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Customers most agreed on the following attributes:
from Houston, TX on 7/30/2008
My old 15W iron finally gave up. Since I had a pressing need to fix a connector pulled off an Apple iBook logic board, I bought this one at Radio Shack.
Positive points: the included tip is very appropriate for fixing tiny motherboard components (although you'll want a magnifying lamp handy), and the low heat soldered without delaminating the printed circuit board. The iron heats up quickly.
Negative points: the cord is just too bulky. Regardless of how hard I tried, the cord kept pulling the iron off the table. I finally used a clothespin to clip the cord to my lamp's base, so that the weight was borne by the clip, not the iron. The grip of the iron is a bit larger than necessary -- it's a lot like holding the gigantic pencil with your Big Chief tablet. Finally, just toss the little stand in the trash. You'll experience less frustration that way.
Overall, I'm pleased with it, although I think I made trade out for a Weller soon. It did the job, and for the price, it can't be beat.
This is the best Radioshack brand iron they make. Radioshack is starting to sell Weller irons, and they are better, but much more expensive.
This is a great iron. This has a great tip. Don't get the dual wattage, the 30, or the 40 watt iron. Their tips are not good for small soldering.
Get this iron, take good care of the iron tip though. This is great and I am going to buy again.
from NJ on 6/13/2008
Pros: Solders very well, the tip does seem to turn dark but there is directions that tells you how to prevent that. Works with Rosin Core Solder (64-006). the handle does not overheat from my experience. Tip gets nice and hot. The directions included is very helpful for those who are new to soldering. The cooling stand is cheep but sufficient for the job, don't panic. If the tip bends on your iron, then ur probably doing something wrong. Heats up in 2 minutes!
Cons: The cord is a little heavy and can possibly drag the iron off of your workplace if left to hang, so be careful. Could take a longer warm up period to melt better solder, but hey its a 15w soldering iron.
I like this iron and try to use it where ever possible. Because it is cooler than a 25-35 watt iron, is friendlier to heat sensitive and smaller parts and I feel more comfortable leaving it run for long periods of time because the heat is not radiating at me as with other irons. I even have used it to silver solder thin wires on to edge of thin stainless steel sheets in a small areas but it takes a while to heat up to that level. However, watch that you fingers don't touch the long extended part that gets hot. A better designed iron might reduce the length of that hot area. Don't get too friendly with this tool. It does burn fingers!
[0 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
This 15-watt iron proved to have insufficient heating power for use with Radio Shack's 64-025 Lead-Free Tin-Silver (96%/4%) solder when soldering ordinary electronic components to a printed circuit board. Even raising the AC voltage from a nominal 115 volts to 135 volts did not increase the power sufficiently. Radio Shack's on-line product description, and the product packaging, do not warn of this limitation. Nor do they provide the tip's operating temperature to guide the customer.
It appears that an iron with a higher wattage is required for use with 64-025 tin-silver solder. But Radio Shack does not yet offer an iron with a higher wattage THAT ALSO provides a grounded tip, unfortunately. Such an iron would be a very desirable addition to Radio Shack's product line.
I did not test the iron with solder containing lead. Solders containing lead will likely have a lower melting point and might work somewhat better with this iron. However, lead is highly toxic and should be avoided for health reasons. For this reason, I hope that Radio Shack will discontinue solders containing lead in the near future and will assure that all of its soldering irons work properly with lead-free solders.
My thanks to Radio Shack for providing this opportunity for product feedback.
The sharp tip helps good, precise soldering on pcb board. If you can find thin lead line, you can avoid getting big lead beads. Because of 15W and sharp tip, less chance of head damage.
from Fort Worth, TX on 1/29/2008
Haven't soldered in a while but needed this for a small electronic job with PCB, speaker, wires. Worked like a charm. Even comes with good instructions for those who need reminding. Nice to have it grounded. Agree that the cord is rather heavy and the unit can be pulled off the bench by the cord. The holder is small and light but better than nothing. Overall a very good product.
from Tacoma, WA on 1/23/2008
Needed a soldering iron NOW as mine decided to quit. Was ready to order something online so I could get professional quality but dedided to run down to the local Radio Shack and get something to make do. What a suprise. This is a Quality soldering iron and will replace my professional iron.
from Barberton, OH on 9/22/2007
This Soldering Iron is perfect for those around the house small soldering jobs like PCBs and radio controlled hobbies like XMODs. I do insist that if you buy this product you buy the:
Soldering Iron Holder and Cleaner Model/Product #64-2078
as this Soldering Iron is not temperature controlled and if left long enough on the stock holder can become VERY, VERY HOT. Plus the stock holder is worthless at holding the Soldering Iron because the sorta heavy power cord due to the grounded tip, and PLEASE, PLEASE turn off AND UNPLUG what ever you are working on due to the fact that the tip will ground out what ever it is your working on. There is no current passing through it, but the ground acts as if it were negative, so PLEASE take my advice.
I haven't taken the plunge yet by investing in a nice Weller, but man oh man this little 15 watt iron is the nicest 'cheapy' I've ever used.The cord isn't too bulky at all due to the grounded tip, which is very good. The pencil tip and lower wattage is ideal for smaller PCB work as you wont torch the board. The slightly ribbed texture on the tip takes on solder well for a super easy tin. Plus the shaft hasn't turned purple and brown or started to smell, like most cheap irons do.I used this iron for about an hour or so today while working on a radio transceiver and the handle grip never got too hot to hold like, again most cheap irons.My only gripe is a small one, the included 'stand' is a huge no. Invest in a nice spiral stand to slide the hot iron in. Like Radio Shack part #64-2078. Your unburned hands and table will thank you.
As my review title indicates, this is an OK iron for raw beginners at soldering or those who don't plan on soldering frequently. However, if you plan on soldering fairly often, it's worth the investment to upgrade to a higher-quality, temperature controlled soldering station like those made by Hakko, Weller, and others.
The redeeming quality of this iron is that it's cheap. However, here are a couple of things that I don't like so much about the iron:
-Heavy, relatively stiff cord makes it difficult to keep the iron in one place when not using it, without the help of a separate stand
-In keeping with the above, the little "stand" included with the iron is utterly useless
-The grip of the iron, while rubberized and fairly comfortable, is poorly insulated and gets very hot to the touch upon extended use
[0 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
The best for fine soldering
Good use for fine soldering. So far the best 15W used for electronic rework.