Weller6W/8W Cordless Soldering Iron, AA Battery-Powered - WLIBAK8

This iron heats up in under a minute. After multiple uses, the batteries died but showed at the low end of “good” on the battery tester. At this point, the iron could not get hot enough to melt standalone coiled solder. New batteries fixed the problem! I love this solder iron’s efficiency. However, it did not respond at all to rechargeable NIMH 1.2V AAs and has thus far shown to operate only by fresh alkaline 1.5V AAs.

purchased it to customize a PS5 controller with back paddle, and this soldering iron works great. It headed up quickly, feel not heavy, and made my job nicely done. Also it is an advantage that it is on battery without cord so handle and use is very easy.

This is my second one I’ve ordered (lost the first). These are great for “field” servicing small boards and electronics. While not the best for electronic repair because of its size, I often times have to repair compute boards and electronics on HVAC systems and other commercial equipment. There’s rarely ever an outlet to plug into and the normal power cord gets in the way. Having no cord and plenty of flexibility helps easily get into small and weird places for field repair work.

The first one I bought only heated the tip on low power, so I returned it and bought another one. Same model. This time, the tip would not heat up in either low or high power positions. One of the pictures I've uploaded is of the temperature reading of the soldering iron tip using a contactless laser thermometer. Although powered on and all LEDs indicate that the iron is ready to be used, positioning the laser on the tip shows it is still at room temperature. The instructions refer to a button that should be released to conserve battery. Try as I might, I could not locate anything resembling a button. There's only the sliding switch that, depending on its position, turns the iron off, set it to low power, or high power.Furthermore, replacement tips at the time of this writing are around $40 for a set of three, I bit high in price in my opinion.Additionally, a tool to remove the tips comes in the package. From what I can tell from the manual, the tool inserts into grooves on the side of the tip and then pivoted to pry the tip free from the soldering iron body. This tool is small, appears to be made of stainless steel, and in my opinion an inconvenience. If it is misplaced, I'm sure the tip could still be removed with a pair of pliers that can grip the base of the tip and pulled free.While considering other cordless Weller soldering irons for purchase, I learned that this 4AA battery model, the 3 AA battery model and the rechargeable Li-Ion model all use different tips. Other than making it harder for third companies to make compatible tips, I don't see any technical reasons that the tips had to be made differently for this generation of Weller cordless soldering irons. The rated temperature on each model are not so different that each model would require the tips to be made from different alloys for each model. I write the occasional review. Usually for products that perform well and work as they should, to let others know that it is a safe buy. In this case, I have to write a negative review to warn others about the shortfalls of this soldering iron.The LED is on the bottom side near the base of the tip and turns on when the iron's switch is in the position to heat the tip. It's bright enough to use as a small flashlight. However, I think Weller should have included at least one other LED on the top opposite of the existing LED. Because the LED is at the base and on only one side, the tip itself casts a shadow over the area that should be illuminated. Flipping the soldering iron upside down to reposition the LED just moves the shadow in the opposite side, defeating the purpose. I have a well lit soldering iron station that plugs into a wall outlet, and I use it to do the majority of soldering. But in some cases, bringing a cordless soldering iron to the project is more convenient if it is well lit. But relying on only one LED to illuminate the work area can be problematic. It's not hard to imagine accidentally over-heating components because the iron is on it for too long because the solder may melt in a dim area before being noticed on the side that is better lit.I felt it was necessary to write my impressions of this soldering iron to help other buyers who may be considering purchasing this model. Receiving two defective ones in a row made me question the quality of the material used along with the quality assurance after the manufacturing process. Examining the soldering iron while troubleshooting why it did not heat up led to me changing my mind about replacing it with a third one.I learned that if the soldering iron worked, replacing the tips would have been costly and limited to cone and chisel shaped tips. The soldering iron is not that expensive. But 3 tips for $40 is overpriced in my opinion, reminding me of ink jet printers that are attractively priced because the cost of replacing the ink cartridges for them are high. This is no longer the soldering iron for me.

