Soldering Iron Station Kit, 72W Digital Display with Adjustable Temperature (150°C-480°C), OLED Display, Auto Sleep Function, 2 Tips, 50g Solder Wire, Solder Sucker, Tweezers

The HandSkit ST12A soldering station works well. The unit is fast to heat up and recover heat. There are many options in the menu, such as tip selection, standby and sleep timers, boost temp and password. The sleep and standby options work well, and I like that it saves the tips from unneeded oxidation. The size of the handle and tips are a nice medium between a full-sized iron and a precision iron. The time before entering standby and the standby temperature are both adjustable. I set mine to 1 minute and 100*C. The auto-standby uses a motion sensor in the handle. The motion sensor doesn't always pick up small movements, and the iron will beep to signify a countdown until standby mode is engaged. A quick shake or tipping of the handle will activate the motion sensor and abort the standby countdown. Moving the handle also wakes the station from standby mode, allowing it to heat up again. One can also initiate standby by turning the knob anticlockwise. The case of the station is plastic, but solid. The integrated handle holder and brass sponge holder are a nice bonus of the design. These options aren’t found on the generic cases that other T12 soldering stations come with. The integrated handle stand works well enough, though you have to insert the flared end of the handle into the hole for it to rest properly in the holder. While the case holds the brass sponge in place, it holds it flush to the face of the station. Having the brass sponge exposed so much allows solder flakes to be flicked around, and to fall on the table in front of the station. I like the design of the supplied 72w 9501 handle. The images online can be a bit inaccurate. The tip inserts into the handle so much that both of the rings on the tip are hidden within the handle. I like this because it makes for a shorter tip. Where you hold the handle, the grip, is closer to the tip than other designs. The distance from grip-to-tip is around 45mm with a K-tip, which is very close to the grip-to-tip length of a JBC C210 soldering handle, and it’s nearly half the grip-to-tip length of a Weller PES51 handle. The short distance makes it more comfortable to use precisely. The construction of the handle is good enough, though the rubber pad for the grip slides around. The insulation of the wire to the handle does not melt when touched with the iron tip at 350*C. The supplied T12 tips heated up quickly, wet with solder well, and transferred heat well. The knife edge K-tip worked well for through-hole legs and even decently sized ground planes. The T12 tips heat quickly with the integrated heating element. They are affordable, and there are many options available. The T12 tips definitely heat up faster than an old Weller WES51. The tools in this kit are not as quality as the soldering station in my opinion. The machining on the tweezers and the flush-cuts is a little rough, and the points don’t line up perfectly. The desoldering pump is also not great quality. That being said, the tools all do their job well enough. They are definitely better than no tools, and the value must be noted, especially for buyers who don’t have these items. The manual is full color and it explains the menus. All in all, I’m quite impressed with this kit. The soldering station, handle and tips are a good package. The integrated handle stand and added tools are an added bonus to what I already considered a good deal.

I needed a new soldering iron and I really wanted a cartridge based system. I knew this unit was cheap and didn't have super high expectations. The very first thing I did was open it up and check the connections, especially the ground and it looked good. Pretty well put together on the inside. It’s using a switch mode power supply instead of a transformer, but it does a plenty good enough job for me. Heats up very fast, especially compared to my old Hakko clone. The tips are a pain to install, I think, and you really have to put some force to get them seated all the way. The station doesn’t include anything to assist with tip change. If you don’t get them all the way, the screen will read “ERROR”. The holder for the handle isn’t the best and the space for the tip cleaner doesn’t keep the wool in very well.Overall, this doesn’t seem too bad. I feel like it’s a good value.

After soldering with cheaper ($10-$20) plug-in pens for a few years, I thought I'd ease into T12 soldering with this cheaper unit that had some good reviews.After fiddling around diligently for over an hour, I get nothing but 'ERROR' from the display. Lesson learned on going cheap, will be returning immediately and purchasing from a reputable brand. Don't waste your money.

el soldador no calienta y aparace error en pantalla ya intentente tratando de que funcionara pero no quiso dar incluso resetiando de fabrica

I used to have a basic dial with no numbers soldering iron, and when it came time to replace I decided a T12 unit would best; after a lot of looking around this (with the coupon) is the best deal going. The unit arrived well packed and the extras were a nice touch, Im only using the tweezers, the solder I'll use wheb my current roll is done (of the same diameter, I can't speak to the flux within the included solder). The two included tips are just OK, the conical tip has a very small tip so getting the right angle on through hole work was a chore. Not so bad on detail work. The knife would be good for drag soldering but I don't do much of that either. I ended up getting two legit T15 (the name of the tip for the American market) tips, a D16 and a JD16. These are 1.6mm chisel tips, great for through hole work and tinning wire. The D16 fits better in the handle than the 2 tips that came with the unit, those required a LOT of force to get in and out. The unit would just error before that. It doesnt keep time well at all, the clock runs super fast but I don't look at it or use it. It goes to standy and sleep in a good time despite being so fast. It comes out of standby quickly and coming out of sleep requires turning the knob. It keeps temp well with the supplied tips and official tips, the official tip takes a bit longer than the advertised time to melt tin, the includes tips are typically around 8 to 10s. I keep the D16 tip at 365C, it might be a little off from that. Inside the unit, grounding is done right and the case is plastic so no issues there. The control board has a ground wire directly to the IEC ground, the ground "port" has a 1M Ohm resistor, making it an esd connection. The tip is grounded. Changing tips is easy when have your on-hand tips chosen in the settings, just push and turn the dial. (One way changes tips, the othet does tip calibration). Most usual things can be adjusted in settings, I wasn't wanting for more options. The grip does slip on the handle but i hold mine in place with small zip tie; however close to the end it gets quite warm. So while the grip to tip distance is quite short, its also quite warm. I tend to hold it a little farther back for comfort. I do pretty well soldering and completed a DSO138 build with zero issues, I probably should have used the boost on the BNC ground but I was able to make it work with flux. The included brass wool is a little on the small side, im worried im going to stab plastic. I have stabbed the unit putting the handle back in the holder so that may get worse over time.Overall a great unit for this price.