anybody out there ever used the more expensive of the two micro-mark cordless soldering irons? im going to buy one to work on my shelf layout. Unless of course you give it bad reviews.[:p]
I haven’t used it. Please give us an assessment of your experience. Thanks!
i sure hope this will work better than the “cold heat” soldering iron i recently purchased. What a piece of junk! it could only melt 430 degree solder and even that it couldnt melt it well enough to make a decently conductive joint. waste of money.
I have been using an ISO Tip which looks alot like the one mentioned in Micro-Mart. It’s great for soldering wires, ect… However, like anything else it does have some limitations, depending on the size of the project.
Hi Joe,
If I were you, I wouldn’t buy a cordless soldering iron, especially because you’re building a shelf layout and will probably find it easy to reach a wall outlet nearby. As with all cordless tools, there are limitations. You can do fine with an inexpensive plug-in type soldering iron. Just be sure to buy a soldering iron stand which also is very inexpensive.
Hope this helps.
Mondo
I use a butane solding iron.It does well in all aspects and is lightweight.
no, plug in is not an option, my layout is 7 feet off the ground and when i tried a plug in i just ended up burning myself and then melting a hole in the carpet even with a stand. i think ill go ahead and order it.
seven feet off the floor? are you a professional basket ball player? i have the cordless soldering tool that is shown in the micro mark catalog. but it is not from them. it is the isotip model made by the wahl co. i have used it to solder rail feeders, joints on flex track and many other things. it is best to keep it in the charger base when not using it so the batteries will always be charged. it’s somewhat annoying to have to push a button to get the tip hot, but it also has a light built in to light up where you are soldering. don’t use those mini butane torches. they have there uses but it is not under a layout in tight confines.
I too have used the ISO-Tip by Wahl. For soldering wires on rails, it can’t be beat!
You don’t need the real thin tip either as the one than comes with the soldering iron will work just great.
I think I’ve I’ve owned a total of 3 of these in 35 years and and never had a problem with any of them, simply wore them out and bought a new one.
For under the layout soldering which might mean soldering several wires at a time, I would use regular Weller soldering gun.
But for soldering wires to the rails, nothing beats the Wahl ISO-Tip.
Good luck,
gtirr