You do realise it is *much* easier to retrieve the duratool catch tube from the other end. Pull the "rubber" end towards the back and lever it out. Only gets stuck if the tube is completely clogged...

I've modded my 915 knockoff with a little bundle of steel wool in the glass. It acts as a filter and the solder cools quickly onto it, every now and then I swap in a new bit.

Great video Lee looking very professional, bright and chirpy, great rhythm to it too. Appreciate the shout-out and the hand-me-down. I must have removed hundreds of chips with my manual pump and this will be a massive massive upgrade. Thanks again

the exchange rate is brutal. Here in Japan, the Hakko is 22123 yen (About 115 pounds), making it a "yes, yes. All the way YES." decision. I dont do a whole lot of through hole work, but PCB work is my "day job" so between retro computer repairs and work, I use it 6-10 times per year. I would say that even at a much higher price, just the absolute easy cleaning and maintenance of the Hakko, along with super reliable, powerful suction makes it a strong recommendation even for casual solder sucking needs. If, when you pull out the tool, it just WORKS without giving you grief, its worth it. Nothing worse than struggling with a budget tool more than getting work done, to the point that you dread reaching for it. Even if you have to do a full "tear down" of the barrel and containment vessel to clean out a clog, its still SO MUCH EASIER than most other suckers. My only negative on the Hakko is that it is heavy in the hand, so when you are pulling a 40 pin socket or pulling a lot of chips at once, it gets tiring fast (and that atrocious stand lol) Hakko makes full stations as well.. but the price... ouch.. the FR-400 is a king. Had one at a previous job. Personally, I would avoid "station and tube" type systems unless you do through hole repair all day, every day. Generally, the tube gives you a lot more grief than the FR301's "pump in your palm" design. Its a very short vacuum run. No chance of a pinch, the tube popping off the station or tube deterioration. Or worse, an accidental touching of the tube by the iron tip causing a leak. Much less to go wrong.

This is the video I needed, Lee. Really appreciate it. I do need to evolve from what I currently have to desolder my components.

Great video, really nice to see this comparison, and more importantly, it works well for YOU - superb!

Good jobb at keeping the video amusing as well as informative. Honest vid.

I had really been trying to make up my mind for the last couple of months about which of these to invest in. After watching your video this morning, I pulled them both up on the net and took one more look. The. Japan Hakko was on sale today, and I had some rewards cash saved up as well, so I invested in the Hakko. Ended up being about 60 more after discount and rewards, than if I went with the other without the perks. I am only a hobbiest, so if they shipped me a good one, it should last as long as me.

I think my 915 is brilliant to be honest, and almost in daily use, and also very easy to fix when it goes wrong. The pump diaphragm for example is just a standard £3 fish tank pump type, and if the power supply blows, just throw in a cheap generic replacement! (not happened yet), even the entire complete guns are dirt cheap at £25. Throw a half decent 24v fan in there to solve any fan noises (along with removing the fan grill), and do the simple gun mod to allow the black plastic slider on the gun to slide back a few mm further to allow the glass to extract a lot easier (remove the cable tie in the gun on the top of the rubber vacuum tube connected to the black slider and remove about 1mm of material from the screw post if required to allow full rearward travel of the slider for easy removal of the glass tube. Oh and to stop clogging, let the unit fully warm up and then accumulate heat in the metal before use! (I let mine sit for 10 minutes) and virtually never clogs.

Great video. I have started to do some repairing again after a long pause. I have now used a manual pump and I'm pretty good with it but a desoldering tool would certainly save me time. It's such a great feeling when you get something working again.

YES, I just gave away my PoS ZD-915 and replaced with with the Hakko. The pain is OVER! This is a great overview of the pros and cons although at around 10:30 when you mention the blockages happen "occasionally". For my unit that "Occasion" was "When in use". In the end it sat unused for over a year before I splurged for a Hakko, in the meantime I used the little manual Engineer SS-02 which works brilliantly for a manual solder sucker...

