Is the Hakko FR301 Desoldering tool worth 4X the ZD915 Clone?

[@julianbrown1331]

You do realise it is *much* easier to retrieve the duratool catch tube from the other end. Pull the "rubber" end towards the back and lever it out. Only gets stuck if the tube is completely clogged...

[@MoreFunMakingIt]

Yes. I had no idea 🤣

[@stephengow]

@@MoreFunMakingIt Julian beat me to that advice ;-)

[@TimsRetroCorner]

I'm gonna try that next time. I always feel like I'm risking serious injury every time I take that glass tube out! (actually moreso when putting it back in)

[@iroker]

yes, really i was not aware that you should open it from the back side. I have a ZD-915 i think 4-5 years now, first i installed a 7812 to ptotect the fan (fan was overvoltaged) and reduce the noise. Later modified the catcher using a ceramic filter (silicon carbide foam) no spring required. And my heating tube was only once clogged.

[@cornwallonline]

I will try that tip, Julian - my Duratool is a pain to dismantle! However, it must be 7 or 8 years old now and aside from some rewiring on the pump to increase performance, it has served me well!

[@HappyLittleDiodes]

Great video Lee looking very professional, bright and chirpy, great rhythm to it too. Appreciate the shout-out and the hand-me-down. I must have removed hundreds of chips with my manual pump and this will be a massive massive upgrade. Thanks again

[@YarblekRW]

YES, I just gave away my PoS ZD-915 and replaced with with the Hakko. The pain is OVER! This is a great overview of the pros and cons although at around 10:30 when you mention the blockages happen "occasionally". For my unit that "Occasion" was "When in use". In the end it sat unused for over a year before I splurged for a Hakko, in the meantime I used the little manual Engineer SS-02 which works brilliantly for a manual solder sucker...

[@MoreFunMakingIt]

The engineer pump is amazing.

[@wimwiddershins]

I've modded my 915 knockoff with a little bundle of steel wool in the glass. It acts as a filter and the solder cools quickly onto it, every now and then I swap in a new bit.

[@MoreFunMakingIt]

I've heard others say the same. Wish I'd tried this before I gave it away 😆

[@skeptic10]

Great video. I have started to do some repairing again after a long pause. I have now used a manual pump and I'm pretty good with it but a desoldering tool would certainly save me time. It's such a great feeling when you get something working again.

[@epremeaux]

the exchange rate is brutal. Here in Japan, the Hakko is 22123 yen (About 115 pounds), making it a "yes, yes. All the way YES." decision. I dont do a whole lot of through hole work, but PCB work is my "day job" so between retro computer repairs and work, I use it 6-10 times per year. I would say that even at a much higher price, just the absolute easy cleaning and maintenance of the Hakko, along with super reliable, powerful suction makes it a strong recommendation even for casual solder sucking needs. If, when you pull out the tool, it just WORKS without giving you grief, its worth it. Nothing worse than struggling with a budget tool more than getting work done, to the point that you dread reaching for it. Even if you have to do a full "tear down" of the barrel and containment vessel to clean out a clog, its still SO MUCH EASIER than most other suckers. My only negative on the Hakko is that it is heavy in the hand, so when you are pulling a 40 pin socket or pulling a lot of chips at once, it gets tiring fast (and that atrocious stand lol) Hakko makes full stations as well.. but the price... ouch.. the FR-400 is a king. Had one at a previous job. Personally, I would avoid "station and tube" type systems unless you do through hole repair all day, every day. Generally, the tube gives you a lot more grief than the FR301's "pump in your palm" design. Its a very short vacuum run. No chance of a pinch, the tube popping off the station or tube deterioration. Or worse, an accidental touching of the tube by the iron tip causing a leak. Much less to go wrong.

[@minombredepila1580]

This is the video I needed, Lee. Really appreciate it. I do need to evolve from what I currently have to desolder my components.

[@MoreFunMakingIt]

My pleasure! 😁

[@andrewtaylor4802]

Great video, really nice to see this comparison, and more importantly, it works well for YOU - superb!

[@ChadDoebelin]

the blockage you described at 10:43 is easily removed with the long sturdy skinny skewer that was provided with my cheap solder sucker clone. I am interested to hear that the Hakko may not suffer from this issue and is the first real advantage I've seen so far.

[@Ra-zor]

I think my 915 is brilliant to be honest, and almost in daily use, and also very easy to fix when it goes wrong. The pump diaphragm for example is just a standard £3 fish tank pump type, and if the power supply blows, just throw in a cheap generic replacement! (not happened yet), even the entire complete guns are dirt cheap at £25. Throw a half decent 24v fan in there to solve any fan noises (along with removing the fan grill), and do the simple gun mod to allow the black plastic slider on the gun to slide back a few mm further to allow the glass to extract a lot easier (remove the cable tie in the gun on the top of the rubber vacuum tube connected to the black slider and remove about 1mm of material from the screw post if required to allow full rearward travel of the slider for easy removal of the glass tube. Oh and to stop clogging, let the unit fully warm up and then accumulate heat in the metal before use! (I let mine sit for 10 minutes) and virtually never clogs.

