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The only complaint I have is, that it uses a lot of gas, and if not used in "soldering mode" but with the flame, the flame seems to go off quite often when you point it down.otherwise great, and gets very hot.
Wish I had invested in this tool a long time ago. I've used it as a soldering iron and a torch. Great buy.
This Portasol iron is exactly what I needed. Nearly all of my soldering work is on old motorcycle and car electrical systems. It heats very quickly, and its small tip is just the thing for soldering connectors. Mostly it involves 12 to 14 gauge wire and lots of connectors. My big Craftsman soldering gun was cumbersome and difficult to use. Lightweight and easy to handle, it cuts way down on fatigue too. I haven't tried the various attachements yet, but even if I never use them this is still a great tool.
The advantages of cordless soldering irons are: (a) you can take them anywhere -- up the ladder, under the car, in the yard, and (b) the cord doesn't get in the way -- when I'm working at a table, I don't bump into the cord, nor does the cord trip up parts and tools. I use both corded and cordless soldering irons to build electronic circuits (I'm an amateur radio operator) and to fix things around the house. (For info on the Portasol unit that I use, [.].- Weller sells a sister product under its own brand). However, if I need to apply heat to larger components (such as antenna connectors) and/or will apply heat to heat-shrink tubing, the Portasol is my pick. I recommend getting an extra tip or two. Recently I've been using the Hakko FX-901, a cordless soldering iron that uses 4 AA batteries.
I've never been in that situation though.As a soldering iron, it works great. For the longest time the Portasol butane cordless (non-electric) soldering iron was my first choice -- in fact it still is, depending on the application, such as shrinking heat-shrink tubing, or soldering components that dislike static electricity. The butane-operated Portasol has the added benefits of (c) being almost free of static electricity, and (d) holding your desired temperature by dialing the fuel knob -- the battery-operated Hakko FX-901 needs several seconds to heat up.Some of you might appreciate working off the grid -- if you're on a farm on in a park, say, you may not have a generator nearby. (See my review under that product). I use the Hakko FX-901 more often than the Portasol, especially if I'm only soldering. It weighs much less than the Hakko FX-901 -- the latter's heft is due to the 4 AAs.
Of course that's true of any soldering iron.
This tool works as advertised and is perfect for small soldering jobs where there is no power available such as on a boat. The tip get very hot when the control valve is wide open and it can easily solder multi-strand 14 gauge wire but it can also be turned down to handle very thin small gauge signal wiring. One of the best tools that I have purchased. Note that it does not include the butane fuel.
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