Desoldering station... metcal or hakko... ?

[quote author="Gold"]This thing works very well as compared to a solder sucker and solder wick. I doubt it out does a fancy tool but it sure is cheap.
http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&category%5Fname=CTLG%5F011%5F009%5F007%5F004&product%5Fid=64%2D2060[/quote] aka The Pad Lifter

I would not go near a PCB I cared about with one of these...just my opinion.

Are there no Weller's in the US , it is the standard in the EU , so perhaps you should look at it if it has the same quality.

I tried the oil trick (olive oil ) on one of the smaller pumps I got from circuit specialists. Problem now is that it doesn't latch. I tried accetone but it still doesn't latch. Any ideas.... I think I'll go to the garrage and try the Brake Cleaner on it.

Same question,
Hakko FM-204 vs Metcal MFR-1150 for instance, what would be the answers in 2023?

Might depend on the part of the world you're in..?

I myself have become a JBC fanboy, for better or for worse...

I just bought the hakko fr410, testing soon.

Aoyue. I just got the digital version of the analog 710 I’ve had for at least 15 years. $140? I like the Aoyue hot air tool as well for the few times a year I do smd rework.
Might be branded different outside the US.
Mike

Khron said:

Might depend on the part of the world you're in..?

I myself have become a JBC fanboy, for better or for worse...

Click to expand...

I can second your preference for JBC (the genuine ones). They are awesome! They heat up in literally a few seconds, hundreds of tip sizes and shapes, tip changing is a breeze, etc. We have used them at work for I think about 10 years now. We came from Weller, but their quality went downhill with many tip failures, and they heat up so sloooowww. Their desoldering iron was useless: it always got clogged, and suction was poor. So it ended up in the basement. I know of two repair centers in my area that use JBC, or are in the process of changing from Pace to JBC. For hobby use, I could still recommend a TS-100, but the number of available tips is limited. If you decide to buy a JBC clone, then at the very least buy genuine tips. The heat transfer of the Aliexpress tips is not on par with genuine tips. And they often do not last very long. Two out of three of my Aliexpress tips lasted only a few minutes when used with a genuine JBC AD2700 station. Others report similar experiences. I have no experience with Metcal or Hakko rework stations, but for desoldering I use:

• Two irons to grab and lift small SMTs like resistors and MLCCs (the tweezers are prohibitively expensive and this works just as well).
• If I want to salvage an SMT IC, I apply Chipquick and then use a heat gun set to 250C (480F) to remove the chip. It saves your IC and your PCB. And adjacent small SMTs will not desolder and fly around.
• Good solder wick from Digikey or Mouser. All the cheap stuff from Aliexpress or Amazon that I used contains little or no flux. But if you add flux yourself, it works quite well, though.
• I have used many different solder pumps (suckers) with various degrees of success. The famous Engineer SS-02 is too small, even for my small hands. And gets clogged where the tube interfaces with the tiny metal pipe around which it is clamped. I've had cheap Aliexpress pumps, which I temporarily improved by putting in a second spring from I removed from another pump. It worked like hell, but the poor sucker quickly disintegrated (pun intended). My favorite pump now is the golden-colored pump from Aliexpress, which has the spring in a separate compartment inside the tube. And when tensioning the pump, the plunger pin protrudes a few mm from the suction tube and pushes all the solder from the tube out. The best engineered pump I had till now.

Jan

I’ve used a Hakko FR-301, it’s a very good tool but a bit bulky, it often falls from my table and I’ve broke it, but I must say all the parts are available for repairing it. That’s why I want a station, for having a smaller tool in my hand and a dedicated support where I can put it back.
Also it requires regular cleaning to keep it in a good working condition, but I guess that goes with all desoldering tools.

saint gillis said:

Same question,
Hakko FM-204 vs Metcal MFR-1150 for instance, what would be the answers in 2023?

Click to expand...

The Metcal's require shop air. That's a deal killer for me.

TLRT said:

I just bought the hakko fr410, testing soon.

Click to expand...

Have had an FR-410 for years now. Great station, tho I do wish it would recover from sleep mode faster. I converted my handpiece to the newer quick change tip system and that's been a real time saver.

It's hot 6-8 hours a day, 7 days a week and i only just burned out a heater element after like... +6 years? I'm definitely a Hakko fanboi.

Gold said:

The Metcal's require shop air. That's a deal killer for me.

Click to expand...

You mean there's no air pump included?

saint gillis said:

You mean there's no air pump included?

Click to expand...

Correct. “Shop air” means you need a separate air compressor.

I put up with the Metcal along with its exceedingly noisy 2HP compressor for years which scared customers and the cats. Finally sprung for the Hakko and life has been more peaceful ever since. Does the same job just as well, only quieter.

Anyone experienced with the Hakko FM-204 ?

I feel like you've gotta get a real nice one, the cheaper portable pumps work super well til you have to dismantle to clean them and then they seem to lose their seal.

edit: I lied, just decided to try cleaning it by putting some flux inside and its back to new. the yihua one on amazon not bad.