[@MoreFunMakingIt]

Wish I'd known all this before I gave it away! Maybe Jim at Happy Little Diodes will mod it

[@AnnaVannieuwenhuyse]

@@MoreFunMakingIt The ZD915 is a great unit if you're willing to put the effort into ensuring it is great. 😌

[@Phil-Sands]

Great review. I never have trouble removing and fitting the glass tube, but my Duratool gun is blue/black and has a lever at the side to release it. Also removing rubber side first and inserting white seal side first is easy.

[@MoreFunMakingIt]

Cheers Phil. Ive been told I was taking out the glass tube wrong all this time! Typical me! :D

[@nickolasgaspar9660]

After meshing up my first board (lifted a couple of pads) I started looking for a De-soldering station. The load of my work didn't really justify the expense so I kept using my hand pump sucker. Five years later and I have to say I became really good at de-soldering whole motherboards with my pump sucker without even the need of hot air. The ICs just fall off the board after wiggling the pins. Of course there are some tricks that can make life way easier while using a pump sucker. The main issue with hand pumps is performance degradation during a de-soldering job. So cleaning and stretching the spring before a new de-soldering session is essential! Spraying some liquid grease inside the tube after cleaning will increase the sucking efficiency of the mechanism while keeping the nozzle free from getting blocked by cold solder.

[@TechCowboy]

Thank you. I was always questioning myself on what I paid for the Hakko.

[@MoreFunMakingIt]

Welcome!

[@JosipBasic]

I have ZD-917, combo soldering iron and desoldering gun. Works excellent for six or seven years. Sometimes in on for hours, no issues at all. Everytime after i finish desoldering i clean nozzle with provided wire stick and then i clean glass tube. Value for money is excellent.

[@Paddington2000]

Bearing in mind the Japanese spec 100V FR301 units can be had online for under £200, have you ever had your unit apart and if so, did you note if the motor and element was running at line voltage and also what form of voltage dropper was used on the control board?

[@mogwaay]

Great video Lee, loved the demonstration of the Duratool stand eventually falling off and the accurate demonstration of how a cheap solder sucker goes 50% of the time! I rarely do desoldering, once in a blue moon and only the odd chip here and there so my 'upgrade' from the plastic sucker was the Engineering tools metal sucker and I'm happy with that at the moment. However if I was more into repair, I would certainly be looking for a MOOO-tool so nice to know the things to look out for.

[@imqqmi]

When the Duratool is blocked I can usually unblock it with the 1mm prying tool. Stick it in as far as it goes, grab onto the wire about 5mm away from the nozzle to prevent it bending and push hard. It usually pops free. It does whack the nozzle a bit, but those wear out any way. And when using amtek flux gel I feel it doesn't clog as often. I also use it together with an hot air soldering iron, blowing hot air while the other is sucking doesn't cool the desoldering iron as much internally, and it will melt the solder through the via better. I also heat up the desoldering iron with hot air so I can start desoldering quicker. Oh and a coin in the glass tube about half way, that will keep the filter much cleaner for longer. Since the coin has a larger mass, tin will solidify instantly on the coin and won't drop down on the exit hole. But the main benefit of the Hakko is its suction strength with the vacuum pump near the nozzle, it just works better for a sudden suction action. The Duratool must traverse rubber tubing making coming up to vacuum level much slower. This results in tin not being removed as effectively. With the Hakko parts often just drop out. With the duratool you need more persuasion, often at the cost of ripped pads and traces.

[@Flamelily-IT]

Such an excellent video, which hits all the important points. Balanced comparison and a sense of humour that is right up my street 👍

[@MoreFunMakingIt]

Thank you Derek!

[@gjvdspam]

Good jobb at keeping the video amusing as well as informative. Honest vid.

[@kenknight5983]

One day I experimented with using my desoldering gun as a soldering iron (I figured the temperature was the same). Surprisingly I found it easier than a soldering iron because I can heat the solder from directly above instead of off to the side. I can even push straight down on some bits of solder giving it a much more solid join than through the regular method of soldering

[@polymatt]

Awesome review and timely too! I've been using braid for far too long and it's time for me to invest in a proper desoldering tool.

[@MoreFunMakingIt]

Good luck!

[@slickdazzler7330]

I had really been trying to make up my mind for the last couple of months about which of these to invest in. After watching your video this morning, I pulled them both up on the net and took one more look. The. Japan Hakko was on sale today, and I had some rewards cash saved up as well, so I invested in the Hakko. Ended up being about 60 more after discount and rewards, than if I went with the other without the perks. I am only a hobbiest, so if they shipped me a good one, it should last as long as me.

[@kazzle101]

My Duratool lost it's suck, the tube inside connecting the inlet port to the pump split, also there was dry joint on the controller board that caused the thermostat circuit to fail and this showed up as a runaway temperature and a red hot iron. So I got the Hakko, an excellent piece of kit, the only downside is, as you said, the indicator lamp being hidden, leaving it on overnight degrades the tip somewhat. The 1mm tip it comes with blocks up very easily, but I got round that by using the next size up.

