I bought a Hakko FR301. I looked into the cheap Chinese S-993, but the Hakko FR301, you can get 17 different desoldering tips for the FR301. If you need parts for your Hakko you can always call up Hakko to order parts. They have the solder canasters, heating elements, pump parts, cleaning drills, case parts, control boards, whatever is needed. The tips are easy to change using the provided tool, with a quarter turn, no metal wrench needed. The unit has a built-in on/off power switch also, no unplugging. Yes the unit costs more, but you get Hakko quality, and parts availability. You will be buying 3 to 4 of the Chinese junk units for parts (speaking of parts availability) if they are still made anymore. Before you would need to get parts for your Hakko, some last for years. Unless you want to buy a Pace, Metcal, or Weller$$$.
@@retrobob3802 Best $260 i ever spent for retro through-hole device repair! Twice the price at 8x the longevity, plus parts. The tips alone are the reason I went with the HAKKO. They are specially coated, won't tarnish if you take care of them, and transfer heat to the pin quickly and evenly saving the pad and trace.
had a few of these, the problem is always the same for me. Solder getting stuck in the nozzletube and not making all the way to the collection tube. So decided to bite the bullet and get the Hakko soon. Even though I no fan of Hakko it just takes too much work now to keep the cheaper ones functional. If I understand correctly the difference is the Hakko heats the nozzle and tube all the way up to the collection chamber. The cheaper ones only heat the very tip which can cause the solder to harden in the tube.
I wonder if that is why the Hakko only comes with a stand for laying it flat--keeps the solder from falling back into the tip. It wouldn't be a problem while it is being used (as you mentioned it heats the whole barrel) but if you unplug the Hakko while solder is in the barrel it could cause issues.
@@docferringer That is an intriguing idea, I assume it was just because the barrel on the cheaper ones is not heated all over... But yeah perhaps solder flakes are accumulating at the barrel exit and making matters worse.
@@bobking7347 I am going to have to disagree with you. Hakko is good but by god do they miss the most obvious and blatant things. Things that annoy me to no end. I know that's a subjective view but it's mine. Weller... well I have their WX2 (which is pretty high end) and also... it works but at the same time it also fails me a lot. Not to mention their sheer lack of soldering tip diversity and the overall design of some of their tips is just frustrating beyond belief. All I am saying is you seem to have a pretty black and white view of things based on your comment that I most assuredly do not share.
I found the filters and the box online at aliexpress for about 10 Euro's each so they can be replaced. Like also membranes and heating-elements. This in about 5 minutes after looking for the "S-993".
I’m feel not save with this tool because it has no ground. If you get voltage on the tip and you touch a CMOS for examp. it will sure damage components on the board. Can you hear the interference in your audio recording when you touch the board with the desoldering gun?
Hi, do you still have the gun, and is it still working and do you still like it? Hope to hear from you soon, because i want to buy one. Many thanks in advance
Very Happy with it. I used it a lot last week going through the Rollergames boards last week and it work great, and is easy to clean. I made sure to buy extra tips and a spare heater element in case parts are hard to get down the road.
I have it over 2 yrs already. Still works, sucion is strong but pump cause whole tool to vibrate like a impact driver or hammer drill. This cause this tool usless for small and delicate traces. Its ripping them off at first desoldering attempt.
Weak pump? Flux is always a good idea; it helps clean the surface and allow for better conduction. Even with a HAKKO, sometimes you need to add some solder to provide a good seal at the tip. Remember that you are working with a fluid material that is best removed as a whole.
@@luisderivas6005 That's right, I have two Hakko desoldering guns and many times I need to add more solder or flux. Now I am thinking to buy the Yihua 948. Best Regards.
Its about a 3rd of the quality too . The nozzle is screwed into the front of the of the unit and in no time at all it works loose , these are so crap . Do yourselves a favour , buy a Hakko (said hack-o , not hay-co by the way) , this thing sucks if you use it a lot .
There is one huge problem with all the Desoldering guns they all use the same heating coil from the one manufacturer and they all burn out with in a period of time. so with in a years time you will have paid double the price for the gun you purchased. found it out by seeing the coil for the gun you have. it is the same coil i use in a different desoldering station. so what your paying for is a name the quality of the tool is good except for the coil which is poor. until someone designs a better coil, all the guns will stay the same.
I got mine about 2 years ago and I used it quite a bit. Now the membrane for the pump is broken so there is no suction at all. I did a quick repair but that didn't last more than on hour or two. Too bad though cos it was a very good tool for thru hole desoldering. I'll see if I can get a hold of a new membrane somewhere.
@@elvinhaak Yeah also on Ali and I bought 2 of them, still haven't got them though due to our useless internal postal crap. Been in the country for 2 weeks and still nothing. Gonna mail them and be harsh
@@AliensInc. Yes, it sometimes 'takes a while' (like 2 months sometimes) to get stuff from Ali that is listed as inside in our country waiting for the customs...
