Butane soldering iron buying guide
Updated: October 2026
You are beside a car, a gate or a garden cable with no useful socket, and a cordless flame looks like the obvious answer. This butane soldering iron buying guide puts the checks in the order that matters: fuel, working temperature, the job, the controls, and listing consistency. The [gas soldering iron comparison](/hub/soldering-and-welding/gas-soldering-iron) shows all nine amazon.co.uk listings and their captured prices. This page explains how to read those rows without mistaking an open-flame headline for soldering-tip performance. None of these tools has a temperature screen, none arrives with butane, and several listings contain specifications you should question before you pay. Prices are GBP. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
You are beside a car, a gate or a garden cable with no useful socket, and a cordless flame looks like the obvious answer.
You are beside a car, a gate or a garden cable with no useful socket, and a cordless flame looks like the obvious answer. This butane soldering iron buying guide puts the checks in the order that matters: fuel, working temperature, the job, the controls, and listing consistency. The gas soldering iron comparison shows all nine amazon.co.uk listings and their captured prices. This page explains how to read those rows without mistaking an open-flame headline for soldering-tip performance. None of these tools has a temperature screen, none arrives with butane, and several listings contain specifications you should question before you pay. Prices are GBP. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Fuel | Tip versus flame | Ignition | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  LEXIVON LEXIVON LX-770 kit | Butane, not included | 1100 °F tip; 2400 °F flame | Trigger and stopper | 9.4 | about £33.99 | View offer |
| Alternative |  Iroda Iroda Solderpro 50K | Butane, not included | 450 °C attribute | Flint in the cap | 7.4 | about £34.99 | View offer |
| Preis-Tipp |  DOMINOX DOMINOX SI212 kit | Butane, not included | 15 W beside 896 °F | Self-igniting lock | 6.8 | about £24.99 | View offer |
On this page
Start with the fuel
A gas soldering iron in this comparison is a refillable butane tool, not a USB pen or a battery iron. Marketplace searches mix all three power sources, and one listing even places USB in its included-components field while describing a butane pen. Check the title, the bullets and the refill valve rather than a broad cordless label. If you actually want a rechargeable tool, leave this product group.
Expect the tank to arrive empty. Royal Mail prohibits butane and lighter refills in the post, so an empty tank is normal. You will need a compatible refill before first use, and that cost sits outside the displayed tool price. Under the Cigarette Lighter Refill (Safety) Regulations 1999, a butane lighter-refill canister must not be sold to anyone under 18.
The LEXIVON LX-770 claims up to 75 minutes, the LX-771 up to two hours, and the Iroda Solderpro 50K up to 40 minutes. These are listing claims, not timed tests. A longer figure helps on remote work. It cannot compensate for an unreliable valve.
Separate the tip from the flame
The largest temperature on a box usually describes the open flame, not the soldering tip. Maker information commonly separates a soldering tip around 450–550 °C, hotter air from a blower attachment, and an open flame around 1,200–1,300 °C. Solder does not need a 1,200 °C torch, and nearby insulation may be damaged if you treat the headline maximum as a working target.
LEXIVON states up to 1,100 °F at the tip and up to 2,400 °F for the flame, while a separate attribute gives 1,300 °C. The POFET bullet separates a 450 °C iron from a 1,300 °C flame. Dremel’s UK information for one Versatip order number gives 550 °C at the tips, 680 °C for hot air and 1,200 °C open, yet its amazon.co.uk row only displays the upper figure.
Do not merge Dremel Versatip F0132000JD and F0132000KF. One attribute says 1,200 °C; the other says 482 °C and 35 W. A gas slider controls fuel flow. It does not hold a closed-loop temperature like a station. If a small circuit-board pad needs a temperature you can set and see, read gas soldering iron vs electric before choosing.
Match the job, then the controls
Butane earns its place when a lead is the obstacle. Vehicle wiring, a gate cable and heat-shrink outdoors all benefit from a tool that works away from a 230 V socket. A hot-air blower or deflector is preferable for tubing because it spreads heat without parking an open flame on the plastic. The Iroda Solderpro 50K lists a hot-air blower; the 110K lists a heat blower. Other kits need a closer look at the supplied tips.
None of these nine gas listings shows the tip temperature on a screen. Gas can still make a joint, but the lack of feedback is a real limit where pads lift easily. After the job, compare ignition. The LX-770 uses a trigger and stopper, the Solderpro 50K a flint in its cap, the 110K piezo ignition, and the Iroda PRO15 a safety switch under its trigger. Read the model instructions rather than assuming every tool lights the same way.
A flame lock helps during continuous hot-air work, and it also lets you put down a lit tool. A stable stand and a clear shut-off matter alongside the lock. A case protects loose tips only after every part has cooled.
Read every clash before you pay
The Iroda Solderpro 110K is the clearest clash. Its title says butane, 30–125 W and 100 minutes; a bullet says 30–165 W and 115 minutes; the attribute says battery powered and 165 W. Do not resolve that by choosing a favourite number. Confirm the exact model with the seller before paying £70.30.
The Solderpro 50K title states 30–70 W while its attribute says 70 W. DOMINOX gives a 15 W attribute beside an adjustable butane flame without explaining the equivalence. Treat wattage on a gas iron as an equivalence claim unless the maker explains its basis, and buy on confirmed contents rather than photographs.
LEXIVON LX-770 has 4.6 from 12,139 amazon.co.uk reviews, whereas the 110K has 4.0 from six. Neither score is a flame test. Reports of leaks, side flame or failure to shut off deserve more weight than a missing cosmetic accessory. The basket check is simple: verify butane, separate the tip temperature from the flame, match the attachment to the task, then confirm ignition, shut-off and every conflicting specification.
Common questions
Does a gas soldering iron come with gas?
Not in this comparison. The nine amazon.co.uk files do not include butane, and postal restrictions explain why refillable tools commonly arrive empty. Budget for a compatible refill and fill only according to the model instructions.
Is 1,200 °C the soldering-tip temperature?
Usually not. On multi-mode tools, a figure near 1,200 °C generally refers to an open flame. Dremel’s UK information separates lower tip and hot-air temperatures from its open-flame maximum.
What is a catalytic soldering tip?
A catalytic tip burns the gas internally across a catalyst rather than directing an open flame at the joint. After ignition, the visible flame should settle as the catalyst heats. Follow the specific manual because attachments differ.
Can someone under 18 buy butane refill?
No. The Cigarette Lighter Refill (Safety) Regulations 1999 prohibit supplying a butane lighter-refill canister to anyone under 18 in the UK.
Is a flame lock worth having?
It helps during continuous heating and frees your hand, particularly with hot air. It also lets a tool remain lit without pressure on the trigger, so a stand, supervision and a reliable shut-off are essential.
What if the wattage lines disagree?
Keep both figures visible and ask the seller or manufacturer to confirm the exact model. Do not average them. On gas tools, wattage is often an equivalent-output claim rather than measured electrical input.
When should I choose an electric station?
Choose a temperature-controlled electric station when you have a usable socket and are soldering fine circuit-board pads or heat-sensitive parts. Choose gas when portability solves the larger problem and a displayed temperature is less important.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings in this set, captured on 16 October 2026.
- Cigarette Lighter Refill (Safety) Regulations 1999 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- Regulation 2016/426, gas appliances, as it applies in Great Britain (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 22 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- HSE INDG249, rosin flux fume (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- HSE SR20, soldering temperature and extraction at work (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- Royal Mail prohibited and restricted items, May 2025 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- Dremel UK Versatip F0132000JD (retrieved 16 October 2026)