[@bbjunkie]

Only had a blockage once with my duratool. Technique which helps significantly is to hold the trigger down for a second or so after removing the nozzle from the solder

[@johnwiesen4440]

I got a Duratool for me I just use a few times a year. When I got it I also got some spare parts as well to keep the cost down as it was all in one order.

[@davidchoi6068]

I had several de-soldering guns, hand soldering suckers. But I can not find a suitable tool to replace bad capacitors on a PC mother board.

[@g4z-kb7ct]

You just have to heat the board with hot air while sucking it. Do not blast it at 500C, just heat to about 100C-150C and you'll be so amazed with the difference it makes.

[@kevincozens6837]

Thanks for the review on these two items. I've thought about getting the Hakko but it seemed a bit pricey ($300 Cdn from Amazon). Now I'm thinking it isn't too bad. They are really charging you a premium in the UK. BTW, I never thought much of the manual "solder sucker" types like you showed. I've always used a Sold-A-Pult. I've had mine for decades so I don't remember how/when I obtained it or how much I paid for it. It has seen a lot of use over the years.

[@tootyuk]

Useful this thank you, i think i might opt for the duratool as im an "as and when" hobbyist

[@colday74]

I've had a Duratool for quite a lot of years. The one thing that gets forgotten is that there is a second filter on the Duratool at the other end where the pipe screws into the body of the machine. This is a second filter to stop that solder getting into the pump. I found my Duratool performing badly about a year or so after buying it and was about to take the base apart when I found the clogged filter. Worked like a charm once replace. Also, still on my first handset, never had any issues with it. Also, can't recall it getting blocked either. And it gets a lot of use as I also repair those old 8 and 16 bit machines. I'm quite the fan but have to agree that it does leave some solder behind on the top side of the IC that you are removing sometimes.

[@g4z-kb7ct]

Use hot air as well and it'll suck the hole clean on both sides of the board......

[@salmanrashid6245]

I have the FR-808 and the new FR-410 from Hakko. Both excellent tools!

[@doost6233]

Very good.

[@M0UAW_IO83]

My experience of the Duratool and clones is that you would be well prepared if you order a spare element when you buy it, maybe they've improved but I've had to fit two replacements and have given up now, the station was relegated to a box somewhere in the shed the last time it failed. The best desoldering tool I've used was a Denon (edited, memory fail) desoldering gun but they're *ouch* expensive.

[@Otakunopodcast]

Bought one of the cheap solder station clones, and absolutely hated it. The thing would constantly get jammed. The only way of preventing a jam I found was to basically clean the unit after every single pull of the trigger. And as you know, cleaning this thing is a pain. Finally wised up and bought a Hakko, and the difference is like night and day. The LED placement is inconvenient, yes, and lacking a digital display, the temperature setting is less precise, but I don't really find that to be a problem, as I generally don't adjust my temperature that often. Mmaybe I'll turn it up every now and then if I need to desolder something on a big ground plane, but other than that I pretty much keep it at the same temperature. I did buy myself a cheap soldering iron thermocouple (device to measure the temperature of soldering irons) which comes in handy to determine the actual temperature of the Hakko. So you might want to consider getting one of those. They are useful for other things, e.g. maintaining the calibration of your soldering iron. Also, if you live in the US (or in another 100-120v country) then you can save quite a bit of money by buying the Japanese variant of the FR-301. Because Japan's power standard is 100 volt, the unit will run a bit hotter and the pump motor will run a bit faster, but the unit will otherwise work perfectly, without the need of a step down converter. And at $200 for the Japanese variant vs. $300+ for the US-specific one, that is a significant cost savings.

[@MoreFunMakingIt]

I've passed on your advice re buying the Japanese version to others. Great tip!

[@sgl.888]

I never owned an Hakko, but some years ago I bought a ZD915 and to me it didn’t seem to be that good… nowadays I use a cheap Yihua 929D (37 euros). It’s totally worth its price and I desoldered with no issues many 40 pin dil chips without damaging any traces. Nice video, keep up the good work!

[@aizunomnom8556]

37 Euros??? I got mine for 5 Euros. I attached 30L/min vacuum pump (I run it half power, FR-301 has 11L/min) and surprisingly it has never clogged up

[@flashjazzcat]

Great video. I'm currently pondering the FR-301, being on my fifth (!) Duratool handset. I think I've still spent just over half the price of the Hakko in three or four years, however (I bought the Duratool when it was on special offer). :)

[@MoreFunMakingIt]

Thank you! Still loving the upgrade here.

[@flashjazzcat]

@@MoreFunMakingIt Seriously considering it, since I do this full-time. I reviewed the ZD-915 myself some years ago but your review/comparison was absolutely meticulous and most useful.

[@MoreFunMakingIt]

I use my desoldering station A LOT. And since I switched I dont think I could go back to the old one. Maybe if I did some of the upgrades people suggested in the comments it would be a bit better, but I still doubt the end result would be close enough. It just clears the holes much better. Simple as that.

