back to soldering

HandsKit 200w digital soldering pen:




I recently picked this up to use when I need more heat but don't want to drag out the big soldering gun or
giant soldering iron. It claims 200 watts, and has digital temperature control.

After using it a few times, I'm a huge fan. It's got a very basic temperature readout (in Farenheit) and
just three buttons for up, down, and power. The entire iron is just scaled up from a normal pencil iron, with
the tip, heater, and handle all scaled up in size. The handle has flats on two sides which helps with control,
which is important since the power cord is a thicker heavy duty cord (and it's grounded!) so you sometimes need
to apply a little twisting force to the pencil while in use due to the cord's stiffness.

My only complaint is that I occasionally press a button on the handle while I'm using it It hasn't caused any
problems so far, but it's a little annoying. But the buttons are very large and easy to press, which makes them
very user-friendly, so I don't know how they could make them less likely to be pressed accidentally without
compromising usability.

At power-on, the initial power draw on the outlet was 230 watts, so this iron can truly produce the rated heat
that it claims. I did notice that it takes awhile to stabilize its cycle, going from drawing 80-130 watts at
at time to zero as it cycles coarsely. Also the handle does start to heat up after awhile of use. I set the
temp to 700F for soldering #10 copper to PP35 powerpole ends, and it works great. (18 dabs of solder each)
 


HandsKit 200w digital soldering pen ($29 on Amazon)


HandsKit 200w digital soldering pen:



highest resolution images
last updated 02/14/2025 at 11:29:18 by make_www_index.command version 2025.01.29.A