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Hakko FR-301 Desoldering Gun review

IMHO the key is the size of the nozzle.

I had a Pro'skit SS-331H and it wasn't great as the smallest nozzle was 1.0mm. That's too big and would easily damage the pcb around the pin.

I swapped to a SP-1010DR (ZD-915) and bought a compatible 0.8mm nozzle. It is a dream!

1. Spend the extra 2 mins tinning the pins with a little extra solder

2. Desolder at 360 degrees holding against the pin for 1 second and it removes all solder with ease. The 0.8mm nozzle means the full circumference of the nozzle is touching all solder and no pcb for an instant melt.

3. Don't attempt to extract the component until giving the pins a quick blast with hot air at 320 degrees @ full air to guarantee any tiny solder remnants melt and the component will glide out with zero force and no damage.
 
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I bought the smaller nozzles for the FR-301 along with an extra 1.0mm since it’s the best all round

The larger oval nozzles are a great option as well, it was something I always missed not having on the ZD-915
 
buffi said:
I have one of those too, and the Hakko just does a much much better job for me. Heats faster, better suction, clogs less. Felt like a huge upgrade to move away from the ZD915.
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I must have gotten lucky or something mine has always heated quickly and works fast. If the tip starts to wear out though you notice a performance hit. Im sure the difference using the Hakko is more noticeable though but for my needs the chinatastic ZD-915 is still doing it for me
 
The ZD-915 is a great unit and worked well for a long time - the tips definitely wear out faster but they’re also cheaper so you just need to keep spares on hand

The main problem I had on my ZD-915 units is the pump dying, but they worked hard until they died
 
you need to add an extra filter on the rubber hose to protect the pump from the flux vapor
i use a small fuel filter designed for a small engine
 
xodaraP said:
Is that the JBC clone? I’m looking at grabbing one of those - not sure if I should go for a genuine JBC instead but looking at a few YouTube reviews the T3A seems to be pretty close and will fit original tips
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It got here faster than I thought, hope to try it out this weekend.
Got some extras with it.
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Also got a mini hot plate to mess with at my desk so I dont have to go to my bench downstair.
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Do you mind my asking how much the hot plate cost?

I’m definitely liking the look of the soldering iron

Looks like they’ve seen the YouTube reviews about the handle temperature and they include the foam boot now too, nice
 
Go it on AE with like $81 after applying some coupon/discount codes. So not too bad after all, everywhere has it for like $99-120.
 
Hakko 2024 - the Juicero of desoldering

Can be used in either "pencil" or "gun" configuration - the pencil weighs about 80 grams (under 3oz). You can activate either by pulling the trigger, pressing the button on the pencil, or using the foot pedal.
IMG_3436.jpegIMG_3434.jpeg

The "nozzle" is actually a completely separate heating element, an entire self contained induction tip. It heats up very fast and maintains its heat perfectly even under very high loads. It can do interesting tricks like cleaning the nozzle while it is still powered but decoupled from the device.
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It goes into a specific cradle that will cool the tip down when not in use, power down after idle time etc. The filter tube is a disposable unit, they come in bags of ten.
IMG_3438.jpegIMG_3435.jpeg

The other part is the control station itself - there are various ways to control the tool
Hakko 206 (fully self contained)
Hakko 204 (fully self contained)
Hakko 205 (needs shop air, and a regulator)
Hakko 203 (needs shop air, a control unit and a regulator)

It works super fast, it can stay on all day, it comes up to heat in no time, it stays at heat for even the most enormous thermal masses, it can be cleaned quickly, the solder tube can be swapped very quickly, the ergonomics are amazing.
If I wanted to desolder 1000 connections an hour, every hour, every day for years, with zero downtime and zero faults this tool will do it.
It costs so much money; everything to do with it costs money, even looking at it costs money. The initial setup cost is outrageous, the tips are absurd, the consumables are just plain silly.

So the Juicero of desoldering - The 2024 is exactly what happens when engineers design a perfect tool with absolutely no regard to cost.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Cp-BGQfpHQ
 
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