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With USB soldering iron, who needs a lightsaber?

The gadget gods at Thanko have come out with a USB soldering iron. It heats up to nearly 930 Fahrenheit if used with a 9V battery, and 390-570 F when used with USB.

Tim Hornyak
Crave freelancer Tim Hornyak is the author of "Loving the Machine: The Art and Science of Japanese Robots." He has been writing about Japanese culture and technology for a decade. E-mail Tim.
Tim Hornyak
Thanko

The Japanese gadget wizards at Thanko have created a USB soldering iron so you can melt lead on the go.

The USB Soldering Iron can heat up to 390 Fahrenheit if powered through one USB port; with two ports, it gets to 570 F. Wire it to a 9V battery it it will burn at nearly 930 F.

Thanko seems to have a policy of trying to convert every tool known to man to USB, from dental microscopes to electric razors to e-cigarettes. They also have a yen for plain old wacky stuff, like these cat-ear headphones.

They seem to think of everything when it comes to product design. The USB Soldering Iron comes with a handy LED light near the tip to illuminate the work area.

For $28, the iron also comes with a 40-inch USB cable (with two plugs), as well as a 30-inch cable for a 9V battery.

It's clearly not as clumsy or random as a blaster. An elegant weapon for a more civilized age.

(Via CrunchGear)