Soldering Iron Kit for Electronics [2020 Upgraded], Yome 15-in-1 60w Adjustable Temperature Soldering Iron, 5pcs Soldering Iron Tips, DE-soldering Pump, Wire Cutters, Screwdriver, Stand

If you've never soldered, this is a great way to get started. Watch a few YouTube videos--some are great, some stink. This is a beginners set, for occasional non-precision use only. I use it for soldering wire connections on my vehicles lights etc, and it works fine for that. I'm not sure I trust the heat setting dial at all; actually, I have no idea if it even does anything. But the light on the handle tells you it's turned on, which is useful. There are much better soldering irons available. This is a starter set. The solder is cheap, appears 0.8 mm in diameter to my eye, which is medium sized.I use extra rosin flux on my connections because cheap solder has very little flux in the core (pine tree sap that melts before the metal and "wets" the wires so the solder will stick to it--essential). If you buy extra flux (recommended), then get good stuff. The cheapo stuff is diluted by over half with vaseline and looks almost white. It works but you're not getting what you're paying for. Vaseline's not flux. The good stuff is undiluted tree rosin and is a dark yellow/light brown paste. Just coat your bare wires with flux on a toothpick and solder away.There's enough solder in this kit for 15-20 18-gauge wire-to-wire connections. Enough to learn with and fix/build a few things. Kit includes some skinny 24-gauge wire to play with.Always melt a little solder on your iron tip to tin it before each use, then wipe it off. It'll leave a fine shiny layer on your tip. This removes the oxidized metal layer that always forms from sitting around and reacting with atmospheric oxygen. Always heat your connection from below and apply solder from on top to the hot wire, not the solder gun tip. The flux melts (and smokes a little) and then the metal will start melting and filter through the wires, downward and to the sides. You don't want big globs--you should easily see the individual wire strands through the solder when finished. If your solder isn't melting easily on the top of your wire connection, adding a drop of solder to the iron tip before touching it to the bottom of the wire will help transfer heat from the iron to the wire and get the wire hotter. Let your new connection cool for 20-30 seconds before even considering moving it around, or else you'll cause mini fractures in the metal that will weaken your connection. Simples.Never used the "solder sucker" and don't envision a time I will. How do you clean the hardened solder out from the inside of that thing anyways? The little clipper that comes with it is pointy sharp and has proven useful for cutting small things. The stand is a joke, but functional. The sponge pad that comes with the kit for wiping off your iron tip is silly. I just use a damp kitchen sponge. Just drag your hot iron over the sponge a few times, without pressing down/applying pressure, to clean your tip between uses. My kit also came with a small screwdriver for some reason, which is useless garbage and will never be used.

The soldering iron is ergonomically comfortable, making it easy to control the tip. The On/Off switch on the handle is a nice feature too, as is the LED light which shows at a glance when the iron is On. The biggest issue I have with the iron is that the label on the temperature control knob is so tiny that its impossible to read without a magnifying glass! It would be nice to have a bigger knob with a larger temperature label. Click stops (at least for all the major temperature settings) would be nice too so you can easily tell where you're setting the dial. I haven't used it enough to know whether or not the tip gets so hot that it melts the plastic base and deform the iron, as do many inexpensive soldering irons. However, I haven't had that problem thus far (temp. setting in the middle range at 600°F).Another issue I found was with the soldering iron holder. The base is too light weight to support the weight of the iron and cord. You have to carefully place the iron in the coiled holder, and make sure its balanced before you let go of it. If you don't, the base tips over easily and could cause serious burns or even a fire from the unprotected hot tip rolling around. It would be much safer to have a heavier-weighted base that easily supports the weight of the iron without tipping. However, the second hole in the base could be used to screw the base down to a table or bench which would solve this problem. But, that would make the base less portable.The other problem with the soldering iron holder is the sponge and sponge well. The sponge well is so shallow that simply wiping off the tip tends to push the sponge out of the well. The well could be a little deeper. Also, the sponge is very thin, even when wet. It could be thicker. But, that's easily replaced with one of your own choosing.When performing a soldering job, your attention should be on your work, not fussing with the holder or the sponge. Yet, in spite of these issues, I successfully desoldered the electrical components that I bought the kit for. The multi-purpose screwdriver is very handy too, as are the fine-point tweezers. And, the vacuum tube seems to work well.Overall, this Yome Soldering Iron Kit includes a decent soldering iron for the money, as well as a nice compliment of useful accessories and tools to handle the most basic-to-medium electrical and electronic DIY projects. There are a few items that could be improved. But, the kit seems to get the job done. Hopefully, I'll be able to enjoy this soldering iron kit as a trusted part of my toolbox for many years to come.

The soldering iron itself isn't bad. It heats up faster than my Weller, it's adjustable, the shape and size are slimmer so comfortable to use. I've used it three times now and the only thing that I haven't liked has been the cord was very stiff and when I put the iron in the holder it would want to tip over. I worked with the cord a bit when it was cooled off and it does seem to have loosened but wanted to give a heads up.As for the accessories, most are pretty standard. The solder is decent, the stand is pretty dang cheap but it's better than nothing, and the "sponge" is nothing more than a thin piece that isn't going to last long. The solder sucker is probably the biggest disappointment. It works but the button to release the plunger sits flush with the grip so it's awkward to push down and release. I have a different solder sucker that is just a tube, plunger, and button and I like it far more.I might sound like i'm complaining but overall for the price it's a decent soldering iron with take it or leave it accessories. There's a nice carrying case and if you have some simple and quick things to solder this is the tool for you. On a professional level I doubt they're even looking at this thing.

After replacement kit all was well. Do not know why First iron would not heat up but I let them know and they send a new one out. I waited to do this review and new one still works great. The Stand was a bit flimsy for me but other wise I would get again.