Desolders

[p_wats]

Aside from some super brief SMD stuff, I've only ever used the non-powered, spring-loaded solder suckers. Am I missing out?

 

[jwin615]

I've got the same de-soldering iron.

My take? Its fine. It's best for when you have, like, *a bunch* of de-soldering to do. Like if you're scavenging components.

But it's bulky, and imprecise. And I don't trust the solenoid in it to like...not burst into flames in my hand. But it's definitely gonna be a bit more rapid-fire than a spring loaded jobbie.

Manual suckers...I've only ever had luck with the sacrificial silicone tipped guys that make a seal around the joint. Bonus points if you can heat from one side and suck from the other. Gotta suck it good.

SMSFTB?

 

[Stickman393]

SMSFTB?

You gonna make me blush...

 

[jessenator]

KMFDM?

 

[Passinwind]

I treated myself to purchasing one of these desoldering pumps on Amazon. Has anyone else tried these? I think it’s terrible. Wondering if I’m missing something.

The tips aren’t pointed enough to get into small areas so it is hard to aim and not burn stuff. It also takes too long to melt the solder. And finally, it is messier than just a normal $15 mechanical pump. I’ve switched back to using one of those instead. I thought I was upgrading.

Maybe the $200 ones are better?

Buy once, cry once. I've had my old Pace unit up for sale here for eons with nary a bite. For me it was most useful for DIP opamps and bigger ICs, but I just don't use through hole parts often enough to ever bother to break it out any more. I prefer desoldering braid to manual suckers, by a long shot.

 

[peAk]

after some years of using mechanical suckers and braid, I decided to buy once and cry once. Ended up getting the 301 and couldnt be happier. Through the years, I purchased more and more tips for both the 301 and 888 and eventually built an aluminum block that holds all the tips.

I still use braid and mechanical suckers for certain situations

 

[Strat68]

I bought mechanical ones from Amazon. 3 for something like $10. They work great. It easily desolders pots and switches, i have a couple of desoldering irons that work by squeezing and releasing the bulb. They take forever to get hot enough and work poorly.

 

[TheCrunchGuy]

Check the melting point of the solder you are using. It should be on the side of the spool. If not, find the datasheet. Go 20C or so above that.
Also, if you have cleaned the board of flux or you are doing a repair on old gear, you'll need to add flux.
Add more flux if more than a couple attempts are needed. Sometimes, as weird as imthis sounds, adding fresh solder is the trick.

I increased the heat and seems to work on the surface however going down into a PCB board doesn't work as well.

 

[TheCrunchGuy]

I have this one and it works great.

https://www.amazon.com/YIHUA-Desoldering-Variable-Temperature-Function/dp/B08BK69H2M/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Qt3UBwIZdfHjKRImAX60eCtIEJEHqdcWj45Wxo57yIM7dgf9s0_b_fJPy_NObxL1UBb7leHWT2vE-WABDM2aR6g-4hFa_7INAcYbShXdu_YlIZCASoC9xzH59NXmr1KnzkMOWqY_TFtyqrjxUguzR01hVkUjQPDiznyqlrKNJkSTRdrMwuLdEMQSrUl2CP6kiRjHZjgEr1xp270RcsVskZKkQuhzKAF_UBTk_sEPR2b-4tMOxJ-DVhFJ_uoeGBJI0KuyVOuK_Uye08Cljo5_7EXoAnl6aewF41rz_P47iH8.wXsM-FIbV__-ApRjK_5PDP0BbUfd13dd4CF3svDmnso&dib_tag=se&keywords=desoldering+gun&qid=1749490991&sr=8-2-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1

I bought this same model and it won't suck the solder worth a damn. It heats and melts the solder but it barely sucks anything up into it. Very frustrated.

 

[TheCrunchGuy]

after some years of using mechanical suckers and braid, I decided to buy once and cry once. Ended up getting the 301 and couldnt be happier. Through the years, I purchased more and more tips for both the 301 and 888 and eventually built an aluminum block that holds all the tips.

I still use braid and mechanical suckers for certain situations

I bought a YiHua 948 and it wont suck much up. It heats fine but then it just will not pull the solder out of PCB's. Simple surface is ok but I can do better with a manual solder sucker. I might investigate the Hakko then.

 

[andare]

I don't have much need for anything beyond the SS-02 style sucker. I'd only ever want to upgrade to a Pace soldering station so I can get that sweet shovel tip that spans across 3 lugs of a pot, but that's a lot of money for one specific thing lol

That's available as a 245 tip for less than 20 bucks on AliExpress.
I almost bought one myself.

 

[Robert]

I'd only ever want to upgrade to a Pace soldering station so I can get that sweet shovel tip that spans across 3 lugs of a pot, but that's a lot of money for one specific thing lol

That's available as a 245 tip for less than 20 bucks on AliExpress.
I almost bought one myself.

Worth every penny if you remove pots or inline pinheaders more than "every once in a while" ...

 

[Erik S]

I bought this same model and it won't suck the solder worth a damn. It heats and melts the solder but it barely sucks anything up into it. Very frustrated.

Sounds like there’s something wrong with it. Have you popped out the filter chamber/ checked the air hose for obstructions and airflow when the trigger is pulled? Can you hear the air pump kick on when you pull the trigger?

 

[Locrian99]

I don't have much need for anything beyond the SS-02 style sucker. I'd only ever want to upgrade to a Pace soldering station so I can get that sweet shovel tip that spans across 3 lugs of a pot, but that's a lot of money for one specific thing lol

I use my hot air station for pots and switches works great. A little care is needed with switches as you can overheat them easily. But you kind of figure it out after you do that once.