Milwaukee M12 Soldering Iron Review | 2488-20
Price the Milwaukee M12 Soldering Iron Kit 2488-21 on Amazon: amzn.to/2CKforW
Cordless Soldering - The challenge with cordless soldering is getting a good battery operated soldering iron. Until now, battery operated soldering irons did not hit the mark. The New Milwaukee M12 Soldering Iron dominates this space with a unit that heats up to over 200 degrees in 20 seconds and holds the heat for use in multiple situations. This battery operated unit outperformed many of our corded units that we rely on weekly. Milwaukee Tool added a few options that make this unit stand out. First, the heat indicator tells you when the tool is warming, ready-to-use, and cool, allowing the user to concentrate on their work. Second, there is a 3 position pivoting head with an LED light that lets you work in the most comfortable position for the situation. With a 2.0 Ah battery, we were able to solder for about 25 minutes. Larger battery options would increase this time significantly.
Milwaukee M12 Soldering Iron Kit 2488-21 Features
Heats Quickly, Maintains Optimized Temperature
Ready-to-Use & Safe-to-Store Tip Indicator
3-Stop Pivoting Head for Unmatched Access
18 Second Heat Up Time
Green LED Indicates Operating Temperature Reached
Red LED Indicates Tool is Off and Still Hot
3-Stop Pivoting Head: Delivers Unmatched Access
Tool-Free Tip Change: Easily Switch Between Chisel and Pointed Tips
LED Work Light
Compatible with all M12 Battery Packs
Shop Changing Soldering Iron
As we go over in our KZhead video, we have a very large soldering stick that is commonly used for most items that can be done on a bench. This super large iron gets very hot and completes the job of soldering wires together in seconds. With that said, it has many downfalls as it has no way to be set down without burning what it has been set on. The large iron takes 10 minutes to heat up and over 45 minutes to cool down. When we compare it to the Milwaukee M12 soldering iron, the speed of soldering is different, but the convenience of the Milwaukee is huge! The 20 seconds of heat up time until use and ability to set the unit down without burning something makes this unit a no-brainer for use.
If you were to include the warm-up time in the use of each tool, the Milwaukee will complete almost any job faster than the larger corded unit we have. This is a huge step forward for anyone wanting a quality soldering iron. The ability to go cordless, change head positions, have an LED light and be able to work for a significant time on a small battery makes this soldering iron well worth every penny they want for it!
As a retired electrician this is one of the best tools I've owned even compared to butane torches, biggest fault and criticism is there's no on board storage for the second tip, I glued a small piece of pvc on the handle so that the torch and both tips are one single unit, Milwaukee stuffed up big time on this as you'll lose one tip very easily
Going to pick one up
thanks guys! this is pricey but this is what I need
Thanks guys
You will find tinning these wires is much easier when you insert the solder in the corner between wire and iron. The solder melts very fast and immediately wicks into the wire. Give it a try !
This is a great addition to the m12 lineup. #workshopaddict
Nice iron. I think I prefer the portability of the butane irons. I have been using the same Master butane soldering iron for 25 years. It has peizo igniter, is flameless, heats almost instantly, is adjustable 480-930F, and cools very quickly. The reservoir of butane easily lasts 6 months of normal use. Plus it has interchangeable tips for soldering, hot air tool (heat shrink) and torch mode.
I have used the same one but my igniter stopped working so I have to manually light it with a bic. The Milwaulkee m12 seems good but it may not get hot enough for thicker gauge wire like stranded 8 gauge. Id think it’ll get hot enough for 9 gauge stranded wire. I mainly use it for car audio electronics.
Just got mine the other day, I actually love it, best soldering gun I've ever used
It's not a soldering gun.
@@jamesbond1231 alright, James bond....
@@nickkk420 it's a soldering iron.
@@jamesbond1231 mine shoots flaming hot solder snot, not sure what to tell ya bro
@@nickkk420 lol I stand corrected. *nods
You Need to adjust emissivity and reflective temp if you want the thermal cam temps to be accurate, aka maybe your infrared reading is a little off
How come the we site says its up to 700degree . i doubt it gets that hot. Unless theres a 2nd gen thats out?
great job on another cool video. I want to get one of these to solder tail lights on the back of my trucks cause those butt connectors and electrical tape don't seem to last
Why not just buy a cheap $12 soldering iron? Seems a bit goofy to buy a ~$100 tool for what sounds like a one-off project...
