Tornadoboy
Well-known member
I'm going to be in the market for a desoldering station soon and I was wondering what people recommend out of what's available for $150 and under? Ebay seems to have a lot of Chinese stuff for around $80.
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Aoyue 474A for desoldering or 701A+ for Soldering and Desoldering.Aoyue 474A
I got this one a couple months ago and it has been fantastic. I don't make a massive amount of repairs, but this thing is so amazing compared to more primitive desoldering techniques, I've been replacing sockets and connectors like there's no tomorrow!
Cleaning out the solder from the filter is a small pain, but I wouldn't consider going back.
Why not just get an Edsyn Soldapullt DS017 for ~$20?
If you know how to use one of these properly you'll never need anything else.
Aoyue 474A
I got this one a couple months ago and it has been fantastic. I don't make a massive amount of repairs, but this thing is so amazing compared to more primitive desoldering techniques, I've been replacing sockets and connectors like there's no tomorrow!
Cleaning out the solder from the filter is a small pain, but I wouldn't consider going back.
+eleventy billion... I have the 3-in-1 and it rocks!
I've tried working with solderpults and I'm just too damn clumsy, I really need something one-handed to get the job done without causing a disaster.
Why not just get an Edsyn Soldapullt DS017 for ~$20?
Interesting! I ordered a Aoyue 474A a little over a month ago and it hasn't shipped yet, I think I'll cancel the order and try one of these. Worst case, I re-order the Aoyue and am out ~$20. Best case, I save myself over $200...![]()
I use an Edsyn "Soldapullt" model DS017 solder sucker. It workers great and it's a professional tool. I've worn out 3 of 'em over the past 25 years since I use it so much. I have no problem removing flybacks with this tool. In fact, it takes about 30 seconds to remove a flyback with this.
There are now appearing some similar looking (and much cheaper) solder suckers that look like a Soldapullt. These knock offs are cheap junk and you're throwing your money away on those knockoffs.
I've used the same Soldapullt mentioned by Ken and others. True that it works great for everything.
BUT - it's no contest between using that and a desoldering station. I used a desoldering station for about three minutes. Going from the desoldering station to the Soldapullt + soldering iron routine is like going from a Ferarri to a Schwinn.
Want to race for money (lol)? You use your desoldering station, and I'll use a Metcal iron and a Soldapullt. Name your stakes.
You should use a different analogy, because a desoldering station is not faster than a solder sucker and a good iron (nor does it remove solder better). If it were, we would have used them exclusively at the factory; where there was a big rush for everything. However, the desoldering stations mostly collected dust.
I should have clarified - it's faster *for me*.Want to race for money (lol)? You use your desoldering station, and I'll use a Metcal iron and a Soldapullt. Name your stakes.
You should use a different analogy, because a desoldering station is not faster than a solder sucker and a good iron (nor does it remove solder better). If it were, we would have used them exclusively at the factory; where there was a big rush for everything. However, the desoldering stations mostly collected dust.