The Right to Repair Movement It has a catchy name, but before you can worry about the right to repair, you need the ability to repair. If you don’t know how to take apart your device, there’s no point in worrying about whether it’s legal to do so. Without basic repair skills and a dash of innate curiosity, the right to repair is useless.
This is where iFixit’s new Hub Soldering Iron comes into the picture. iFixit, a long-time advocate of the right to repair, has thousands of tutorials Online, you can actually repair things. Now, the company has created a soldering iron that will help you roll up your sleeves and enter the physical world of repairs.
The right to weld
I grew up surrounded by soldering. My father built his own tube-powered ham radio equipment, but for some reason I never did any soldering until fairly late in my repair life. An electrician friend was horrified that I didn’t solder regularly and gave me a basic soldering iron, which was all I had for an embarrassingly long time. Later I bought a PinocilMainly because of its small and portable form factor, but that cheap soldering iron was all I had for years.
While a cheap soldering iron is better than having none at all, I have come to the conclusion that the reason why many people are intimidated by soldering or have trouble when they first try it is because of cheap soldering pens. Cheap tools are the source of many problems, but with soldering irons the biggest problem is that they don’t get hot enough, causing the solder to stick to the tip instead of flowing nicely where you want it to go. Cheap soldering irons also lack interchangeable tips, which make soldering easier by fitting exactly where you want them to go.
iFixit, which made a name for itself in the repair world by creating guides, tutorials, and more, all designed to help consumers be more than just consumers, has launched a new store called Repair centerThe first product is a USB-C portable soldering iron.
Photography: Scott Gilbertson
iFixit’s new soldering iron is actually several products. At its core is the Smart Soldering Iron for $80. It’s powered by USB-C and comes with a 1.5 mm beveled tip. (Six tips are available, and iFixit plans to have more.) Then there’s the Portable Soldering Station for $250, which includes the soldering iron and a battery designed for the iron. The final option is the Complete Tool Kit for $300, which includes everything in the soldering station package, plus useful tools like wire strippers, flush-cutting pliers, solder, flux, a wire holder, cleaner, and more.
What stands out the most when you open the kit for the first time is the magnetic cap. It’s a thing of beauty. Not only does it cover the tip, but you can put it on even when the tip is hot and it will automatically shut off at the idle temperature (which you can set in the app). Every soldering iron should have a cap like this. This feature alone makes iFixit’s soldering iron ideal for beginners. The cap also has a cable attachment that allows it to be mounted on the battery.
There are other user-friendly features, such as an LED system that alerts you when the iron is hot and motion sensors that detect when you leave it on the floor for a while (causing it to automatically shut off). Motion sensors can also detect if you drop it and automatically shut it off. I tested all three of these features and they worked without any issues.