed the miniware and they only ask my Invoice, and they send me a new one without me having to sent them the broken TS100, and all without cost, THAT is what i call good service, so if you want to use a solder iron that is very small and works on DC or USB go for the TS100 or TS80P.
@@AmigaWolf That's how PINE64 operates. You don't get software support from them, you don't get a warranty, and you only have a month after you get it to return it for a replacement under warranty. However, as a tradeoff their devices are affordable from their store. Shipping is a killer though... But anyways, their long term plan is to sell their devices at retail markets which would be higher priced but have a full (proper) warranty and technical support. That plan has been pushed on the back burner due to the component shortages and rising costs which mean that they are focusing on just producing enough devices in the first place for their community (on their store).
@@AmigaWolf Its only a $34 soldering iron Your lucky you get 30 days
@@izaicslinux6961 Yeah sorry i rather go then for the Miniware TS100 or TS80P, even if it's 2 times the price, like $51 for the TS100, and $24.99 for the Pencil.
@@nicholassteyer So what, with good support you get a new product if it breaks, and $51 for the TS100 is also not much.
The detail power screen shows the current wattage directly on screen - I highly recommend trying it
hi, and thank you. When I first heared about that Pine64, known for hardware products in the open source space like the pinephone or the pinebook, that these people came up with a soldering iron of all things I was a bit confused what to make out of this. But I am glad to have such a seasond expert as you praying the thing without having any background about the company. So I am sure now to get one for myself to do the "field work" ;)
Their mission is for people to be able to repair and service their hardware for a long time. I personally think that the fact that they are selling excellent cheap tools is something that makes me take them *more* seriously.
I've been considering this type of soldering iron for a while - just ordered a Pinecil off the back of this review. It's cheap enough that it was pretty much a no brainer, even if I only end up using it for awkward stuff where my chunky old wired iron is too cumbersome. Thanks for the recommendation! 👍
That tip that you were innitially suggesting isn't a 'wedge' design, but it's referred to as a 'hoof' style. They are super useful for tinning grounded pads, and can really focus heat where you need it, while also giving you a pointy edge where needed, they're honestly one of my favorites!
The hoof is great for getting lots of heat to a large area, e.g. cables. For surface mount work I mostly use a knife tip, which is great for getting a wetted surface into awkward places. The key is to maximise the wetted area in contact with the workpiece, and surface tension says the flattest part of the tip remains wetted longest. So the conical tip is doubly awful because the working point has the highest curvature which gives a small contact area and also dries out very quickly, so you need to run it hotter so it dries even quicker. Auto power-down is also great for tip life. I used to use a conical tip on my old Weller, and I had to replace them every couple of months, since switching to the TS100 a few years ago I've never replaced a tip - paid for itself many times over.
That's so cool for the price, now I've no excuse to continue using the non adjustable death spike I've been using for years. Thank you for introducing me to something safe and affordable.
Yes, that's the real price, and at that price it ships from the far east. It uses a Risc-V MCU - it's an open-source processor architecture.
@@rockapartie sort of. There are numerous ways that a parcel can leave china and get delivered by the usps in the us, and most of them are not affected by UPU. I ordered my Pinecil in January along with a set of tips and an emmc module for an sbc and paid $12 for shipping. A few days ago i ordered a small lipo pack on aliexpress and paid $1.35 shipping.
I LOVE my Pinecil. I bought one as soon as it went on presale and I have literally no complaints about it.
Welp. Just what i've been looking for. Thank you Reza and thank you Adrian. Going to go and order it now.
I have had a pretty terrible soldering iron for the last few years. some 10€ junk without any settings. pretty much as long as i've been seeing your videos, i've been wanting a soldering iron somewhat similar to one you have. People in the comments here seem to have good experience with the pinecil too. And the timing was right for this, order is in, and i'm eager to start soldering as soon as it arrives.
This is my first vid of yours, I subbed just for the intro vid quality. (Awesome btw) I knew I'd like what was going on around here. Keep it up!
I have this and it quickly became my go-to iron.
