When I first plugged it in to let it heat up I thought it would light up with all the smoke and flame sounds but after 5 or 10 minutes the smoke and the Device started to melt solder. It took about 20 minutes to fully heat up to tin the 4 gauge wire cable and attach the electrical tips. It seemed like a long time but since I haven't used this big iron in over 40 years it might be ok. I did the job I bought it for and didn't burn out which is why it gets 5 stars.