Review on Choice Rheostat Soldering Temperature Controller by Trevor Rodke

As another reviewer mentioned, the polarity of the controller outputs is reversed. I only checked because I read this review. The reality is that most soldering irons have two-pronged ungrounded plugs, so it probably doesn't matter much. But since my soldering iron was handy I went ahead and fixed it. Swapped two white wires and that's it. Literally a 5 minute fix. Otherwise the controller basically works. Since this is a simple rheostat and not a temperature controller, finding a middle ground is quite difficult. The temperature at the tip of your iron will vary based on environmental conditions, how long it takes between each joint, and even what material you are soldering (lead, copper, zinc). A true temperature controller constantly monitors the temperature at the tip of the iron and varies the voltage applied to maintain the set temperature. In general the product is reasonable, I knew what I was buying. The low rating is because someone who makes and sells electronic equipment needs to understand at least something as basic (and potentially dangerous) as AC polarity.