Cold heat soldering gun

[bikinpunk 10+ year member]

I'm making a list of things I might want for Christmas this year and was thinking of asking for a good soldering gun. I've never soldered before, but I'm tired of crimp connectors. The cool to the touch soldering guns seem pretty nice, but I'm not sure how effectvie they are. Anyone have experience with this, or can recommend a specific soldering gun?

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[Rc 415 10+ year member]

Not very good at all dont waste your money!

 

[CJL 10+ year member]

http://www.caraudio.com/forum/showthread.php?t=159593

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[Rattlebrain 10+ year member]

I have one. It works ok if you are not soldering anything big. Most of the time I use a micro torch for soldering.

 

[bikinpunk 10+ year member]

http://www.caraudio.com/forum/showthread.php?t=159593
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Wow, guess that's a definate no for that product. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/laugh.gif.48439b2acf2cfca21620f01e7f77d1e4.gif

Thanks for the other advice, guys.

 

[yacob.naif 10+ year member]

yup, the guns that actually use the heating element as the tip like that are impossible to use in tight areas, and dump tons of stray voltage into whatever you're soldering, you can actually feel the current in the wire you're soldering......

and that instant-on battery gun is just asking for cold-joints and bad connections

i'd get a nice pair of kronus autostrippers and a snap-on ratcheted die crimp tool

the wires will break before the crimps

 

[Rattlebrain 10+ year member]

This is what I use most of the time

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=42099

 

[bikinpunk 10+ year member]

weller makes good product.

I was talking about the cold-heat one. The weller is almost exactly what my dad has. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[brandontw 10+ year member]

i had one once and it was really hard to use. You have to like touch both sides of the tip to what your soldering and i think then it puts electricity through the metal to heat it up. It a good idea but its awkward to have to try to get contact on both side of the tip all the time.

So you end up pushing hard to get contact, then the tips break becasue they are ceramic with metal imbedded in it or something, so then you have to buy new tips, and they cost more than the cold heat did to begin with.

Plus it actually shocks you sometimes when your holding what you soldering just right...weird.

Just stick with a traditional soldering gun.

 

[AT@T tech 10+ year member]

sucks, tried to use on for component level board and didn't melt old solder. don't waste your money. go buy a weller

 

[yacob.naif 10+ year member]

I got myself a bernzomatic butane soldering iron from walmart tonight for $17 and it's hands down the best soldering tool i've ever used, and i've tried everything from a 35w pencil iron, to a 100/140w weller gun, to a 400w craftsman gun-style iron

it's AWESOME

i learned the tool, and got 14 joints done on a single fillup, and cans of butane are $2 for enough to fill it 3 or 4 times

it has adjustable heat, comes with 4 or 5 different tips, and no stray current or wires to worry about

for terminals, i've always and will be a crimp-man, but for things like butt-joints, or harness repairs, soldering is still necessary, and this is definitely my favorite tool i've ever used, and was under $20