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Comparing Desoldering Tools

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32 pointsgeerlingguy17 comments

I've been pretty happy with just a couple of sizes of Chemtronic Solder Wick (I use the lead free). Apply some extra flux (Chip Quik SMD291NL) on the joint, use a medium chisel tip, and its been able to handle anything I've thrown at it. I've also used it on a somewhat fine-pitch SMT M.2 connector by wrapping a smaller size around a small needle tip.

I can imagine if you did this a lot it might be worth investing in the tweezers or suction to save time, but as a hobbyist I'm not convinced the math works out.

Spring loaded sucker for DIP, wick and flux for anything smaller. Use good liquid flux, and alot of it, and it's short work.

I can't imagine how much desoldering I'd have to do in order to even consider a gun, seems to be a very tenuous proposition.

I've never had much luck with the suckers. Which one do you use?

The soldapullt worked fine for me. That said: when mine went missing over 15 years ago, I never got around to replacing it.

You need to get them right onto the solder joint as you're heating it up. If that plastic tip of the sucker is melting that's usually an indication you're using it the right way ;) e.g. with a DIP part you basically get the sucker over the pin/pad and push it hard against the molten solder so that it's sucking through the through-hole. Like many things with soldering it's an acquired skill. Also having a good temperature controlled soldering iron with an appropriate tip is important.

It was some offbrand I bought from radioshack back in the day. Teflon tip, aluminum tube with a spring in it and an o-ring. Super simple, cheap.

The big thing is to get the tip more or less touching the solder you're looking to suck, and if you're on a PCB, make sure you allow it to cool between sucking sessions so you don't lift a pad.

The best desoldering tool in my experience is flux core solder wick. Make an entire flux dish hot, put the braid in the liquid flux, then let it cool. Once you pull it out the entire braid will have flux throughout and it will actually wick up properly and clear vias.

You should do a video on this. I can’t do wicking worth shit.

A trick one of my electronics instructors taught me many years ago is to put the wick on the solder joint to be removed, set the iron onto the top of the wick then pull up on the wick and wrap it around the tip of the iron. Heating the wick higher up from the joint causes the solder to flow up into the wick higher.

Once you do it a couple times it becomes second nature. Also, use flux.

Do you have a good soldering iron with a good tip set to the correct temperature? That's step number one. Then put the wick right over the joint, make sure you have flux or generally "wet" your soldering iron's tip (really using the "side of the tip" to heat up a wider amount of wick is an option).

I used to do this all the time but now I have a cheap crappy soldering iron and that makes it much harder. I hardly do any soldering these days so haven't bothered getting a good one.

The tricky bit is really melting the solder, getting it to flow, while it's in good contact with the wick.

The Pinecil is cheap cheap and good enough (if you have a suitable power supply, which many people don't).

The Hakko felt like a super power when I got it. One of those tools that does one thing really well. Needs a good clean quite often but I felt like it paid for itself pretty quickly.

I bought a Hakko FR301 to desolder a few thousand microcontroller based boards that had a through hole battery holder that needed to be changed out.

The FR301 literally saved me days. As mentioned it needs regular cleaning (not surprising) and I also went through a lot of filters with it.

Not sure I could justify one for the odd desoldering job but if you're working with a lot of parts, they are essential. Great product.

I would also add you need an extractor fan to go with it, as the fumes will give you a fierce headache. Hakko make those too.

Engineer SS-02 is the best spring loaded solder pump. Beware fakes.

I've been keeping solder wick in zip lock bags since I read on HN that it oxidizes and gets less efficient over time.

There is a link on makertube, for those who are trying to avoid youtube: https://makertube.net/w/97Arnj9UNYX5gcAnoCBPB1

Many years ago, I did component level repairs for everything from Data General memory cards to PC 5150 memory. The problem with the built in solder suckers is that it's easy to damage the pads when you have a tiny trace that you're putting a metal nozzle over. Solder flux and desoldering wick is much safer, and sometimes you will get better results by adding solder, then using wick to pull it out. Adding new solder helps heat the pins up with more surface area.

Back when I worked in an actual electronics laboratory in the early 90s, manual solder suckers ruled the day (and that's what I still use, with some solder wick from time to time). Does anyone know when these more advanced rework stations become common?

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