Weller P2C Professional Self-igniting Cordless Soldering Iron

I love this soldering iron. It is easy to turn on, quick to heat up, and best of all I don't have to worry about accidentally melting the power cable! The iron is very easy to handle and about the perfect weight for tacking down a joint or just soldering loose “in-the-air” joints, which I end up doing a lot of in the car. The solder tip is not my favorite, though very easily replaceable. The tip that comes stock has a beveled flat end that is about an eighth inch long, too clumsy for delicate instruments, but good enough for my work. However, I would prefer a conical tip. Also, I don’t know if this is a pro or con yet, but the tip does not cool down very fast at all, in fact, sometimes the unit is so hot after I turn the gas off, that a minute later I can turn the gas flow back on and not have to relight the torch. A very nice feature is that the torch is completely contained, no open flame. And it is self-lighting, just a little slide button to click when it needs to be lit. According to the specs, when completely filled with butane, the torch will last for an hour of usage at maximum gas flow. And when I filled my torch with the $3.99 tank of butane, I probably used about 30-40% of the tank. That is FAR less expensive than batteries, which can’t heat an iron nearly as hot. Perfect for on the go, I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a lightweight soldering iron for hobby projects and repairs!

Excellent tool. I filled it with standard Ronson Butane Fuel from Ace Hardware store (white can with orange top). I found that the Ronson fuel sputters only once in a while, but the flame remains lit and the tool works great. Anyway, start by removing the tool's cap. The gas switch should be in the 'off' position (pressed in toward the tank or top of the iron's handle). To fill with butane, turn the butane can upside down, and with the can in this position, line the can nozzle up with the valve on the bottom of the iron, and depress the can nozzle against the valve in the iron - fills much easier this way. Fill for 30 seconds or until the fuel starts to leak a tiny bit at the valve. The drop or so of leaked liquid butane will evaporate right there, and you'll know the tool's tank is full. Put the butane can away. Then, to light the iron, turn the dial at the bottom to maximum, slide the gas switch out (on), you'll hear it hiss, and press the spark button. You'll see a glow from the small exhaust port hole which is located on one side of the tip. That's how you know it's lit. I find it lights on the first spark. Then adjust the dial cooler for more control or to slow down soldering. You can melt silver solder in a little less than 30 seconds after the spark! If you use flux, apply it then heat it a bit first. I'll never go back to electrical soldering irons, my 30 watt iron never got hot enough to melt silver solder which melts around 960 degrees F. I do clock repair, which sometimes involves soldering on brass plates. The silver solder sticks better than the lead solder does. The iron does not roll on the table and there's no electrical cord, which is great. To turn it off after soldering, slide gas switch in. I allow it 20 minutes to cool before putting on the cap, just to be cautious. Note that the small glowing exhaust port lets hot exhaust out, so I generally let that face up. If you turn it with the port facing down, the tip tends to get hotter yet, but be careful not to burn the table! Just be very aware of the direction the hot air is coming out. There are other applications of this tool as a torch, but I just use it for soldering. A quality tool and mine said Made in Ireland. Hope it doesn't change one bit in the future.

After lots of research, I bought this soldering iron because I needed to solder some wires in my car engine that had gotten damaged as a result of not changing my starter motor as soon as I should have. Since I don't have a garage (so no nearby electrical socket), I needed something that didn't need to be plugged in. Plus, I've had poor experiences with cheaper electrical solder irons in the past, and read that butane models were pretty good at reaching the right temperature and keeping it consistently. I wasn't expecting much when I placed the order, so I was surprised by how well this thing performed! It's easy to fill/refill with butane and only uses a small amounts of butane, so you don't have to worry about running out. It reaches a hot enough temperature to do the job properly and stays at that temperature for the duration of usage. Plus, not having wires in the way while I'm working (and being able to solder ANYWHERE, even while outside) is such a plus! With how well this iron performs, I can't see myself going back to using an electrical one. I've used it many times and it's worked flawlessly every single time. I highly recommend this iron. If you have any questions, I'm happy to try to help. If you found my review helpful, please consider leaving me feedback.

I purchased the P2C instead of a dedicated soldering station because I wanted something I could take anywhere. I have been using it for about 3 years now and use it quite heavily and it still works like the day I bought it. Pros: - Self ignition system, no lighter needed - Temp dial on bottom is easy to adjust and does a good job metering heat at tip - Durable plastic and metal construction, has been dropped and banged around without any damage. - Easy to change out tips Cons: - The stock tip is a bit bigger than what I wanted. I bought the PPT5 1/32" tip and its perfect for soldering smaller stuff - Refueling is a bit tricky and takes some practice to get right. Overall this is an amazing product, and I would suggest it to anyone who wants a great iron without any wires or batteries!

