I've used a cheap ZD-915 desoldering station from Amazon for a while now, and it worked somewhat ok at first, but have started giving me issues, so upgraded to a Hakko FR-301 and want to write a quick review of this thing.
TL;DR: Basically, it's so much better. Buy this instead.
While it's a lot more pricey, the pump is builtin so it's more portable and just nicer to work with (no need for a big extra cable for the pump to keep straight). Desoldering DIP IC's with this is very pleasant. It also heats up FAST compared to the station I used to use. No more waiting for minutes to get things warm. Build quality feels great, overall a quality product.
Made a video where I desolder a big-ish DIP rom. As you can see in the video, it does get a bit clogged up at one point and needs a quick poke with the cleaning rod. Also featuring a cameo of my daughters voice asking me what the fuck I'm doing.
TL;DR: Basically, it's so much better. Buy this instead.
While it's a lot more pricey, the pump is builtin so it's more portable and just nicer to work with (no need for a big extra cable for the pump to keep straight). Desoldering DIP IC's with this is very pleasant. It also heats up FAST compared to the station I used to use. No more waiting for minutes to get things warm. Build quality feels great, overall a quality product.
Made a video where I desolder a big-ish DIP rom. As you can see in the video, it does get a bit clogged up at one point and needs a quick poke with the cleaning rod. Also featuring a cameo of my daughters voice asking me what the fuck I'm doing.