Portasol 011280310 Pro Piezo Soldering Iron Kit - Butane Powered Cordless Soldering Tool for Electronics Repair, DIY Projects & Home Improvement | Perfect for On-the-Go Repairs & Outdoor Use

This is a GREAT tool!I've used a lot of soldering tools over the years, and i expected this to be a reasonable gadget (kind of like a Swiss Army Knife) for small soldering jobs where electric power wasn't easy to come by - OK in a pinch, but not a serious tool.But was I surprised when i looked my new Portasol kit over!First - the feel and balance are really good. It's as comfortable to hold as the best bench soldering irons - better, because there is no cord.Second, The materials used to make it are top-notch. As an engineer, i can appreciate the difference between cheap, low cost plastic and premium stuff. This will hold up.Third, The design is the result of a lot of thought by people who know their business. Tips are easy to change, and solidly attached, and are plated for durability. Fueling is clean and easy. The controls are simple and effective. I wouldn't change anything.Using the tool was very satisfactory. The heat range is quite good for anything on a circuit board. I found that a mid-way setting was perfect for soldering thru-hole components, and a little lower temp worked on surface-mount parts. I used the high setting to solder some terminal lugs to #8 wire. The temperature holds steady once set, and heats up quickly.The Open-Flame torch attachment worked quite well for about ten minutes, then the flame got short and wouldn't adjust much. I shut the torch off for a minute or so, restarted it, and all was good again for another ten minutes. I have no idea what this is about.The Hot-Air attachment works fine for heat-shrink, but my 1200W electric hot-air tool is faster.I've read a lot on-line about butane purity being crucial for long life in mini-torches. People say that trace impurities in the butane will quickly clog up the valve and orifice - rendering the torch useless. I've had more than one butane torch fail over the years, so I found "7X" refined and filtered "ultra-pure" butane, which I will use to try to keep this torch going as long as possible.At least one reviewer mentioned that the soldering tip wouldn't tin after a while. This happens (on my electric irons) if the tip is over-heated, or is left hot for a long time unused. I keep a small can of plumber's paste flux handy to fix this - just dip the hot iron in the flux and wipe off on a damp sponge a few times to clean it before re-tinning. Tough cases may require a little (careful) scraping with a screwdriver to free the scale. You can prevent this problem by turning the heat down or off during idle periods.The wire stand in the kit is not much use, but the iron lays flat with the tip off the table, and won't roll, so the stand is not an issue.The replacement tips are a little pricey, but that's not a problem if they last. The nickel plating will help there. I have no idea if the catalytic heater in each tip has any longevity issues, but I'm assuming they will last about as long as the plating.I think I'll buy one of these for each of my sons.