[@flashjazzcat]

@@MoreFunMakingIt Your depiction of the immense frustration experienced every time the Duratool blocks up or otherwise inexplicably fails to work at the most inopportune moment had me nodding in agreement. So that's that: the next time it fails on me, I'll look at buying the Hakko.

[@AlexanderBurgers]

I have a S-993A, in the same kind of price bracket as the Duratool but functionally more like the Hakko, and comes with a very nice lasercut steel stand. I don't use it enough to know if heavy use is an issue long term,. One thing that really helps it is to keep a little wad of steel scouring pad in the spring chamber to catch the solder as it comes in (don't pack it in, just a bit)

[@MoreFunMakingIt]

Others have said the same. Wish I'd tried it in the Duratool!

[@AnnaVannieuwenhuyse]

When changing out the duratool's nozzle, use a wrench on the nut if your nut has flats (like yours did!).

[@davidgriffin79]

16:16 You also have to consider the broken pads that will result from trying to get out components on multi-layer boards, where the Duratool's (in my case KATSU) lack of thermal mass and suction leave having to resort to braid or heating pins with an iron in order to get the solder off the hole plating. The Hakko will leave a clean hole, the Doratool et al, no so much. A professional tool will lead to a professional job (in the right hands). 17:00 I just don't agree with that, I got the Hakko for occasional use with tricky circuit boards (a MK1 Audioloab MDAC springs to mind - it has a 4-layer board) a cheap desoldering station such as the Duratool will just not cut it; when I pick up a desoldering tool I want it to work for me not against me

[@mihalym.6876]

The only problems are the power pins with large heat sinks connected to the internal layers. Raise the temperature of the gun wait a bit to get the necessary thermal mass. Use solder to make enough solder on the pad to be able to transfer heat to the hole without touching the pad with the gun Just the pin and the solder touched by the tip of the gun. Move the gun around the pin. You can feel the freedom of the movement of the pin. When it is ok than press the gun to the pad, pull the trigger and remove the gun from the pad. It is less than half a second and the pad will not be removed. Better to practice on donor board first to figure out what is the max temperature - pad exposure time. Good result definitely needs experience.

[@g4z-kb7ct]

@@mihalym.6876 Pro Tip: Add solder to the pin first, use hot air to about 100C and even a ground hole will clear easily....

[@mihalym.6876]

@@g4z-kb7ct The result depends on the area size of the power plane, usually the gnd. If it is big - often can not judge because of it is an internal layer- than the hot air gun is the quick solution I agree. I would shorten the heating time using higher temperature to warm up the board evenly up no to exceed the 170-180C degree board temperature.

[@g4z-kb7ct]

@@mihalym.6876 I use hot air and desoldering gun almost every day in my repair work. I document most of it on my site. But be careful some of it may make you wet your pants in terror or mind-blowing amazement lol!

[@mihalym.6876]

@@g4z-kb7ct Thank you, I am checking your site! Open to learn from the pros.

[@MrFixiit]

Personaly i bought a WEP 4 in 1 and the desoldering gun on that is brilliant

[@paulstaf]

I use a: Aoyue 474A++ 80 Watt Digital Desoldering Station with Built-in Vacuum Pump that I got off Amazon and it works great. It was $145 in 2017.

[@MikeGalusha]

Great video. I've had another Japanese desoldering tool for about 20 years, from "Goot", it still works but I invested in the Hakko a few years back, it's in another league and I have zero regrets on buying it. The placement of the heating LED is so poor that until I saw your video, I didn't even know it existed... As you said, it points away from you.

[@sam_millen]

What was the make/model of that tape measure you were measuring the base units with? I like the both way measurements.

[@MoreFunMakingIt]

I think it's called a ViceVersa

[@RetroTechorDie]

I need to get my hands on a Hakko

[@mr.b9613]

Does this make both wick and regular solder-suckers obsolete?

[@MoreFunMakingIt]

Not at all. I regularly use a manual solder sucker and wick.

[@LaLaLand.Germany]

I have the ZD clone, re- worked it a bit. I put in a relay to switch the pump and a buck converter for the fan. Now it´s quiet and the pump sucks instantly. Before there was a delay. I don´t need a Hakko, just a tuned up clone.

[@forestmanzpedia]

How does the FR 301 deal with very stubborn solder? Can it remove them? My ZD 8915 struggles alot with stuborn solder and can not remove them no matter what I try to do. Applying low-melt solder or flux doesn't help either. I am interesting getting the FR 301 just to ditch my useless ZD 8915 if it can remove the most stubborn solder. Because I had to use in some occasions bruteforce methods to get rid of the stuborn solder I couldn't remove no matter what methods I tried (using flux, low-melt iron, etc.).

[@g4z-kb7ct]

Very easy to deal with that. Add LEADED solder using a soldering iron. Low melt solder is expensive for a start and for a specific purpose (not the purpose you are using it for). Use hot air to heat the board first to about 100C. Just hold the hot air nozzle in one hand and the desdering tool in the other and use both at the same time. Those holes will come out so clean you may want to bang your head against a brick wall for being a noob up to that point hehe! Everything is very easy when you know how.....

