iFixit has made it easier to repair gadgets at home

I have a confession to make before we get into the nitty-gritty: I have never used a soldering iron in my life. I’m afraid I’ll hurt myself or inhale too much fumes and fall over. I think that’s because most of my history with soldering irons has been sitting in poorly ventilated garages of guys I’ve dated who wanted to save money by fixing their own stuff. Luckily, it doesn’t have to be that way.

iFixit has announced the launch of its own branded soldering iron. The FixHub is a true portable soldering system with a 55Wh battery and USB-C charging. You can buy the soldering iron, which comes with a 1.5-inch Bevel tip, for $80, or the entire portable soldering station for $250, which includes a cleaning brush and silicone work mat. There’s also a bundle with a full tool kit for $300. The tools include standard DIY tools like wire cutters, wire strippers, right-angle tweezers, and, my favorite of them all, a spudger.

This soldering iron is portable. It comes with a 65W GaN fast charger from iFixit that charges the power station. You can then use the stand to prop it up and lift it up towards you to monitor the temperature. The soldering iron has a built-in accelerometer that cools it when it’s idle, which helps extend battery life but, more importantly, prevents burning your fingers. This is great because the battery can power the soldering iron up to an impressive 100W, a voltage usually reserved for more robust soldering irons.

The power station and soldering iron may receive firmware updates. iFixit says it will also be able to calibrate the battery health and accelerometer in the coming weeks.

Thinking about how hot it all is makes my fingers tingle a little. I’ve always wanted to solder, mostly because I want to modify my Tamagotchi collection and add backlighting to some of them, but the heat scares me. I watched a helpful YouTube video on iFixit on how to get started soldering. But I was in the middle of smartphone season and couldn’t find the space to make the magic happen.

There are tons of soldering irons available for all kinds of projects, and they come at varying prices, but not all of them are user-friendly. The whole point of iFixit’s FixHub is its affordability, so you can take one home to fix things—like your iPhone battery, your car stereo, or your laptop connection. It comes with a cheat sheet you can stick on the wall above your makeshift soldering station with safety tips and helpful reminders. Instructions and diagrams for all the materials will also be available on the iFixit website.

The iFixit FixHub will be available for purchase on October 15 in the United States, Canada, Australia and Europe.