Having had to learn in school on a unit that went straight into the mains with a separate heating element, I’m both insanely jealous and also overjoyed that some kids will probably just get one of these as their first iron.
indeed I did
I've been almost exclusively using that "wedge" shaped tip as soon as I tried it out for the first time. Absolutely love it and have used it for all sorts of stuff from stuff on pcbs, battery connectors, vehicle wiring, and so on. Every once in a while I'll swap for something more pointy if needed, but that's pretty rare.
I love your reviews Adrian. If it wasn't for old age and disability I might possibly be doing some my self.
I ordered the Pinecil, cable, extra tips and the powersupply. What a relief! It arrived to the Netherlands in just 2 weeks! And it's working fine. Thanks for showing on your channel!
Loved mine so much I bought a spare just in case. The only problem is catching them while they're in stock. Might want to update the firmware, btw. Fixed some issues I was having.
I bought the Pinecil back in January and I love it. It's my favorite iron and I hardly ever use my station anymore(except when I need a hot air blower). They even got it from Hong Kong to NC in 6 days! That was base shipping. I, like you, was blown away for the $25 price tag. It's my daily driver now and I'm really happy with it, no problems at all yet. Now I'm gonna have to get one of those sexy power supplies. I never would've thought you could get an iron that heats up so quickly for that price and not be attached to a block of a station. EDIT: while I ordered from Hong Kong, I believe it actually shipped from Shenzhen. Still the fast shipping is impressive because the distance is relatively the same.
After watching a bunch of review videos, it's really surprising how simple these digital irons are inside. Just some control circuitry, and in this case a decent little microcontroller. Oh, and there's also some pretty beefy contacts for the heater, that are easily replaceable. I'm totally getting one of these this holiday season. Any quirks or little issues?
@@andrewhamop6665 I haven't had any issues yet. You do have to turn the accelerometer sensitivity down or it's gonna constantly keep going to sleep on you, but it's done well and will help keep the house from turning to char in a bout of absentmindedness haha. It's really simple, reliable, and the temperature stays calibrated. I've used it for a continuous couple of hours during several projects and it's not overheated the body of the iron, which was my main concern. One of my favorite things is being able to take it to the car or popup camper without lugging around a big station and extension cord. I will say that to get the full wattage I use mine with banana plugs in an adjustable bench power supply when using it on my electronics bench. I just ordered the iron which doesn't come with a power cord, so I whipped one up with scrap wire and a barrel jack.
I just got one of these, can't wait to finally have a modern soldering iron!
Your reaction to discovering the price was much like mine-utter disbelief. Then I proceeded like a kid given free reign in a candy store to fill my cart with goodies. Not only is the Pinecil an awesome deal, but the PinePower Power Supply (and let's be honest...just about everything else) is a great deal also! The Pinecil is my first soldering iron and it's really a treat for a tech/gadget nerd like myself, as it goes so far beyond a "normie" iron!
why is your comment so cringey. "normie" iron wtf.
Been soldering a lot of LED strips lately. After seeing your video, I just ordered one with a power supply and the fine tip set. Can't wait to get it.
Pine64 do some really cool products, nice to see their soldering iron is working well! I'll definitely pick one of these up next time I order something from them (gotta try and combine that shipping!).
Got one of these because of this video. It’s friggin awesome! Thanks for the video.
I've been looking for a good, cheap soldering iron and this one hits the nail on the head! Will be looking into this one :)
A year ago I lost my TS100 in a flood, I was planning on buying another one, when someone on a reddit somewhere mentioned this iron. I love this thing, specially for the price, and the fact it uses the TS100 tips that I still have is a added bonus. I know some people will say "Get a T12!" but for someone who only does occasional soldering, its really good! - Certainly leagues ahead of the $20-40 irons you find at hardware stores.
you can buy $20 chinese controllers for T12 tips.
My 1980s Ungar Princess iron finally gave up the ghost a couple of months ago, so I've been without a toolbox iron. This looks to be awesome. Thanks for the review - just ordered a whole kit.
