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.
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'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).
@@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.
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.
@@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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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! 👍
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.
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.
@@Hook0403 I did the same about a year ago! I just used my basic AC one for 12 years, same as the ones I learned on in school. But the Pinecil heats up instantly instead of taking 5-10 minutes, and has so many different tips! I’m keeping my old one though, since Big Clive favours their thermal mass for boards with large ground planes and other such things which also have highish thermal mass. After having to use the boost function on this with medium-ish thermal masses and getting anxious about the solder pads, I definitely will be getting-out the old one for anything bigger.
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.
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.
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.
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
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
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…….
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!
@@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)?
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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
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.
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 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.
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.
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...)
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.
@@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!
@@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.
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. 😄
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.
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.
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!).
Adrian, would you have a link to that USB power analyzer you used in this video? I've got a few already, but I just realized I don't have one that handles USB-C :-) Thanks!
Ruideng TC66 is best for USB Type-C (only), has PD Trigger. Cheaper ones are Ruideng UM25 (Blue) or Ruideng UM34 (Yellow). There are plenty of alternatives, perhaps look at the Atorch / Hidance UT18
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.
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?
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.
@@BilisNegra TH-cam could offer more technical options in comments. But I like the video and watched it, since so much more happened. Wish you a good day, and as I showed several technical options in comments exist, and many sites do have spoiler tags, especially video review sites. 😃
@@mrkitty777 Oh, well, I can agree about that, the more options the better. Wasn't paying proper attention, I guess, and thought you were criticizing the person who posted this particular comment for not making a warning.
@@BilisNegra I really like your understanding 🌞🌞🌞 since mostly is in writing format we cannot see what intents are. But yes especially for movie like Netflix squid game people all over the place tell -spoiler emulation- and I couldn't believe it but even without spoiler tag it's so much a different ending of squid game since you know -spoiler- was -spoiler- and I really couldn't believe it in this wonderful story you understand.
My amateur radio club has just started running what they are calling “new ham classes” but I think it’s more like “awesome hands on ham classes”. We are getting hands on learning practical self sufficient skills to improvise antennas and such. The first class was really good but we didn’t have enough soldering irons to go around. I figured I’d be a mensche and get my own soldering iron to take with me that I could share with adjacent students. So I picked up a Pinecil v2 and a battery bank that could run this thing at full power. Amazon screwed up… in a good way! So I get to be the mensche that brings TWO soldering irons to class. 😂 We are based in North Carolina and some of our members have been embedded in the area impacted by Helene to give direct aid in impacted communities. Members like me are taking these classes so we can be more useful on the ground the next time we need to send volunteers out to help on the ground. Content like yours can be very helpful to those of us trying to think about how we can take everything we do in the shack out into the field when we are needed . Thank you!
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
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 TH-cam of people doing it for the TS100.
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.
The price of that thing is great! But I don't think it's worth switching from a TS100 if you already own one. The only thing it has going for it over the TS100 is the USB-C power. I own a TS100 myself and I bought a tiny USB-C PD trigger board that takes USB-C PD input and outputs 20V 3A to a dc barrel connector for the TS100.
I have a 'proper' soldering iron and hot-air station that I almost never use. Why? Because on a whim I bought a TS100 soldering iron thinking it would probably be rubbish... and to my great surprise it's anything but! They are handy, work extremely well, and will even work off the right battery pack. My only tiny gripe is I wish I could hold it closer to the tip. This 'clone' does look pretty good for all the reasons you mention! To anyone looking to get their first "decent" soldering setup I'd say "Don't bother, get one of these."
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
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 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 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 !
You should use the desktop power supply downstairs for videos because it is really cool. I’m going to order a couple of the solder irons and power supplies for Christmas gift. Thanks for the great content!
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.
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
That PSU is at a better price point than i expected, with all the USB chargers i use for various things including a wireless charger, i may actually snag one soon.
I solder a lot and drop things on the floor all the time. These small models won't last a week in my hands. I've had a butane powered soldering pen about the same size, and only used it once in 2 years. What I like about mine, is that it's full of butane and ready for action. No looking for a power bank just to see it die right away. Murphy is alive and well, waiting to trip me on every corner.
I don't blame you for trying to remove that blue grip part, I'm not a fan of any baby-blue parts on my equipment at all. I checked the Pinecil and TS100 and the TS100 is double the price ($25 vs $68), and both only comes with the handheld part with a tip, no PSU included. I like the look of TS100 a little better but I don't think I'll buy a new iron right now, I don't need another one but that just looks so good I want one.
the best soldering iron is the one that you actually use. My personal favorite is the Hakko AA powered soldering iron, I actually get that sucker out and use it more often than any other one because it's so convenient
25$ really? I definitely will get one I’m sure the price will go up quick sadly after being here…just waiting to see your opinions in the video…thanks for sharing
I don't know how it is $25 in the US. Here in Europe it's €80 on Amazon which is around $100. So, $25 is a real bargain. I would snap it up at that price.
