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 18x18x18 10lbs
 
+# ifixit Hub Solder Iron
+
+The right to repair movement has a catchy name, but before you can worry about the right to repair, you need the ability to repair. If you don't know how to take your device apart, there's no since worrying about whether it's legal to do so. Without basic repair skills, and a helping of innate curiosity, the right to repair is useless.
+
+This is where ifixit's new Hub Soldering Iron enters the fray. ifixit, a longtime support of the right to repair, with thousands of tutorials online to help you actually repair things, is now making a soldering iron to help you roll up your sleeves and get into the physical world of repair.
+
+
+## Soldering
+
+I grew up around soldering. My father built his own tube-powered ham radio gear, but for whatever reason I never actually did any soldering until rather late in my repair life. An electrician friend of mine was appalled that I didn't solder on a regular basis and gifted me a bare bones soldering iron, which was all I had for an embarrassingly long time. 
+
+While a cheap soldering iron is better than no soldering iron, I've come to think the reason many people are intimidated by soldering is cheap soldering pens. Cheap tools are the source of many a problem, but with soldering irons the big one is that they don't get hot enough, which makes the solder stick to the tip rather than flowing nicely where you want it. Cheap irons also lack interchangeable tips, which make soldering easy by tailoring the shape to your application.
+
+iFixit's new Hub Soldering iron is actually several products. The core is the Smart Soldering Iron for $80. It's powered by USB-C, and comes with beveled 1.5 mm tip. (there are currently six other tips available, and more coming over time. Then there's the Portable Soldering Station for $250 which includes the iron and a battery pack designed for the iron. The final option is the everything version, the $300 Soldering Toolkit which includes the iron, the battery pack, along with useful tools like wire strippers, flush cutters, solder, flux, holder cleaner and more. I tested the latter.
+
+The thing that jumps out at you the most when first opening the kit is the magnetic cap. This is a thing of genius. Not only does it cover the tip, you can put it on when the tip is hot. No waiting to cool, just stick it on when you're done. Every soldering iron should have this cap. 
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+
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+n LED warning light that tells you if it’s blistering hot, motion sensors to automatically shut it off if you set it down for a while or it falls from your hand, and a triangular grip to keep it from rolling across a surface. I am not a soldering pro, but so far, these features worked beautifully in my early testing.
+
+You can also turn it off with a dedicated power switch on the handle, instead of having to yank the plug like my old Miniware TS80, and it’s far harder to accidentally yank that plug since it has a locking USB-C cable.
+
+
+n, battery pack, and a bunch of useful soldering tools.
+iFixit, certainly aware of the Pinecil, Miniware, and other USB-C pen-style soldering irons on the market, claims a few things set its iron apart. Its iron can be powered up to 100 watts, whereas it says most tap out at 60W over USB or 88W on DC. The heat-resistant cap should make finishing the job faster. iFixit also touts "A warranty and a US company to talk to" for their gear, as compared to the competition.kkkk
+
+
+It’s also a slight shame iFixit didn’t adopt the same interchangeable tips as the popular Pinecil and / or Miniware USB-C soldering irons. Even though they plug in roughly the same way and my old Miniware TS80 tips are a perfect fit, they’re not cross-compatible.
+
+iFixit will sell its own additional tips for $20 each, which is actually less than I paid for a good TS80 tip. (Unlike normal soldering iron tips, USB-C ones have heater cores and temperature sensors inside.)
+
+Eventually, frustrated by my cheapo for the thousandth time, I upgraded to a slightly nicer soldering setup with a stand (an older version of [this Weller](https://www.amazon.com/Weller-Digital-Soldering-Station-Precision/dp/B09XZBWJ5H/)), but as a tool I never gave it much thought beyond that.
+
+That's where
+
+But to be more than a consumer of stuff, to not be dependent, you must first believe that you can repair it. That willingness to try—in spite of, or to spite, the stickers—is where it starts, whether you’re trying to fix your laptop or replace your head gasket.
+
+One of the cornerstones of repairing any digital device is soldering, a basic repair skill far too few of us pocess.  
+
 # Outdoor Gift Guide
 
 Buying gifts for the outdoor enthusiast is damn near impossible. Your outdoorsy friends are probably gear heads, meticulously pouring over reviews, guides, and the perennial wisdom of ounce-counting, basement-dwelling Reddit users to find THE EXACT RIGHT THING. The chances of you picking THE EXACT RIGHT THING for them as a gift is exactly zero. Don't even try. Instead, buy them one of these thoughtful, always-useful, sometimes whimsical things that are almost guaranteed to not only delight them, but actually be used.