Best hobby soldering iron? Pinecil vs. Miniware, Hakko, Weller and Ersa

A good soldering iron or soldering station is a must-have in every maker's toolbox. But do you need a $250 soldering station or is a $25 soldering iron just as good?

Products shown:
Pinecil

Miniware TS80P

Hakko FX-888D

Weller WE 1010

Ersa i-Con Nano

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[C-M-E]

I'm sensing a Project Farm vibe during the product intro. 😁
Add: I'm in the same boat as another viewer and have had my run with hardware store specials and one decent Weller unit. That Ersa was really impressive, but geez, I don't solder enough to warrant the price.

[christianluggert]

As a teenager I bought a Weller Magnastat. It was VERY expensive considering the money I had available for stuff like that. Now it is 35+ years later, I still have it and it still works great.

[FarFromEngineering]

The project Farm vibe is so strong with this one.

[misterfixit]

I was getting ready to buy a Pinecil when I saw this video, which convinced me that the Pinecil was just what I wanted. Thanks and BTW, continue mixing it up with different subjects. It's sometimes good to get away from 3D printers exclusively.

[giaxxone]

Pro-tip for tinning larger wires: hold your tip to the end of the wire. This way it transfers heat directly to every strand and helps to ensure that solder gets into the core. It will seem like it’s taking longer at first, but ends up being faster. Also, love my Hakko, but it’s the only proper soldering station I’ve ever used.

[WhiffenC]

My Pinecil is great! Got it last week for soldering away from a plug.

I can run it from a fast charger in my car and was able to solder up speakers & trailer lights. No basestation, lots of features and really quick. I bet it will work great for when I build an fpv drone as well. Can't go wrong IMO

[hippie-io]

In 50 years of being involved with electronics, I've never had a good experience with Weller products. On the other hand, my first Hakko 936 is still up and running after over 20 years of service.
My newer Hakko 888 has worked flawlessly over the last 8 years.

[Av-ksuc]

I upgraded from a cheapo 20€ iron to an ersa i-con pico last year, and I never regreted it: the super fast heat up times, super precise handle, feels like holding a pen, and the cable doesn't get in your way. it's amazing.

[Kusriyason]

I do love my Pinecil. One thing to point out in case you did miss it, the Pinecil is based on/influenced by the TS100. it accepts TS100 tips which you might be able to source locally for cheaper than importing them if you have import tariffs

[AbrahamShekelstein]

Used a cheap no name Amazon soldering iron for my first project. Absolutely hated it and thought I sucked at soldering with many failed solders after hours of use.
Got a hakko station for Christmas and did some test solders and had them soldered and tight within minutes.
Game. Changer.

[brandoneich]

This reminds me so much of project farm!!! :) Love that chanel. You even have the same vocal tonality "the ____ is made in lol :)

We're going to test that! Lol, nice callout to Project Farm.

Thank you so much for making this video! I have been trying to decide on a soldering setup for, what, over two years!

[tikishark]

I purchased my Hakko a few years back and it has been a die hard consistent iron ever since. It’s been my favorite of all the irons I’ve owned.

[JimLambier]

I've used a Weller for decades and never had any problems. When you buy one, you can be fairly confident that replacement tips will be easy to find in the future. I used the iron professionally and don't see the need for a complicated interface.

[gabethemodder]

I love my ts100. It's one of the best things I've spent money on in a long time. It's such a jump from a $10 iron that my ts100 is more than perfect.

[MMuraseofSandvich]

The Pinecil takes the same tips as the TS100. I know some Amazon vendors carry them, and you don't need to buy whole sets. I'm told they can also use tips for a higher end Hakko station, but it makes the whole iron quite a bit longer.

The TS80(P) tips have better construction and design, and are more efficient, powerful, and accurate than the TS100 tips, but they are indeed pricier so you want to buy just the tips you want to use and take good care of them.

The first iron I've had a ton of success with is a cheap Sparkfun non adjustable iron, which appears to be a knockoff of the Weller iron handle in this video. I threw away the iron from a cheaper Weller (which is an AC iron with a controller that limits the AC electricity going into the iron) and plugging in the Sparkfun iron into that.

[Foxhood]

I genuinely would recommend the Hakko FX-888D over the Weller if you want durability.
I rarely see a weller 1010 in a lab where the Plastic nut on the iron hasn't broken after a few years resulting in the entire tip assembly getting as wobbly as a loose tooth.
Having to wait till the iron is cold or using a plier on a metal nut is way better than a damaged iron.

[YoutubeHandlesSuckBalls]

I used to have a bench soldering station until, on a whim, I bought a TS-100. Since then, it is the only soldering iron I use.

For me, having the temperature controls on the handle I solder with is the real game changer. I retrofitted the 24V PSU I use to have a very flexible cable, which makes a lot of difference. I 3D printed a tip holder and love that I can use a tip for a while, and it is still cool enough at the base to take it out with my fingers and swap it for another, which will be ready to use in seconds. I removed the fixing screws so I can change a tip in seconds, with the power on, and no firmware crash.

[josefjelinek]

I settled on this Hakko one, it has 5 temperatures you can define and you do not need to fiddle with the temperatures as everybody suggests for some reason (I set mine in a range from 280 to 400). I have not touched manual temperature adjustment in years, just select one of the presets and start soldering. When compared with weller many years ago (which was more expensive), I just liked how solid hakko felt, all heavy steel casing despite the "plastic-like" look.

[fatalfallacy]

22:34 actually the Ersa does kind of auto wake up from stand by once you touch a surface with the tip and heats up again from standby temp to set temp. Sensing and reheating is actually pretty fast (dep on your set standby temp). In fact can hardly remember using the button to wake at all.