Watching this makes me soooo glad I was able to snag a used Pace desoldering station for under $150, including the cost of ordering a replacement front seal (a consumable part that clearly hadn’t been replaced in years; replacing it restored it to like-new condition). The same unit new is over $1000. Also, Pace’s selection of desoldering tips is second to none, and are quite reasonably priced.

Great video Lee, loved the demonstration of the Duratool stand eventually falling off and the accurate demonstration of how a cheap solder sucker goes 50% of the time! I rarely do desoldering, once in a blue moon and only the odd chip here and there so my 'upgrade' from the plastic sucker was the Engineering tools metal sucker and I'm happy with that at the moment. However if I was more into repair, I would certainly be looking for a MOOO-tool so nice to know the things to look out for.

Such an excellent video, which hits all the important points. Balanced comparison and a sense of humour that is right up my street 👍

My experience of the Duratool and clones is that you would be well prepared if you order a spare element when you buy it, maybe they've improved but I've had to fit two replacements and have given up now, the station was relegated to a box somewhere in the shed the last time it failed. The best desoldering tool I've used was a Denon (edited, memory fail) desoldering gun but they're *ouch* expensive.

Great video. I've had another Japanese desoldering tool for about 20 years, from "Goot", it still works but I invested in the Hakko a few years back, it's in another league and I have zero regrets on buying it. The placement of the heating LED is so poor that until I saw your video, I didn't even know it existed... As you said, it points away from you.

Useful this thank you, i think i might opt for the duratool as im an "as and when" hobbyist

Great review. I never have trouble removing and fitting the glass tube, but my Duratool gun is blue/black and has a lever at the side to release it. Also removing rubber side first and inserting white seal side first is easy.

So funny, I was researching getting a desoldering gun this week to do some board repairs instead of my old desoldering pump. This video helped decision making.. Thanks.

manual suction pump can be greatly improved by adding a small piece of silicon tube on en of the noze output. silicon resist to heat so pump can be placed over the solder join while finishing the heating of solder. Silicon also greatly improve suction thank to a better contact with the melted solder join.

I have the FR-808 and the new FR-410 from Hakko. Both excellent tools!

One day I experimented with using my desoldering gun as a soldering iron (I figured the temperature was the same). Surprisingly I found it easier than a soldering iron because I can heat the solder from directly above instead of off to the side. I can even push straight down on some bits of solder giving it a much more solid join than through the regular method of soldering

I have ZD-917, combo soldering iron and desoldering gun. Works excellent for six or seven years. Sometimes in on for hours, no issues at all. Everytime after i finish desoldering i clean nozzle with provided wire stick and then i clean glass tube. Value for money is excellent.

Awesome review and timely too! I've been using braid for far too long and it's time for me to invest in a proper desoldering tool.

When the Duratool is blocked I can usually unblock it with the 1mm prying tool. Stick it in as far as it goes, grab onto the wire about 5mm away from the nozzle to prevent it bending and push hard. It usually pops free. It does whack the nozzle a bit, but those wear out any way. And when using amtek flux gel I feel it doesn't clog as often. I also use it together with an hot air soldering iron, blowing hot air while the other is sucking doesn't cool the desoldering iron as much internally, and it will melt the solder through the via better. I also heat up the desoldering iron with hot air so I can start desoldering quicker. Oh and a coin in the glass tube about half way, that will keep the filter much cleaner for longer. Since the coin has a larger mass, tin will solidify instantly on the coin and won't drop down on the exit hole. But the main benefit of the Hakko is its suction strength with the vacuum pump near the nozzle, it just works better for a sudden suction action. The Duratool must traverse rubber tubing making coming up to vacuum level much slower. This results in tin not being removed as effectively. With the Hakko parts often just drop out. With the duratool you need more persuasion, often at the cost of ripped pads and traces.

the blockage you described at 10:43 is easily removed with the long sturdy skinny skewer that was provided with my cheap solder sucker clone. I am interested to hear that the Hakko may not suffer from this issue and is the first real advantage I've seen so far.

