Finally sorted my desoldering workflow after 6 years of fighting with it

I used to be all about that cheap solder sucker, the little spring-loaded plastic one. I would sit there for 20 minutes on a single through-hole component, heating and sucking, heating and sucking, getting so frustrated. Then about 2 months ago I finally broke down and got a Hakko FR-301 desoldering gun after reading about a dozen forum threads. First time I used it I pulled a 16-pin DIP chip out clean in under 90 seconds, no lifted pads. The difference is night and day, it is like I was using a hammer to do brain surgery before. Now I can actually take on old arcade boards and stereo gear without dreading the desoldering part. Has anyone else had that moment where a single tool just completely changed how you work?

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anderson.david2mo ago

Man that FR-301 must be life changing, did it pay for itself with the first project?

4

terry_carter152mo ago

Paid for itself in frustration saved, now I just burn my fingers faster.

1