Soldering Iron Reviews
Soldering irons live or die on a handful of things a spec sheet won’t tell you: how fast the tip actually recovers heat between joints, whether the stated temperature matches what a thermocouple reads at the tip, how the handle feels after twenty minutes of fine work, and whether the tips are still available five years from now.
This category rounds up every soldering iron and soldering station review on the channel, from budget mains-powered irons through to professional stations like the Metcal MX and JBC ranges. Each review includes real temperature measurements against the display reading, not just a subjective “feels hot enough.” Where a unit was supplied free of charge or a link below is an affiliate link, that’s disclosed on the video’s page.
2025 9 videos
Length 15:39Metcal MX-H9 & MX-H10 Micro Fine Iron & Tweezers Review
Hands-on with Metcal's MX-H9 micro-fine soldering iron and MX-H10 tweezers: cartridge range, microscope ergonomics, 01005 rework and JBC comparisons.
Length 10:47Solder Won't Melt? How to Fix an Oxidized Iron Tip
Damp sponge, brass wool, JBC Inox wool, rosin, tip tinner and sal ammoniac tested on badly oxidized soldering tips. See what actually works.
Length 21:45Geeboon HC24 Review: 400W JBC Soldering Station
Testing the Geeboon HC24 SMPS soldering station with T470, T245 and T115 JBC handpieces: teardown, calibration, tip leakage, firmware fix and fan noise.
Length 0:51Geeboon HA310 400W: Does It Really Kill Components?
Testing the claim that a 400W soldering station destroys electronics. A full kit assembled with an oversized tip on the Geeboon HA310, with C210 support too.
Length 30:57Geeboon HA310 Review: 450W JBC T470 Soldering Station
The Geeboon HA310 drives JBC T115, T210, T245 and T470 handpieces from a toroidal transformer. Teardown, calibration and copper bar soldering tests.
Length 18:48Geeboon C470 380W Station: Finally Beats Metcal
Hands-on with the Geeboon C470 380W JBC-compatible soldering station: teardown, dual 24V supplies, calibration check and busbar tests against a Metcal.
Length 33:48Aixun T413 200W Soldering Station & T225 Handpiece Review
Aixun T413 200W soldering station and T225 smart handpiece tested: great hardware, teardown, but firmware bugs and a badly out of calibration handle.
Length 20:32i2c PDK1200 Review: 300W Dual JBC Soldering Station
Teardown and testing of the i2c PDK1200 300W dual-channel soldering station for JBC 115, 210 and 245 handpieces. Build quality, firmware, calibration and power.
Length 17:16AxxSolder Review: Open Source JBC Soldering Controller
Hands-on with the AxxSolder STM32 JBC controller: USB-C vs 24V DC heat-up, schematic critique, GUI walkthrough and firmware update steps.
2024 11 videos
Length 22:33Quick TS11 Soldering Station Review & Teardown
Hands-on review of the Quick TS11 80W soldering station: teardown, calibration check, power draw and thermal tests on heavy ground planes.
Length 18:46KSGER PD210 Review: £15 USB-C C210 Soldering Iron
Full review of the KSGER PD210 USB-C PD3.0 soldering iron: teardown, capacitive wake sensor, temperature calibration and real soldering power tests.
Length 13:38TS-210 USB-C Soldering Iron Review: JBC C210 Tips
Hands-on review of the £20 TS-210 USB-C soldering iron: teardown, PD/QC support, 4-point calibration accuracy and real soldering tests with JBC C210 tips.
Length 20:16Handskit T12-X2 Desoldering Tweezers Review & Teardown
Handskit T12-X2 tested: 72W T12 station with desoldering tweezers. Teardown, earthing check, temperature accuracy and real desoldering results.
Length 20:00ATETOOL AE680D 80W Mains-Powered Soldering Iron Review
Testing the ATETOOL AE680D 80W soldering station: 230V cartridges with no thermocouple, OLED menu, calibration accuracy and a full teardown.
Length 19:18FNIRSI HS-02A 100W USB Soldering Iron & FNB48P Review
Hands-on with the FNIRSI HS-02A 100W USB-C soldering iron and the FNB48P USB power meter: real power draw, heat-up times and who they suit.
Length 16:48Wemon T31 120W JBC-Style Soldering Station Review
Hands-on review of the Wemon T31 120W soldering station: C115, C210 and C245 support, teardown, calibration and real thermal performance testing.
Length 17:22Aixun T380 Review: 80W USB-C, Battery Soldering Iron
Hands-on with the Aixun T380: 80W USB-C PD portable soldering station with swappable battery, teardown, thermal testing and real-world verdict.