After comparing manufacturer information and customer reviews about the Weller WLIBAK8 and Hakko FX-901/P AA battery driven soldering irons, the Weller was selected mostly on the red tag sale price. Reviews on a variety of value priced portable irons are generally not stellar especially when soldering 20 gauge or larger wires.Though most of the wire soldering required is 22 gauge and smaller, the iron must pass the 18-gauge wire splice test when powered by rechargeable Eneloop batteries to replace the “toolbox storable” Weller WP25.Testing included 4 fully charged 2100mAH Eneloop’s purchased in 12/2019 and Kester 44 63/37 solder at .031” diameter. 18 gauge solid, 18 gauge stranded with fewer but larger strands and 18 gauge with more common number of strands. All stranded wire ends were tinned prior to the join. A firm mechanical was connection was made only for the 18-gauge solid wire test.The results exceeded expectations in all 3 cases. 2 photos show both the 18 gauge solid and 18 gauge stranded (fewer but larger). The Weller sufficiently heated, after 30sec warmup and allowing ample time for heat, the desired capillary action of solder drawn to the heated copper wires was observed. Also, soldered a variety of 20-, 24- and 26-gauge wires with expected very good results. Will be evaluating older and lower mAH Eneloops for usability with the smaller gauges which is what is mostly soldered.Battery usage was roughly approximated. After less than a dozen connections, removed and placed batteries in charger. Iron was shut off in between connections. About 1.5 hours to fully charge. Typical charge times from discharge is about 10-12 hours.The Weller WLIBAK8 iron is certainly not without shortcomings.-The iron's power switch is “rough.” Only time will tell how long it functions. The switch best exemplifies tradeoffs in quality at that price point. If information is correct, this model is made by another company for Weller.-Materially noticeable tip temperature decline was observed when cleaning and tinning using the wet sponge method in comparison to the brass coil method. The tip temp issue most likely occurs with many battery powered irons in this price quality category.-Replacement tips for the Weller are very expensive relative to the WLIBAK8’s price. MSRP is $44 for 3 tips or about $15, a little under the red tag price. Tip cost replacement makes this a disposable iron if needed. The 1970’s vintage Weller TC202 + TC201 soldering station and 1980s Weller WP25 have their original tips. Tips on both are always well tinned and kept clean so without abuse, at least for soldering, expectation is that the WLIBAK8 tip, even with today’s “cheaper” products, should last long enough.-Running on alkaline or non-rechargeable batteries for any more than a few connections a month will be expensive.-Size and weight can be acceptable for some but not for others. The Hakko FX-901/P body appears rounder and not as thick on 2 sides in photos and possibly better to physically hold and control.-The included “tool that some use as a stand” is not secure. The iron does not fit into most generic stands so shutting off at times may be safest when multiple connections are needed but not ready to be soldered immediately following each other.-The LED is a little difficult to position on the subject however I find this on most LED equipped tools.-Though a minor thing…A standard single column paginated 8.5 x 11 or A4 instruction sheet should be available on the website rather than a PDF mimic of the included microscopic size text, paper “folding nest” multi-column instruction paper sheet included in the package.Was considering returning the iron due to size, shape and weight however I’m leaning on keeping it. Typically avoid writing reviews after only a few uses and a short 3 week ownership but based on the tests, the Weller WLIBAK8 seems to be a hard to beat cordless soldering iron below $20.

For the average hobbiest or infrequent user this is perfect. The warm up time is not an issue and the biggest plus is portability. Had some wire soldering to be done in cabin of my vehicle for an accessory add on, and this made the process virtually painless. Well worth the price. Arrived earlier than anticipated.

Works well just t remember to remove batteries when not using for a while.

This tool can also be use to heat up small irrigation lines instead of trying to use a cup of hot water.