New Hakko FR-300 desoldering tool review

[powerking]

Here is a guy's video review of the new FR-300 (supposedly the replacement for the tried and true model 808. Looks to be ~~ $100 more than the 808.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUrXNozK1Xg


Tom(PK)

[Polaraligned]

I won't be selling my 808 for one of these anytime soon..

[Rod Beauvex]

There is nothing on Hakko's website about it that I could find.

What is with Hakko and the Fisher-Price shapes and color schemes?

[powerking]

There are a few listed w/Ebay sellers out there; don't know why the "Web-Master" for Hakko would not be listing any info on this unit....

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hakko-FR300-...#ht_4740wt_932

Yeah, the new color scheme is super important for the de-soldering performance...

I wish someone would actually post a video of how well it works and in operation compared to the 808.

Tom (PK)

[VintagePC]

There's some info on the B+D site:
http://www.bdent.com/hakko-fr-300-desoldering-tool.html

About $60 more than the 808 from them.

Give it some time and I'd imagine the resident guys from B&D will do a promo for it much like they've done on AK for the 808 and FX-888

[maxhifi]

Is something like this really worth buying? I have an old Weller 35W iron, and one of those vacuum solder sucker things which is a cylinder with a plunger and a spring, you press a button and it snaps and sucks the solder out of a joint... then an bigger 80W iron for heavier work. I've never given any thought to my equipment, maybe there's a whole world out there I am missing out on.

[VintagePC]

Originally Posted by maxhifi

Is something like this really worth buying? I have an old Weller 35W iron, and one of those vacuum solder sucker things which is a cylinder with a plunger and a spring, you press a button and it snaps and sucks the solder out of a joint... then an bigger 80W iron for heavier work. I've never given any thought to my equipment, maybe there's a whole world out there I am missing out on.

My take... I used to do that too until I bought an 808 last fall. After I bought it I wish I had one earlier.

It may be a dedicated tool and while a sucker and an iron _can_ do the job... it makes things much easier, faster, and cleaner.

Solder suckers can be a bit finicky and if you are working odd angles or in tight spaces... sometimes it's hard to get the joint to stay hot enough so you can get the sucker in and remove the solder. Similarly, it can take several tries (and applications of fresh solder) to completely clean the joint.

The main upside here is that you can continue to heat the solder whilst applying suction - and the result is faster desoldering, probably 1-2 seconds per joint vs the 5-6 spent otherwise (assuming it's clean on the first go). Ergo, no need to heat well past the melting point and pray it stays liquid long enough without damaging what you are trying to remove.

The other thing you won't miss is the grit and pile of little flecks of solder you tend to get with a sucker no matter how careful you are to depress over a container of sorts. Nor will this gum up on you and have to be disassembled (spreading more crud) because there's a large glob or crushed strand preventing the plunger from locking down. (If it does block up, just pop in the cleaning tool and you're good to go in a few seconds)

Third: one-handed operation - unless you have a smaller sucker (in which case you may find it has low volume/sucking power) often they're big and awkward to manipulate while holding an iron in your other hand.

My bottom line is I'd recommend it if you do a lot of desoldering work and can afford it. You definitely won't regret. (and be sure to check out the vendor classifieds on AudioKarma as there are occasionally promotions there - it's what tipped the scale for me).

[maxhifi]

Originally Posted by VintagePC

My take... I used to do that too until I bought an 808 last fall. After I bought it I wish I had one earlier.

It may be a dedicated tool and while a sucker and an iron _can_ do the job... it makes things much easier, faster, and cleaner.

Solder suckers can be a bit finicky and if you are working odd angles or in tight spaces... sometimes it's hard to get the joint to stay hot enough so you can get the sucker in and remove the solder. Similarly, it can take several tries (and applications of fresh solder) to completely clean the joint.

The main upside here is that you can continue to heat the solder whilst applying suction - and the result is faster desoldering, probably 1-2 seconds per joint vs the 5-6 spent otherwise (assuming it's clean on the first go). Ergo, no need to heat well past the melting point and pray it stays liquid long enough without damaging what you are trying to remove.

The other thing you won't miss is the grit and pile of little flecks of solder you tend to get with a sucker no matter how careful you are to depress over a container of sorts. Nor will this gum up on you and have to be disassembled (spreading more crud) because there's a large glob or crushed strand preventing the plunger from locking down. (If it does block up, just pop in the cleaning tool and you're good to go in a few seconds)

Third: one-handed operation - unless you have a smaller sucker (in which case you may find it has low volume/sucking power) often they're big and awkward to manipulate while holding an iron in your other hand.

My bottom line is I'd recommend it if you do a lot of desoldering work and can afford it. You definitely won't regret. (and be sure to check out the vendor classifieds on AudioKarma as there are occasionally promotions there - it's what tipped the scale for me).

Man you make one compelling argument, every single point makes sense.. may have to put one of these on the list

[VintagePC]

Originally Posted by maxhifi

Man you make one compelling argument, every single point makes sense.. may have to put one of these on the list

Glad to hear I was helpful. Feel free to shoot me a PM if you have specific questions.

Oh, and if you do decide to order from B+D because of their promo and are outside the US... call and ask to have it shipped USPS. You won't get blasted with customs charges. Usually your local post office will only charge whatever taxes you owe plus a small flat fee instead of an exorbitant amount like certain brown couriers.

[Jon A.]

Chances are a lot of 808s will end up on eBay with inflated prices now.

[maxhifi]

I will wait for a sale at active electronics (local electronics component chain)
They always send me flyers and I always ignore them, sticking to my Stone Age tools instead. Now my mind has been opened.