Great video! I have a Duratool from CPC, but it's not the same as the one you have. They also do a cheaper model, D03324. It's pretty much the same but comes in a different black plastic case and uses red 7-seg LEDs instead of the nice LCD. However, it also comes with a proper standalone stand with sponge area and not that silly side mounted one. It has all the same issues you mention though. I agree with your analysis, for me I use it maybe weekly and with the money saved I could afford a Hakko FX-888D which has made the soldering process a lot easier for me. I'd still love to have the Hakko de-soldering gun though. Maybe one day!

Thanks for the review on these two items. I've thought about getting the Hakko but it seemed a bit pricey ($300 Cdn from Amazon). Now I'm thinking it isn't too bad. They are really charging you a premium in the UK. BTW, I never thought much of the manual "solder sucker" types like you showed. I've always used a Sold-A-Pult. I've had mine for decades so I don't remember how/when I obtained it or how much I paid for it. It has seen a lot of use over the years.

My Duratool lost it's suck, the tube inside connecting the inlet port to the pump split, also there was dry joint on the controller board that caused the thermostat circuit to fail and this showed up as a runaway temperature and a red hot iron. So I got the Hakko, an excellent piece of kit, the only downside is, as you said, the indicator lamp being hidden, leaving it on overnight degrades the tip somewhat. The 1mm tip it comes with blocks up very easily, but I got round that by using the next size up.

I have a S-993A, in the same kind of price bracket as the Duratool but functionally more like the Hakko, and comes with a very nice lasercut steel stand. I don't use it enough to know if heavy use is an issue long term,. One thing that really helps it is to keep a little wad of steel scouring pad in the spring chamber to catch the solder as it comes in (don't pack it in, just a bit)

Thank you. I was always questioning myself on what I paid for the Hakko.

Another great video Lee , keep them coming 👍 if in doubt give it a clout 😂

Only had a blockage once with my duratool. Technique which helps significantly is to hold the trigger down for a second or so after removing the nozzle from the solder

I need to get my hands on a Hakko

I got a Duratool for me I just use a few times a year. When I got it I also got some spare parts as well to keep the cost down as it was all in one order.

Personaly i bought a WEP 4 in 1 and the desoldering gun on that is brilliant

Adding a few layers of kapton tape to the glass tube helps a lot with the clogging problem.😉

I use a: Aoyue 474A++ 80 Watt Digital Desoldering Station with Built-in Vacuum Pump that I got off Amazon and it works great. It was $145 in 2017.

What was the make/model of that tape measure you were measuring the base units with? I like the both way measurements.

In old days, we had wire wool loose in glass tube on weller unit

I advise silicone spray, appiled with a cottonstick on the sealing surfaces of the ZD gun glass tube, I clean all with siliconspray. Blockages can be prevended thru quite a high temperature and a long time pre heating. I heat mine to 325c, let it warm up for 20 and all´s good. If You use non lead solder temps need go higher. The heat eventually seeps in all the important parts, just give it time. Drill a hole and throw a self tapper in for the stand to fix it. I scrapped it and bought another stand.

Bought one of the cheap solder station clones, and absolutely hated it. The thing would constantly get jammed. The only way of preventing a jam I found was to basically clean the unit after every single pull of the trigger. And as you know, cleaning this thing is a pain. Finally wised up and bought a Hakko, and the difference is like night and day. The LED placement is inconvenient, yes, and lacking a digital display, the temperature setting is less precise, but I don't really find that to be a problem, as I generally don't adjust my temperature that often. Mmaybe I'll turn it up every now and then if I need to desolder something on a big ground plane, but other than that I pretty much keep it at the same temperature. I did buy myself a cheap soldering iron thermocouple (device to measure the temperature of soldering irons) which comes in handy to determine the actual temperature of the Hakko. So you might want to consider getting one of those. They are useful for other things, e.g. maintaining the calibration of your soldering iron. Also, if you live in the US (or in another 100-120v country) then you can save quite a bit of money by buying the Japanese variant of the FR-301. Because Japan's power standard is 100 volt, the unit will run a bit hotter and the pump motor will run a bit faster, but the unit will otherwise work perfectly, without the need of a step down converter. And at $200 for the Japanese variant vs. $300+ for the US-specific one, that is a significant cost savings.

thanks for the video, although I'm one of the ppl who will use it only a few times, I'll get the Hakko. the perfect cleaning, ehm, sucking, convinced me.