No, but I should. I have been using it it a lot and love it. Works great, and is super easy to keep clean. I will do a update on it in my next workshop update video.
I have been waiting for a video like this. I need a pump but have been wondering if these will work for pinball pcbs or if I needed to break down and get a Hakko.
I bought one from circuitspecialists recently. they have alot of replacement parts. not sure if it is the same model. but they seem to have good supply of parts.
I've used mine for many hours, and now it won't heat up at all. Anyone have this issue? How to troubleshoot? The element has 4 wires and a ground wire?
30 year old PCBs can be easier to work with than brand new ones due to the lead-free solder in use now. They have a higher melting point and take more heat to re-melt. So like MyVintagePinball says, add a little solder--preferably tin-lead--and the alloy will lower the temp of the old solder and also provide more contact area to transfer heat to the joint.
Pindude - Nice Review! It's been 2 years since this review...do you still like & recommend the S-993A Desoldering Gun? Were you able to locate the spare "chamber" yellow plastic part? I'm looking for an desoldering gun - I work on 1 or 2 Pinball PCBs per year (for my personal collection) because I'm tired of the "bulb" suckers. Thanks - Scott.
Wonder what you ever ended up doing? Did you get one of these S-993A or did you go with a hakko? Something else? I similarly only do a few things per year (maybe 3-5 projects) that really make use of a nice desoldering gun. I ended up getting a harshly used hakko 808 on ebay for about $80. Cleaned it up nice, cleaned the tips, the desoldering chambers, took the pump heads off and cleaned the diaphrams.... cleaned it all well. It does quite nicely for $80. Can still source genuine hakko nozzles for it. It's wonderful when you desolder through hole parts and they just fall off the board. I surely wouldn't spend $300 on a FR-301 though I know they are high quality units. If I were in a line of work where I was using it every day, or near ever day... sure the 301 is a no brainer. As someone who will put between 10 and 20 hours a year on the thing... the S-993A (or in my case, a used hakko 808) just made the most sense.
on aliexpress you can find replacement filters, sets of tips and replacement parts for the gun. I've seen replacement rubber seals, replacement collection chambers, replacement heaters and replacement pumps. (can provide links if you need them.)
I have this tool, but I still have trouble doing a clean desoldering job with it. I still end up losing pads on the board, or damaging traces. Do you have any advice on how to do a cleaner desoldering job with this tool?
I just tried out my brand new PN-998 Paid about $350 AU for mine. Tomorrow morning I will be putting it in the garbage. I have been a tech for 40 years. This is a complete piece of crap. DO NOT waste your money on it. Seriously...Complete piece of crap. Actually... I am putting it is the garbage right now...
What an absolute waste of time watching this, obviously if your going to add fresh solder to the joint it’s going to work, very poor review.. unsubscribe me now..
Thank you so much for reviewing this. I wouldn’t feel comfortable taking a risk buying it but after watching this, I decided to buy it.
What you think?
I bought a Hakko FR301. I looked into the cheap Chinese S-993, but the Hakko FR301, you can get 17 different desoldering tips for the FR301. If you need parts for your Hakko you can always call up Hakko to order parts. They have the solder canasters, heating elements, pump parts, cleaning drills, case parts, control boards, whatever is needed. The tips are easy to change using the provided tool, with a quarter turn, no metal wrench needed. The unit has a built-in on/off power switch also, no unplugging. Yes the unit costs more, but you get Hakko quality, and parts availability. You will be buying 3 to 4 of the Chinese junk units for parts (speaking of parts availability) if they are still made anymore. Before you would need to get parts for your Hakko, some last for years. Unless you want to buy a Pace, Metcal, or Weller$$$.
Exactly, you get what you pay for.
@@retrobob3802 Best $260 i ever spent for retro through-hole device repair! Twice the price at 8x the longevity, plus parts. The tips alone are the reason I went with the HAKKO. They are specially coated, won't tarnish if you take care of them, and transfer heat to the pin quickly and evenly saving the pad and trace.
Wiggle the lead in the hole wile applying the vacuum, helps prevent tiny sweat joints being left where the lead touches the pad/through hole.
This. VERY much this.
had a few of these, the problem is always the same for me. Solder getting stuck in the nozzletube and not making all the way to the collection tube.
So decided to bite the bullet and get the Hakko soon. Even though I no fan of Hakko it just takes too much work now to keep the cheaper ones functional. If I understand correctly the difference is the Hakko heats the nozzle and tube all the way up to the collection chamber. The cheaper ones only heat the very tip which can cause the solder to harden in the tube.
