This is a great product!

I have been using it for a little over 6 months now. It has made cleaning my soldering iron a much easier task. After each use it leaves the tip of the iron nicely tinned and ready to solder the next component.

Also it makes cleaning very quick. Rather than having to rotate the iron to clean both sides while using a sponge, I simply make a slight turn of my wrist away from my project, stick the tip into the wire mesh, and return to my project. Believe it or not, this extra second or two after each application adds up very quickly, especially when soldering large boards.

Lastly, I have never had any issues with it sliding around on my workspace surface, and I have used it in quite a few different locations. The opening is at a very nice angle and height to use quickly and without very much effort or movement away from your project.

I do recommend that you occasionally either turn the mesh around or remove it from the holder and mash it up a little. It does collect solder after heavy use, but I have never had any issues with it being over saturated as long as I do this after I am done for the day. When I use it, I find that I am constantly sticking my iron in the exact same place though, so I am sure this has something to do with my level of saturation.

I did without this for years without realizing how much I really needed it. This tip cleaner makes it a lot easier to maintain a clean soldering iron or gun. A poke and a wipe into the brass sponge gives me a clean shiny tip every time. I also give the tip a very quick jab into a wet sponge to shock off any remaining oxidation. A wet sponge is supplementary to using this brass sponge - take a look at the fine instructional videos on YouTube about soldering by Pace, Inc.

The holder is about 3" across and a little over 1" high - this sounds small, but it's really a good size. The flip-up handle doubles as a soldering iron rest and there are two indentations on the lip of the cup for smaller irons. The bottom of the cup has a smooth covering and the whole thing tends to slide around a little when I use it, so I glued a small piece of grippy rubber `shelf liner' to the bottom to keep it secure.

This is a valuable tool to keep on the bench or even in the toolbox. It will extend the life of your soldering tips.

It goes without saying that having a clean tip makes the soldering process much cleaner, and aids in having a decent-looking work. This product is an essential tool for me. It does the job very well.

The residual solder is dropped into the detachable base after each cleaning. Fortunately, you can take the canister off with ease, so you can clean the debris accumulated over time. Because the brass sponge is actually softer than the tip itself, there is no risk of damaging it. The whole metal housing is very lightweight, which can be annoying for some as it can tip over during use. It does have some anti-slip foams at the base, but they don't work very well. However, I got around this problem by mounting it onto my compact soldering station with screws. The material of which this product is made of is thin, as a matter of fact, you can bend it very easily with your hands. Not a big deal though, but I'd rather get something on the thicker side.

When I got it in my hands, I didn't expect it to be that big. I was concerned about the size because as I mentioned previously, it was going to be mounted on a fixed base with limited space. Even so, I got the cleaner to fit right the way I wanted. Slightly bigger than I would like to, but it's not a hassle when soldering. See the pictures I uploaded if you're interested in the measurements of this product.

Last but not least, it's worth mentioning that you can take the whole thing apart with ease since neither the base nor the housing has threaded surfaces to be held tightly in place. Rather they're both secured only by the pressure that they exert against each other. At first, this disappointed me, but I later noticed that this was advantageous for my setup. Since I have it installed on a fixed base, it lets me rotate it at my own convenience.

Using this method over the wet sponge method (to wipe/clean tip of built up residue, flux, byproducts, etc.) is superior as it doesn't drop the temperature as much if at all if you are using this tool properly (Quick in and out. You're done!). The quick changes in temperature degrade the metal/constitution of the tips over time and they fall apart. It's ALL ABOUT KEEPING TIPS CLEAN! I STILL keep a *damp* sponge in my station and I DO occasionally use it when I feel I have to, but this is a product worth it's weight in gold, since it will save your tips/make them live longer (*IF* you are also properly tinning and cleaning).

One thing to be aware and careful of: This can essentially "flick" melted solder on the tip back at you. If you were just hitting the edge of the tip in a "left and right motion", it CAN spit wet solder at you. Not a major concern, but it DOES happen if you're using it improperly. Quick in and out. Again, avoid wiping your tip on the sponge. Plunge it in and out. Twice if necessary. There are replacement sponges available for this product. Which is good. They are not just "brass wire" etc. It is covered in a flux/chemical compound. I wish I ordered an extra as I believe this tool can hold 2 sponges inside of it ... highly recommended.

When I used to work in a full-line consumer electronics service center we had these on every workbench. During that time I came to have a great appreciation for this type of tip cleaner. That said, this Hakko tip cleaner is even better than the ones we had at the service center due to the container they are in. It captures all the little bits of solder it clean off and has a lid to keep them from spilling in the event it gets knocked over. This design is really a lifesaver, and if you've ever had one of this type of tip cleaner fall over that was one that didn't have the cap with the access hole in it, well, you'll really appreciate it as when a few thousand tiny flakes of solder fall into something you're working on, that is not a good day, and with this model that just won't happen. There is one caveat to this item, but it is easy to workaround. The container is too light so it is easy to accidentally knock over. But, if you just toss a few coins or some other flat piece of metal into the bottom that has some heft to it, that is mitigated. Also as mentioned already, even though it is easily knocked over without adding some weight, it isn't the day killer that an open top one is due to the clever lid. This type of tip cleaner is not only very effective at keeping your tip nice and clean, it also doesn't cause much if any thermal loss, so there is no appreciable waiting period after cleaning your tip for thermal recovery as there is using a wet sponge. This is a godsend when working on a project/repair that requires many soldering joints and a real time saver.

One other thing to note is that some people have complained that the enclosure for the cleaning pad is made from plastic and expressing concern that a 500degF iron contacting it would melt it. Wile it is made from plastic, even a 900degF iron will not melt it. There are many different types of plastic in the world and not all melt easily. This is one type that certainly does not melt easily. I tested this by holding my iron against it while set to 900degF and held it there for about 2 min. There were no marks or softening of the plastic, and certainly no melting or burning! I thought it would be useful to note this for anyone who may have concerns about the enclosure being plastic. Again, just make sure you weight it down and you're golden.

Also, some have mentioned that they may be better off using a copper kitchen scrubbie. This is NOT the case, copper tends to oxidize very badly and rapidly. The brass alloy used to make these resists oxidation well and certainly does not grow all the nasties that a pure copper scrub pad would. The other option some have mentioned is using a green scrub pad instead... which while that does work, it is far inferior to the cleaning provided by this.

All in all, I HIGHLY recommend this item to anyone who does more than a very minimal amount of soldering.