I've had the 8 watt USB pencil iron for years and use it all the time. I carry it in my toolbox with a power bank and some solder so can work anywhere. Incredibly useful
I'm laughing right now. Those are the exact barrel battery bodies from mid level ecigs some ten years ago. I suppose they were used for all manner of consumer bits and bobs. Had I known, I could have just sourced the iron's 501 threaded tip and had an 8 watt iron. Sadly, don't have any of the batts nowdays, but thanks for the memory flashback. 😄
After years of using everything from very cheap to unnecessarily expensive (Snap On) butane soldering irons, I finally bought one of those TS-100s along with an adapter to hook it to my DeWalt batteries. It's survived everything I've thrown at it and doesn't struggle in the wind nearly as much. I've gone through a couple tips, but they are relatively inexpensive to replace. Hands down the best option for a portable soldering solution. It won't replace my Weller at home, but it's damn good for what it is.
I've just ordered one with the idea of getting into console modding/repair - can't wait until it arrives! 😁
I got one of those a while ago. Great little device, super portable and functional. I also got a Pinephone which is very much a work in progress. I got it mostly to support the platform so hopefully we get an alternative to Android/Apple one day.
Even if it’s a Linux style alternative (oh wait.. lmao)
this was the push I needed, I've ordered one and will give it a go. It is going to be cheaper than running my old weller at 800 degree's and replacing the disintegrated tips every 5 minutes
Crikey, what brand of solder are you using to chew through tips that quick?
@@austfox2170 not quite 5 minutes, but they do fail fast as I leave it at the max temperature as it is too slow to heat up and recover.
you do realize cranking it higher does no make it heat faster? I've had tips in my magnum left ht for hours, no damage because its not that hot
If it's a TCP with the magnastat I'd stick with No7 or maybe No8 tips, avoid the No9s which one of the gaffers insisted on where we worked .. "it works faster" .. no it doesn't, the tip turns blue in seconds and we spent more time cleaning the crud off in an attempt to make decent solder joints than actually soldering! Of course I'm talking about proper solder, not that lead-free solder substitute crap. Those old Antex irons were notorious for bit-rot though. No temperature control.
when the temperature of the tip starts to drop it takes too long to realize and too long to heat it, meaning the tip drops below the minimum temperature I need. leaving it at max temp means the tip never drops below the minimum temp and it is always read to use. of course it kills the tip. I am not building spaceships here just fixing old computers.
Ooh/Aah - I've used old types for SO LONG that I've never seen such a thing! Granted, a selection of parts and such will probably cost $70-$100, but it's still so reasonable! Wow. Glad you did this video!
I do actually appreciate the 1-degree resolution, as the range between solder flow and spraying flux fumes is something like 10 degrees. If I dial it in I get nice flowing solder without burning off the flux too quickly.
Got mine in the mail, can't wait!
Ordered one. THANKS Adrian!
I was very pleasantly surprised by the price myself! I thought I was looking at a different item at first, but no, that's the price! 👍👍
Display orientation will be for left or right handed use. R is if you hold it in your right hand while it probably changes to L for when you hold it in your left hand. It ensures the display isn't upside-down when in use.
Ive got 3 of them, ive used them a few times industrially for work a few times 8hrs straight of soldering kinda thing. Just last week it was 400 something potentiometers with 3 wires each the iron did not get a break except for lunch lol
Your amusement as you open up the package and then show off your own TS100 has made me promptly purchase one of my own, and a set of fine tips. Though now I wonder if I need to buy a cable too...will go look into that. I hope they appreciate your marketing of them! :D
I've been using the same Radio Shack old school soldering iron that I bought in high school. It's well over 35 years old. Definitely time to get something newer and nicer and I think the Pinecil is the one. Great review, thank you!
As someone who worked at RS many years ago, I had several of those! Once I got a butane Weller soldering iron, that's the only one I've used in the last 8 years. I did keep my fine tip grounded iron and a de-soldering iron though for those rarer use cases. Very few of my soldering projects are PCB related, so I don't often need fine heat control. Also, the exhaust port of the butane iron works for heat shrink tubing when I don't have my heat gun with. I did order the Pinecil off this review though as I think it will come in handy sometimes over the butane iron.
