In my latest video I take a look at the Iso-Tip SolderPro 90 Butane soldering iron. There’s a lot a great things to like about this iron, and a couple that are not so good. Does the good outweigh the bad? Continue reading to find out.
You may have seen my previous reviews of the Iso-Tip Pro-50 Butane iron and the Iso-Tip Pro 7700 cordless soldering iron. Well the folks at Iso-Tip saw the videos too and sent me one of their newest product, the Pro 90 butane iron to check out. After a quickly playing around with the iron, I must say I am really impressed.
The Pro 90 is a 4 in 1, multi purpose cordless soldering iron kit. The kit includes the Pro 90 Butane Soldering Iron with a protective cap, 3 different tips: 1mm conical, 2.4mm conical, hot knife, and a blow torch. A solder dispenser and sponge round out the kit. Everything is kept together in a plastic storage case.
The use the iron, first fill it with butane. The tank holds enough butane for up to 55 minutes of continuous use. Next slide the lever until you hear the butane hissing, and then press the lighter button. The iron heats up very fast. In fact this is probably the fastest I’ve seen an iron get hot. The Pro 50 takes about 30 seconds until the tip is hot. This iron is ready in under 10 seconds. The tip temperature is adjustable and you can set it for a range between 482 and 1,022 degrees. The little slider is how you set the temperature. To turn off the iron, return the slider to the off position and let cool.
Some of the applications this iron is good for include electrical and electronic circuit repair, jewelry repair, model building, arts and crafts, dental labs, thawing frozen locks, and heat shrink tubing.
Lets talk a bit about heat shrink tubing. The iron comes with a heat blower tip that can be used for thawing locks or surface mount componant heating to reflow solder. But I think this tip is most useful for heat shrink tubing. I’ve used all sorts of methods to shrink the tubing, like with a lighter or propane torch. But those methods aren’t as precise or as safe as the blower tip on this iron. I found that using the Solderpro for heat shrink super easy.
So, things I like about the Solder-Pro 90 are: it’s comfortable in the hand, I found it easy to hold and work with. It lights and heats up very fast. It runs a long time on a single fill. I’m not sure if it goes for an entire 55 minutes, but it ran long enough for my soldering session. If I was going to take a break, I’d feel comfortable turning it off, knowing that it will heat up again rather fast. I know one of the comments I’ll get is ‘will this iron solder a PL-259?’ And i will say yes, it is certainly hot enough that you can solder PL-259 connectors with it.
Now the down side. The reservoir has no window or indicator on how full it is. So bring extra butane with you if you are using it in the field. Also the iron does exhaust hot air just above the tip, so be aware if you are working in close quarters.
So what’s the final word on the Iso-Tip. At a retail price of under $50, it’s a good value. I’d recommend it as a second iron for the electronics hobbyist or as the primary iron for someone that does the occasional solder job. Since it comes with a carrying case, you can throw it in your tool kit without fear of damaging it.
Well, that’s my review of the Iso-Tip Pro 90 butane soldering iron. If you have questions or comments, please leave them below. If you’ve used this iron, I’d love to hear your impressions.
Iso-Tip SolderPro 90 Butane Iron (Amazon Link)
http://amzn.to/2BZP3GV
Also available direct from Senasys/Iso-Tip/Presar:
https://iso-tip.com/product/pro-90-butane-soldering-iron-and-torch-kit-9010
Use coupon code TY2016 for a 20% discount.
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