NOTE: After a lot of research on the M12 solder iron, buyer beware: Anything over 3ah CP batteries and ~10 min of run time will start to deteriorate and melt the housing cap of the solder wand. There are literally hundreds of 1 star reviews claiming this issue, rendering this device useless after only a few months of use. That said, I am still buying one, but limiting my usage to ~10 min on before cooldown and only using compact batteries. One guy I found did this consistently and was able to put hundreds of hours of use on this device over the course of several years. God bless!
I use big battery with mine all the time
@@nickkk420 Consider yourself blessed.
Does anyone know if this works for modifying old game systems ; Super Nintendos , PlayStation etc ???
Nice, portable and works on the M12 platform. #WORKSHOPADDICT
Still waiting for the brushless fuel version. Lol
#ComingSoon Ha
I can't wait tell if this is satire.
@@coryulrich6489 it's sarcasm.
Lmfao
Is there only one type of soldering metal? If not, which is the best for specific applications? How do you clean the tip and keep it clean while in storage?
We are not soldering experts, I cannot answer your first question. We clean our tips with a brass brush when we are done with them.
All electrical soldering should be done with rosin core 60/40 solder. Acid core solder is used for things like radiator repairs and plumbing. Silver solder is also sometimes used for certain things. When doing electrical work clean your tip by wiping it on a damp sponge or damp cloth.
I use 60/40 or 63/37 rosin core solder. With any handheld iron I’ve found that getting a smaller diameter helps with control and with melting it in faster because it’s not a huge mass of solder. Been using a little extra rosin flux to make sure connections are clean and they always flow great.
The best way to clean the tip is to put solder on it and shake it off out off your wrist. Don't use a sponge, thats crap.
You mentioned battery power. Is there an option to change the battery in this tool and would you show it on an update? J K
James Krivitsky It uses Milwaukee M12 batteries and the slip on and off like any battery powered drill.
There are a few Amp hour AH batteries from Milwaukee that are 12 v. They all fit. Obviously the lower AH would yield less work time than the higher AH battery.
That's a game changer rite there. I really would like to see Milwaukee make some laser measuring devices(laser tape measure). And here's an idea... Laser grid layout tool! Can anyone here me?
Scott Everywhere They do make laser measuring devices currently.
Question is, though, how does it compare to a butane soldering iron.
Never had a butane iron because we only solder wires on cars in the shop 99 percent of the time.
A butane iron is at its best when it comes to soldering wires, connectors and circuit board connections. It works great indoors or outdoors.
+1 for Weller Butane soldering iron.
I have both, I really like the m12 soldering iron. It has a light built in to illuminate what I am soldering. Stands up very nicely with an XC style battery. It’s extremely useful in the 90 degree position soldering things as you don’t need a helping hands tool because the iron stays in position you can focus on holding the wires and solder. My butane torch I now use to melt my shrink tube - it does work great for that.
I have always used butane irons as they fire up quick and are plenty powerful enough for most soldering tasks until the outside temp drops to 5 Deg C or below then they are a real pain to use. My impressions after trying one of these battery irons is yes they are bigger but the neck part is still a great size for getting it into tight places such as a car / truck dash . I am going to buy one of these battery wonders very soon.
This is on my Christmas list. Come on Santa.
Brien Ho Ho Ho 😂
I don't think people are using this for small electronics and circuit. It would seem heavy and won't give the precision that they need.
Gives us guys in the field or the shop a good option. I’ll say it seems pretty suited for more rugged use, saving my hakko 888 for the things I can bring to the home workbench. So far no complaints after a year of quite varied use.
Its not designed for board use
Quick field solders. Definitely not long term bench work.
Just needs temperature control
How is their heat gun with heat shrinking
Meh. Milwaukee heat gun needs some work. It works, but is slow. I still pull out the corded for a lot if work and the dewalt for little work.
Always busting his balls for being blind haha this soldering iron may not get as hot as most soldering stations but being cordless I think makes it well worth it to have. Gotta love Milwaukee's M12 series
ToolShopGuy He has reading glasses. Do you think he will ever wear them? NEVER! So heck yeah, I go at Jeff whenever applicable. 😀
WorkshopAddict lol that's funny. I can relate tho. Got glasses too but do I wear them? Nope. More of a comfort thing I guess. Lol
LOL... You should stop by our shop and I can have both of you try to solder wires under a dash. LOL.. Jeff will be waving hot iron around under the dash who can't see the wire he is trying to connect and you can try to show him where it is......