Thanks for the great video, my pinecil is on the way :-)
Had mine a few months and my TS100 has been completely retired now. Pinecil is just so much more convenient. My all time favourite iron
Yeah, I love my Pinecil! I bought mine from the 2nd batch. I have it right next to my TS100 so I have 2 tips available at all times and use them almost daily. Just updated the firmware again today. Hadn't realized Ralim had a newer version of IronOS release candidates. Loving the newer firmware on both the TS100 and Pinecil. The one thing I like about the TS100 better is that it can take up to 24V. The Pinecil says 21V, wish I could plug it right into my 24V supply without having to buck the voltage. Great product review Adrian! And hello from Beaverton, OR! EDIT: I just recently discovered a cable made by JacobsParts that is a USB-C to DC5525 that has a built in 20V(only) PD trigger, so it can be used to power the TS100 with a PD bank or supply. They make a 9V, 12V and 15V also. Pretty cool. 2pack for $12.
You've got a link to the JacobsParts Cable? I couldn't find it on eBay
There is a very easy and simple mod you can do to the Pinecil to allow it to take 24 volts. All you have to do is cut a single trace, and there is no negative impact or lost features, because the only thing the firmware uses the trace for is to see if you've done the mod. If you're interested, jump on to the Pine64 Discord server and check out the #pinecil channel.
I'm definitely buying one of these over a ts100, looks so cool!! Great review video!! Thanks!!!
Thanks for making this video. I just ordered a soldering Iron and cable from them. Shipping was $11 to Ohio. This will be super handy. I do a lot of automotive electrical diagnosis and repair on the side. I do a lot of it mobile. So for now I have to fire up my inverter, start my vehicle and run and extension cord to solder. This will be really nice to just hook up my power bank and solder.
Hi, are you already receive the product? I need to pay someting else after the shipping?
How long did it take you to receive yours? I just ordered a bunch of stuff from pine including a pinecil.
Just right in time. I used T100 for the last few years and was so happy with it. Unfortunately oled display stop working and now i use it blindly. I tried to find if there is a new model with usb-c. Definitely I am going to order PINECIL right now
I use the same tip on my soldering iron, I love that tip.
Having seen the Pinecil, I'm still fond of my TS100. I have a bunch of DeWalt 20V batteries for various tools so I bought a cheap off-brand "phone charger" that slots onto DeWalt packs. I modified that to add a (5A fused) connection straight to the battery, which is excellent for powering the TS100 at 18-20VDC. It's still not USB powered, but I've got a half-dozen DeWalt packs lying around, so they're more plentiful for me than power banks.
Wahl has sold battery powered soldering irons since the '70s that used one piece heater/soldering tips. I had the original gray, and the faster charge orange model. It offered many different tip shapes and sizes, but I liked their 'Tuner Tip' wich let you work deep inside an item without burning wires.
I still have the orange one somewhere, tho I lost the charger years ago. As I recall, it needed a new tip. The place I bought it went out of business and didn’t know where to get a new one (pre internet). Battery pack is probably junk after all these years. Used to use it a lot. Really miss it sometimes…….
TS100 is an amazing soldering iron - purchased this bad boy some 5 or so years ago, and have only the best experience. I'm using an old 19V laptop charger to power it, and it heats up quickly, and has a good heat transfer power. Had to get a smaller replacement tip, though.
Ordered up the Pinecil, this will be my first soldering iron.
Moved over from my TS100 as well, like you the case was cracking. Been a backer of Pine64 stuff since the first Kickstarter, typing this on a Pinebook Pro
I've been looking for a good soldering iron for ages, and the fact this is USB-C is great :)
Pinecil + ToolkitRC P200 is my go to setup. Cheap, works great, and insanely versatile.
I already have a Hakko FX-888D I overpaid for (they're hard to find here) otherwise I'd probably buy one of these, because that price is amazing. Seems like everything Pine64 sells is super cheap. The PinePhone and PineTime are dirt cheap too. Of course the specs on them aren't great but that they even manage to sell *anything* so cheap is surprising.
ive purchased 4 of these ts100's, gave one to my father, broke 1 after 3 HARD years of use building and repairing hundreds of cb/ham radios and amplifiers. Ive got one in my service truck with an adapter for my makita 20v batteries, The other is in my workshop for radio rebuilds. I love these ts100's and a replacement case is only $9
This is awesome, just ordered 1
Thanks Adrian. I saw the pinesil a few months ago and the store was out of stock when I went to buy one. It wasn't out of stock today :) (Got the transparent handle too and the tips)
I used to tool my engineers with Pace irons because they had the heating elements in the tips also which meant they heated up and down very fast so engineers didn't feel like they had to leave them on. We used Weller before that but they kept breaking so I switched to Pace and not one failed over 10 years.
