Soldering Iron Tip Thermometer Review

I recently saw shabaz's blog on the Quick 191AD soldering iron tip thermometer and I decided that I should also have one for quick testing and comparison of various soldering irons/tips.

I bought one from an Indian online store for Rs.213 ~ 2.85 USD on discounted rate.

It looks like a duplicate of the Hakko FG-100.

It came in a simple box, with no brand logo. The package contains the main thermometer unit, 9 sensors (thermocouples) and a 9V battery.

The body is made of good quality plastic and is extremely light in weight.

The mechanical push button on the left side is for the sensor attachment. It hold the sensor tightly in place. On pressing the button, the sensor become lose and can be replaced with a new one.

I quickly put one sensor, installed a 9V battery and switched it on. It measured the ambient temperature of about 24.6 degree Celsius.

Next, I tried to take measurement using a simple soldering iron. This is a goot KX-30R a 30W soldering iron. The max temperature this iron reached to was about 329 degree Celsius.

It doesn't come with a user manual nor a datasheet. I haven't tested it's max temperature but I think it should be atleast more than 400 degree Celsius as most stations can go upto 420 degree Celsius.

On opening the back cover, the unit is almost empty. There is a single PCB inside which holds all the circuit and the LCD. I didn't remove it as it would displace the zebra connector for the LCD.

Overall, this is a pretty simple unit, does not have many features. It can display temperature only in degree Celsius and has no calibration function. It does have a max hold function though. I think for Rs. 213 ~ 2.58 USD, I got a pretty good deal. But it's not worth spending Rs. 1000 (the original cost of the unit).

I think the Quick 191AD or the Bakon 191 (both the units are same) offer much better functionalities but again are overpriced for a simple thermocouple measurement unit.

I'm planning to update the blog once I get a soldering station and test the temperature of the station with the thermometer.