I ordered a Pinecil months ago when Wendell from Level1Techs endorsed it. The thing is friggin amazing! I love it. I don't solder a lot so having a full fledged soldering iron with a base station and everything is just not needed for me. It's also crazy cheap for how useful it is.
Same here, when I saw Wedel's review I ordered on as soon as thy came back in stock. I have one battery bank from Aukey with USB C. The battery bank keep turning off. Its great iron to pack with you to make repairs in the field. My Aukey bank outputs up too 12v on USB C
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.
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)
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
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.
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.
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.
I LOVE my Pinecil. I bought one as soon as it went on presale and I have literally no complaints about it.
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.
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.
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! 👍
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.
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 got a cheap non adjustable one that I've been using well over 10 years. I'm finally upgrading. This thing was just too affordable.
@@Hook0403 I did the same about a year ago! I just used my basic AC one for 12 years, same as the ones I learned on in school. But the Pinecil heats up instantly instead of taking 5-10 minutes, and has so many different tips!
I’m keeping my old one though, since Big Clive favours their thermal mass for boards with large ground planes and other such things which also have highish thermal mass. After having to use the boost function on this with medium-ish thermal masses and getting anxious about the solder pads, I definitely will be getting-out the old one for anything bigger.
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.
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.
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.
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
I love your reviews Adrian. If it wasn't for old age and disability I might possibly be doing some my self.
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
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
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…….
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!
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)?
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.
Pinecil + ToolkitRC P200 is my go to setup. Cheap, works great, and insanely versatile.
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.
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?
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.
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
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.
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.
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 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.
Got one of these because of this video. It’s friggin awesome! Thanks for the video.
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.
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
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.
Ordered up the Pinecil, this will be my first soldering iron.
I'm definitely buying one of these over a ts100, looks so cool!! Great review video!! Thanks!!!
I have this and it quickly became my go-to iron.
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 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)
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.
Love the pinecil had one for over a year.
@@rockapartie No still working fine.
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...)
I've just ordered one with the idea of getting into console modding/repair - can't wait until 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!
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.
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.
😄
I just got one of these, can't wait to finally have a modern soldering iron!
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.
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.
when i work onto a pcb with very small solder joints , that conical tip is a must.
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.
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!).
Adrian, would you have a link to that USB power analyzer you used in this video? I've got a few already, but I just realized I don't have one that handles USB-C :-) Thanks!
I need the link too
It's a Ruideng, or clone of.
@@xRepoUKx Thanks!
Ruideng TC66 is best for USB Type-C (only), has PD Trigger. Cheaper ones are Ruideng UM25 (Blue) or Ruideng UM34 (Yellow).
There are plenty of alternatives, perhaps look at the Atorch / Hidance UT18
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.
All these positive reviews made me order one.. DON'T LET ME DOWN NOW, M'KAY? :)
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! :)
I've been looking for a good soldering iron for ages, and the fact this is USB-C is great :)
1:42 made me checking my computer for a (nonexistent) system message. 🤣
Same here lol!
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.
Sweet, Love my TS100 daily driver, getting this... just because!
Great review, but I am surprised there was no footage of actually soldering with it.
Spoiler tags would be a nice feature. Something placed between * or a - already works. *asterisk* -dash-
@@mrkitty777 Whoever reads the comments before watching the video should take possible spoilers for granted, right?
@@BilisNegra TH-cam could offer more technical options in comments. But I like the video and watched it, since so much more happened. Wish you a good day, and as I showed several technical options in comments exist, and many sites do have spoiler tags, especially video review sites. 😃
@@mrkitty777 Oh, well, I can agree about that, the more options the better. Wasn't paying proper attention, I guess, and thought you were criticizing the person who posted this particular comment for not making a warning.
@@BilisNegra I really like your understanding 🌞🌞🌞 since mostly is in writing format we cannot see what intents are. But yes especially for movie like Netflix squid game people all over the place tell -spoiler emulation- and I couldn't believe it but even without spoiler tag it's so much a different ending of squid game since you know -spoiler- was -spoiler- and I really couldn't believe it in this wonderful story you understand.
My amateur radio club has just started running what they are calling “new ham classes” but I think it’s more like “awesome hands on ham classes”. We are getting hands on learning practical self sufficient skills to improvise antennas and such. The first class was really good but we didn’t have enough soldering irons to go around.
I figured I’d be a mensche and get my own soldering iron to take with me that I could share with adjacent students. So I picked up a Pinecil v2 and a battery bank that could run this thing at full power.