I already have a ts100, but had to buy this due to the great price. Also bought the 120 watt usb power supply and silicone usb c cable. The TS100 has been great, but my laptop power brick has a stiff wire making the iron awkward to hold. I bought silicone wire to make my own flexible extension cable, but overdid it a little on wire thickness. I look forward to getting this unit in the mail with the flexible wire already made.
All soldering I've done in my life is on a few LED strips a couple of cheap headphones and a tiny resistor on a car key, yet somehow i find this very neat.
"tiny resistor on a car key," Let me guess early to late 1990's GM Product?
Sweet, Love my TS100 daily driver, getting this... just because!
Looks great, ordered!
I recently got into soldering. I got a cheap kit on Amazon that was damaged and it got refunded. So I went looking for another iron. I found the TS100 and TS80 models, however I didn't like their price. I eventually found the Pinecil and I ordered it. $36 shipped from China vs the $55-80 for a TS100. Pinecil is just a better out of the box TS100 imo, coming with the community made firmware. It's made such a difference from using the cheap iron included in my $25 kit. Also I repaired an old laptop charger. Then bought the appropriate jacks/plugs and modified a silicone tattoo gun cable to use from the iron/charger. There's videos on KZhead of people doing it for the TS100.
Enjoyed this!
I hope you're right. I just ordered one as the price is so right even with the US$12 shipping to Australia. It's actually shipping from Hong Kong. After exchange it ends up being about AU$55. I have two other digital irons and I just don't trust their temp settings at all.
The grounding bit is actually really important I'm glad you mentioned that. I killed a strip of neopixels last weak forgetting that there's a 48V AC voltage imposed on my TS100 by the supply (most SMPS supplies are like this it's not abnormal) it's only 1Meg impedance though so you'll barely notice it (but it will light up an LED) it can fry things that don't have protected input pins or something like a naked FET gate, so you do have to be aware of this.
I use a TS100 with a clunky 3-core cable and a customised 24V PSU that passes the mains earth connection through. I can't imagine using it non-earthed on electronics. The display is failing on my TS100 and I'd buy the Pinecil to replace it if it could take the 24V, otherwise I'll have to customise another power supply.
@@timjackson3954 it's fine on most electronics ungrounded, just not all.
this was a very good video. very informative.
I use the TS100 on a regular basis for drone building and love it. Just looked at the store for this and that is to good of a price to not get it. Love the cord to. Thankx!
I made a custom type C to barrel connector with a PD Trigger board. It will run off a PD power bank and run at 20v up to 65 watts.
1:42 made me checking my computer for a (nonexistent) system message. 🤣
Same here lol!
when i work onto a pcb with very small solder joints , that conical tip is a must.
I’ve been waiting on this to come available. Thanks for the Pine64 Community for sending it to you. 25 Bucks You can’t beat that with a TS1
Hi, what do you mean by TS1? I see there is a TS-I tip for the TS100 as well as the Pinecil, do you mean that?
@@YensR I believe all zeros are null. So I left them off. 😂
@@jj74qformerlyjailbreak3 haha, ok! I parsed your first message wrongly, makes sense now, thanks!
@@YensR God Bless.
@@jj74qformerlyjailbreak3 JJ, can I ask, you it seems that due to international shipping and customs/duty the two come out at the same price for me. Is there big enough a difference to choose one over the other, when I would be using either with a laptop supply (and not USB)?
I use one of those cheap $40 Soldering stations on Amazon. I was really impressed with it, it heats up amazingly fast, it gets plenty hot, and it has an auto shut down feature. I couldn't ask for anything more.
I got one of these with an analog dial and no OLED OMG I love it so much. I have another digital variant of this which shuts off and takes longer to heat up. Basically the advanced one has too many features and if you didnt read the guide as I have it takes practice to use and I still dont know exactly how it works. So.. the analog version of this is by far my current favorite. I got one for about $20 and its well worth the money. It even wets solder on the lowest setting with a 12v 5A adapter. So this thing gets hot !
