Hakko FR301-03/P Portable Desoldering Tool with Precise Temperature Control °F /°C

This is not just any Desoldering gun... It's the definitive soldering gun from Japan thats used by many tech repair experts for desoldering needs! Makes removing IC's and other components fast and easy. Heats up extremely fast and gets the job done with very good suction with enough sucking power to suck up even the biggest solder blobs! It features 4 heat settings from 350c (660f) to 500c (930f). and has changeable tips and removable solder tips. Kit includes a carrying case and tools to clean and change the tips. If you need a amazing tool to desolder, then you will not regret this purchase!

Works fantastic. Well made. Desoldering has never been so clean and easy. Very happy with it. On the expensive side but you get what you pay for in my opinion.

This is probably the best made hand held powered vacuum desoldering device on the market today. At a setting of around 700F (371C) it is more than capable of removing the most stubborn components. Tip change is easy (even hot!) and the unit will extract a lot of components before you need to empty the collector. The unit has a really nice latch system on the solder collector that locks the spring in place so that removal and replacement of the collector is easy. When you replace it you simply push a button to lock the collector in place. I do wish at this price they would include the 0.8, 1.5 and 2mm tips though. I removed over 200 parts of all types off of two quality FR-4 PCB's and it worked without a hitch and without any lifted pads. Now for my gripes: The case is cheap blow molded plastic (the kind of thing you see at Harbor Freight on cheap tool kits) with plastic hinges. This is not the sort of thing that I would expect from a professional tool. Also there is no extra storage room for things that you might need in the field. I better solution would be a case with real latches and a HDPE foam insert that could easilly be modified as needed. In addition the iron stand is a joke. It looks like something that a 5 year old would design. The stand for this device should be stable and fully support the unit sitting on a bench. My Solderwerks BK-3090 (I bought from Circuit Specialists, around 2 years ago and no parts are available WTF? hence the Hakko FR-301 purchase) had a much better case and a far superior iron holder. The sad thing is Hakko does not offer anything better as a bench holder for the FR-301. I have ordered a couple of different 3rd party ones to try but I may just continue to use the Solderwerks holder. I wish I could buy another one of those. Solderwerks tool was junk but at least the stand and case were good. I may have to fabricate or modify my own. As for the case I may just reuse the Solderwerks one. As an engineer Hakko should be ashamed to offer such a great tool with these glaring faults.

I rarely am moved to write a review, but I am so thrilled with this product. I recently got into restoring vintage audio equipment. I started off using the manual copper wick or "solder sucker" tools, which were fine for one or two components, but are just punishing to use when trying to desolder 30 or more components in a single unit. Based on the good reviews, I sprang for the Hakko and I'm so glad I did. It's easy to use, easy to clean, basically foolproof. It's a HUGE time saver and gives a much better result than the manual methods I mentioned. The included tip has been fine for almost all of the normal capacitors, transistors, etc. that I need to remove, but sometimes thicker pins (like jumper pins) won't fit in the tip. The accessory tips are stupidly expensive, so I haven't bought those, instead using the tip I have to sort of melt and vacuum around the solder joint rather than on top of it. It still works to get about 90% of the solder cleaned up, and the wick or manual pump in conjunction with a soldering iron can take care of the rest. My only gripe is that the metal stand is a bit chintzy and the natural coil tension of its thick power cord can sort of push it around quite easily. Not a product complaint, but a safety tip: it's easy to forget that this thing is on. A couple times I have carelessly allowed a cord to drape across the tip only to watch the smoke rise as the insulation on it melts.

