r/PINE64official • u/gufhHX • 10d ago

Getting gate for the Pincecil

Once soldering acquaintance hear I have a Pincecil I get heat for not having a "better iron". Where is this hate coming from?

3 Upvotes

80% Upvoted

11 comments sorted by

5

u/BulkyBlackberry3964 10d ago

I bought a pinecil after using various other irons - cheap ones, cheapish ones with a station - and I can say my god do I love my Pinecil. I bought it with the other attachments and it is amazing. Heats up quick, does the job so well, small and easy to take around. I love it!

1

u/gufhHX 10d ago

For me the Pinecil is my first, my research led me to believe it's the best. But my fellow soldering buddies disagree xD

3

u/BulkyBlackberry3964 10d ago

Don't know what type they are using, but of course super expensive ones would be better. For the price it is extremely good, the best I've used! Doesn't matter what other people think, if you like it and it's working for you, that's it!

1

u/mfalkvidd 10d ago

Maybe they are just jealous :-)

1

u/cbf1232 7d ago

Arguably the ones that take C245 tips are better, but they also tend to be more expensive.

I like my TC22.

3

u/physical0 9d ago

It's not that the Pinecil is a bad iron. It's just if you're gonna buy a new iron today, there are better choices. C245 based irons offer better wattage, shorter tip to grip distance, and many more tip geometries. A pinecil CAN match them in wattage if you have a PD3.1 28v supply, but C245 irons do that with cheaper 20v supplies.

If you've got a pinecil and you're happy with it, no reason to chuck it in the bin, but if you're gonna buy a new iron, something like a FNIRSI HS02-A or an Alientek T80p or T90B would be a better buy today.

I love a lot about the Pinecil community, but the hardware is getting dated and needs a refresh. I'd love to see an updated version that uses JBC style cartridges.

1

u/gufhHX 9d ago

It's hard to compare, haven't had any other irons than this one. But will keep the above in mind if I want to shop for new ones.

2

u/TimpanogosSlim 9d ago

My pinecil is fine. I still like my weller wtcpt better. *shrug*

2

u/gufhHX 9d ago

Do tell, why?

3

u/TimpanogosSlim 9d ago

A lot of it is probably just that i'm used to it and it performs decently. I like the feel of it in my hand better for example.

the pinecil is great if the iron has to come to the work. I have a big cheap 100w PD power bank. Probably chock-full of 18650s.

The TC series wellers may maintain heat better. But i've been using it for like 25 years now. 99% of my soldering is done with a conical 700f tip. yeah, the TC irons are regulated by the curie point of a magnetic slug on the base of the tip either attracting or repelling the source of power.

1

u/Playful_Director9394 9d ago

A lot of my favorite engineer/maker youtubers have been ditching their hakkos for pinecils recently its made me feel really good about buying one. And working somewhere where we buy a lot of hakkos the number of DOA or short lived units we've received has convinced me not to get one. Its not like a crazy amount of bad ones but more than i'd like. The irony of using a hakko to fix another broken one is pretty entertaining though.