[@NeilsNonsense]

Great video! I have a Duratool from CPC, but it's not the same as the one you have. They also do a cheaper model, D03324. It's pretty much the same but comes in a different black plastic case and uses red 7-seg LEDs instead of the nice LCD. However, it also comes with a proper standalone stand with sponge area and not that silly side mounted one. It has all the same issues you mention though. I agree with your analysis, for me I use it maybe weekly and with the money saved I could afford a Hakko FX-888D which has made the soldering process a lot easier for me. I'd still love to have the Hakko de-soldering gun though. Maybe one day!

[@albert_vds]

I'm confused about the filter in the ZD915. You have the filter on the outside and metal disc on inside, in other videos I saw it the other way around and some the same way. So which should it be? Totally agree on the everything has a negative review if you look hard enough. Buyer reviews should in theory give a good idea if a product is good or bad, but not a lot of good experiences get a review and it the opposite for bad reviews. So it's great you that we have videos like this!

[@MoreFunMakingIt]

Definitely filter at the back. The metal disc is there for the molten solder to run into and solidify. If that's at the back it just blocks the suction.

[@albert_vds]

@@MoreFunMakingIt Thanks for clearing that up!

[@MoreFunMakingIt]

@@albert_vds no problem 😊

[@paszTube]

My ZD915 clogged up within an hour I got it out of the box. Could have been user error as it was my first time using a desoldering gun. But I fixed it with relative ease. Also, the "barrel" was screwed on crooked, which I also fixed with ease. That's cheap chinese electronics for you. Great video Lee!

[@paszTube]

10:48 This is exactly the issue mine had within the hour I got it and I fixed it the same way!

[@MoreFunMakingIt]

I remember you saying about the crooked barrel thing. Glad you got it sorted! Keep your pipes clean! :D

[@markretro3612]

can the hakko compete with the mighty engineer solder sucker for sucking performance ? and them hakko tips look similar to the duratool tip .. although i remember when i stopped using cheap solder iron tips in favor of hakko tips.(the difference is huge) cant help wonder if a good tip would help the duratool perform better.. the duratool operates that fan at 18volts but it is only a 12v fan ..

[@MoreFunMakingIt]

There's a big difference between the two types of tip. Physically they are not interchangeable and in use the hakko one conducts heat much better. I suspect there's a better vacuum seal too

[@tookitogo]

The engineer solder sucker is good (I own it), but it is not the strongest manual solder sucker (that’s the big SoldaPullt). But none come close to the utility of a true vacuum desoldering system. Continuous vacuum lets you use desoldering techniques that simply are not possible with a single burst of suction, and those techniques are the ones needed to reliably and gently remove components from plated through-holes.

[@kensutherland5270]

In old days, we had wire wool loose in glass tube on weller unit

[@RetroWizzard]

Adding a few layers of kapton tape to the glass tube helps a lot with the clogging problem.😉

[@HamburgerExplosion]

Too frustrated with my ZD-985 clogging constantly (must insert the rod quickly after every single joint sucked). I decided to go for the cheaper FR-301-82 variant. The 82 suffix is the model intended for the Japanese market (100vac), but it's grounded and fits in a normal US plug. It is an amazing $160, (US eBay, or Yahoo Shopping Japan), less than half the cost of the American version. Supposedly it is exactly the same as the American version, except for one resistor, but I have a step down transformer so I will just use that.

[@terosaarela4555]

Thanks for the video! I’ve been using my ZD-8915 for a few years now and been gnerally happy with it. I’ve had to buy a new pistol for it as the original got so clogged that no poking would’ve had de-clogged it. The new pistol has been better though. The ZD is pretty similar in appearance and operation to the Duratool. I wonder which one of the two is better….?

[@MoreFunMakingIt]

Probably, internally identical.

[@terosaarela4555]

The Duratool is apparently a rebranded ZD-915. The ZD-8915 is externally different and it has a different gun. The pump in my ZD-8915 sounds a bit cranky after power-on, but one or two presses on the trigger will usually quiet it down.

[@elvinhaak]

I do like the smaller unit though. Especially when doing quick repairs without taking everything apart

[@dantootill]

I've had my ZD-915 since 2017, only very recently had to order a new gun as the original has three screws holding the metal shaft onto the body, and the plastic screw posts eventually disintegrated. Interestingly, the new gun has the release catch on the side, and not the back, but it's still a tight fit. Only had it clog a couple of times. In both cases, I was able to clear it by inserting a cleaning rod with light pressure and turning the heat up all the way. With the tip in contact with the top of the rod, the heat will conduct along to the end and melt the blockage. I really like the unit, it works reliably and the fan is still okay so maybe I got lucky. I do keep it clean though, and quite enjoy the process of emptying it for some reason i.e. I am a strange person. I had often wondered how much better the Hakko would be, so thanks for making this. I will not be upgrading, but it's good to know.

[@MoreFunMakingIt]

I've been told (see the pinned comment) I've been taking that tube out the wrong way. It's meant to pull back with the release mech and then lift at the front. Felt a bit foolish!

[@dantootill]

@@MoreFunMakingIt it's kind of awkward however you do it. I am always apprehensive of the tube shattering, and severing an artery in my thumb.

