I have the cheap RadioShack desoldering iron. It works well but it is positioned horizontally which sometimes is very inconvenient. I would like to get a vertical desoldering pump but one that heats up the element and sucks the solder out. So the manual pumps are out.
Any recommendations?
Any recommendations?
If you've got money to spend or you can track down a used one, we've got Hakko 808's at my workplace and they're fantastic.
Two things...
Spend the money. Maybe more than you want... this is one of those tools that makes life way easier and isn't worth the brain damage of a cheap one that doesn't work.
Also, I wholeheartedly recommend using cardas quad solder... It makes great joints, doesn't have a ton of messy rosin, but most importantly has a very low melt point, making desoldering really, really easy.
Spend the money. Maybe more than you want... this is one of those tools that makes life way easier and isn't worth the brain damage of a cheap one that doesn't work.
Also, I wholeheartedly recommend using cardas quad solder... It makes great joints, doesn't have a ton of messy rosin, but most importantly has a very low melt point, making desoldering really, really easy.
Anything cheaper than Hakko? The $25 RadioShack desoldering pump works great but the layout is not good. I would be willing to spend up to $100 for a better pump but for occasional use, I wouldn't wan to spend more if possible.
I agree with the Hakko recommendation (I own an iron), but they are expensive.
I bought an Aoyue 474A+ (knockoff?) which just came through the door this morning. It looks OK, but I haven't used it yet. I have a few old PCBs that I'm planning to use for practice desoldering before I do anything on equipment I value. Anyway, it's my first desoldering iron, so I have no experience to make a 'review' meaningful.
Up to now it's been the wick (sometimes) but mostly the blue solder sucker manual pump for me.
I bought an Aoyue 474A+ (knockoff?) which just came through the door this morning. It looks OK, but I haven't used it yet. I have a few old PCBs that I'm planning to use for practice desoldering before I do anything on equipment I value. Anyway, it's my first desoldering iron, so I have no experience to make a 'review' meaningful.
Up to now it's been the wick (sometimes) but mostly the blue solder sucker manual pump for me.
I bought mine from eBay seller tool-boom . Shipping was by DHL; it seemed expensive, but the unit is quite big/heavy compared to a 'regular soldering station' , with the vacuum pump inside. I ordered on Feb 17, it arrived here (Canada West Coast) today, Feb 25.
If you are in the US, I think amazon.com has sellers for the same item.
BTW, my 474+ came with a couple of extra tips, extra sponge and spring filters, cleaners, etc. so no need to worry about spares right away. (The sponge filter is 'dehydrated', so you definitely need to water it before use.)
The 474++ (~$150) model has the digital control/display and 'sleep' mode, I think, vs the 'knob adjust' on the 474+ (~$100). It would be nice if the power switch on the 474+ was on the front or side of the unit, IMO.
There's also a model which combines a (Hakko knockoff??) soldering iron with the desoldering tool.
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Solder sucker is a useless tolls. Desoldering braid is good for single sided PCB-s, but expensive. For PTH soldered joints I bought chinese made 80Euros ZD 939 desoldering gun with power supply. It is not Hakko level, but is very good, and spare tips and heaters are not expensive.
I disagree. I use the solder sucker more than any other method.
It does help that I use a solder with low melting point, it will stay liquid for a bit longer when making the joint hot before applying the sucker.
One point of the sucker -- you keep the solder iron on the joint when sucking. the tip of the sucker is PTFE and won't melt. If you remove the heat it will freeze before you can suck out the solder.
As a long-time professional user, I can enthusiastically give another nod to the Hakko gear. I use a Hakko 470 desoldering station & 936 soldering station(w/908 high mass pencil), and they are by far the best & most durable out there. When I have not enough desoldering to do to wait the few minutes for the 470 to warm up, I use Chem-Wik Lite (0.1" width "blue") braid, which is the ONLY solderwick that really works well.
Oh, and the recommendation about adding fresh leaded solder as you're melting the connection to desolder is an extremely good one that I also practice.
Oh, and the recommendation about adding fresh leaded solder as you're melting the connection to desolder is an extremely good one that I also practice.
If you don't spend the money on a decent unit designed for professional use, you will be spending a lot of time fiddling with the iron and not doing anything productive. Since I'm not spending $1K on a decent one, I've used solder wick for years and have no issues. It's all technique, anyways. 😉
I've been using my Aoyue 474+ for the past couple of weeks - not a great deal, but I've probably unsoldered a hundred or so connections/pads. (A friend gave me a junk TV motherboard for practicing, I've salvaged a few parts from stuff I had here, and I've worked on a few 'eBay equipment projects' as well.)
It works really well - and the one-handed operation is easier than using wick or a 'sucker', for me.
I added a power switch to the front panel (in series with the rear switch), as well as a 'power on' light - not a big job as the faceplate is punched for a few different models, so it was just a matter of cutting away the plastic label to reveal the holes for the rocker switch (standard computer PS junkbox item), and the indicator lamp. Reaching over the top of the unit to get at the rear power switch was getting tedious.
It works really well - and the one-handed operation is easier than using wick or a 'sucker', for me.
I added a power switch to the front panel (in series with the rear switch), as well as a 'power on' light - not a big job as the faceplate is punched for a few different models, so it was just a matter of cutting away the plastic label to reveal the holes for the rocker switch (standard computer PS junkbox item), and the indicator lamp. Reaching over the top of the unit to get at the rear power switch was getting tedious.
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