RECHARGEABLE SOLDERING IRONS
In theory, the most versatile and easy-to-use soldering tool has got to be a battery- operated device because there’s no lead to plug in as there is on a mains or 12-volt-powered soldering iron, and there’s no liquid butane to refill, just the need to recharge the battery when it goes flat. We’ve tested two of these types of soldering iron, one from Laser Tools (product code 7336) and the other from Sealey (SDL6). Both are powered by an in-built lithium-ion battery, which takes 3- 4 hours to fully charge and should last for between 75 and 90 minutes. Prices seem to vary, although we found both of them at Machine Mart for £53.99 (Laser) and £54.98 (Sealey).
At first glance they both seemed to be quite useful, with an LED light to help illuminate whatever you intend to solder, a lightweight feel to them that makes them easy to handle and a fast warm-up time of between 15 and 30 seconds before cold solder could be melted. Sealey’s soldering iron has a pointed tip that seems suited to fine soldering of circuit boards, although it is quite awkward to solder two wires together and create a neat finish. Laser’s has a removable tip, which is secured to the body of the soldering iron with a bayonet-style fixing – this is also pointed and more suited to soldering of circuit boards.
When testing both of these rechargeable soldering irons, we discovered it was difficult to manipulate melted solder because it seemed to cool down and solidify once it made contact with the wires. We also struggled to warm up old solder once it had solidified. On some occasions, melted fresh solder seemed to solidify into small balls and drop off onto our workbench. Judging by the performance of these two soldering irons, they may be portable and light, but it’s difficult to solder two wires together and create a neat finish.