[@MoreFunMakingIt]

@@dantootill This!

[@domeu]

manual suction pump can be greatly improved by adding a small piece of silicon tube on en of the noze output. silicon resist to heat so pump can be placed over the solder join while finishing the heating of solder. Silicon also greatly improve suction thank to a better contact with the melted solder join.

[@FloatingFatMan]

What about the heated manual solder suckers, have you any experience with those? I've seen them listed in various places and as my usage is not enough to need even a Duratool, I'm curious as to if they are any good.

[@MoreFunMakingIt]

I know there are some that swear by those manual heated ones, but I cant say as I've never used one myself. I would definitely want something I could control the temperature though...

[@tookitogo]

Manual solder suckers, whether heated or not, are simply not a substitute for continuous vacuum desoldering equipment. The reason is that continuous vacuum is required for the desoldering techniques needed to properly extract components from plated through-holes gently and without damage to component or board.

[@tookitogo]

This is the proper technique for continuous vacuum desoldering: 1. Apply the tip to the joint, having selected a tip that fits well, with only a small gap between tip and pin. 2. Feel for solder melt. Try to wiggle the pin - once it wiggles freely, the solder is fully melted. 3. Turn on suction and _continue wiggling_ for around 2 full seconds. 4. Pull the desoldering iron away from the joint. 5. Only now discontinue the suction. The wiggling while sucking keeps the pin away from the walls of the plated hole, and the ongoing suction cools the joint to below the melting point, so that it cannot resolder itself once you pull away the iron. (It also ensures that the extracted solder has time to fully clear the heater into the collection tube.) The result is that, with the exception of tightly-fitted pins like the mounting tabs on potentiometers and rotary encoders, components should simply fall out after desoldering this way. This is why continuous vacuum is critical, and why single-burst vacuum is no substitute. *wiggle in circles for round pins; for flat pins like DIP ICs, wiggle back and forth

[@leohobbleohobb3781]

Take a small ball with ruff steelwool place it in the midle of the spring. drill some small holes in the disk at the back for better flow. It works much better, u can work longer between cleaning of the glass tube.

[@evertonshorts9376]

And I thought a Microsoft Hoover was the only thing that could suck and not suck at the same time. Which scope would you recommend?

[@MoreFunMakingIt]

I can't recommend scopes, have only looked at a couple and that's not enough to form an opinion. I know Mark at The Retro Channel has high regards for his Rigol?

[@LaLaLand.Germany]

I advise silicone spray, appiled with a cottonstick on the sealing surfaces of the ZD gun glass tube, I clean all with siliconspray. Blockages can be prevended thru quite a high temperature and a long time pre heating. I heat mine to 325c, let it warm up for 20 and all´s good. If You use non lead solder temps need go higher. The heat eventually seeps in all the important parts, just give it time. Drill a hole and throw a self tapper in for the stand to fix it. I scrapped it and bought another stand.

[@DaPutz]

thanks for the video, although I'm one of the ppl who will use it only a few times, I'll get the Hakko. the perfect cleaning, ehm, sucking, convinced me.

[@YogSothoth1969]

The replacement tips for the HAKKO are very expensive, would the ZD-915 tips also fit and could they be used instead?

[@MoreFunMakingIt]

No, sadly they're not compatible. It's a shame as you can buy an entire new handset for the duratool machine for less than what a single tip costs for the hakko

[@YogSothoth1969]

Thank you! 🙂 Oh yeah, that's so true..

[@tookitogo]

Watching this makes me soooo glad I was able to snag a used Pace desoldering station for under $150, including the cost of ordering a replacement front seal (a consumable part that clearly hadn’t been replaced in years; replacing it restored it to like-new condition). The same unit new is over $1000. Also, Pace’s selection of desoldering tips is second to none, and are quite reasonably priced.

[@dennisraadschelders6821]

Bought the Hakko about a year ago, don’t use it often but when I do it always works. At some point in my life I decided only to buy the good stuff or don’t buy it at all.

[@binarydinosaurs]

I see I've been beaten to the 'open the tube from the other end' posts XD. When I bought my unit 6 or 7 years ago I also bought many spare tips, some bakelite ends and a 2nd gun direct from Zhongdi, all for $30 extra. I still get xmas cards from them. Replace the 18v fan (they've since sorted this) and with care my unit is still mooing away. I will admit that swapping the heater tube is a lesson in patience and swearing, but otherwise a great £80.

[@MoreFunMakingIt]

I felt like such a fool...

[@Hhtfvhrcbgrejkkjhffvbhb]

Hakko nozel and zd915 bits same size???

[@MoreFunMakingIt]

No. Sadly

[@christianlarsen1070]

Also, Hakko actually offers a stand for the 301. It is worth the extra money as the little iron plate is of little use and takes too much space

[@rimmersbryggeri]

I think you should do side by side tests using the same parameters (Temperature etc) to make a fair judgement. To me it seemed that you used a higher temperature with the hakko. You might have adjusted this later on though.

