I've got both the Hakko FR300 and FX951 on the way. My trusty Aouye solder/desolder station has been a workhorse for the last three years but is just not keeping up. The desolder part constantly needs fiddling with to work well. The soldering iron part occasionally decides not to heat. I've already replaced both guns once. I guess there's no beating spending money on really good tools, though. At least it is a write off! Kinda peeved that the FX951 does not include a single tip, though.
http://www.amazon.com/Hakko-FR300-05-FR300-De-soldering-carrying/dp/B00KWM69C4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414152058&sr=8-1&keywords=hakko+fr300
http://www.amazon.com/AMERICAN-HAKKO-PRODUCTS-INC-FX-951/dp/B0012B8NW8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414152087&sr=8-1&keywords=hakko+fx951
Great choices! I'm sure they will both treat you well.
i'd be curious to hear your thoughts on the fr300, its ridiculously expensive over here, i'd like a desoldering gadget but i wouldnt care much about spending money on something that's not worth the price of asking.
I'll definitely post my thoughts on both. I'm hoping these will last me at least 5-6 years...probably longer if I take good care of them.
Man, those both look sweet. I'd be interested to know how the desolder gun works too.
If that ayoue lasted you three years, how long would it last a mere mortal?
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Desoldering gun?!? christ i thought i was being fancy with my ss-02 opposed to the traditional blue pumps!
Not sure i do anywhere near the amount of desoldering to justify a gadget like that though :(
Very nice!
Josh
No considerations for SMD work Brian?
I've come close to pulling the trigger on the FR300. At some point, I think I will. That could be a useful thing to have around.
I've used both of these when I worked for Hitachi...better than anything I've used since.
Quote from: madbean on October 24, 2014, 01:04:03 PM
I'm hoping these will last me at least 5-6 years...probably longer if I take good care of them.
The Weller soldering iron I was using before I (recently) got my Hakko FX-888D was over 20 years old with regular use from my Dad (when he was still an electronics engineer)
You can easily do SMD on the Hakko FX-888D but could never do it on the Weller
Cheers
Joshua
I've done SMD stuff even with the Aoyue. A pin tip and small core solder plus a flux pen was enough to get going. But, desoldering would be a different animal. For that I would use some tweezers or something else.
So, they are both pretty awesome. I've put in a fair amount of time with the solder pen. It works so well, and the unit heats up in less than 10 seconds! The desolder gun is larger than I thought and sounds like a dying yak when you pull the trigger, but it really does miles better than my previous one. It actually pulls all the solder out of the pads in one go most of the time.
So, I guess I can say it was probably worth the money. 8)
At least you have a good audio reference for that dying yak pedal you've been talking about designing. ;-P
Quote from: pickdropper on October 30, 2014, 03:59:42 AM
At least you have a good audio reference for that dying yak pedal you've been talking about designing. ;-P
When is this dying yak pedal going to be released? Lol;);D
That's some killer equipment you've picked up.
Richard
I spoke too soon. The FR-300 is being returned. Unfortunately, I got a defective unit and it appears that the temperature sensor is toast. The nozzle doesn't heat any longer. So, I will get a replacement and hopefully that one will be okay!
:'( even a cheap FR300 on TradeMe is like $472
once my current moneypit is sorted, might look on ebay for a cheaper knockoff.
Quote from: alanp on November 01, 2014, 12:28:02 AM
:'( even a cheap FR300 on TradeMe is like $472
once my current moneypit is sorted, might look on ebay for a cheaper knockoff.
Or a gently used station like the 472D can often be found for less than 300. ;)
How do you like the auto sleep feature?
I have the previous version of the desoldering gun...it too has the dying yak tone...
Quote from: madbean on October 31, 2014, 09:41:58 PM
I spoke too soon. The FR-300 is being returned. Unfortunately, I got a defective unit and it appears that the temperature sensor is toast. The nozzle doesn't heat any longer. So, I will get a replacement and hopefully that one will be okay!
Was your replacement functional? Would love to hear if you are still satisfied, or decided to go another direction.
There are lots of similar complaints about the FR300 in the Amazon reviews. I really want one of these, but the complaints of "broke after a few days" are numerous.
I have a FX888D and it is excellent quality. Makes me think there might be some counterfeits floating around? Or Hakko just had a bad run?