I'll leave you with that duty. I like my face burnt free thanks lol and it's things far away I can't see good, up close I'm fine lol
ToolShopGuy So you two would make a perfect pair. Lol
Did you try it on 10 gauge wire ? Most people dont really put it through a real test. You did not say anything about gauge? Would like to see you use it on 10 gauge wire so far all the videos say this tool sucks on 10 gauge wire take way too long. Still not sure why they just did not beef it up and go with the m18 ?
10 ga is doable. With a clean chisel tip, a little solder to start conducting the heat, and a fully heated iron, I could get a lineman’s splice to flow out in about 12-15 seconds. In my case that’s melting extra flux as well to ensure full wicking for corrosion resistance.
But will it solder with an L
Can you use it to smolder water pipe
No.. That requires a propane torch
Tool looks great. You guys though... y’all need to watch some KZhead videos on how to solder. 😛
Rick Mellor I told you Jeff is blind. Maybe it was not apparent why I said that.
Great. Till the end breaks off like they all do.......
DeWalt... WHY haven't you debuted a Cordless Soldering Iron?!?
and they have the perfect battery to use to set this down and it would stand up.
I just looked, still nothing
I use a lighter
This makes a better plastic welder then soldering iron imo.
Lol no Real pcb repairer would use this iron. I work on pcb often and don't use it as you can't control the temperature. We normally use the direct heat type tips so there is very minimal heat loss due to large thermal masses on some pcb.
This.. and honestly, if you're just tinning small wires in the shop, there are soo many better options that are temp controlled, portable, more maneuverable, and probably a LOT more efficient. I have a pinecil that I use with a QC3 battery bank for "portable", aka too far from a wall socket". Using those t12 tips .. huge game changer. A little 60W iron with t12 tips is just as fast an the old school 90 w irons using the slip over tips.
1968 Stingray °_°
70
@@WorkshopAddict Really? I thought 1969 was the last year they had chrome bumpers.
Well, it is beautiful.
@@axemastersinc3269 1972 was the last year for chrome front and rear. 1973 had a plastic front and a chrome rear. 74 was all plastic.
@@WorkshopAddict Right on. My uncle Jr. had a 1967. It was stunningly beautiful.
You would have thought milwaukee would have made it a m18 ?
that power isnt required in order to solder
Dremel soldering iron wins. Sad, because I love Milwaukee.
Bs
wow,dont you guys use flux?makes it 10 times easier.that HUGE iron in beginning of video?obviously you dont work on vehicles?im a 25 year tech,that POS would never fit in anything i have to solder..cant take out a wiring harness and put on the bench to solder,laughable!decent video never less.
First of all, weight, Ease of grip and manipulation within the hand, too much heat.! M12= not very good.! That iron bar soldering sword stick, forget it .! What are you brazing.? Working on the train tracks.? Rebuilding of the Titanic.? Toooo much heat, using thick plumbers solder..! If you use these you shouldn’t be near a vehicle’s electrical system, it’s all fine wire that is fast and conducts electricity fast for the signal speed.!! The iron you should be using is 12-18w iron fixed or a Station where heat temperatures can be adjusted to fine wire or circuitry.! Use high content 4% + silver solder, it’s finer, melts faster because of lower heat required (not causing resistance through heat that changes the metallic compound structure of the wire) and gives better conductivity based on percentage factor and Siemens meter, I use this in automotive as well as making tube guitar amps.! This solder is excellent to use for CAN and LIN Bus as the speeds are greater.
You really need to keep in mind,,, The battery’s ONLY have so many times they can be charged!!! THEN there junk and will longer charge or hold a charge so WHY would you want ANYTHING that runs your battery down soooooooooooo fast???? Think about it!! Yep’ they want to sell BATTERIES.
Truck Mechanic I’ve had my m12s for 3 years of abuse and they still work as new. No extension cords or air lines. Welcome to the future
These are arguably draining the pack less aggressively than other m12 tools. The discharge rate is lower than many of the other tools under load, and it’s a certain duty cycle on and off which doesn’t allow the packs to build noticeable heat or any signs they are being stressed. 90w claimed is fairly mild at 12V if you think what a hackzall, drill, or impact would be pulling under consistent back to back use. Just my .02, hope it kind of makes sense.
Hmm? Soldering inside a car 🤔🤔🤔🕵️🕵️🕵️ what a have learned is that you never solder in a car, connectors only