[@MoreFunMakingIt]

I set both of them to what they think is 350C

[@rimmersbryggeri]

@@MoreFunMakingIt Ok then it's fair. 330 v 350 wouldnt have been. The temp setting on the hakko does seem a bit cheap though.

[@tookitogo]

The other thing would be to make sure the nozzle size is the same, since that has a huge impact on extraction performance. (As does technique. With proper technique, there should be _zero_ adhesion of pin to plated through hole, except for tightly-fitting pins like connector shields or the mounting tabs of potentiometers and rotary encoders. DIP ICs should just fall out.)

Do you know how to prevent tube from block end of tube in cheap desoldering station? Just invest 0.01$ for copper wire with maximum possible diameter and wind it on end of this tube. It will cause propagating heat to the end. Remember to keep pump working just a while the nozzle is take off from PCB.

[@marcusglassford5318]

Nice video and great presentation. I felt a little cheated though as I was waiting for the song while they warmed up ... maybe even a different song for each?

[@MoreFunMakingIt]

If only I knew someone musically talented! 🤣

[@ebutuoytm7560]

Lol, burst out laughing when Kenneth Williams made an appearance.

[@MoreFunMakingIt]

Oooh matron!

[@ghost-retro3733]

Back in the days (when speckys where current), at work we used to use a Weller desolder station which where very good indeed. I am not rich enough to buy a desolder station myself, so I use the engineer solder sucker with the heat proof silicone tip, in my opinion it is safer for older PCB's than a desolder station. With a silicone tip you can have both your iron and the pump on the joint at the same time. So, for that reason I am out. (sorry could not resist the dragons den line).

[@brainimplants]

That hand tool looks like a cheaper copy of my Aoyue 2703A+. It clogs with solder quite badly too fast too often. I scored an 'amazon return' FFR301 and its the real deal no comparison. I bought a vacuum solenoid to add to the Aoyue so it can build vacuum pressure first then pop off and suck harder and faster than normal. Haven't tried it yet now that I have the 301.

[@RetroRecollections]

Excellent review of both tools. I fall into the "need a desolder tool only occasionally" category so I know where my money is going. Those manual suckers are not fun!

[@MoreFunMakingIt]

I wish you luck! Its a bit of a lottery, but still worth it :D

[@leohobbleohobb3781]

the heater are run at to low voltage 18 volt on a 24 volt station. same for ZD 8915 and 915 or prokit clone of zd 8915 with small difference on the heater. al use the same 18 volt psu. easy to get 23 volt out of it. that would give less clogging.

[@g4z-kb7ct]

Try removing a chip on a 4-layer board and you'll quickly discover even the Hakko doesn't work. Your repairs may not have those high-end multi-layer boards but in the arcade scene it's very common. Pro Tip 1: Use it on the lowest heat setting and don't bump up the temp otherwise you'll burn the pcb. Pro Tip 2: Use hot air to heat the board to about 100C and then the hole will come out clean first time even on the heavy ground planes. Pro Tip 3: Use less pressure pushing down on the pcb and it will avoid scratching the solder mask on nearby traces. Pro Tip 4: If a leg is bent over, heat with soldering iron and straighten it first, don't try to save time and use the desoldering tool to heat and straighten it because the end result will be a burned board, scratched solder mask and no time saving.

[@jeromekaidor7254]

I bought an FR-301 on ebay for half the price they go for on Amazon. The catch? It is the Japanese spec version - 100VAC. But it works just fine off 120V. Seller claims he's sold hundreds of them to US buyers, znd one customsr took it apzrt to find out the difference, which was a series resiztor on the motor. At 120V, the motor runs a little faster, but works fine.

[@nick1f]

For the spring loaded solder suckers, we should put about 3 cm of silicone tube on top of the nozzle and leave a few mm protruding. It is heat resistant and it protects the trace and the PCB by its elasticity. Also, the biggest spring loaded solder suckers are by far much better than the one you show in your video. Once you use a big one, you will never go back to a small one.

[@markboz3366]

I think you've just cost me £85 😂 I've sat on the fence so long, wondering if a suckerer made sense for me, I've got multiple splinters and a few butcherd pcb's. Always thought the cheaper ones wouldn't be much better than a manual pump. Any affiliate links for the Duratool?

[@MoreFunMakingIt]

Soz! 😂 Oh, no affiliate links but thanks for asking. I do recommend buying from CPC though as they will make sending it back when it breaks much easier.

[@detalite]

I have ZD-915 and I would suggest to buy Engineer SS-02 desoldering pump. ZD-915 is good enough for leaded solder but when you do something made past 2005 I recommend Engineer SS-02 and at least T12 compatibile soldering station.

[@richardpowell8198]

Another great video Lee , keep them coming 👍 if in doubt give it a clout 😂

[@MoreFunMakingIt]

Bash it till it works!

[@ghlscitel6714]

I still use my old Weller VP801 EC

[@tamtgirl]

holy balls! why is it so expensive there? its only $205 on amazon here in the states

[@melgross]

Well, I have the HAKKO and it’s very reliable. It will likely last far longer than any cheap attempted copy. I also have a Pace for my bench.