I hesitated to buy one of these for years, until starting to do some substantial hifi recap projects. Once you use one of these, you will curse yourself for ever wasting time and energy with hand held spring loaded suction pumps, absorbent braid, etc. I worried about the suction power of the handheld all in one device, but it's just amazing. It heats up FAST, it does not clog if you let it pull for a second after each extraction to clear the tube, and the filter just works without a lot of attention. Biggest and only "issues" is lack of a stand, and need to buy additional tips for some tasks, especially larger items, but just forget all that and buy this thing, you will be glad you did. It's like going from a hand saw miter box to a 10" compound chop saw, it's that big a difference. Also, it saves you from damaging components, pcb's, and makes removing complex components easy and fun. I also splurged and purchased the Hakko soldering rig, which is also amazing, primarily because it heats up super fast, and control the temperature. I was tempted to try some of the cheaper Chinese options since I'm not a pro, but I'm really glad I splurged a bit for these items. I really look forward to using them instead of just tolerating them. To be a bit more rounded in this review, I agree with several other youtube and online reviews that mention the case is not great, it's a pain to get the cord in there, and the stiff cord combined with no stand is a danger for the thing sliding off the table. Make a coffee can stand or something, and keep some cord wrap thingies handy and it's all good. Hakko, including a second tip with a larger opening would be nice! Final note, some folks seemed confused by the tips not having a hole. They come pre-tinned with solder, the hole is there, it's just soldered over. Heat it up, pull the trigger you have a hole. No need to drill anything out at all.

I’ve been using this for nearly 2 years and it is an awesome tool. I wasn’t crazy about the FX888 soldering iron, STILL not sure it’s “calibrated” but have it working more consistently than before spending about two hours messing with calibrating, looking up others’ experiences and suggestions. No such hassles with this device. Pros: - fewer “cooked” components - FAST compared to other methods - leaves cleaner pads/leads - temp adjustable so you don’t suck up pads on older boards - temp adjustable so you CAN disassemble those antique 50 year old Heathkits and older radios. - different sized tips for different projects/leg sizes. LONG-nosed 1mm tip is best for most modern electronics like IC legs - learning curve not too steep to get good effects with first time use. CONS: - needs a better stand (worth buying one), included stand conducts heat to table/surface you lay the gun on. - newer ? plastic filters clog faster, or seem to. Older, ceramic ones last longer and are easier to peel off a layer and keep using. - filters aren’t cheap. Cheaper filters are more expensive in the long run as you replace them more often - NEEDS A LITTLE MAINTENANCE - cleaning, tinning tip just like soldering iron - little more practice than it would seem at first - dross/flux dust probably contains lead. I use a fan/filter with this and strongly suggest getting one for general soldering as well. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve used this. It’s a major time and frustration saver. With the right tip and heat adjustment it’s easier to get IC’s off their boards than anything else I’ve used. I’m just now noticing that the pump seems to BLOW first, a little puff of (hopefully not too-toxic) lead dust comes out when I trigger the gadget and suction is going downhill. I suspect I’ll need to disassemble, clean/wash the actual pump soon, and there’re no instructions on how to do that included with the tool. TIP: touch the component LEG, NOT the pad, with the tip. May be (is often) necessary to push tip against pad/hole to get maximal suction on thicker/2-layer boards. All things considered, I’m glad I bought it, and would buy one again.

The Hakko FR301-03/P is amazing and de-solders small and large through-hole and even small surface mount components quickly and easily, without damage to either the PWB or components. Very strong suction, adjustable/controlled tip temperature, easy to learn to use, easy to clean, easy to change tips. Readily available tips and filters. High quality and comes with a nice case with cleaning tools, spare parts (and a really inadequate stamped stainless steel holder). Note that the OPTIONAL Hakko C1100 soldering iron holder fits this tool perfectly and keeps it stable when not in use - it really should be supplied as "standard" with the FR301-03/P. I bought the Hakko FR301-03/P and tested it against my older, industrial de-soldering tool that has a separate power supply/vacuum source & lines to the de-soldering head (which is large and whose handle gets pretty hot). The all-in-one Hakko FR301-03/P is more agile, the handle stays cool and hence its much easier/quicker to use. It's a Ferrari in comparison and has replaced the older machine completely. Worth every penny.

