Hakko FR-300 is killing me on parts costs.

Griffin

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I busted out the FR-300 this week to de-solder some ram from my warlords board and noticed the tip was in pretty bad shape. I ordered a new 1mm for $42 which stung a bit but ok.

While I waited for it to arrive I did a teardown of the pump and valves to give them a good clean.

Today I got through about 6 20 pin chips before the pump started its low warble. Looked at the valve assuming it was gummed and it was in fact broken. Great, I guess I better order some replacements.

IMG_4104.jpeg

Please tell there's better options than this. Or is it time to bite the bullet and move on from my FR-300 for good?
 
I have kept my hakko tips alive way longer than I should with brass brush outside, drill bit to clear barrel and retin

I love mine but agree the tips and other shit get expensive quickly.
 
I busted out the FR-300 this week to de-solder some ram from my warlords board and noticed the tip was in pretty bad shape. I ordered a new 1mm for $42 which stung a bit but ok.

While I waited for it to arrive I did a teardown of the pump and valves to give them a good clean.

Today I got through about 6 20 pin chips before the pump started its low warble. Looked at the valve assuming it was gummed and it was in fact broken. Great, I guess I better order some replacements.

Please tell there's better options than this. Or is it time to bite the bullet and move on from my FR-300 for good?

Why not just buy them from Hakko?


Brian
 
Buy parts from Hakko's site instead of buying from resellers on amazon. Stuff like that gasket are so much cheaper when getting it from the source. They stock a lot if replacement parts on the site. Even bought a new shell when I dropped my desolder gun.
 
$42 for a tip is nuts. I get knockoff tips for my 808 for $5 each on eBay.

Also, you want the 1.6mm tip, not 1mm. It'll clog far less often. The 1mm sucks.

Also, ream the barrel out frequently with the pin they provide, and you'll have fewer problems.

A little preventative maintenance on these makes them almost problem-free.
 
$42 for a tip is nuts. I get knockoff tips for my 808 for $5 each on eBay.

Also, you want the 1.6mm tip, not 1mm. It'll clog far less often. The 1mm sucks.

Also, ream the barrel out frequently with the pin they provide, and you'll have fewer problems.

A little preventative maintenance on these makes them almost problem-free.
Got a link for a seller? I should pick up a few sizes.
 
View attachment 836365

Anybody using one of these?
This has been my rig for about 5 years. I got the setup with the soldering iron attachment for like $80 as a warehouse return. It works well enough, but i tends to clog after the heating element if the filter is dirty. I remedy this by using the cleaning rod every few minutes and clean it completely after each use. The replacement guns are like $28 bucks, which apparently has upgraded parts. You can tell if the solder reservoir is made of glass, the old ones were plastic. When my gun dies, i'll get the replacement. Consumables (filters) are dirt cheap from the Yihua store on Amazon.

Also as a soldering station, i'm very happy with it. The iron heats up super fast and it's really powerful, even removing large heatsinks is really easy.
 
I was honestly shocked with how easy it is to maintain these things, as opposed to replacing the unit outright. Expensive, yes, but maintainable. The shell on my FR300 busted earlier this year and I loved that I could just buy a new shell and rehouse all the components. It was nice to give the a whole thing a clean while I was at it and it's been working like new ever since.

Definitely want to be very diligent about upkeep though. I find that I replace the tip more often when I'm not making sure to clean it out with the little metal poker before, during and after I use it and also tinning the tip before I turn it off so it doesn't oxidize. I have definitely ruined tips by forgetting to turn the darn thing off when I'm done and I come back the next day and it's just roasted. o_O
 
I thought about getting that heavier upright stand, but I don't like the potential for the gun to rest on the cord. How stiff are the elbow joints? Can I raise it off the cord and have it keep the gun lifted in the air? Without it falling back down on the cord?

Still....I don't understand how people knock it off the bench with the standard cradle holder. The gun is lying flat on the bench with the nozzle cradled. If you kick that thing off then the you'll have problems with anything that isn't bolted down. Because it has to move at least half a foot before falling.
 
I thought about getting that heavier upright stand, but I don't like the potential for the gun to rest on the cord. How stiff are the elbow joints? Can I raise it off the cord and have it keep the gun lifted in the air? Without it falling back down on the cord?

Still....I don't understand how people knock it off the bench with the standard cradle holder. The gun is lying flat on the bench with the nozzle cradled. If you kick that thing off then the you'll have problems with anything that isn't bolted down. Because it has to move at least half a foot before falling.
for sure you can change the angle on the cradle, it works awesome, well worth the price imo.
Also not required to leave a burning hot forearm marking device laying on its side while dicking around on the bench with the "stand" they include.
 
Okay, clearly I'm a slacker since I haven't had to do any maintenance on mine yet.

Other than cleaning out the filter and the collection chamber several times.
 
for sure you can change the angle on the cradle, it works awesome, well worth the price imo.
Also not required to leave a burning hot forearm marking device laying on its side while dicking around on the bench with the "stand" they include.
Ok. In general I really like Hakko's quality level. But stands with wing nuts just rub me the wrong way. You really have to crank the nuts down to mak it secure. (...looking at *YOU* every spring loaded desk lamp ever made!!)

Valid point on the burn source!
 
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