Oct 15 2012
When a customer purchases a "heavy-duty" soldering iron, that individual should expect a tool with superior performance and durability. Unfortunately, there is a common industry trend of companies simply using the heavy-duty description on standard products in the hope of boosting sales through clever marketing.
American Beauty tools has been building industrial soldering irons for over 100 years and their irons must pass a series of tests to ensure high performance and durability.
American Beauty's 300 Watt heavy-duty soldering iron is a great example of ultimate performance. At 1000 degrees Fahrenheit, there will always be the necessary heat to flow solder. At 3.5 pounds, the iron has a seemingly endless reservoir of heat from which to run long seams.
To ensure superior durability, American Beauty tools undergo the most rigorous testing in the industry, including the most basic; the drop test. Most foreign irons incorporate ceramic spools, because they are cheaper, heat-up faster and are lighter (helping save on shipping costs when coming from China). However, the major drawback regarding ceramic spools is that they break quite easily. Every American Beauty heating element is wound around a solid steel spool preventing breakage for the life of your iron. American Beauty designed and built their own soldering iron tip tester to ensure their tips were the finest, most durable soldering tips available in the market today. A random selection of each tip size and style is tested at temperature for 8 hours a day, under constant pressure for over 100,000 cycles. When a customer purchases an American Beauty soldering iron tip, they can be confident that they are getting the best.
Other companies use the term heavy-duty because they think it sounds good. At American Beauty, heavy-duty is truly built into each and every product.