iFixit, everyone’s favorite gadget repair gadfly, is launching a portable soldering iron. The gadget is designed to make component repair more accessible for home users.
The timing of the announcement isn’t lost on anyone, dropping the same week as Apple’s “It’s Glowtime” event. While Apple has been more open to user repairs in recent years, iFixit has long been a thorn in Apple’s side, regularly awarding the company low repairability scores for iPhones and other devices.
The newly announced Fixhub is a 100 watt “smart” soldering iron, which takes about four minutes to warm up. It’s battery-powered, and iFixit clocks its life at eight hours on a single charge. A pair of on-device USB-C ports, meanwhile, can be used to charge other devices.
As for why the repair site got into the soldering iron business, iFixit notes, “No electronics workbench is complete without a soldering iron, but we were dissatisfied with the irons we had. After our founder had to drag an extension cord out to his car to fix a stereo, we’d had enough.”
According to the company, more than 1,000 of its online repair guides require a soldering iron – a tool your average smartphone owner doesn’t usually have lying around the house. iFixit is positioning the product as “beginner friendly,” noting the inclusion of a sleep mode, fall protection and a light that indicates temperature.
Apple is likely to devote stage time to repairability at tomorrow’s event. Recent generations of devices have found the company softening its stance on the topic, including the launch of (admittedly unwieldy) at-home device repair kits.
The moves, in turn, have been prompted by a rise in right to repair laws across the country and world. Apple continues to pushback on some of the legislation, including its continued opposition to “parts pairing” – which requires proprietary components for full functionality. In April, however, TechCrunch exclusively learned that the company would be opening up repair to third-party components.
As for how repairable the Fixhub is itself, we eagerly await Apple’s score. The soldering iron will run $80, when it arrives on October 15. Pre-sales for the U.S., Canada, Australia, and Europe start today. iFixit will also offer a $300 pack that includes the iron, an extra battery and additional repair tools.
