I think this is not a bad product, just a bad price.
I agree that changing temperature is generally not done super often but I would have loved to see a ring adjustment for temperature.
Overall, compared to the competition, I am not sure how much people would be willing to pay the much higher cost just for promise of quality and high heating capacity which is not as big of a edge that iFixit seems to think in my opinion.
But I applaud the effort of trying to make something new and different in a crowded and competitive space.
Hi all. I am the author of the article and wanted to address some of the points raised here.
First of all, thank you reading the article and giving feedback. I never thought it would ever reach this many people.
I wanted to address the choices I made and the discussion of the lab being inadequate for real EE work. I wont argue that my choices are a bit over the place with some tools being at the highest end (eg. Knipex Side Cutters) while others being at the very low end (eg. Electronic Load).
The math of cost for my lab doesn't work the same way as a professional lab. I don't make any significant money from it. Hence the way I make choices is purely based on my requirements and on how much I use a particular tool. I use the hand tools most frequently hence I splurge on the expensive stuff. For the equipment (Scope, DMM, PSU), I slowly work my way upwards in price on a as needed basis. The current options work fine for me for the projects I work on and hence I dont see a good reason to invest in the more expensive piece of kit right away. If I need it, I will realize that and then go and buy that.
Compare that to a professional lab where there is a big cost of time and failures. Hence it makes sense to have higher end, more reliable equipment from the get go. And most labs are more purpose driven and will have equipment for that specific purpose anyways.
Moving on, there was good advice on soldering irons. I would admit that my setup might not be the best option for the current times. I have ordered the Pinecil and other similar options and will update the guide with my findings accordingly.
I will also add info about some of the missing stuff like the fume extractor, tweezers (dont know how I missed those), logic analyzer etc.
I will share more details about my component inventory and organization system soon.
My setup is always evolving and improving based on my needs, knowledge and experience. This was just a snapshot in time of how it currently stands with hopes that it would help and inspire other makers and engineers out there. There wont be a singular solution that works for everyone and that is the way it is. I just wanted to share what currently works best for me.
Finally, I apologize for not disclosing the Amazon affiliate links. I added that to the post and will be more transparent about it in the future.