[Lee] has a Hakko FR301 desoldering gun and a Duratool knockoff. He freely admits that the Hakko is probably better, but he wonders if it’s good enough to justify being four times as expensive. He shows both of them off in a recent video that you can see below.
Often, desoldering doesn’t get as much attention as soldering, but for repairs or if you make mistakes — and who doesn’t — it is an essential skill. Many of the differences will be either good or bad, depending on your personal preference. For example, the Hakko is an all-in-one unit, so it doesn’t have a bulky box to sit on your bench. However, that also means the Hakko is larger and heavier. It also lacks controls and indicators the other unit has on the base station box.
What doesn’t come down to personal preference, though, is usability. The Hakko seems much easier to clean and if you’ve ever used a gun like this, you know how often you do have to clean it. If you ever forget to ream the nozzle out regularly during use, you probably won’t forget a second time because unclogging any of these guns can be a nightmare. We like to use a long, stiff wire to push through the barrel frequently when using a tool like this to prevent having to clear it like [Lee] did at the eleven-minute mark.
[Lee] mentions that the Hakko also has more suction and sustains it better. That seems like a clear win. We’ve had expensive guns and cheap ones, and if the ..
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