Soldering Iron - 60W (Adjustable Temperature) The iron is worth the price and works great for my portable fix it bag, The adjustable Temp for a portable Iron..Ideal for my purposes.

What I was looking for a heat resistant flexible cord, and this actually seems like it, I tried burning the cord with my expensive soldering station set at 600F and it didn't get damaged at all. It is super flexible.

But it does come apart really easily, it was easy to disassemble and examine the internal circuitry in the hand piece, and what I found was... nothing, like, there's actually no temperature sensor, so the "adjustable temperature" really means "adjustable power". If the control box fails, it can be easily bypassed but you'll end up with a super hot "max power" iron.

It's also grounded. So, in comparison with other options at this price point (which are almost always not grounded), this one is a winner.

I got this for a bunch of kids, hence why the the cord was important to me.

I have had several soldering irons in the past and one of it was even quite expensive. But all of them didn’t work well like this one does. With this iron, i have done many great soldering for specially small component and PCB works. Don’t understand why people give 4 stars. It is solid 5star iron. If you are looking for soldering iron, your search should end here. Just get this iron. Will not regret. Cable is flexible unlike other cheaper soldering iron and it makes it easier to use. Temperature control is nice little feature. Another big plus is that it is compatible with hakko tips. Wish Sparkfun had it several years ago.

What I like: 1) Compact - I considered the Hakko soldering station, but I have very limited space on my workbench. This unit is much more compact and works well within the space I have. 2) Takes Hakko tips. This was a big selling point for me. Good quality tips are very important. I ordered the Hakko T18-D16 'chisel' tip with the iron. It's a terrific all-around general purpose tip. I've since ordered other Hakko T18 tips; all have worked well on this iron. 3) Heats quickly, temperature controlled. 4) On/Off button 5) Slim, fairly comfortable to hold, lightweight. The cord is quite flexible (in fact, feels like silicone... nice), not too stiff, easy to keep out of the way. What I don't like: Having the temp-controls on the power cord is a bit funky, and having them near the plug end of the cord can be inconvenient. The 'Up' temp button on mine is balky and doesn't engage as easily as it should. Conclusion: Overall, a great value for the price. I like it.

I like the temperature control and good price. The grip is nice and well insulated. Overall I am pleased. I had one minor problem after only using a few times -- the unit would not change the selected temperature. I was going to return it when it starting working properly. So far it hasn't failed again. I ordered a set of additional tips (eBay). I would buy again.

Same as Member #385385, my tip would not take tin. More than half way up the tip worked but as you can imagine, it is not feasible to solder pins at the center of the tip. Will likely return.

This is a great soldering iron. The one I had from RadioShack was not cutting it. It would get too hot and unable to regulate which caused much damage to my proto boards! This iron has a much smaller tip ( I ordered the next size tip up) and adjustable temp Perfect every time! Highly recommended!

Sometimes you get what you pay for. My iron showed up with a garbage tip that wouldn't take tin. After nearly destroying a circuit trying to make it work (I should've known better than to try), I went out and bought a new Hakko tip. After that, it does the job just fine.

During use, the grip flirts with getting uncomfortably hot. If you need something portable and won't be doing a bunch of work with it, though, this iron is a fine option.

The On button doesn't always work. Sometimes it comes on but the temp won't move past the first setting. Other times, it does nothing. Usually unplugging it and plugging it back in will work. Sometimes not.

For an inexpensive iron, this unit has worked okay. Heats up quickly. Check other reviews, there is mention that it's not actually temperature controlled, rather calculated power change.

The bad part is the control buttons. These are too small, requires the edge of your fingernail to activate. Covered in plastic, it's just a matter of time before your nail cuts through it. The on/off button doesn't work 80% of the time, might see a brief flash but will have to fiddle with it.

Overall, a decent iron with junk controls. When it does turn on, solders fine.

Best iron ever. So cost effective, safety timer, adjustable temperature, compact. Can't be beat.

I needed an iron to get by while I save for a high quality soldering station. This one is affordable and I can use it to finish my current projects.

I've wasted years using a 25W and finally took heed that a hot iron is best because you don't have to apply heat for a long time. My first job with it I set it to 3/4 temp and soldered a row of 10 pins in a few minutes. Finally, my soldering looks great.

Cannot get it to advance above the lowest temperature setting. Totally useless for me. Clearly my worst purchase from Sparkfun.

I experienced some unreliability with the controls operation, wouldn't always change temperatures on button press, or turn on/off jinkiness.