We got our hands on iFixit's Fixhub, the iron that makes you want to learn soldering

Soldering work is often intimidating and considered tricky by DIY enthusiasts. However, it often allows you to get many electrical and electronic gadgets back on track at little cost. To familiarize the general public with the practice and try to take the repair of our everyday gadgets to the next level, iFixit has just announced the launch of its soldering iron “clever” : the Fixhub. We got our hands on it exclusively.

Completely in keeping in style and construction with the rest of iFixit's toolsthe Fixhub fills an important gap in the brand's catalog, since until now no soldering iron bearing the small cruciform logo was available on its French store. Keen to “Freeing soldering from the wall socket and making it easier than ever”the company has therefore worked on its own solution, marketed from €85.

Features and prices

Technically, the Fixhub is made up of two parts: a soldering iron with a USB-C port, and a massive 5200mAh power bank. With its oversized pen-shaped design, the former can technically be used on its own by connecting it to any USB-C Power Delivery charger capable of delivering 20W of power. So, with a simple phone charger, you can start soldering on the go.

However, iFixit clearly designed its tool with the external battery as a complement. With its USB-C ports on the front, the accessory can provide the energy needed to make soldering “as mobile as our gadgets”. It also allows you to adjust the temperature of the iron and store it safely. A real modern soldering station, in short. Practical, the battery is nevertheless expensive since the iron + battery kit is sold for around €270. iFixit also sells an even better equipped kit with cutting pliers, third hand, soldering flux and many other accessories, for €330.

A mobile and well-designed iron

Let's get this straight from the start: the Fixhub is not the most affordable soldering iron, even the USB-C iron market has cheaper models. However, the tool has some significant advantages. First of all, its construction is impeccable. Beyond the well-made finishes, many clever little ideas make the tool fun to use.

The cable supplied with the battery can, for example, “lock” onto the iron’s USB port with a clip system. This means there’s no risk of the cable disconnecting in the middle of a fateful soldering session. The iron comes with a cap that can be clipped onto the side of the battery to act as a secure support when the iron is hot. Special mention should be made of the accelerometer inside the iron, which turns off the device after 30 to 60 seconds of inactivity. Enough to avoid setting your workbench on fire.

The battery, on the other hand, is as simple as can be. A button on the front allows you to turn the device on and off, while a rotary knob allows you to adjust the temperature and navigate the device's menus (power-off settings, maximum temperature, etc.). Rest assured, you can change the temperature of the iron, even without the battery. All you have to do is connect the iron to a USB port on a computer and adjust the heat from a dedicated web interface, accessible from the iFixit website.

420°C and 8 hours of autonomy

Gadgets and other user tips are all well and good, but what is the iron itself worth? Well, for a novice soldering enthusiast like yours truly, it offers a perfectly decent experience. Once turned on, the iron tip reaches the desired temperature in less than 5 seconds. The grip is very comfortable thanks to the rubber sleeve located next to the rod, while the weight of the iron (and its cable) is completely forgotten, allowing for increased maneuverability and precision during soldering or desoldering.

Once you're done tinkering, the switch makes it easy to turn off the machine to let it cool down. For soldering marathoners, iFixit promises that the battery is capable of providing 8 hours of runtime. And for added safety, a light indicator lets you know roughly what temperature the iron is at.

Whether coupled with the battery or adjusted from the web, the iron can vary between heating temperatures ranging from 200 to 420 °C for 100 W of power. Enough to largely cover the temperature range for lead-free soldering. The tip supplied by default with the iron (1.5 mm beveled) will be sufficient for the most common soldering jobs, but for precision, you will have to consider purchasing other tips. In all, iFixit provides seven different tips with several shapes (chisel, conical, bevel) and sizes (1.4 to 2.6 mm), while promising to market others soon.

The tip is also very easy to change and without tools since you just have to pull on it (once cooled of course). Then you discover the connector in the form of a 2.5 mm jack. Small black point, the connector being proprietary (as on many irons), it will be difficult to find tips outside the iFixit site (at least at first). Keep in mind if you need many different tips.

Famous, but expensive

The only major drawback of the Fixhub is that it is not possible to adjust the heat on the iron itself. Of course, the battery and the web interface make it relatively easy to vary the temperature, but some models offer to change this setting on the fly more easily than with a dedicated accessory or by connecting it to a computer. As it stands, the iron seems quite openly designed to be used with its battery, mechanically increasing the acquisition cost.

In a nutshell, the iFixit soldering iron is an excellent little tool to start exploring electrical and electronic soldering. It is certainly a little expensive compared to the plethora of other irons on the market, but its clever construction and impeccable efficiency make it a very comfortable tool and above all very easy to use. With a little practice, it will undoubtedly allow you to repair the printed circuit board of your washing machine or to resolder a cut electrical cable, thus becoming very quickly profitable.

The Fixhub will be available from October 15, 2024 on the iFixit store in France. It will therefore be available in three configurations: the single iron at €84.95 ; the iron and its battery at €269.95 ; the complete kit at €329.95.

Pre-orders are already open.