Finds: A Pro-Quality ColdHeat Soldering Tool
By Chuck Cage
The ColdHeat concept is great: it heats up and cools down instantly so a) you don’t burn yourself or the things around you, and b) it can run on batteries for quite a while. We have one, but we’ve always been a little bit wary of the tool’s quality as the only place you could find them was at Harbor Freight and on late-night infomercials.
Now it appears that Weller’s decided to take the technology pro.
Weller’s certainly a respected name in soldering irons, so we’re pretty happy to see them embrace the ColdHeat concept. Their version features a polycarbonate body with tip cover, a high/low/off power switch, a white LED “work light,” a red “in use” indicator, and an included storage case.
The standard kit (cat. # CHT100) streets for around $45 and includes the chisel tip, but conical and bevel tips are also available for about $9 each.
Weller’s ColdHeat Pro Cordless Soldering Irons [Weller/PDF]
Street Pricing [Froogle]
August 28th, 2006 at 9:43 am
It looks like the only difference is construction materials maybe, and the multi-power switch. I don’t know if that’s worth the premium to get the Weller name on the side. I’ve got the original that I paid $17 + tax on at Walgreens.. If it included different $9 points I could see maybe justitfying the price.. but if you still have to pay $9 a pop for those..
well.. meh..
August 28th, 2006 at 9:47 am
ok.. I hadn’t realized that ColdHeat themselves made a “Pro” model with the higher power settings, etc. It looks identical to this Weller model.. and that retails for $30.. so again I ask.. what are you paying $15 extra for?
August 28th, 2006 at 4:25 pm
I do *alot* of soldering, from surface mount on 10+ layer boards to security contacts in homes, and the very principle the cold heat system works on gives me the shivers. It _shorts_ the solder between two electrodes. Almost a definate killer of sensitive circuitry. And, to add insult to injury, it doesn’t work very well.
For portable use, stick to weller’s butane line, and for benchtop work get a WTPCT (through hole) and get a hot air system, a toster oven or an electric griddle for surface mount parts….
August 29th, 2006 at 12:12 am
If the technology was even remotely reliable, and didn’t require praying with ever solder job, I would pay the extra 15 bucks no problem.
My cold heat works like crap, and the tips end up becoming brittle and falling apart while working with any moderate sized joint. I always fall back to my old school weller (12+ years old and still going strong).
August 29th, 2006 at 2:21 pm
I bought a Cold Heat soldering iron based on some positive reviews I had read and all I can say is, “what were they thinking?” I might just not have the hang of it but I can’t get a decent solder joint out of the thing. Until I break down and get a decent soldering station, I’m just going to stick with my Weller pencil iron.
August 29th, 2006 at 4:26 pm
I was rather unimpressed with my Cold Heat iron. From the easily chipped tip to the very picky hand positioning required to get it to work, I was disappointed from day one. On day two I was back to using my $12 plug in the wall model from Radio Shack.
August 29th, 2006 at 11:35 pm
Yeah, I agree. Don’t like the technology. Maybe it’s okay for putting speaker wires together or something. If portable is what you want, the Shack has a butane one that works pretty good. The one I got looks like a big fat red pencil. Works forever, refills easy. When I smoked it was great because you could light a cigarette off it when you couldn’t find a lighter. My other is the aforementioned cheapo plug in model.
August 30th, 2006 at 1:48 pm
[…] Our coverage of Weller’s new ColdHeat soldering iron drew the ire of more than one reader. The consensus: ColdHeat irons are unreliable, can kill sensitive circuitry, make poor solder joints, and break easily. What to do? Reader Eli says, “…If portable heat is what you want, the Shack has a butane one that works pretty good. The one I got looks like a big fat red pencil. Works forever, refills easy.” […]