Review of Handskit 72w Soldering StationThe soldering station arrived on time and in good condition. It was shipped in a plastic envelope.The kit consists of the power supply/control box, the handle, (2) T12 clone tips (a needle point and a 45 degree knife tip), an external iron holder, Brass cleaning pad, sponge, a ground strap(?), a computer type power cord, a second iron holder, stick on feet, an Allen key(for?), and “instructions”.The unit seems well made and I had no problems with the holder cord as reported by other users.The Instructions - NOTThe instruction sheet is a single pair of pages. Each about the size of a business card. Other than directions as to how to apply the stick on feet, press the temperature adjustment knob to adjust the specific temperature (whatever that means), and few hints at something else – That’s about it.Actually I’m most impressed with the press it was printed on. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a 0.25 point type size before. Bring your magnifier! In one of the tiny pics I see the second iron holder attached to the main chassis. But there is no indication of how to do this.It’s apparent from the Amazon ad that this thing has various functions. Good luck with that. There is no mention of them in the instructions.The instructions indicate that there is a “Sleep Mode Socket” plug on the back. That does – And I quote“After inserting the hole, the connecting bracket can be put to sleep“Well, the only thing included that fits there is the banana plug “ground strap”.Inside the chassis this plug is isolated from the chassis and is connected directly to the ground of the PC board and the (earth) ground for the 120v wall cord.This iron only has a 3 digit display. The more expensive ~ $90 irons have multi character displays that make using the kit way easier. But you pay for that convenience.There are 12 settings that can be accessed by pressing and holding the temp dial.Looking about on the web this is what I discovered:P0 – P3 Unknown.P4 – Temp adjustment steps. 0 (Lock Temp?), 5, 10 degreesP5 – Auto Sleep Timer, 0 (never), 1 – 60 minutesP6 – Auto Shut down Timer – 0 (never) or 1-180 minutesP7 – UnknownP8 – Wake Up Method – 0 = Shake and Dial, 1 = Dial onlyP9 – Temp Boost Amount – Set the degrees to boost the tip temp when activatedP10 – Temp Boost Duration – Set the amount of time to boost the temp – 10 – 250 SecondsP11 – UnknownP12 – Beep – 0 = On, 1 = OffAfter asking here, Handskit supplied the following:P01 [operational amplifier gain (200~350 times, the first step, the default value is 270.]P02 [Op amplifier bias voltage (0~250mV, step 2, the default value is 100, which means that the soldering iron tip maintains the inherent output voltage of the room temperature operational amplifier. If you do not measure, please keep the default value.]P03 [Increase the temperature, adjust the temperature 30-50℃.]P04 [Temperature step adjustment (0, 1, 2, 5, 10 degrees optional, 0 can lock the temperature of the soldering iron)]P05 [Sleep repair time (set time for entering sleep state) (0~60 minutes, step 1 is 0, sleep function is disabled)]P06 [shutdown time (0~180 minutes, step 1 is in 0~30, step 10 is in 30~180, 0 is disabled)]P07 [Temperature correction (-30~+30 degrees, the first step) (Because the NTC resistance is in the chassis, the soldering station will cause the detected NTC temperature to be higher than room temperature, resulting in high compensation for the cooling capacity) thermocouple junction Point, and the temperature of the soldering iron is not accurate (you can use this parameter to correct. For example, if the detected soldering iron temperature is 20 degrees higher than the actual value, set this parameter to -20)]P08 [Wake-up mode during sleep (0, 1, 0 means that the encoder can be rotated in shutdown mode, and the handle can be awakened by vibrating the handle. For 1, only the rotary encoder can wake up)]P09 [Temperature plus strength (click on the encoder to input the temperature of the solder joint suddenly needed)]P10 [temperature enhancement time (enhancement time...)]P11 [Automatic save time of parameter setting mode and return to the effective time of heating mode function.]P12 [Buzzer switch (0 means off and 1 means on)]So Setting P0 is still missing in action.And note that on my iron P04 only has 0, 5, 10 degree options, not the 0. 1. 