iFixit
Not being able to solder puts a hard cap on the kinds of devices you can fix at home. As more modern devices add in circuit boards and discrete electronics (needed or otherwise), soldering is often the only way to save an otherwise functional object from ending up in a junk drawer, or landfill.
That’s the kind of roadblock iFixit’s FixHub is intended to address. The repair store and repairability advocate now offers battery-powered soldering tools and beginner’s kits, intended to make soldering something you can do almost anywhere, quickly, with a few features intended to help out novices and those feeling a bit rusty.
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iFixit’s soldering tools are meant to be used together or separately. The battery pack can control the soldering iron temperature, but so can a browser.
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The battery pack can also function as a standard backup battery, with two USB-C ports.
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A layout shot of everything in the full $300 soldering kit.
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The full kit can be wrapped up into a big ol’ portable soldering burrito.
iFixit
iFixit, which says it is going “all-in on soldering” in a press release, offers a few interconnected pieces as part of a FixHub system:
- A Smart Soldering Iron ($80) powered by USB-C, shipping with a beveled 1.5 mm tip and supporting six others, with more available over time
- A Portable Soldering Station ($250), which includes the iron and a two-port battery pack designed for the iron.
- An all-in-one Soldering Toolkit ($300) containing the iron, battery pack, and a bunch of useful soldering tools.
iFixit, certainly aware of the Pinecil, Miniware, and other USB-C pen-style soldering irons on the market, claims a few things set its iron apart. Its iron can be powered up to 100 watts, whereas it says most tap out at 60W over USB or 88W on DC. The heat-resistant cap should make finishing the job faster. iFixit also touts “A warranty and a US company to talk to” for their gear, as compared to the competition.
iFixit says it put in work on the ergonomics, tip length, cable tension, and other aspects of a soldering setup that tend to frustrate beginners. And rather than asking newcomers to invest in a full station with a heat-setting display, iFixit’s iron can set its temperature through a dial on the battery pack, or, lacking that, a local browser interface.
I received a Soldering Toolkit on loan from iFixit for testing and review, but have yet to put it through its paces enough to warrant any verdict on it. As someone with some microsoldering training and experience, but not the space or inclination to buy and store a full rework station, I can see the niche at which iFixit is aiming. Buying into a full station is expensive, and cobbling together the pieces is confusing, especially if you’re just starting out. If you dive into soldering and reach the point where the iFixit kit feels like it’s holding you back, then they’ve done their job.
Pre-orders on the FixHub pieces start today, and units are expected to start shipping on October 15 in the US, Canada, Australia, and Europe.
Disclosure: Kevin Purdy previously worked for iFixit. He has no financial interest in the company.