I wonder if that is why the Hakko only comes with a stand for laying it flat--keeps the solder from falling back into the tip. It wouldn't be a problem while it is being used (as you mentioned it heats the whole barrel) but if you unplug the Hakko while solder is in the barrel it could cause issues.
@@docferringer That is an intriguing idea, I assume it was just because the barrel on the cheaper ones is not heated all over... But yeah perhaps solder flakes are accumulating at the barrel exit and making matters worse.
Hakko makes the best tools, everything else is junk except for the high end Weller stuff
@@bobking7347 I am going to have to disagree with you. Hakko is good but by god do they miss the most obvious and blatant things. Things that annoy me to no end. I know that's a subjective view but it's mine. Weller... well I have their WX2 (which is pretty high end) and also... it works but at the same time it also fails me a lot. Not to mention their sheer lack of soldering tip diversity and the overall design of some of their tips is just frustrating beyond belief.
All I am saying is you seem to have a pretty black and white view of things based on your comment that I most assuredly do not share.
Today the best option is the Yihua 948.
If you are in budget this is for you.
Best Regards.
I found the filters and the box online at aliexpress for about 10 Euro's each so they can be replaced. Like also membranes and heating-elements. This in about 5 minutes after looking for the "S-993".
If you can find the little brass wool "pre-filter" inserts that will help keep the solder from gumming up the filter quite as fast.
I’m feel not save with this tool because it has no ground. If you get voltage on the tip and you touch a CMOS for examp. it will sure damage components on the board.
Can you hear the interference in your audio recording when you touch the board with the desoldering gun?
Hi, do you still have the gun, and is it still working and do you still like it? Hope to hear from you soon, because i want to buy one. Many thanks in advance
Thanks, Man!! Great and thorough demonstration and review.
Excellent, Thank you so much for reviewing this !!!
would have been interesting to do a comparison with the 301.
Thanks a lot for your video . it's really interesting to decide to buy this product .
4 years passed, and you never did a follow up, even though this video had 45k views. NICE
Still happy with it? I'm thinking about picking one up based on your review
Very Happy with it. I used it a lot last week going through the Rollergames boards last week and it work great, and is easy to clean. I made sure to buy extra tips and a spare heater element in case parts are hard to get down the road.
I have it over 2 yrs already. Still works, sucion is strong but pump cause whole tool to vibrate like a impact driver or hammer drill. This cause this tool usless for small and delicate traces. Its ripping them off at first desoldering attempt.
Why do you have to add solder and flux prior to desoldering with the gun? Videos of other guns do not do this.
Weak pump? Flux is always a good idea; it helps clean the surface and allow for better conduction. Even with a HAKKO, sometimes you need to add some solder to provide a good seal at the tip. Remember that you are working with a fluid material that is best removed as a whole.
@@luisderivas6005 That's right, I have two Hakko desoldering guns and many times I need to add more solder or flux.
Now I am thinking to buy the Yihua 948.
Best Regards.
There should be lots of clear, rigid plastic tubing available. You could probably fabricate your own!
Its about a 3rd of the quality too . The nozzle is screwed into the front of the of the unit and in no time at all it works loose , these are so crap . Do yourselves a favour , buy a Hakko (said hack-o , not hay-co by the way) , this thing sucks if you use it a lot .
Any proper suggestion for someone living in a 230V AC country? the Hakko is 100-110V only if I'm not mistaken.
also pronounce SOL DER ! americans canadians SOW Duh ! very odd, Soldering iron sowdering eyon
@@andrewclough660 Sodder
There is one huge problem with all the Desoldering guns they all use the same heating coil from the one manufacturer and they all burn out with in a period of time. so with in a years time you will have paid double the price for the gun you purchased. found it out by seeing the coil for the gun you have. it is the same coil i use in a different desoldering station. so what your paying for is a name the quality of the tool is good except for the coil which is poor. until someone designs a better coil, all the guns will stay the same.
you might want to use the zoom in function next time
hi bro.. i just bought this and the pump cant suction, do u know what happend ? tq , i haved opened the casing and nothing broken
I love your video and the way you are working and I really willing to meat you one day :)
@tim brownhahaha very sorry it was a typo :) i meant to say meet you :-)
by the way i ordered one depend on your video so thank you.
I got mine about 2 years ago and I used it quite a bit. Now the membrane for the pump is broken so there is no suction at all. I did a quick repair but that didn't last more than on hour or two.
Too bad though cos it was a very good tool for thru hole desoldering.
I'll see if I can get a hold of a new membrane somewhere.
Hopefully that part is available. Let us know if you find it
Yep, I will :)
@@AliensInc. - Did you find them?
I found on aliexpress, don't know the quality of course...
@@elvinhaak Yeah also on Ali and I bought 2 of them, still haven't got them though due to our useless internal postal crap. Been in the country for 2 weeks and still nothing.
