Ryobi has come out with two new cordless soldering tools, an 18V One+ soldering iron, and a Hybrid 18V One+ soldering station.
The new Ryobi cordless soldering iron, P3105, is a 40W iron with adjustable temperature range from 300°F to 900°F.
The Ryobi soldering iron has a 3-foot reach (as opposed to cord length), and features a built-in iron holder. An LED status indicator lets you know when the tool is heating up, when it has reached its maximum temperature, and when it is cooling down.
It comes with a fine tip.
Price: $40 for the bare tool
Buy Now(via Home Depot)
Ryobi has also come out with an 18V One+ hybrid-powered soldering station, which can be powered by battery or AC source. For AC use, you’ll have to supply your own extension cord.
Like the new Ryobi cordless soldering iron, the hybrid-powered soldering station features an adjustable temperature range of 300°F to 900°F, LED indicator, and built-in soldering iron holder. It also has a space for the included tip-cleaning sponge.
The station also has onboard tip storage. It comes with fine and chisel point tips, but there isn’t mention about whether other tip sizes or styles will be available, or if it’s compatible with 3rd party tips.
On Home Depot’s website, Ryobi says: At this time I can only recommend our tips and the ones for the Milwaukee M12.
Price: $80 for the bare tool
Buy Now(via Home Depot)
First Thoughts
I find myself with mixed thoughts about these tools. What kinds of applications are they designed for? I can see them being handy for say robotics competitions, where you might have to fix something. But other than that?
Milwaukee’s cordless soldering iron can be used in tight spaces or remote locations.
With both of these new Ryobi options, you have a cord-attached soldering iron that needs to be placed on a table or other stable surface within 3 feet of what you’re soldering. Will you need a cordless soldering iron on a workbench?
The hybrid-powered station makes a little more sense to me. However, if you want to use AC power, you need to supply your own extension cord. While I like that many hybrid-powered cordless tools (mainly LED worklights) can work with standard extension cords, this is one of those times when an included AC adapter might have been a better idea.
To me, a cordless soldering iron should be self-contained. That would limit its features, versatility, and compactness a little. But then again, my impression of what is proper comes from the fact that there hasn’t been cordless soldering stations like this before.
A cordless cord-attached soldering iron will be more slender than an all-in-one, which could result in a more comfortable or controllable user experience.
Despite being a little hesitant, I can be open-minded. I’ll have to let the idea grow on me.
How would you use a Ryobi cordless or hybrid soldering station?