Length 7:58GVM H3 Soldering Station Retest: Fixed?
Retesting the GVM H3 after correcting swapped transformer connectors: improved soldering power, but slow wake-up and assembly concerns remain.
Length 6:00GVM H3 Soldering Station: Where's the 80W?
Follow-up testing on the GVM H3 soldering station explains why it never hits its claimed 80W output, and what that means for real soldering work.
Length 21:41GVM H3 80W Soldering Station Review: JBC T245 Clone
Hands-on review of the GVM H3 80W soldering station with JBC T245, T210 and T115 style handpieces. Teardown, calibration checks and real soldering results.
2023 9 videos
Length 30:37AiXun T320 Review: 200W JBC-Style Soldering Station
Hands-on review of the AiXun T320 200W soldering station: JBC C245 tip compatibility, teardown, calibration, coin test and grounded PCB soldering results.
Length 22:04Mechanic C211 Review: Budget JBC-Style Soldering Station
Hands-on review of the Mechanic C211 soldering station: teardown, C210 handpiece quality, calibration, power delivery and whether it beats pricier JBC clones.
Length 23:17Thermaltronics TMT9000S Review: Metcal MX Rival?
Hands-on review of the Thermaltronics TMT9000S curie-point soldering station, including teardown, cartridge fit and thermal recovery tests versus the Metcal MX.
Length 18:10Miniware TS1C Cordless Soldering Iron Review & Teardown
Hands-on with the Miniware TS1C supercapacitor cordless soldering iron: teardown, calibration check, real runtime limits and who it actually suits.
Length 29:12JBC CDE Soldering Assistant Review: T245 Station
Hands-on with the JBC CDE-B soldering assistant and T245 handpiece: joint feedback tested on a real 4-layer board, plus how it compares to Metcal CV.
Length 24:24Aifen A902 Review: Dual Channel JBC C245/C210/C115
Hands-on review of the Aifen A902 dual channel soldering station: teardown, calibration accuracy, coin test results and where it falls short of JBC.
Length 15:07Sequre S60 Review: 60W USB-C JBC C210 Soldering Iron
Hands-on review of the Sequre S60 USB-C soldering iron: teardown, genuine JBC C210 tip compatibility, temperature calibration checks and real power limits.
Length 13:20Atten GT-2010 USB Soldering Iron Review: Is 10W Enough?
Hands-on review of the Atten GT-2010 USB soldering iron: teardown, calibration check, cartridge costs and whether 10W is worth £50 or more.
Length 5:43JBC C245 USB-C Soldering Iron Pushed to 130W+
Bench-supply testing the L245 USB-C soldering iron with a genuine JBC C245 cartridge: 6A current spikes, 300W draw and why firmware limits matter.
2022 8 videos
Length 19:53L245 USB-C Soldering Iron Review: JBC C245 Tips
Testing the L245 USB-C portable soldering iron that takes JBC C245 cartridges: menus, 5-point calibration, PD voltage limits and a genuine-tip overcurrent…
Length 19:28Pinecil V2 Review: PINE64 Open Source Soldering Iron
Hands-on review of the PINE64 Pinecil V2 portable soldering iron: build quality, IronOS interface, calibration, USB-C PD power and real soldering results.
Length 10:22MiniWare TS101 Review: A Real Upgrade Over the TS100?
Hands-on look at the MiniWare TS101 portable soldering iron: USB-C power, new UI, TS100 tip compatibility and real soldering performance on test PCBs.
Length 32:56Aixun T420D Review: 200W Dual Channel Soldering Station
Hands-on review of the Aixun T420D dual channel 200W soldering station: teardown, T245/T210/T115 handles, firmware, calibration and heat tests.
Length 19:35Metcal GT4 Slim Handpiece Review: GT90 & GT120 Tested
Hands-on with Metcal's GT4 slim handpiece for the GT90 and GT120 adjustable soldering stations, including firmware update, calibration and real soldering work.
Length 23:13JBC KNE-A Nitrogen Soldering Kit Tested & Reviewed
Hands-on with the JBC KNE-A nitrogen kit and T245NA handpiece: does inert gas soldering really improve joints, tip life and flux-free wetting?
Length 30:26Handskit JBC T245 Soldering Station Review & Teardown
Hands-on review and full teardown of the Handskit JBC T245 clone soldering station: build quality, safety issues, calibration and thermal performance.
Length 26:081SCN Dual Channel C210 C115 Soldering Station Review
A 160W dual channel station for JBC C210 and C115 handpieces looks great on paper, but the teardown reveals serious build and safety problems.
