Model Railway Forum

just picked up one of these from my local Aldi :-

https://www.aldi.co.uk/ferrex-4v-solder ... 5755463800

For £14.99.

I've yet to use it, but my initial thoughts are :-

• it's a little smaller than I expected

• Heavier than my Antex 25w, but not overly so.

• The included base is heavy, and seems to guard well against tipping over.

• The work lights are a good idea

• I'm not a fan of pointed tips, as I find the heat transfer is poorer, however this one is far more blunt than the Antex one, so I may get the best of both.

One thing I'm not sure of, is that it isn't 'on' all the time. To get the tip to heat, you have to touch a small 'thumb' pad on the left side of the product. this pad is only active when then unit has been switched on by the button being held for a few seconds... so there is an interlock. with the pad being on the left, I wonder if that will be an issue for left handed people. I held it in my left hand and found the pad accessible with my left index finger. I could use the thumb by turning the unit over, but then I can't see the heating light... I guess YMMV.

I'm going to try and do some soldering work this weekend, so will be providing a more indepth review at a later time.

Has anyone else bought one of these, and what did you think of it?

I bought one along with their cordless rotary tool only last week. Like you, not a fan of pointed tips but found some replacements on Amazon. I quite like the ‘dual switch’ - after reading the instructions!
Not yet used the soldering iron but the drill is very useful - in use this very morning.

Cheap and unreliable, buy a better brand in the first place.

brian1951 wrote: ↑Fri Nov 10, 2023 4:39 pm Cheap and unreliable, buy a better brand in the first place.

Could you elaborate on the issues you had, Brian?

I had the same model with a different name on it, got it from Amazon. Didn’t use it for a year and then it wouldn’t work.
Worked very well when I bought it.

Failed straight out of the box, got a refund.