Gonna mail them and be harsh
@@AliensInc. Yes, it sometimes 'takes a while' (like 2 months sometimes) to get stuff from Ali that is listed as inside in our country waiting for the customs...
Did you ever get a chance to do an update on this tool after extended use?
No, but I should. I have been using it it a lot and love it. Works great, and is super easy to keep clean. I will do a update on it in my next workshop update video.
@@MyVintagePinball
pls tell the price of ds and from I get it my whtsapp number is +91 08652689030 pls reply
I have something similar. Is the filter on this a little sponge? If so, it needs to be wetted.
No it's fiber; it should not be wetted. On a HAKKO it's some fiber composite that resists high heat.
I have been waiting for a video like this. I need a pump but have been wondering if these will work for pinball pcbs or if I needed to break down and get a Hakko.
I bought one from circuitspecialists recently. they have alot of replacement parts. not sure if it is the same model. but they seem to have good supply of parts.
Thats a different brand/model, but I see it is on sale right now for $76! so well worth it I would say. Let us know how it works!
I've used mine for many hours, and now it won't heat up at all. Anyone have this issue? How to troubleshoot? The element has 4 wires and a ground wire?
How much is the price
Is 100W enough to effectively remove old solder from 30 yr old PCBs?
Yup, works no problem. Always helps to add new solder first, or at least add some flux
30 year old PCBs can be easier to work with than brand new ones due to the lead-free solder in use now. They have a higher melting point and take more heat to re-melt. So like MyVintagePinball says, add a little solder--preferably tin-lead--and the alloy will lower the temp of the old solder and also provide more contact area to transfer heat to the joint.
Pindude - Nice Review! It's been 2 years since this review...do you still like & recommend the S-993A Desoldering Gun? Were you able to locate the spare "chamber" yellow plastic part? I'm looking for an desoldering gun - I work on 1 or 2 Pinball PCBs per year (for my personal collection) because I'm tired of the "bulb" suckers. Thanks - Scott.
Wonder what you ever ended up doing? Did you get one of these S-993A or did you go with a hakko? Something else?
I similarly only do a few things per year (maybe 3-5 projects) that really make use of a nice desoldering gun. I ended up getting a harshly used hakko 808 on ebay for about $80.
Cleaned it up nice, cleaned the tips, the desoldering chambers, took the pump heads off and cleaned the diaphrams.... cleaned it all well. It does quite nicely for $80. Can still source genuine hakko nozzles for it.
It's wonderful when you desolder through hole parts and they just fall off the board.
I surely wouldn't spend $300 on a FR-301 though I know they are high quality units. If I were in a line of work where I was using it every day, or near ever day... sure the 301 is a no brainer. As someone who will put between 10 and 20 hours a year on the thing... the S-993A (or in my case, a used hakko 808) just made the most sense.
Gotta a really nice bulb solder sucker. Still looking / wishing / hoping for something better. 😞
you could use google translate to translate that manual using your phone's camera with either live image or a photograph.
on aliexpress you can find replacement filters, sets of tips and replacement parts for the gun. I've seen replacement rubber seals, replacement collection chambers, replacement heaters and replacement pumps. (can provide links if you need them.)
Be careful that it doesn’t pull the pad off.
I have this tool, but I still have trouble doing a clean desoldering job with it. I still end up losing pads on the board, or damaging traces. Do you have any advice on how to do a cleaner desoldering job with this tool?
Get a HAKKO and keep the tips clean with non abrasive cleaners.
Imperial vs Metric wrenches.
desolder iron 을 되게 사용할 줄 모르나 . 납이 채 녹기 전에 pumping 을 하니 ,
충분히 납이 녹을 때까지 tip 을 대고 납이 충분히 녹으면 리드를 살짝 흔들어 주면서
동시에 Pump 를 해야 깔끔하게 흡입 되는데 참 사용할 줄 모르네.
nice.
I just tried out my brand new PN-998
Paid about $350 AU for mine. Tomorrow morning I will be putting it in the garbage. I have been a tech for 40 years. This is a complete piece of crap.
DO NOT waste your money on it. Seriously...Complete piece of crap.
Actually...
I am putting it is the garbage right now...
Hadir
Complete and absolute garbage. Two came to me DOA with dead suction motors already
What an absolute waste of time watching this, obviously if your going to add fresh solder to the joint it’s going to work, very poor review.. unsubscribe me now..
Oh oops I didn’t subscribe, lucky for me, give up pal.. your bad at it.
You're confusing me... adding flux while doing rework is good technique...
Blablabla, ein Politiker erzählt nicht so viel um auf den Punkt zukommen
Blablabla, a politician doesn't say so much to get to the point
Hey man, just focus on your hygiene. Cut those nasty nails!