When this thing showed up I was blown away. I’ve soldered with a standard soldering iron before, but I’ve never seen a battery-powered soldering station before. Let’s crack it open and see how it does.
First Impression
At first, I have to be honest, I thought this was a gimmicky tool. Who in their right mind is going to use a soldering station that’s not plugged in for a long time? Then I thought about it and was like, “wait a minute, an electrician would use something like this often.” A lot of times we’re dealing with soldered connections to LED strips, or custom work on light fixtures and equipment, and more often than not there’s no power around when we’re doing it. Maybe this would be perfect.
Functionality
There’s a dial on the tool that allows you to set the operating temperature from 400 degrees F to 900 degrees F. This is great to have control of the heat output. There’s also a power-saving mode that helps you maintain a charge on your batteries. I do like that there’s an LED indicator that shows you whether the tool is heating up, is heated up to the level you desire, or is in a cooling cycle. It makes knowing what’s going on really easy to understand.
The tool doesn’t take very long to heat up to a usable level. I set it to right around 700 degrees at first to see how long it would take to heat up, and it only took about 2 minutes to reach that temperature. As for performance, this thing works just like a normal soldering iron would. The cord on the iron is a tad short in my opinion, coming in at 30-inches long. I could see there being times when you need to set the iron down somewhere and need a 4 or 5 foot reach on it. That may be picky, but having a retractable cord, or a cordless model may be good thing to think about.
Info from HomeDepot.com
RYOBI introduces the 18-Volt ONE+ Hybrid Soldering Station. This soldering station is hybrid meaning you can operate it with any ONE+ battery or by simply plugging it in like a corded tool, giving you unlimited run time. It allows you to adjust and set the temperature anywhere from 300°F to 900°F and features an iron holder for safe storage. The 3 ft. reach of the soldering iron and its ability to run on cordless power allows users to complete more applications. Best of all, it is part of the RYOBI ONE+ World’s Largest 18-Volt Tool System. Backed by the RYOBI 3-Year Manufacturer’s Warranty, the soldering station includes a fine point tip, chisel tip, solder coil, and a tip cleaning sponge. Battery, charger, and extension cord sold separately.
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Heats up to 900°F
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Hybrid Technology provides unlimited runtime
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3 ft. reach for a variety of applications
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Onboard tip storage
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Iron holder for safe and convenient storage
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LED indicator lets you know when the tip is hot
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Temperature control allows you to set and maintain desired temperature
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Part of the RYOBI ONE+ World’s Largest 18-Volt Tool System
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3-year manufacturer’s warranty
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Includes: (1) P3100 18-Volt ONE+ Hybrid Soldering Station, (1) fine point tip, chisel tip, solder coil, tip cleaning sponge, and operator’s manual
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Battery, charger, and extension cord sold separately
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Stem pack style battery
Summary
I’m pretty happy with this little portable soldering station. I can see using it in a pinch, especially when you don’t have power nearby or when you’re working in an environment (as an electrician often does) where power has not been turned on yet. I give this thing 4 out of 5 stars.
For more detailed information on this Soldering Station CLICK HERE.
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