Well, I have the HAKKO and it’s very reliable. It will likely last far longer than any cheap attempted copy. I also have a Pace for my bench.

🎉 You should try the PACE SX-100 with its disposable dross cartridges. I found it considerably better and easier to use than the rest.

I see I've been beaten to the 'open the tube from the other end' posts XD. When I bought my unit 6 or 7 years ago I also bought many spare tips, some bakelite ends and a 2nd gun direct from Zhongdi, all for $30 extra. I still get xmas cards from them. Replace the 18v fan (they've since sorted this) and with care my unit is still mooing away. I will admit that swapping the heater tube is a lesson in patience and swearing, but otherwise a great £80.

When changing out the duratool's nozzle, use a wrench on the nut if your nut has flats (like yours did!).

Back in the days (when speckys where current), at work we used to use a Weller desolder station which where very good indeed. I am not rich enough to buy a desolder station myself, so I use the engineer solder sucker with the heat proof silicone tip, in my opinion it is safer for older PCB's than a desolder station. With a silicone tip you can have both your iron and the pump on the joint at the same time. So, for that reason I am out. (sorry could not resist the dragons den line).

I've had my ZD-915 since 2017, only very recently had to order a new gun as the original has three screws holding the metal shaft onto the body, and the plastic screw posts eventually disintegrated. Interestingly, the new gun has the release catch on the side, and not the back, but it's still a tight fit. Only had it clog a couple of times. In both cases, I was able to clear it by inserting a cleaning rod with light pressure and turning the heat up all the way. With the tip in contact with the top of the rod, the heat will conduct along to the end and melt the blockage. I really like the unit, it works reliably and the fan is still okay so maybe I got lucky. I do keep it clean though, and quite enjoy the process of emptying it for some reason i.e. I am a strange person. I had often wondered how much better the Hakko would be, so thanks for making this. I will not be upgrading, but it's good to know.

Excellent review of both tools. I fall into the "need a desolder tool only occasionally" category so I know where my money is going. Those manual suckers are not fun!

Thanks for the video! I’ve been using my ZD-8915 for a few years now and been gnerally happy with it. I’ve had to buy a new pistol for it as the original got so clogged that no poking would’ve had de-clogged it. The new pistol has been better though. The ZD is pretty similar in appearance and operation to the Duratool. I wonder which one of the two is better….?

Great video. I'm currently pondering the FR-301, being on my fifth (!) Duratool handset. I think I've still spent just over half the price of the Hakko in three or four years, however (I bought the Duratool when it was on special offer). :)

I'm confused about the filter in the ZD915. You have the filter on the outside and metal disc on inside, in other videos I saw it the other way around and some the same way. So which should it be? Totally agree on the everything has a negative review if you look hard enough. Buyer reviews should in theory give a good idea if a product is good or bad, but not a lot of good experiences get a review and it the opposite for bad reviews. So it's great you that we have videos like this!

Nice video and great presentation. I felt a little cheated though as I was waiting for the song while they warmed up ... maybe even a different song for each?

That hand tool looks like a cheaper copy of my Aoyue 2703A+. It clogs with solder quite badly too fast too often. I scored an 'amazon return' FFR301 and its the real deal no comparison. I bought a vacuum solenoid to add to the Aoyue so it can build vacuum pressure first then pop off and suck harder and faster than normal. Haven't tried it yet now that I have the 301.

I'll stick with my trusty ZD-915 - but thank you for the info!

I have the ZD clone, re- worked it a bit. I put in a relay to switch the pump and a buck converter for the fan. Now it´s quiet and the pump sucks instantly. Before there was a delay. I don´t need a Hakko, just a tuned up clone.

What about the heated manual solder suckers, have you any experience with those? I've seen them listed in various places and as my usage is not enough to need even a Duratool, I'm curious as to if they are any good.