If yours has an analog dial it's some knockoff, not the same product
Wow, the ponecil sounds like pretty great value, and I really like that you can either use USB-C or an old power supply. I just checked out the site and they've also got this crazy "preheater hammerhead" tip that you can use to reflow SMD parts, it looks so weird. Definitely don't need one of those. Even the shipping to Australia isn't too bad, only an extra $12. Honestly, I'm seriously considering replacing my old Hakko FX-888D with one of these. The only thing that gives me pause at this stage is the additional cost of the power supply and tips, since I don't have a spare USB-C PD power supply. Those plus the exchange rate make it a bit much for an impulse purchase.
For me, it was 65$ shipping to Canada!!! No thank you!!
@@UpInSmoke54 Did you check all the shipping options? I did end up ordering one and I remember it defaulted to TNT or DHL or something, but there was a cheaper option. It's allegedly been delivered to the office, but I'm off work until Monday and of course it was delivered while I'm off!
@@UpLateGeek It didn't have any shipping option except the 65$ one!
I saw these for AU$55 delivered. How low must it be for you to buy?
@@jed2055 I paid $53 including shipping for mine without any extras, but that was well over a year ago so I think $55 isn't a bad price considering how much everything else has gone up in price since then. I did buy some other cheap tips from the "fast" Chinese online marketplace with the middle eastern name (no free advertising here!). Overall the wood-based soldering iron is pretty good for most uses. It struggles with bigger joints, which is mostly down to the cheap tips. I have been thinking about getting a cheap knock-off T12 station and using genuine hako tips, but I've been putting it off because it's not a cheap upgrade.
Definitely like the clear case
I use a weller wps18 it’s got tips that are like a headphone Jack same idea though. I’m a auto tech and fabricator but I tend too work on cluster boards and wiring frequently. I’m gonna try this TS100. Great video thanks!
I adore their attention to detail on the Pinecil. USB C ain't my favourite connector at all, but the fact they sell two sizes of silicone cables that can withstand heat gives me some hope. I hope nobody uses a non-heat resistant cable with their Pinecil though.
I also prefer the flat-sided tip you use (mine is equally oxidized too) -- but I have recently found a better use for the conical tip. Recently, I had to solder wire to a USB-A terminals and the flat sided tip was too bulky. I ended up melting some of the plastic in the terminal. I have a fine-point conical tip which worked well, but I had to raise the temperature well above what I usually select as the tip's small size doesn't transfer heat well.
I'm definitely going to get one of these things for myself this coming holiday season. My aging Hakko 907 still works great, but it would be nice to have some modern tips, and something that takes 10 seconds to heat up. Also, is that a teardown skin on your OnePlus 7T? I approve! Great video as always Adrian, thank you for reviewing this awesome little soldering iron!!
My Hakko 888D heats up this fast just fine, And the tips are cheaper. Previously I was using a 1990s radio shack 15/30w special though.... Now that was truly slow
i use mine extensively, even for heat sinked LED PCB's and thick wires, it handles it all like a beast. You need a beafy power supply though, i run mine on a 24v 4A power supply , it heats up to 370 degrees celcius in like 10 seconds and holds it steady while soldering.
I run my TS100 off my 24V 16A supply and have wanted to try my Pinecil on 24V but didn't want to let the magic smoke out. Your Pinecil is handling 24V just fine? Love my Pinecil, but at 20-21V i'm just wanting more out of it cuz I'm used to my TS100.
Wow! So I looked into buying a TS100 once, like yours. I'm certain it was more expensive than this one at the time. I didn't buy it though. But I could have certainly used one of these ones! I had to set up my big cheap silly looking $20 soldering station outside a few times. Once to install a car stereo and the last time was repairing wires to an outdoor LED sign. I wish I had this soldering iron instead!
Well i am buying this think now… thanks for the video.
Love the pinecil had one for over a year.
@@rockapartie No still working fine.
For the price this is a great field tool kit item. My last one was a butane soldering iron. It is over 20 years old but still works. I will still keep it Justin case the battery pack go flat.
