Original TS101 Soldering Pen Upgraded from TS100 DC 65W PD 45W Power Programmable Smart Mini Electric Portable Soldering Iron Station Kit with BC2 Solder Tip USB Type C Cable

Let me start by saying, I'm not an expert at soldering. I get around to using a soldering iron only a couple times a year, using one to solder guitar related electronics and cables on occasion. I was using a cheap soldering iron, which was super frustrating to use in terms if temperature control and adjusting settings. I heard a lot about this iron online and figured it was a sensible upgrade without going crazy. It did not disappoint. It heats up super quick, holds its temp really well, and is easy to use and figure out without having to take a deep dive into the instructions. It's a pleasure to use compared to my previous $20-30 soldering iron and was a solid upgrade without getting into the $100-120 range of soldering irons would came with a dedicated control station. In summary, it feels like a quality piece of gear, works extremely well, and I would highly recommend this soldering iron for the casual user or someone that needs a travel soldering iron.

Really happy with this kit - it's a great starting point for a solid TS100 setup and exactly what I expected. The soldering iron works great, especially once I installed the open source firmware on it (as seen in the video) - having temporary temperature boost at the press of a button is amazing for soldering ground planes or using solder wick. Definitely take 5 minutes and install the open source Ralim/IronOS firmware as soon as you get it. The included power supply works well and had the DC negative terminal bonded to the ground pin of the mains plug which is good, though there's no easy way to connect that to the ground screw on the TS100. I ended up building my own silicone-insulated flexible cable extension anyway, since the included cable is stiff, not heat-proof, and includes a ferrite core near the barrel jack which adds awkward weight when using the iron. With that custom cable I was able to run a short wire from the the DC negative wire to the ground screw on the TS100 so that the tip is grounded. You can see that wire in my video. The included stand is not useful, but I didn't expect it to be. Overall this is a great soldering iron, especially once I took some time to do a few upgrades.

When I first got the soldering iron I plug it in it turn on it heated up really fast. it worked just as advertised I used the iron to solder pcb wires and it worked really well very good temp control lcd screen was pretty bright and it had tons of of options in settings to messed with the construction of the device felt pretty ugly weight not cheap but nothing I would consider industrial I used the iron for about a week and all of a sudden I got an error on the screen saying no tip and no matter what I tried, unplugging and plugging it back in, turning it off and on, factory resetting it, nothing seemed to work. The iron can no longer detect the tip making it completely useless. I even bought brand new replacement tips to rule out the original tip going bad. If the iron worked still and continued to, I would have given it 4 stars, one less than perfect because of its construction feeling somewhat cheap. But now that it’s useless I wouldn’t recommend it to someone else especially because of its price.

I have 4 other soldering irons and i don’t like any of them. I ordered this one because a YouTuber i often watch who does quite a few electrical wiring repairs on cars uses the ts100. His name on YouTube is Pine Hollow Auto Diagnostics. He swears by his ts100 iron and he has allot of luck soldering with his. I did plug mine in to see how it heats up and play with the functions and it heats up extremely fast. I hope this is my answer to all my soldering needs in the future.

Very impressed with this, I was tired of the gun-type of soldering, wish I had bought this the first time I saw it.