SOLDERING GUNS
There is an alternative to the stick-shaped soldering iron, and it’s a pistol-shaped tool called a soldering gun. In theory, they should provide more control than traditional soldering irons, but they are generally bulkier. The two we’ve tested are both mains-powered and are designed for speedy wiring repairs and soldering jobs where time is of the essence, so warm-up times are often a matter of seconds via a boost trigger. Sealey’s SD250K seems to cost around £35 online (recommended retail price is £52) and has a 1.5 metre-long power lead. It’s supplied with a short coil of solder wire, a small stand for holding wires or objects, a smaller stand for keeping the hot end of the soldering iron away from work surfaces and a useful solder sucker, which removes excess solder. There’s a 75mm-long, 4mmdiameter soldering tip included, but any tips that are 4mm in diameter can be fitted. All of this squeezes inside a carry case.
When plugged in and switched on, the soldering gun operates at 30 watts and the solder tip should warm up to 120°C. Pressing the boost trigger means the gun will raise the power output to 100 watts and increase the tip’s temperature to 250°C, but this can only be operated for a maximum of 12 seconds per minute. Operating it for longer periods does risk damaging the gun and potentially preventing it working at all.
The other soldering gun we tested is from Draper (71420) and whilst it retails at around £45, we found several online stores selling it for around £30, and Machine Mart sells a comprehensive kit from Draper, which includes this gun, a 30-watt soldering iron and numerous accessories for a bargain price of just £28.79.
This gun doesn’t generate any heat when connected to the mains until the trigger is operated, which can only be used for 12 seconds out of every minute – a warning message on the body of the gun clearly states this duty cycle must not be ignored. Just like Sealey’s gun, 100-watts of power is consumed when the trigger is operated, which quickly warms up the metal loop on the end to be able to melt fresh solder wire. This soldering gun is supplied in a robust carry case along with three tips, a tube of solder and flux. Soldering guns are ideal for quick repairs where you don’t want to be left standing for a few minutes waiting for the soldering iron to warm up.