2, 5, 10 as indicted by Handskit.P07 on my Iron goes from 0-20. Not -30 to +30 as stated by Handskit. This is supposed to be a temperature calibration.Using the IronThe tips slip into the holder with just a bit of pushing required. The two included tips are a fine needle point (type BL) and a diagonal knife point (type K). There is no information on how to do this in the instructions, but it is obvious (or is should be).These heat up PDQ. From off to melting 60/40 solder takes about 10-12 seconds. This is noticeably faster than my Hakko 888 or old Weller soldering stations.The display shows the current tip temp. The unit beeps when the desired temp is reached.Spin the dial to adjust the temp from 200C to 450C. The thing has memory, so at next power up it returns to the last used temp.When the iron goes to sleep the temp drops to 200C. When waking up, it heats to the desired temp very quickly.This is a useful feature to extend the life of the tip.Sometimes you just got to get a bit more juice. Pressing the dial starts the boost temp cycle. Quickly the iron will heat by the amount set in the boost setting. Then it will return to the normal temp after the cycle is finished.I really like this feature.Is it warm in here or ?The tip holder gets warm during use. So far it’s not been too hot to use.Incorrect Temperature.Testing the tip temp set to 300C, I got a reading of 350C. The tip was 50C hotter than indicated. That’s a fairly big error.The P07 setting didn’t do much to correct this. I did find that setting P01 to 250 brought this down to the correct temp.However at different temp settings the actual tip temp was still off. But within acceptable limits for a home use iron.I notice in one of the pictures that the second holder is attached to the control unit. The Allen key fits the screws on the back of the unit (so that’s what it’s for!).If the “ground strap” is connected to this holder, the iron will go to sleep if the iron is placed in the holder and electrical contact is made between the tip area and the holder. This connection is not always easily made. So this feature only works occasionally on my unit.What’s inside?Using the included Allan key and a Phillips screwdriver it’s easy to open the case. The PC board slides into some slots on the box.The PC board was mounted to the top of the chassis so that the heatsinks were pointed at the bottom. So the heat would migrate upward into the PC board.When I put it back together, I mounted the PC board in the bottom of the case with the heat sinks facing up. This required flipping the font face plate 180. No biggie.BTW the pics in the Amazon ad show the PC board mounted in the correct position.Grounding? No.The chassis in not connected to the earth ground on the power cord. This is not normal in most electronics that have line voltage inside the chassis.In the VERY unlikely event of a short from hot to chassis, this makes the chassis a possible 120v source. This is even more exciting in other parts of the world where 220 is the line voltage. This is not likely to occur and I don't think the unit is unsafe. Still it's something to keep in mind.There are several Youtube videos on how to ground one of these soldering stations.ESD Safe? No.There is no ground from the tip to the chassis or earth ground. So beware of possible static discharge when soldering delicate components.Build quality. Good.I’m impressed as to what you get for the money. I mean it’s not a Hakko, but the one I got isn’t falling apart like some other cheap irons I’ve seen reviewed. YMMV depending on the QC at the time other units are built. In mine the PC board was mounted upside down. Perhaps this is for the AUS-NZ market?...So is it worth buying?Yes I think so as long as you take the limitations into consideration. Heck, this thing is cheaper than many single temp soldering pencils. It heats fast and is temperature controlled to boot.Add in the possibility of using one of many T12 compatible tips is just icing on the cake (or should I say flux on the joint?).For occasional hobby use? Or a second (or third) iron to keep at another location? Go for it!The price on this fluctuates quite a bit. I bought mine on sale for $17.If this price is in the $35 plus range, I believe I would consider spending the extra money for one of the OLED stations. These have the ability to set and store tip types and store temp calibrations for them.If this is going to be used a bunch, again I think I’d spring for the more expensive version where there is access to, and directions for, the additional features.This makes them more versatile IMHO.Still, depending on price, it’s a good value.I intend to use mine instead of my more expensive stations for quick jobs because it heats so quickly. Once calibrated it holds temperature.The 2 star rating is for the temp calibration being way off from the factory. The lack of correct information on how to calibrate the temp. The difference in the actual settings vs what Handskit indicates. The poor included directions. And no chassis or tip grounding.