This beats all the battery-powered soldering irons and all the cheap AC irons you can find in electronic stores by a long shot, while being smaller and not that much more expensive. There is a gas flow control, but no exact temperature control, so it still won't replace a decent soldering station. However, for quick work in the field and small fixes, this one is king. It's reliable, runs for a long time, doesn't require you to hold down a button, doubles as a heat gun, smaller than most battery soldering irons, and can reliably solder wires onto heavy metal plates and large ground planes quickly without you having to worry about cold joints.

The best portable soldering iron / heat gun you’ll ever get in the market. Very reliable and it will last for a long years of service. I’m a maintenace engineer/ automotive and industrial mechanic / electronics tech and mobile electronics technician. I almost use this tool every single day at my work place & even at home.The last one I had still works , just the clicker /igniter doesn’t work but it still fires up if I spark it with a lighter and I’ve had it since 2006 ,when it just first introduced out in the market ( bought the kit in sears for $99 + tax with the case and 4 diff kinds of tips for it including a small roll of solder) . I will strongly recommend for you to buy this one and you’ll see what I’m talking about. I could not believe when I saw how much the price dropped down that’s why I got me a new one !

I have been soldering for a long time using many different irons over the years (cheap corded irons, professional soldering stations, cordless battery-powered irons, and other butane soldering irons). I feel qualified to comment on the Weller PC2 soldering iron: THE GOOD: + Piezo electric ignition is easy, reliable and more convenient that traditional "flint" type ignitors which usually take multiple tries to start and worsen as the tip/flint ages. You simply press down on the ignition button to light it. So far this iron is a dream to start compared to my previous Radio Shack butane soldering iron. + Exhaust vent on tip is located on one side of tip. This is important as it can help prevent burning your fingers and objects close by (wire, plastic surfaces etc) during operation (from the hot exhaust gas). My Radio Shack butane iron has vents around the tip and sometimes it`s easy to inadvertently damage things or burn your fingers if you are not careful. + The tip that ships with this iron is a flat tip (two flat sides) which is better for soldering wires etc than the typical round tips. (I don`t think anyone is going to solder fine pitch SMD parts with any cordless soldering iron). THE BAD: - The biggest drawback in my opinion is the lack of an integrated fold-out stand as in the Radio Shack butane iron. With the RS iron you can unfold the stand with your thumb finger on the same hand you use to hold it (i.e. it`s a one-hand operation), which is extremely convenient and can prevent accidentally damaging something if you need to put down the iron & grab a part or more solder during use. The PC2 unfortunately has no fold-out stand and due to the round shape of the iron it WILL ROLL if you try to put it down. This is almost a deal-breaker for me for obvious safety reasons. If you are careful or use some sort of stand this will not be that big of a deal but considering that most likely you will be working in the field carrying around & using extra stuff is something I try to avoid. - The gas control is located at the bottom of the iron and requires two hands to adjust (one to hold the iron and one to twist the control). While this is good for safety it`s not great for convenience - you can adjust the gas control on the RS iron with the thumb on the hand that is holding the iron (again it`s a one hand operation on the RS iron). - The gas viewport at the bottom of the iron is pretty useless for establishing how much gas is left in the iron. For starters it`s white plastic which is not very transparent, so it`s hard to see how much gas is left. There are also no markings for reference. Finally the iron must be held horizontally to see any movement in the tank. On the RS iron the entire bottom of the iron is clear plastic so it`s very easy to see how much gas is left (especially if the iron is inverted). OVERALL, I am a little disappointed in this iron, despite the easy of ignition the BAD outweighs the GOOD. This iron could have been PERFECT if the above issues were resolved.

This is the second one that I've bought for work because I lost my first one that work provided for me. My job sometimes requires me to do some soldering in tight spaces or areas where I don't have a power source to plug into. Who wants to deal with power cords dragging around in their tool bag anyhow! One of the other techs has a similar one from Snap On that has a little kick stand so the tip stays up if the iron needs to stay on. I joke with him telling him that's why he paid more than twice I paid for mine. For a butane powered iron it's pretty fast to heat and the cover makes it convenient to make it a little more safer to put in the pocket or place on the floor without burning yourself. You have to make sure it's off first before you put that cap on though! Good thing the cap turns off the gas when you put it on! Pros: Fast heat up and cool down Lightweight Fits in my tool pouch well No cord to mess with Comes with a convenient cap Much cheaper than the snap on version Makes a convenient "emergency lighter" Cons: Doesn't have a tracker when you misplace it at the job site Doesn't solder stuff automatically Is far from being a magic wand Doesn't have a kick stand like the Snap On version So really, not too many cons for this iron. If you're looking for one this one does the job well.