Need a desoldering station recommendation

Tornadoboy

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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.
 
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.
 
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.
Aoyue 474A for desoldering or 701A+ for Soldering and Desoldering.
 
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. At the PCB factory I worked at, I used to completely desolder boards full of terminal blocks (400 solder joints) in about 10 minutes with one of these. We had expensive Metcal desolder stations there, but no one on my line ever bothered with them.

BTW, all "solder suckers" are not created equal. The only one worth getting is one of the full-size Edsyn Soldapullt's like the one I linked to. It is a commercial grade tool and does its intended job perfectly.
 
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.

Did you use a real, fullsize Edsyn Soldapullt; or a knockoff from like Radio Shack or whatever?

If you have a real one, it is not hard to learn the technique. Anyone can do it, clumsy or not (I know, because I trained new-hires; including teeny boppers fresh out of high school). The only thing you need to know is to leave the iron on the joint as you pull the trigger on the solder sucker. Don't worry about melting the tip of the solder sucker by allowing to it touch the iron tip. It is silicone-based and heat resistant. It will melt some over time, but that isn't a big deal (plus the tips are replaceable).

This is how you do it:

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It will work; and the results can't be improved (not even with an expensive desoldering station).
 
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Thanks for the link to the Soldapullt DS017. That's what I used to use until I lost the tip. I never thought about getting another tip :).

Since then, I've had a couple of the Radio Shack ones. I'll say that they're a little lacking.
I've gotten that Aouye and I will NOT say that it ISN'T better than the Soldapullt.

I am WOWED by it. I've pulled all the RAM from 3 Space Invaders boards and I think it would have been drudgery using a spring-loaded sucker.

That being said, I think I will order a couple of new tips for the Soldapullt. A friend from college gave it to me over 15 years ago and I never had big complaints with it. I would probably use it when I don't want to warm up the electric pump one.

The Sodapullt is MUCH nicer than the little Radio Shack anodized metal case ones.

K
 
I've standardized on PACE equipment. I have a variety of irons for doing PLCC, SOJ, SOIC, SOT, and everything but TSSOP (have that ordered) or BGA.
 
Vote #2 for pace equipment... I have a ST 50 and ST 115 Station with a SX80. Pace just plain rocks!
 
I've always been partial to Hakko and Pace.

I never even heard of Aoyue until I read this thread.

Does anyone know if Aoyue is related to Hakko in any way? Some of their models are near dead-ringers for Hakko units. Specifically, the Aoyue 701A+ looks an awful lot like the Hakko 701. Just wondering because I would be willing to try them out to see if their stuff comes anywhere close to Hakko.

Dave
 
Using a Hakko 808 here that I bought refurbished from a local electronics store. I think they can be had on eBay reasonably.

What I like about the 808 is that it heats quickly, has excellent temp control, and does an outstanding job quickly.
 
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... :)

Here is an old post from Ken Layton which sums it up well:

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.
 
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.
 
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.

For me, it is like choosing between a table saw and a circular saw with a straight edge. I can get the same results with either, and sometimes it is even faster to use the circular saw (mostly because the table saw is a large flat surface that needs to be cleared off when I need to use it.

The difference is that the table saw is just really nice to use. I enjoy working with it. Same with the desoldering station. It is just more enjoyable to use. I am not doing production work, so I don't really know or care which is faster. If I just need to remove one item, or maybe a few, I will use the sucker, but I usually prefer the station. I have the 3 in 1 station, so I can use the hot air as well. I am not very good at that, and I am afraid of getting components too hot, but it is fun to play with.

I have way more money tied up in tools than I do in games, but I like using them. If I didn't, I probably wouldn't work on the games much. This is a hobby for me, so I try to make anything I do with it as enjoyable as possible. Still haven't found a way to make cosmetic work enjoyable, so that doesn't get done very often. :)
 
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*. :)
 
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