Well, the tip is made of a metal compound that heats and cools rapidly. During the on cycle its as hot as any soldering tool, the trade off is that you have less working time per cycle. The on cycle is shorter so as not to get hot enough that the other parts get heat transfer. It cools 3 times faster than traditional tools, giving the impression that it is instantly cold. Nope, it is just able to be touched sooner beacuse the metal cools rapidly. If you touch it during the on cycle your gonna burn yourself same as with traditional guns/pencils.