ISO-TIP Rechargeable Soldering Iron ...


goscrewyourselves

I'm the one
While I own, and use, a Hakko FX 888D Iron I found it restrictive for getting into "tight spots" and for doing "micro soldering" jobs. While I was looking for "finer tips" for the Hakko, I came across something called an "ISO-TIP “60” Pro Charge Soldering Iron Kit – Model #7800" and had to have one. I also bought a "High-Efficiency Micro Tip" designed for "fine" soldering jobs. This is a Rechargeable Soldering Iron that heats up to 900F within 10 secs and is designed for small electronic purposes and are being used in industry.

Soldering Iron:

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Tip:

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The picture doesn't depict how fine the tip really is.

Here is a link for anyone interested:

https://iso-tip.com/product/60-pro-charge-soldering-iron-kit-boxed-7800
 
I like it. Did you know Hakko makes a cordless? Anyway, only issue I see is that it has Ni-cad batteries. How do you like it? 900F is pretty hot, do you feel that heat in the handle?
 
Olie,

Wish I could answer your questions but I haven't got it yet. It is suppose to arrive today though. As soon as I get the chance to "play with it" I'll let you know how it all goes ;)

PS: Didn't realise Hakko had a cordless ... wish I had but this one has gotten excellent reviews and was fairly cheap as well.
 
I look forward to your "review". The Hakko FX901/P only heats to 600F but runs for 120 minutes on AA batteries and can use rechargeable as well. Amazon has it for $31.79. Reviews are 4.2 so not as good as the Iso-Tip. I'll wait to see what you think then go from there. I have a small butane iron that is handy but takes a couple minutes to heat up so can be slow going. I use the "torch" part of it to shape layout foam for lakes and rivers. That part is definitely handy.
 
Thanks Gents and to Chet for validating what I had heard/read about the iron. It did arrive but now find I ordered the wrong tip. I thought I was ordering a micro fine needle point type of tip but, as it appears, I got a "normal" chisel nose tip which is larger than my Hakko Tip.

Because of that, I haven't tried it yet; however, on first impression this is what I find ...

Out of the box it looks, and feels, very plastic and cheap. That being said, "looks can be deceptive" and (hopefully) are.

Installing the tip is very easy, it just slips into two holes and that is it, nothing complicated about that at all and it feels secure.

I have charged it and it charged as stipulated, from 100% dead to 100% charged in about an hour. Two things I have noticed is the "charger" (also plastic) does get a little warm and I do mean just a little. The other is the way it sits in the charger. Unlike other tools that feels as though they "lock" into their chargers, this just sits on two prongs being held in by nothing. The iron did charge so obviously that is the way it all works.

Later this evening I will give it a go and let you know how it does it's job ... solder. Once I have done that I can tell you guys if "I" think it is good value or otherwise.
 
Tony,

Hoping this works well. After your review, if you say its worth it im in! I go cordless whenever possible. I always seem to knock something off the table to its death toting cords. :rolleyes:
 
You might have to wait a few days for that "review" as that is how long it is going to take for me to get the correct "Tips". Once I have them and use the Iron, I'll certainly give my honest opinion regarding it.
 
I decided not to wait to get the correct tips, as they wont be here until Tuesday next week, and went ahead and tried the Iron with the "standard chisel tip" which was much too large for what I tested the iron on.

In short, the iron worked exactly as advertised. It heated up within the 10 seconds that they claimed it would and instantly melted the 60/40 resin core 0.32 gauge solder I was using making the job very quick and clean.

The iron has a rotating button on the front of it. In the down position the button is "Locked" meaning you cannot depress it. Depressing the button is what "turns on the iron and a very bright light to boot". In the UP position, the button can be depressed, thereby turning the iron (and light) on. When the light comes on, you know the iron is also on. What I found to be a little awkward is having to keep the "button depressed" while holding the iron to do your join. I pretty much had to hold the iron like a pen and try to manouvre it, along with what was being soldered, to make the join. This is something that I hope will become more natural the more it is used.

The iron is very light though so very little effort (if any) is required to use it.

Although I have only tried one soldering job with it, I am impressed by it in terms of it's light weight, the speed at which it heats up (unsure how quick it cools down though) and the effectiveness of the temperature and resulting job it does. ISO-TIP claims 125 solders per battery charge. How accurate that is is to be seen and whether or not heating times and iron temp are effected by a reduced battery charge are also to be seen.

This IS a very nice little compact soldering iron and ideal for those awkward or small soldering jobs. Would I give up my corded Hakko System to solely use the ISO-TIP Iron for all jobs? No I wouldn't, at least not at the moment until time has proven it's reliability. Would I recommend having one for those small soldering jobs such as wires to SMD's and resistors or for decoder wiring or for soldering in tough to get to places? Most certainly I would, without hesitation.

I should also add that ISO-TIP has numerous types of Tips for this Iron and it does come with "2" standard tips from the beginning, one of those being the chisel tip I used for the test. They also have 3 variations of the same tip, although I am not quite sure what the exact difference between them.

So, if you have a spare $70 (in round figures) laying around and want or need a very good, handy cordless Soldering Iron, I don't think you could go too far wrong with this ISO-TIP "60" Pro Charge Iron.

PS: If I felt the iron was "poo" I would have said that as well ;)
 
Excellent review. I discovered the Iso-Tip is made by Wahl? If so, they have been making cordless trimmers and clippers for years so I'm not surprised these irons are getting the reviews they are. I would have to say my only hesitation would be the Ni-Cd batteries. Maybe they had a reason for going that route but I would think the better choice would be Lithium ion. Either way, sounds like a great little iron. One question, do you feel the heat in the handle at all?
 
One question, do you feel the heat in the handle at all?
None at all Olie. Bear in mind the iron is only on for perhaps 5 to 10 seconds if that so all of the heat is coming out the tip.

The only thing you need to be cautious of, like any iron, is how long it takes to cool down.
 



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