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[@HamRadioCrashCourse] The iFixit Soldering Station Makes Me Smile - Great Customer Service!

· 4 min read
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@HamRadioCrashCourse - "The iFixit Soldering Station Makes Me Smile - Great Customer Service!"

Link: https://youtu.be/dqm9LtPDF8A

Duration: 20 min

Transcript: Download plain text

Short Summary​

Hobbyist Josh (KI6NAZ) reviews the iFixit Fix Hub portable soldering kit after heavy use building radio kits, SAOs, and Maker Faire badges, praising its speed, portability, and iFixit's customer support. He highlights the 100 W iron, base station design, included tools, and a broken ferrule that triggered a free replacement, while recommending 63/37 solder and naming the Pinecil and Hakko as cheaper alternatives.

Key Quotes​

  1. "No harm, no foul, all good. That is a fantastic company, fantastic customer support, and I'm really thankful that I bought your iron." (00:02:37)
  2. "I think 63/37 is the solder for new solderers. Very little liquid pooling time. It It hardens relatively quickly." (00:06:40)
  3. "I don't like it cuz the zigzag, you have to really push it in there. It adds a kink to the wire. It's fine because it's there, but I'm nonplussed by it." (00:11:00)
  4. "I'm not pretending this is the right way to join wires. I'm I'm doing an example of holding wires while we while we solder, okay? So, so just calm down, Steve. Calm down, Steve." (00:18:28)
  5. "I love this for portable operation. I've used it extensively on my bench to test it out, and frankly, I really just like it. I just like the fast on-off. I like the temperature control. It's very easy to use." (00:19:55)

Detailed Summary​

Episode Overview​

  • The episode is a hands-on review of the iFixit Fix Hub portable soldering kit by hobbyist and presenter Josh (KI6NAZ), who is unaffiliated with iFixit.
  • Josh bought the kit (~$89) and used it heavily after DEF CON, including radio kits, SAOs, and Maker Faire badge work, before recording the review.

Customer Support Experience​

  • A small ferrule/collar on the pencil tip fell off during heavy use, breaking the magnetic tip retention.
  • iFixit does not sell the ferrule separately but offered a free replacement pencil plus a prepaid return label, which Josh highlights as strong customer support.

Hardware and Base Station​

  • Base station features rubber feet, a charging port, two side ports, a bayonet-style connector for the iron, and an on/off switch (off=blue, on=red).
  • The iron is rated up to 100 W (IF17 V iFixit), uses interchangeable bevel tips (1.5 shown as a chisel), and disconnects via the bayonet without powering off the station.
  • Battery life supported a full QRP radio kit build with ~half charge remaining.

Setup and Operation​

  • On first power-up the iron showed a firmware-mismatch warning that self-cleared.
  • Josh set the iron to 700°F (after being teased for starting around 640°F) and confirmed it is left-hand friendly via a pop-up kickstand cradle.

Kit Inclusions — Hits and Misses​

  • Liked: refillable isopropyl alcohol pen (evaporated to ~half in 2 weeks), self-amalgamating/heat-barrier tape, tweezers (ESD safe, slight filing needed), plastic spudger with flat blade, pokey end, and pry notch, and a small solder cleaner with internal scouring pad.
  • Critiqued: no-clean flux pen (annoying tube, dries "pretty grossly," small volume); included soldering mat (too small — Josh prefers a mat from opensourcehardware.learntosolderkits.com picked up at the Orange County Maker Show); helping-hands tool with a rubber zigzag wire holder that kinks wire; included flush cutters (adequate but only as backup/field use); stripping pliers (combined needle-nose + stripper — Josh plans to swap for dedicated needle-nose).

Solder Choice and Demo​

  • Josh swapped the stock solder for 63/37 lead solder, recommending it for beginners because it hardens quickly with little liquid pooling time.
  • He demonstrated soldering two wires using an OmniFixer four-arm PCB holder (noting 3 arms usually suffice) and admitted the joint was a poor example, pointing viewers to his prior soldering video.
  • At the Maker Faire, he used the kit's wick to desolder badges for attendees and solo-soldered for 6–7 kids on his kids' robot team.

Pricing, Alternatives, and Verdict​

  • Josh claims the Fix Hub battery and pencil-bit alone cost more than a Hakko iron and that the kit is pricier than a Pinecil.
  • He gave the iron a positive review for fast on/off, easy temperature control, and portability, while noting it is expensive and not for everyone.
  • He signed off with 73, again complimenting iFixit's support for sending a replacement cable.