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Pro tip: I swapped my cheap solder sucker for a real desoldering station last week
I kept fighting with that $12 plunger-style solder sucker on a vintage stereo board, burning pads and ripping traces. Picked up a Hakko FR-301 used off eBay for $180 and finished the job in half the time with zero damage. Has anyone else made the jump to a powered desoldering tool and regretted waiting so long?
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nathankim13d ago
Whoa, a hundred eighty bucks for a solder sucker? That's a bit much.
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colethomas13d agoTop Commenter
Yeah, but you won't buy another one for like 10 years. Worth it.
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ramirez.vera13d ago
Yeah, I had a similar moment of clarity after melting a pad clean off a 1980s cassette deck. Spent 20 bucks on three cheap suckers before I finally caved and got a used Hakko. Felt a little silly spending that much at first, but after one session cleaning up a rusted power supply board, I forgot all about the price. My only regret is not doing it sooner and saving myself all those burnt fingertips and cuss words.
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