#7971 SolderPro 50 Butane Soldering Iron

This is an extremely lightweight and portable unit which is very useful for working under the hood of a vehicle or installing car stereo components. I bought one of these wireless Pro50 Irons from Rat Shack about a decade ago and it finally wore out enough that when i came across this one on amazon for such a cheap price, i decided to get a new one and keep the old one for a backup. Obviously, the main benefit of the Pro50 is that it allows you to solder in "off-grid" locations without access to 110v AC power; however, sometimes I even use this iron on my workbench where I would otherwise just use a conventional soldering iron because this unit heats up much quicker than an electric iron. Because it is capable of getting soo hot, (too hot on full blast) it is easier for me to make good, solid, clean, smooth joints. Everyone should have one of these SolderPro 50's in their electronics kit, no garage is replete without one. No more booger welds or cold joints with this iron!

Went to this 15 years ago, after retiring. Before that I was using an isotip battery model. After 15 years, the gasket sealing the valve quit. Had a problem on my new one, customer support was on top of it. Way to go, thanks to all

For the money, it's a steal. Heats up very quickly & easy to use. Two small issues with it though:1. The heat blower can't be turned off (It's where the sparks fly into in order to light it) - was not aware of this, and melted a few electrical cables while working on a PC.2. It's difficult to spark with the included flint wheel, I recommend grabbing a cheap butane lighter to light it, as my thumb is sore from constantly trying to light it.Overall great product, works perfect for what I need.

It's nice having the freedom to move where you want, w/o the constrains of a cord. If you use it for more than 7 min on high, you will have to shut it off & then re-fill it, no big deal. I do suggest having rosin-core solder wound on the cap, & having extra butane fuel on hand.This is a great addition to your toolbox, I have a few, just lying around, you never know when yr gonna need a soldering iron. It is good for a gift, too, for someone that needs a quick job when theres no power around.Radio Shack used to sell these, around the same price. These units will last a lifetime, you just need to take care of them. Keep yr tips wet (w/ solder), clean off the cooled down tip w/ a damp sponge, keep it filled w/butane, & replace yr tips when they weardown.

I worked in and around electronics production for years as an engineer. I had always been spoiled with the best production soldering equipment available and had learned soldering well enough to eventually begin teaching to all new engineers.The basics to good soldering are not that difficult to understand, but hands on experience is by far the best learning system there is. Of course, one needs descent basic tools to perform the task properly.I do a lot of car and motorcycle harness repair jobs which requires patience, knowledge and good unique tools to complete the job. This little butane soldering iron is quite a little gem. It starts easy, you have darn good control over the heat applied to the solder and resultant part. You want to flow the solder, wic the part and get in and out as quickly as possible before damage is caused. This butane tool gives you that kind of control and it does it consistently.There are less expensive alternatives out there, but they either lack the build quality, performance is not predicable or easily controlled and there are few if any accessories or additional tips available.I have used mine to join wires the proper way, add connections to printed circuit boards. replace faulty parts, etc. This little gem has come through each and every time.Some soldering basics all should know prior to jumping in.1. be sure your tip is clean and tinned every time you complete a job. (meaning, wipe the tip off on a damp sponge and apply just enough new solder to flow over the complete soldering area of the tip and let cool) This seals the tip for the next job.2. be sure you have tinned (whetted with flowed solder) both sides of what's being soldered prior to soldering them together. This will eliminate any issues you may run into when one of the two items has problem with solder flow.3. flow the solder to on piece, apply the tinned second piece and the insure wetting has flown over both parts evenly and with a shiny. Allow a few seconds to cool and verify integrity of the joint.4. if flux (brown syrupy looking past) is visible, it would be best to clean away with a little alcohol after if's cool.

I liked that it worked perfectly for the initial month and as soon as I was gettin used to it - it worked no more -only problem I see is that the silver round sliding apparatus seemed to have quit igniting a spark so unable to light

Used to own the Radio Shack branded unit, but I have since lost that one - so buying another.My experience is that the flint wheel is useless - so I keep a lighter around for when I need to use this torch. But that's not enough to knock a star down.Overall, heat on this thing is perfect. Warms right up, lets me solder to what I need to get done, and the torch tip (if you have it) is pretty useful for shrinking HST quickly if I hold it a few inches back.This one will not come with the torch tip, which is fine - unless you need the torch tip. You can still buy it separately, however.