Pinecil soldering iron
Hacker ApprovedThe most recommended of 3 soldering irons
Recommended for fast heat-up, steady temperature control, and being usable without a wall socket. One critic reports the power input lacks strain relief, so the plug can fail.
Recommended for fast heat-up, steady temperature control, and being usable without a wall socket. One critic reports the power input lacks strain relief, so the plug can fail.
11 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 10
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 91%
Recommended in 5 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 10 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 10 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 5 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Fast heat-up and quick to use
“Not being tied to a socket is amazing and the device is good to go in literally seconds!”
Comment from 12 May 2026 in “I hate soldering existentially” “It's a really neat and fast soldering iron at a very cheap price.”
Comment from 11 May 2026 in “I hate soldering existentially” “its consistent temperature, sleep modes, and very quick heat-up”
Comment from 12 May 2026 in “I hate soldering existentially” - Comment from 5 Jun 2026 in “JLink JTAG Access on the Pinecil”
Better than Weller and other irons
“Both the FX-88 and the Pinecil are miles and miles ahead of the low-power, not-temperature-controlled soldering irons”
Comment from 28 Apr 2026 in “Open-Source KiCad PCBs for Common Arduino, ESP32, RP2040 Boards” “Switching from a Weller to a Pinecil was also pretty nice”
Comment from 11 May 2026 in “I hate soldering existentially” “until I got the Pinecil, which was night and day”
Comment from 28 Apr 2026 in “Open-Source KiCad PCBs for Common Arduino, ESP32, RP2040 Boards” - Comment from 27 Apr 2026 in “Open-Source KiCad PCBs for Common Arduino, ESP32, RP2040 Boards”
Consistent temperature control
“Both the FX-88 and the Pinecil are miles and miles ahead of the low-power, not-temperature-controlled soldering irons”
Comment from 28 Apr 2026 in “Open-Source KiCad PCBs for Common Arduino, ESP32, RP2040 Boards” “its consistent temperature, sleep modes, and very quick heat-up”
Comment from 12 May 2026 in “I hate soldering existentially” “excellent temperature control and rapid heating”
Comment from 5 Jun 2026 in “JLink JTAG Access on the Pinecil” Recommended as a useful tool
“My recommendations for most useful tools are a Pinecil”
Comment from 12 May 2026 in “I hate soldering existentially” “Use this, stop complaining”
Comment from 12 May 2026 in “I hate soldering existentially”
Other soldering irons people recommend
The two most recommended other soldering irons, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pinecil soldering ironThis page | 10 | 1 | 91% | 5 | — | Approved |
| Hakko FX-888D soldering station | 8 | 6 | 57% | 3 | — | — |
| Metcal soldering station | 7 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
What people said
13 of the 18 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“A small USB-C soldering iron supported by IronOS”
“the Pinecil made soldering a joy, now I no longer dread it”
“excellent temperature control and rapid heating”
“Pinecil is a nice idea until it stops working due to a lack of strain relief for the power input or the clips snap and your tip falls out.”
“Use this, stop complaining”
“My recommendations for most useful tools are a Pinecil”
“Not being tied to a socket is amazing and the device is good to go in literally seconds!”
“its consistent temperature, sleep modes, and very quick heat-up”
“Switching from a Weller to a Pinecil was also pretty nice”
“It's a really neat and fast soldering iron at a very cheap price.”
“until I got the Pinecil, which was night and day”
“Both the FX-88 and the Pinecil are miles and miles ahead of the low-power, not-temperature-controlled soldering irons”
“The Pinecil is way better”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.