SDG #352 Quick TS11 Intelligent Soldering Station

The Quick TS11 is the cheaper, lower power sibling to the TS1200A, rated at 80W and built around a compact cartridge roughly the physical size of a JBC C245 tip but without the thermal mass. That distinction matters more than the wattage figure, and it becomes the central theme of this review.

The handpiece is very light and almost entirely plastic with a silicone grip, which some users will appreciate and others will read as cheap next to a Metcal or JBC t245. Cartridges simply push in and are held by contact tension, with no detent. Sleep is handled by a vibration sensor rather than a switched cradle, and the metal stand is heavy enough to stay put, using brass wool instead of a sponge.

Internally there is a real mains transformer with a single 230V primary, a 10V winding for the logic and a 27V 3A winding for the heater. Heater switching is done with a triac directly on the AC waveform, which avoids the switching noise and bulk capacitors of chopped DC designs. Build quality is tidy but unremarkable, and the earth tag is soldered so the front panel cannot be fully separated.

Out of the box calibration measured within a couple of degrees at 350C. Under load the station drew around 110W during warm up and settled around 38 to 45W while soldering. Small and medium pads were no problem; a four layer board with stitched planes needed the setpoint pushed to 370 to 380C before solder flowed properly, which points to thermocouple placement in the cartridge rather than raw controller power. Buyers should expect C210 class performance, offset by cheaper tips and a limited, Quick only cartridge range.