A soft, great cable for a soldering iron, but...

While I’m getting material ready for other reviews, I decided to put together a short one. I remember getting carried away last time and saying I’d try to keep things a bit shorter, and today is just the right occasion :)
In short, I’ll show you a decent cable for a soldering iron.

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So, first, the subject of this review: black, long, and with connectors. I ordered it for my soldering iron, and also ordered a tip at the same time. But today’s review isn’t about the tip; I’ll just say that I received it, although for some reason the seller shipped the cable and tip in separate packages...
By the way, they also have a Type-C to Type-C cable with silicone insulation.


Lately, I’ve switched over to the compact SH-72 soldering iron, which I’ve already reviewed. And honestly, I like it so much that it actually seems even better than the TS-100. I’ve really fallen in love with this little soldering iron :)

The thing is, I was using it with a Type-C to DC5525 cable, which I’d also already reviewed.


It’s convenient: you can power it from a small 60 W PD power supply. I usually use this one or this one, or just connect it to a power bank for complete portability.
It would all be fine if not for the cable insulation. First, it’s stiff, which is especially noticeable given how incredibly light the soldering iron is. Second, it doesn’t handle high temperatures well, and I’ve already managed to burn through it in one spot.


At some point I realized that “this is no way to live” and decided to order a cable with silicone insulation. I browsed AliExpress and found what looked like a decent listing. I ordered it, and since I liked the soldering iron so much, I also ordered a Type K tip.

It arrived, and the cable was even the advertised 1.5 m long, although honestly, a meter would have been more than enough for me.

But the first thing you notice when you take it out of the package is just how soft it is. It really feels like a piece of rope. Next to it, even a regular cable seems stiff, and braided cables are downright awful....


Both cables, the new one (on the left) and the old one, have a USB Type-C plug at one end and the familiar DC5525 connector at the other: 5.5 mm outer diameter and 2.5 mm inner diameter.


The cable has a built-in trigger chip that tells the power supply to output 20 V, if it can, or the highest voltage it can provide. There are already versions that output 24 V (I think) and even 48 V, but I don’t know how those work.
I got 20 V without any problems. Of course, 24 V would have been more interesting, but I’ve already melted one and a half 1 kg spools of solder. I’ve soldered everything from small parts to really heavy-duty stuff, like 6 mm² wires, and I can’t remember ever needing more power.


The listing says it can withstand high temperatures. I didn’t try heating it with a lighter, but it handles the soldering iron tip temperature without any trouble. I also tried putting it in the freezer, and that was fine too. I didn’t notice any particular difference, except that it was wet when I took it out.


But let’s see what this cable can actually do. I couldn’t be bothered to unpack my 100 W power supply, so I connected it to a power bank instead.


Turn on the load, and we get about 5 A at the output without any trouble. So far, so good.


There’s one catch: to get 100 W, the cable, as we know, needs to contain a special chip. But what if the power bank doesn’t have a power limit and simply outputs everything it can without checking?
All right, let’s connect the old cable. As expected, we hit the 60 W limit. So the cable under review doesn’t just have a “trick” built in; it also has a chip that lets you get up to 100 W—20 V at 5 A, or possibly 20 V at 6 A, but I don’t have a power source capable of that.


Unfortunately, its voltage drop is greater than the old cable’s, but that was to be expected too: it’s one and a half times longer. The new cable’s readings are on the right, up to 3.5 A; the old cable’s are on the left.


I ran each cable for five minutes without uncoiling it, just out of curiosity, and checked it with a thermal camera. As expected, the new one gets a little warmer, but I don’t think it’s significant. Measured at a current of 3 A.


Everything would be great, except the Chinese just can't resist spoiling the fun.
The problem is that there are two types of plugs and, accordingly, two types of sockets. Some plugs have a tubular center contact, while others have a split one. There are also sockets with either a split or a solid center contact.
A plug with a tubular contact is meant to be used with a socket whose split center contact has spring properties.
A plug with a split center contact, on the other hand, is meant to be used with sockets that have a solid center contact; in that case, the plug contact itself acts as the spring.
In principle, you can use a split plug with a split socket, but you could break either the plug or the socket if you start twisting the plug in the socket.
But using a tubular plug with a solid socket is really bad: there's basically nothing to provide spring pressure, except that the spring on the socket's negative contact might press it in a little.

So, as you've probably gathered, the Chinese sent me a cable with a tubular contact in the plug, while the soldering iron has a solid one.


What's more, the product page clearly shows that this cable is intended for compact soldering irons, and it's long been known that their connectors have a solid center contact.
Not only that, they know this plug doesn't fit. People have told them about it repeatedly, and they even randomly send out cables with the correct plug. But, as luck would have it, I got the wrong one :(


To sum up, I really like this cable. It's soft and heat-resistant. I'd give it a solid 5 out of 5 if it weren't for the plug, which can sometimes drive you absolutely nuts and really tests your patience.
For example, you plug it in, have to twist it to make contact, and everything works fine. You set the soldering iron down, pick it up again later, and it's cold—the connection has come loose... damn...

Still, even like this, it's nicer than the usual stiff cable...


So, in short: I'd give the cable 6 out of 5, but you can knock off a point for the plug—or cut it off and solder on a proper one. The trouble is, this one is molded, and a replacement won't look as neat.

Even so, I recommend this cable, and maybe you'll have better luck than I did.

That's all for now. May your home be bright!