Review on 🔥 Aven Fine Soldering Iron, Model 17521 by Scott Rodriguez

First things first, remember that you get what you pay for. In this case you get a quality fine tip iron at a very low price and considering that I would say it was a great purchase. The iron gets very hot. I couldn't measure how hot it is, but it's probably hotter than you need. If I point the tip down, the heated air coming out of the iron gets hot enough to burn my hand! Being a beginner I decided to practice on some small hobby kits I bought at RadioShack. The iron was able to heat the copper pads on the board and actually caused them to come off the board! Improving my technique and using thinner solder helped me avoid this mistake again. As others have noted, it does smell and smoke a little when you first use it. Although there were no complaints after the first use. It comes with a fine tip (C1-1 style), but not the thinnest tip available. This requires you to order a C1-2 replacement tip. The tips are held by a screw sleeve and can be easily replaced.