Soldering Iron XS25 from Antex with Silicone Cable

I bought the Antex XS25 soldering iron on 09/05/2025 for occasional electronic hobby work. It had a reasonable test today 8/06/2025 in the assembly of a Nano VNA testboard which involved an array of 49 close solder points and a further 30 points to fix the SMA connectors. To say I was pleased with the XS25's performance would be an understatement. This iron is an excellent piece of kit and am glad I resisted the lure of other less expensive soldering irons which appeared to be offering more, ie variable temperature control, digital temp display, higher wattage and a selection of tips. The 25 Watts of the XS25 is more than adequate. It is also certainly worth paying the extra for the silicone flex. I undestand that Antex have been producing soldering irons for many years and it certainly shows in the quality and performance of the product.

This soldering iron is high quality, easy to use, and offers great value for the price. It heats up quickly and works well for various tasks. A solid choice for beginners and experienced users alike.

This soldering item is a no frills, but great quality soldering iron.

Bought this to replace Solon iron which only lasted for over sixty years. By the feel of this Antek it might last just as long. Silicone cable is very good and worth a little extra and the iron is a pleasure to use.

Bought first one 6th October 2022. Worked fine, then noticed recently the base of the Iron at the plastic handle had started to melt? Upon last using it, it heated up and then after 10 minutes would not work again. Lasted just under 18 months. Had to purchase a new one today. It's a good soldering iron, works well, interchangeable tips, Pity it just gave up the ghost!

Love the silicone cable whch lasts, unlike the PVC mechanically insulated, and the heater element lasts long enough before needing replacing at a very reasonable few pounds. There is no temperature control on this model, think this is more for small IC's and light quick soldering as opposed to a full temperature controlled solder-station, but for literally all your electronics projects or repairs this is pretty spot on. I wouldn't try solder anything heavier gauged (like tinning end of speaker cable, if you're the cable tinning type) as it is a 25 watter and so you will be there all day and it will Kill your irons heater element and tip. Having said this it does come with a little stand thing to aid in the process of tinning lighter gauged cables. Having used a big make blue coloured solder station some years ago which are great in a production environment but a bit overkill for the house these British Antex iron's are perfect for their intended market and have a large range of specific job bits that you can buy to cover any job from leather 'patterning' (?) to foam cutting to electronic soldering, great !

I've been making guitar pedals for the last few months and have completed four projects succesfully with three circuits to debug. I've been using a 60 watt cheap soldering iron with a tiny tip but my guess is that one of my problems has been far too much solder leaking accross the stripboard gutters because the soldering iron was too hot and delivered heat too fast. Advice on line seems varied and sometimes contradictory but there were a few votes for a lower wattage soldering iron and this model had a lot of good reviews for the price. My soldering improved immediately. Stripboard is pretty unforgiving for clumsy hands and while I still run a knife allong the gutters, by eye there seems to be no overspill. I didn't think that the chisel tip was ideal as a defult but gave it a go and actually it's good because the flat delivers heat to the strip and the tip heats up the component leg quickly and safely (I'm expecting to find some blown components in my debugging pile because of excessive heat from my old iron). In the count of two the solder flows into the heated intersection neatly. I haven't tried the model without the silicone cable but the soldering iron is very light and I wouldn't want any excessive pull on it from behind so I can see why this has been highlighted as a feature. This was the same price on Amazon as it was on the Amtex website but there were additional charges there for shipping if you want to save money. I

Bought to replace a Maplin solder station. So much better! Gets to temperature quickly and very efficient tool. Well worth paying a little extra and getting this. Go for the XS25/S with burn-proof silicone cable - the cable is more flexible and the iron therefor easier to place - and of course, it's burn proof! Excellent build quality and looks like it will last forever! Highly Recommended.