2021 16 videos
Length 19:43JBC AM120 vs Metcal MX-PTZ Desoldering Tweezers Review
Comparing the JBC AM120 and Metcal MX-PTZ desoldering tweezers: tip choice, heat-up, ergonomics and how each handles real SMD removal work.
Length 24:06Aixun T3B Review: JBC C210 & C115 Soldering Station
Hands-on review of the Aixun T3B soldering station for JBC C210 and C115 cartridges, including teardown, calibration accuracy and soldering tests.
Length 20:47Metcal GT120 Revisited: Two Stations Tested & Compared
Two Metcal GT120 soldering stations torn down and compared, with firmware differences, tip performance and temperature accuracy versus ADS200 and JBC.
Length 11:19Aixun T3A New Cradle, T3B & JBC C115/C210 Tips
A closer look at Aixun's improved T3A handpiece cradle, the dual-port T3B, JBC C115/C210/C245 handpiece support and third-party firmware updates.
Length 12:46Metcal HTD Handpiece Review: CV-H6-HTD & HCV Tips
Testing Metcal's high thermal demand handpiece and HCV cartridges on aluminium PCB and 3mm copper, against the PACE ADS200 and JBC C245.
Length 38:00Metcal CV-5210 Review: Connection Validation Tested
Hands-on look at Metcal's CV-5210 soldering station: how Connection Validation judges joint quality, teardown, calibration checks and real solder tests.
Length 29:50UniSolder 5.2 Build and Test with JBC C245 Handpiece
Building the open source UniSolder 5.2 soldering controller and running it with a JBC C245 handpiece: assembly pitfalls, firmware, calibration and real…
Length 28:55Ersa I-CON 2V Review: 120W Station with I-TOOL Iron
Hands-on review of the Ersa I-CON 2V soldering station and I-TOOL handpiece: teardown, thermal performance, calibration, overshoot and real soldering tests.
Length 20:02AiXun T3A Review: 200W JBC T245 Compatible Station
Hands-on review of the AiXun T3A 200W soldering station: teardown, C245 cartridge compatibility, calibration and heavy thermal load testing.
Length 21:52KSGER vs QUICKO T12 STM32 Stations: Custom Firmware
Comparing the KSGER Mini and QUICKO STM32 T12 soldering stations, plus flashing DavidAlfa's custom firmware for better control and calibration.
Length 16:23Metcal PS-900 450 kHz SmartHeat Soldering Review
Hands-on with the Metcal PS-900 SmartHeat soldering system: teardown, thermal recovery, tip cartridges and coin test results versus JBC stations.
Length 27:45JBC DDE-2C Review: Dual-Port T245 & T210 Station
Hands-on review of the JBC DDE-2C two-tool soldering station: teardown, UI walkthrough, tip calibration and thermal tests vs Metcal, PACE and BST.
Length 26:34Pace ADS200 Soldering Station Review: 120W Tested
Hands-on review of the Pace ADS200 with TD-200 handpiece: build quality, Accudrive thermal recovery and coin tests vs Metcal and JBC T245.
Length 28:03Quick TS1200A 120W Soldering Station Review: Worth $220?
Teardown, heat-up timing and coin tests pit the Quick TS1200A 120W soldering station against Metcal and JBC gear. Is the price justified over a KSGER T12?
Length 11:21Metcal GT120 vs JBC High Thermal Capacity Tips Tested
High thermal capacity cartridges tested on the Metcal GT120, MX5200, a JBC T245 clone and a KSGER T12 to see which handles heavy solder loads best.
Length 26:27Metcal GT120 Adjustable Temp Soldering Station Review
Hands-on look at the Metcal GT120 and GT90 adjustable temperature soldering stations: handpiece feel, tip range, real soldering performance and a full teardown.
2020 2 videos
Length 12:41Miniware TS80p Review: Good Enough as a Main Iron?
Can the USB-C powered Miniware TS80p replace a mains soldering station? A look at heat-up time, thermal recovery, tips, power supply needs and value.
Length 9:54Toor T12-11 Soldering Station Review: JBC C245 Tips
A close look at the Toor T12-11 soldering station built for JBC C245 cartridges: build quality, heat-up speed, thermal recovery and value.
2019 2 videos
Length 23:21BST-933B vs Jabe UD-1200: Budget JBC Soldering Station
Which cheap JBC C210/C245 clone station is worth buying? Comparing the BST-933B and Jabe UD-1200 on heat-up, power delivery and tip compatibility.
Length 12:37QUICKO / KSGER T12 STM32 907 Soldering Station Review
A close look at the QUICKO and KSGER T12 STM32 907 soldering station: build quality, safety, tip performance and whether it beats pricier irons.