[@pebbleschan6085]

🎉 You should try the PACE SX-100 with its disposable dross cartridges. I found it considerably better and easier to use than the rest.

[@Rockythefishman]

You cant beat some percussive maintenance to "fix" things

[@MoreFunMakingIt]

Smack it till it works!

[@OfficialGaminGuys]

It is WAY cheaper to buy a 100v Hakko unit and a step-up step-down transformer such as the Lvyuan DT-500VA by about £300 plus you can use the same unit to test 100v consoles and other systems on. Looking at £152 + the £40 transformer vs £430 for a UK spec voltage (yes I just bought the 100v one), its madness. Its definitely filter in first with the metal cross at the back of the tube buddy on the clone. I went to unblock my clone style (Katsu) one which has a side up and down release switch. Fixing it back in, lined up perfectly the switch spun way past where it should have and snapped. Guess you get what you pay for. It was alright but with a build and cap replacement, every day or two, I need better so going for the Hakko right after I watch the rest of the video.

[@MoreFunMakingIt]

Have to disagree on the order of the metal disc and filter. The metal disc is there to catch the solder and solidify it. If the metal disc is behind the filter it can't do this, and also blocks the air suction. This is also the same order as the hakko which can only be fitted with the metal catch disc in front of the filter.

[@mrroobarb]

I'll stick with my trusty ZD-915 - but thank you for the info!

[@zombunzedb960]

yeah hakko used to be cheap even the soldering iron cleaner gadget i bought at 80$ and thought that was kinda high now they want close to 300 for it lol crazy

[@ukcroupier]

I couldn't get the hang of those manual things, and couldn't justify a proper motor driven unit so I got one of those heated manual pumps (YIHUA 929D-V). It's 100x easier than a manual sucker

[@MoreFunMakingIt]

I've seen those. The thing that concerned me was it didnt seem to have temperature control?

[@ukcroupier]

@@MoreFunMakingIt No, there's no temp control but it's still a hell of a lot safer than trying to use one of those hand pumps unless you really have the knack for them.

[@MeitsMSX]

the hakko is a nice machine, but it's heavy since all components are in the hand piece in stead of in an external station. you need to keep it very clean though. it stops being great quite easily. it's also very easy to forget to switch it off, which wastes your nozzle. there are some points for improvement.

[@g4z-kb7ct]

You'll get a surprise the next time you have to buy those white ceramic filters on the end.... ;-) Be sure to protect the filter by putting something in the tube to stop the solder, old flux and gas hitting it, something like steel wool works well or a small piece of tissue paper rolled up into a ball. Protect those filters otherwise you'll be sorry ;-)

[@arminth]

Instead of the duratool, check out the Pro's Kit version of it. Electronics are pretty much the same but the buildquality of the gun, the body and the stand are much better. You can mod it to put the power switch to the front and then it's the perfect tool (for the price). 425 pounds is 500€ in real money! You can buy a superb 4 channnel oscilloscope for that much money! Considering, what's actually in the fartgun, I consider this grifting on hakko's behalf! (or maybe I'm just jealous to only own a Pro's Kit😁). Enjoy your new toy, my friend!

[@MoreFunMakingIt]

I'll give that a look! Thank you Arminth

[@Florin76]

I'm not convinced. For a good desoldering tool you must look at this three things: short (the shorter, less clogs you have) and girthier (the girthier, more thermo mass you have) heating element, suction power and a modular built to be serviceable, like a desoldering station (desoldering gun + station). I think you are better and far cheaper with a YIHUA/WEP 948. But in my opinion, the best professional grade and maybe even less than half the price of the Hakko is the QUICK 201B desoldering station. You can even mount Hakko parts on it ;)

[@skeptic10]

A bit of a warning for anyone buying a ZD915 clone SP-1010DR. I bought one an it worked for a month (not even) and then while heating it blew up. Luckily I wasn't at the room at the moment but I heard a loud BANG and the smoke was terrible. Positive things: It didn't burn the whole house and no one died. I trust more my skills now with a manual pump. Negative things: Money down the drain. Losing over 100e (a lot of money for me) for lethally dangerous junk. But yeah. It seems it's somewhat a gamble what you get. Anyone got suggestions where to buy another one in EU that wouldn't explode?

[@KartKing4ever]

Just a warning to those of you in North America, the FR-301 sold on Amazon for $250 is the Japanese market device with a lower voltage rating. It is indeed too good to be true.

[@tigheklory]

I just want to mention that the Radio Shack 45-Watt Desoldering Iron part # 64-2060 is in my opinion better than a desoldering gun. I have used one for over 20 years and have never had to clean it and the only thing I've had to do was to change the tip every 5-10 years. I would highly suggest you give it a try. I operate it one handed using my thumb to depress the bulb. If you want to see me use it there's plenty of videos on my channel.

[@SigiCZ]

love my baby DEN-ON SC-7000Z

[@tookitogo]

They had those at my old job. Expensive as heck, but work extremely well!

[@Blu3ManiC]

There are cheaper handheld copies of the hakko that are basically 1:1 without the hakko brand and colors.

[@MoreFunMakingIt]

I had no idea these existed! I would love to try one out one day!