Amazon screwed up… in a good way! So I get to be the mensche that brings TWO soldering irons to class. 😂
We are based in North Carolina and some of our members have been embedded in the area impacted by Helene to give direct aid in impacted communities. Members like me are taking these classes so we can be more useful on the ground the next time we need to send volunteers out to help on the ground.
Content like yours can be very helpful to those of us trying to think about how we can take everything we do in the shack out into the field when we are needed . Thank you!
Welcome to the Future ❤❤❤🇳🇬🇳🇬🇳🇬🇳🇬❤❤❤❤
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
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 TH-cam of people doing it for the TS100.
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.
That power supply is going to be under my Xmas tree. #sweeeeeet
The price of that thing is great! But I don't think it's worth switching from a TS100 if you already own one. The only thing it has going for it over the TS100 is the USB-C power. I own a TS100 myself and I bought a tiny USB-C PD trigger board that takes USB-C PD input and outputs 20V 3A to a dc barrel connector for the TS100.
Got mine in the mail, can't wait!
I have a 'proper' soldering iron and hot-air station that I almost never use. Why? Because on a whim I bought a TS100 soldering iron thinking it would probably be rubbish... and to my great surprise it's anything but! They are handy, work extremely well, and will even work off the right battery pack. My only tiny gripe is I wish I could hold it closer to the tip. This 'clone' does look pretty good for all the reasons you mention!
To anyone looking to get their first "decent" soldering setup I'd say "Don't bother, get one of these."
Been using my TS for a couple of years now and never looked back !
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! 👍👍
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
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.
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 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 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
You should use the desktop power supply downstairs for videos because it is really cool.
I’m going to order a couple of the solder irons and power supplies for Christmas gift.
Thanks for the great content!
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.
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
Received mine today after 2 months, is really good. And yes it is 25 dollars
Bent solder tips are the best. They make them in chisel too, Adrian.
Reading the power supply right so often it was hilarious you calling it a pencil so often :-)
That PSU is at a better price point than i expected, with all the USB chargers i use for various things including a wireless charger, i may actually snag one soon.
I solder a lot and drop things on the floor all the time. These small models won't last a week in my hands.
I've had a butane powered soldering pen about the same size, and only used it once in 2 years.
What I like about mine, is that it's full of butane and ready for action. No looking for a power bank just to see it die right away.
Murphy is alive and well, waiting to trip me on every corner.
Yep, that's what I am thinking too. Get a 'real' soldering iron for stationary use, and get a gas powered one for mobile use.
Would it make sense to have some crazy accessories that use the cartridge for power and temp control? Maybe a mini reflow oven, or a water heater?
0:02 I see a Día de Muertos skull in bottom left-hand corner, very nice! Greetings from México!!
I don't blame you for trying to remove that blue grip part, I'm not a fan of any baby-blue parts on my equipment at all.
I checked the Pinecil and TS100 and the TS100 is double the price ($25 vs $68), and both only comes with the handheld part with a tip, no PSU included. I like the look of TS100 a little better but I don't think I'll buy a new iron right now, I don't need another one but that just looks so good I want one.
The Pinecil is $25 for the handset part and WITHOUT the PSU.
I use the same tip on my soldering iron, I love that tip.
the best soldering iron is the one that you actually use. My personal favorite is the Hakko AA powered soldering iron, I actually get that sucker out and use it more often than any other one because it's so convenient
25$ really? I definitely will get one I’m sure the price will go up quick sadly after being here…just waiting to see your opinions in the video…thanks for sharing
Ya I have a ts100 and it's like 2 or 3 times that price
I don't know how it is $25 in the US. Here in Europe it's €80 on Amazon which is around $100. So, $25 is a real bargain. I would snap it up at that price.
@@barryinglaterra I looked at it on eBay and people want like $65 and $70 but can you not order it from their website he linked in the description
I ordered a Pinecil months ago when Wendell from Level1Techs endorsed it. The thing is friggin amazing! I love it. I don't solder a lot so having a full fledged soldering iron with a base station and everything is just not needed for me. It's also crazy cheap for how useful it is.
Same here, when I saw Wedel's review I ordered on as soon as thy came back in stock. I have one battery bank from Aukey with USB C. The battery bank keep turning off. Its great iron to pack with you to make repairs in the field. My Aukey bank outputs up too 12v on USB C
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.
I love how compact it is. I think I'm gonna buy one. Instead of the ts100, I'm worried about the safety of ts100
I'd love to know where they sourced the red silicone grip from!
I 3D printed an adapter for my power tool battery, so I can run the TS100 from 18V battery. Works like a charm.
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)
Well i am buying this think now… thanks for the video.
Ordered one. THANKS Adrian!