If you do any amount of soldering, YOU NEED THIS TOOL! This tool is one of those ones that can easily fall into the luxury category given its price, but it also happens to be one of those tools that will pay for itself in no time. I'm so mad that I spent a lot of years de-soldering things without this tool. I've broken traces, overheated boards, pulled too hard on connections that weren't fully de-soldered yet, etc. and this tool would have saved me each and every time. I pretty much have no more use for my old solder sucker tool! The build quality is superb which is expected from Hakko and I love that it comes with its own storage case. This tool is so easy to use and even though I haven't had to yet, it looks super easy to clean as well. It makes quick work of practically any solder joints you may have and they even sell various heads that you can buy if you have specialty areas that the regular head can't get to. The heat is also adjustable, so you can get just the right temperature when needed.

I have a 474 desoldering station (not Hakko) that is 2 or 3 years old. I mostly remove 5-pin relays and reuse the board with a simple MOSFET switch circuit. I had gotten the process down to a science with the 474 desoldering station - 450 C, 5 to 8 seconds to liquify the solder, pull trigger while circling the tip around the pin for 3 seconds and keep pulling the trigger until after the desoldering gun was off the pad. On pin 3, 4 and 5 I would use my finger to wiggle the relay loose during this process. I would usually have to clean the filters at around 30 to 40 relays as the suction would gradually decrease to a point where the pins wouldn't be cleaned out completely. I was deciding on a replacement when the suction wouldn't remove more than half the solder (still not sure where my leak is or if it is the pump). With the Hakko set between 400 C to 450 C, it is approximately 1 or 2 seconds on the pad and pull the trigger, I move the tip around bit. The Hakko suction is much better - it usually removes most if not all the solder. The Hakko almost seems like it keeps the solder liquified while pulling whereas on the 474 it felt like the solder started cooling as soon as I pulled the trigger. The Hakko is much easier to clean. The 474 was a bit finicky because the heat wasn't very isolated - there was the handling of hot spring filters, etc. The spring filter was also a pain to clean even if replaced with a better compatible spring. The time savings on the Hakko are significant - approximately 2 to 3 times faster with much less hassle and frustration. I also like how it is portable with it's own case, this will save me some space. Simply a high quality and well designed tool. It was worth every penny and I expect it to pay for itself with the time saved.

Buena herramienta muy útil, hasta ahora jala muy bien la soldadura

It's definitely an investment up front, but I can tell you, for me, it was worth it. I use mine for vintage audio restoration and repair and I use it constantly. Most of my work is with single-layer circuit boards and it works very well. I usually add a bit of solder to reflow the joint that I'm desoldering to make it come off a bit nicer and the results are always good. I bought some extra tips, a new filter pipe, and some more filters so that I have spare parts for the future. Tips are relatively expense, but are of good quality and last a long time. Maybe forever. It's really nice to be able to instantly lift a leg of a resistor or a capacitor to open up a circuit when troubleshooting or to make a reading on a part. You can also use this to do quick solder jobs if you don't feel like plugging your regular iron in. I've used the cheap desoldering hand guns before and I can tell you the pump isn't nearly as powerful, nor the heater. It is also alot sturdier. This tool heats up FAST, and it gets HOT. I've always used mine on the lowest heat setting and it gets extremely hot, which is really what you need so that the heat penetrates the solder joint and gets everything good and liquified. The high price tag is unfortunate, because the Japanese models that run on 100VAC seem to cost about $200 CAD less. I often wonder if it would have worked just as well. I didn't want to take the chance though. I advise against buying a used desoldering tool , as there are so many parts that fail and you can't get parts for most of the models that people are trying to hawk these days. In my opinion, this is the best buy.

Funciona tal y como esperaba. Hakko es una muy buena marca. Excelente opción.

This unit is awesome! One of my favorite tools in the shop, an absolute joy to use. Don't bother with cheap units, save yourself years of pain and just buy this one. Heats up quickly and consistently, wide temperature range. Very comfortable to hold and use. Good suction, low noise. Tips are easy to change. Unit is easy to clean, and you can do a *lot* of work between cleanings in a session. The range of different available tips is impressive, including some very small ones which I use to fix glitches when reballing BGA chips, or big tips for big heavy transformer leads, etc. Tips are expensive, but last a very long time if you're gentle with them and keep them clean.