Desoldering station

Yeah, $15 and $10 shipping! I couldn't believe how cheap it was and I was shocked it actually worked. 10 years later, it still works great, and the only thing I've done to it was change the tip and filter on the gun. I love the thing. Makes a horrible job a breeze. The cheapest I ever saw a new one was a couple of years ago for like $225, so I did well. It sometimes pays to have an OCD type thing when I'm looking for something. I almost pulled the trigger a bunch of times on one of an endless number of sad looking Weller ones for like $100, and I kept looking until I saw the SL-928 listing. Of my two big scores on auction sites, it's the best one of all, basically about 10 cents on the dollar. My second best was for a Dan Wesson .357 revolver on Gunbroker in 2006, I got the near mint gun, the box and papers, 3 grips, some parts, a holster, and the crap wrench that later ones came with that broke all the time, for $269. The one grip was $60 alone. It was my first gun auction score, and still my best 12 years later.
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I had a cheap Chinese one (ZD-985) for two years and it was great.

Last month I bought the Hakko FR-301 (newest version) and it's AMAZING. Really, much better than the Chinese one. Worth any single cent.
 
They are out of production. You can find them on eBay but getting replacement tips will be a problem.

I currently have the kind that requires a small air compressor. It really sucks (not in a bad way!) and is much easier to use (and works much better) than the Hakko.

Decades ago I had a couple of these with built in rotary actuators and pistons that would develop a vacuum pulse. They would shake the bench, but they paid for themselves many, many times over.

One of the better features is a very easy to see & clean glass tube that collects the solder. The Hakko required "exploratory surgery" to determine why it stopped working and was a PITA to disassemble and clean.

It was a great product.
 
They seem to be focusing on making a wide varety of replacement tips for several brands and producing other soldering accessories.
 
They seem to be focusing on making a wide varety of replacement tips for several brands and producing other soldering accessories.


It's a totally different operation -- moved from California to Georgia. No one there knows about the good old stuff.
 
Hi Rebel. Hope you don't mind a bit of ongoing discussion / waylaying on your thread.

Aoyue 474A++

I've been all braid and sucker up until now. Sigh. Time to go for it.

Leaning toward the one Arts chose for the reasons Arts said:
-performs well
-reasonably priced -- available now for around $165 (U.S. dollars) shipped
-a station -- as opposed to self-contained handheld -- for the ''full-size'' vacuum pump; and, a smaller gun for tight spots

Questions:

Arts you still like it?

Any other desoldering tips, parts or supplies that do not come with it should go ahead and order / going to need / will come in handy?

Other thoughts?

Opinions from others?
 
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EEVBLOG does a nice job of digging into one of the less-expensive units.

 
Im very happy with my Hakko FR-300. The only downsides is having to clean out the nozzle often.

 
Thanks Doug. I watched what you provided. Then I found the below. Very interesting. I don't know if there have been revisions to the Auyue 474A++ since.

 
Arts you still like it?

Any other desoldering tips, parts or supplies that do not come with it should go ahead and order / going to need / will come in handy?

Other thoughts?

Yep,still like it! Maybe the best two hundred buck ever spent.I use it a lot,often for extended periods of time,and it has been flawless.

They include everything you will need in the kit. For future replacement of consumables like filters and springs,use Hakko equivalent parts,as they are superior.

Tips:

Before first use,use a Q-Tip to apply the included silicon grease to the entire filter spring,ensuring good coverage.
Always moisten the filter pad before,and if necessary,during use.
Always give the unit at least ten minutes of warm-up time before use,otherwise you risk tip/tube blockage.
Keep the tip clean and tinned for best performance.Use the largest tip possible for the task.
Apply the tip squarely to the joint.When solder melts,pull the trigger and ''wiggle'' the tip in a circular motion.This will move the lead wire around inside the hole,ensuring all solder is removed.
After desoldering a connection,do not release the trigger immediately; let the pump run for a couple of extra seconds to ensure that the tip/tube is
completely clear of solder.

Cheers,
Art

Edit: I have the model with the metal handle.That got ''deleted'' real quick. Now my soldering station fits on top of the Aoyue:)
 
Thanks Arts. I'm going to see if I can find the "older version" which may be what you have (fancier handle), with the dual diaphram AC powered pump. Newer version I'm guessing for the price and majority intents and purposes just as well (single diaphram DC possibly less powerful shorter life).

Your tips in post #33 are superb.

Thank you so much!

-Matt
 
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Well Matt,I really think that guy in the video is full of s**t. He has absolutely no long term experience with either of these units on which to base his assertions,and his claims re DC vs AC motors & single vs double diaphram pumps is nothing more than a lot of wasted hot air. My own machine has the single diaphram,DC motor unit,and it performs extremely well and hasn't failed yet.

Frankly,if any of his criticisms were valid concerning DC brush motors and single-diaphram pumps,the bloody planet would have stopped spinning by now;)
 
Arts I got a kick out of that. Too funny. Thank you for saying something. Wholeheartedly agree.

I see that not only routine consumables but pumps and other components are readily available, and for not too much money. Sources such as SRA Soldering Products and the like. I don't expect to wear a pump out just sayin'.

Ordered my Aoyue 474A++ from them just now $150 shipped.
EDIT: $165 shipped (seller had made an error / was having trouble with their website).

Can't wait and thanks again.
 
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Arts I got a kick out of that. Too funny. Thank you for saying something. Wholeheartedly agree.

I see that not only routine consumables but pumps and other components are readily available, and for not too much money. Sources such as SRA Soldering Products and the like. I don't expect to wear a pump out just sayin'.

Ordered my Aoyue 474A++ from them just now $150 shipped.

Can't wait and thanks again.

I ordered mine on Amazon and it was shipped out from SRA,quick and easy. They certainly do seem to carry every maintenance/repair item you could likely need,and as you've said,reasonable prices. The only things I might consider would be an extra element and filters.

I have read ''stuff'' on the intergooglewebnet regarding installing a relay in order to lighten the load on the switch in the handle,but I haven't bothered yet:rolleyes:

Once you master this gadget,you're gonna wonder why the heck you didn't get one sooner.In my case,something like 25 years ago....Haha.

Enjoy your new toy!
 
Does a "soldering-desoldering" station exist? Or better to have separate tools?

I believe that Aoyue makes a model of this desoldering unit that also has a soldering station. Personally though,when it comes to soldering, I prefer Hakko.
I don't know if there would be any performance benefits to having separate units,as many ''big-league'' manufacturers offer the combined units.
One benefit though is a reduced footprint on your workbench.
 
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