Do what others do and get a drill battery adapter and then just run a lead from that to the soldering iron.
This thing looks pretty cool, might have to get me one.
wow that is actually really cool I like the power supply that they make! I do find that the TS-100 is very annoying because the barrel jack comes loose easily, so the USB-C is definitely the way to go!
8:14 - I believe that Earth ground is for soldering static-sensitive circuits. One should NEVER solder ANY circuit while it's powered up!
...unless you're Ben Heck!
Or reverse engineering owo
There are times when soldering live circuits is done. As long as the soldering iron has an isolating transformer and the tip is not earthed.
I totally disagree about NEVER soldering ANY circuit when it’s powered up. It’s actually always better to have power going to whatever it is you are soldering, whenever possible, to ensure that it has a good connection, and that it will continue to work properly. It’s no different than doing any other kind of work with electronic devices, actually. The general rule of thumb is exactly the same: if it works on electricity, it needs electricity while you work on it. Otherwise, there’s no way to know for sure that the job is being done safely and correctly, until you’ve completely finished it, and, by then, it could already be too late. There’s honestly no sense in taking such a foolish risk, that could potentially be a serious safety hazard, unless you are just some sort of a wild moron with a death wish or something. This is the exact reason why, any time I start to do any kind of work with electricity, I always make it a point to remind myself of these famous words, which were sung by the late great Kenny Rogers (AKA “Kenny “the Lightning Bug”). You’ve got to know when to solder, Know when you need power, Know when to plug it up, And know when you need none. You never solder your circuit Without power from the cable. There’ll be time enough for unplugging. When the job is done. The fact that everyone doesn’t know more about soldering safely, especially considering that there is such a classic, beautiful, all-time great song that was written about it, that I just made up,, can only be described as shocking, quite frankly, in my opinion. Please pardon the pun. Thank you very much. #LifeIsElectric #PlugItUp
So good, I've just ordered one to be shipped to the UK, with additional heat tips and the 120W uk power supply. Not so bothered about warranty with the price, cheap enough to replace.
I just wonder how much I'll get to pay in VAT and duties if I buy one. Would you be so kind to let me know how much did they charge you once you get it?
@@Bubi1988 I did pay about $12 Postage, but I'm guessing it'll be 20% .. Will update this post in about 10-15 days when it arrives! :)
Ive got one of these and an adapter so i can run it from my 18V cordless drill batteries, its really handy
I run my TS100 off a DeWalt battery pack with a 3rd party 12V adaptor. There are some tales of the adaptor being able to discharge the battery below the point where the standard charger will recharge it, but I don't let it get anywhere near that point. USB C looks like a great option though.
Nice overview for this, I finally was able to get one a little while ago when the V2 was restocked. I really dig it so far, I just wish they would restock the red replacement shells. I've been looking for those whenever I think of it for as long as I've been keeping my eye out for the iron itself. Someone please make these! hahaha
I purchased a Pinecil because of this video. Totally unexpected purchase, but once I saw the options, I had to get one to make it a kit. (now I have 3 Great irons, and 2 others I just use to burn plastic/wood/random objects that need burning...)
Sold! Bought the power supply and shmexy USB cable to boot. Been considering the TS100 for years now (I currently have a low-budget Weller station that works OK), and your video was the final push. It was, by the way, more like $75 once you include all the other stuff.
Have a TS100 but still have ordered one, as well as the case, cable and cool PSU.
Reading the power supply right so often it was hilarious you calling it a pencil so often :-)
Silicone cables are great because they're really flexible, like you said, and they also have far superior heat tolerance and fire resistance compared to PVC.
These new smaller soldering irons remind me of the lighter fluid soldering irons people used to use. These have much better heat level and consistency, I'm sure
Chisel tips FTW! Also a bigger heat reservoir near the edge of the tip as opposed to a conical tip. Maybe not so important with these super fast heating irons though. I'm still rolling with a legacy slow heating iron.
The soldering iron looks neat. The point tip would potentially work well for non electrical soldering. I might have to see if I can source one. Having looked at the store, it seems that it can go down to 100C, that could be useful for model making use, especially with white metal. That's useful to know. Definitely think I'll be ordering one at some point.