The next step up from the FX300 is in the $~$450 range and requires shop air. Too rich for my blood, and I don't want to have to be constrained desolder in the garage, where my air compressor is.
100% satisfied. The replacement has not caused any issues and I've desoldered hundreds of components with it at this point. The only small complaint is that the nozzle hole is too small to fit over a 16mm PCB pin. But, I have not looked to see if there are larger nozzles yet. So far I have been able to desolder those by going at them from the sides or using my old desolder gun.
Quote from: dadler on December 11, 2014, 05:07:00 AM
There are lots of similar complaints about the FR300 in the Amazon reviews. I really want one of these, but the complaints of "broke after a few days" are numerous.
I have a FX888D and it is excellent quality. Makes me think there might be some counterfeits floating around? Or Hakko just had a bad run?
I swear Amazon has much more fake stuff on it then eBay. I try and avoid that place if I can.
Sounds like some good stuff. I've never felt bad about buying good equipment. It really becomes apparent when you use quality equipment.
I'm still using my old WESD51 from Weller. Given how much I actually use it it might be overkill. I'm still pretty happy with it. Need a few more tips though.
My desoldering iron came from radio shack. It takes like 15 minutes to heat up, but it always works like a charm. I don't desolder much so I can't see buying a better one.
Quote from: madbean on December 11, 2014, 12:33:41 PM
100% satisfied. The replacement has not caused any issues and I've desoldered hundreds of components with it at this point. The only small complaint is that the nozzle hole is too small to fit over a 16mm PCB pin. But, I have not looked to see if there are larger nozzles yet. So far I have been able to desolder those by going at them from the sides or using my old desolder gun.
Awesome-I am about to pull the trigger momentarily.
And I think they do have "larger" nozzles: just look under "customers also bought" here: http://www.tequipment.net/Hakko/FR-300/Desoldering-Equipment/?OrderItemId=1056733
Although if yours came with the 1mm standard one, it might not be larger. I am thinking of grabbing an extra and drilling it out.
Nevermind, they have ones that are already bigger, no drilling necessary:
http://www.tequipment.net/search/?F_Keyword=FR-300%20nozzle
I wonder why Tequipment has them on clearance already. They just got these a short while ago and seemed really excited about them on the forums.
Yeah, made me a bit concerned too. Others are selling the FR-300 for a similar price. MSRP is still $309. Oh well, if it works it works. I doubt it would be discontinued so early?
Anywhoo, I pulled the trigger on the FR-300 from tequipment and grabbed 1.3mm and 1.6mm nozzles, in addition to the included 1mm. Per my calipers, 16mm board mounted pots have 1mm wide pins, but they have some breadth so very well may not fit in the 1mm nozzle. Should have my bases covered with 1.3mm and 1.6mm.
I use the 1.0mm for most things and the 1.6mm for switches and pots.
Josh
Received the FR-300. Surprised how compact it is compared to the old version.
Tequipment has them for $239 and If you are an EEVBlog forum member, use code EEVBLOG6 for a 6% discount. The already offer free shipping >$100 and no tax unless you are in NJ/PA.
BTW: I accidentally left mine on for 12 hours the other day. Still works perfectly.
Quote from: madbean on December 19, 2014, 07:40:37 PM
BTW: I accidentally left mine on for 12 hours the other day. Still works perfectly.
Yeah, it seems really well made. Although there is clearly something tiny rattling around inside of mine, not sure what. Doesn't seem to be causing any problems, though.
I wish there was an LED indicator letting me know it was turned on-oh well.
Pics:
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/js7ncakspc9fk6d/hakko_fr300_1.jpg)
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/y53bxam6f0nu32c/hakko_fr300_2.jpg)
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/qzsdciz85t7kd1j/hakko_fr300_3.jpg)
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/mg7epgfxspuk1mn/hakko_fr300_4.jpg)
There is an indicator below the trigger on the handle. It will blink red when it has reached operating temperatures.
Quote from: madbean on December 20, 2014, 01:22:07 AM
There is an indicator below the trigger on the handle. It will blink red when it has reached operating temperatures.
Doh-! Not sure how I missed that. Thanks, and thanks for the recommendation/review of the FR-300.
Along that vein--Do you have a hot air rework station that you use for smd stuff?