I still use my old Weller VP801 EC

I never owned an Hakko, but some years ago I bought a ZD915 and to me it didn’t seem to be that good… nowadays I use a cheap Yihua 929D (37 euros). It’s totally worth its price and I desoldered with no issues many 40 pin dil chips without damaging any traces. Nice video, keep up the good work!

You cant beat some percussive maintenance to "fix" things

My ZD915 clogged up within an hour I got it out of the box. Could have been user error as it was my first time using a desoldering gun. But I fixed it with relative ease. Also, the "barrel" was screwed on crooked, which I also fixed with ease. That's cheap chinese electronics for you. Great video Lee!

can the hakko compete with the mighty engineer solder sucker for sucking performance ? and them hakko tips look similar to the duratool tip .. although i remember when i stopped using cheap solder iron tips in favor of hakko tips.(the difference is huge) cant help wonder if a good tip would help the duratool perform better.. the duratool operates that fan at 18volts but it is only a 12v fan ..

Instead of the duratool, check out the Pro's Kit version of it. Electronics are pretty much the same but the buildquality of the gun, the body and the stand are much better. You can mod it to put the power switch to the front and then it's the perfect tool (for the price). 425 pounds is 500€ in real money! You can buy a superb 4 channnel oscilloscope for that much money! Considering, what's actually in the fartgun, I consider this grifting on hakko's behalf! (or maybe I'm just jealous to only own a Pro's Kit😁). Enjoy your new toy, my friend!

I think you should do side by side tests using the same parameters (Temperature etc) to make a fair judgement. To me it seemed that you used a higher temperature with the hakko. You might have adjusted this later on though.

And I thought a Microsoft Hoover was the only thing that could suck and not suck at the same time. Which scope would you recommend?

holy balls! why is it so expensive there? its only $205 on amazon here in the states

It is WAY cheaper to buy a 100v Hakko unit and a step-up step-down transformer such as the Lvyuan DT-500VA by about £300 plus you can use the same unit to test 100v consoles and other systems on. Looking at £152 + the £40 transformer vs £430 for a UK spec voltage (yes I just bought the 100v one), its madness. Its definitely filter in first with the metal cross at the back of the tube buddy on the clone. I went to unblock my clone style (Katsu) one which has a side up and down release switch. Fixing it back in, lined up perfectly the switch spun way past where it should have and snapped. Guess you get what you pay for. It was alright but with a build and cap replacement, every day or two, I need better so going for the Hakko right after I watch the rest of the video.

I have ZD-915 and I would suggest to buy Engineer SS-02 desoldering pump. ZD-915 is good enough for leaded solder but when you do something made past 2005 I recommend Engineer SS-02 and at least T12 compatibile soldering station.

love my baby DEN-ON SC-7000Z

I think you've just cost me £85 😂 I've sat on the fence so long, wondering if a suckerer made sense for me, I've got multiple splinters and a few butcherd pcb's. Always thought the cheaper ones wouldn't be much better than a manual pump. Any affiliate links for the Duratool?

I couldn't get the hang of those manual things, and couldn't justify a proper motor driven unit so I got one of those heated manual pumps (YIHUA 929D-V). It's 100x easier than a manual sucker

If only some of these quality companies woyld stop with the money grab and go with some sort of mid-range price, I'm sure they'd get enough sales to cover the difference in profit, and we could all enjoy quality tools. £20 for a tip? That's taking the piss.

I just want to mention that the Radio Shack 45-Watt Desoldering Iron part # 64-2060 is in my opinion better than a desoldering gun. I have used one for over 20 years and have never had to clean it and the only thing I've had to do was to change the tip every 5-10 years. I would highly suggest you give it a try. I operate it one handed using my thumb to depress the bulb. If you want to see me use it there's plenty of videos on my channel.

Hakko is 316EUR + VAT in EU

There are cheaper handheld copies of the hakko that are basically 1:1 without the hakko brand and colors.

…… Or Building a purple Spectrum 😉 😉

The Hakko is a bargain if you are doing this for a living. For a hobbyist the inconveniences of the cheaper unit might be bearable.

A bit of a warning for anyone buying a ZD915 clone SP-1010DR. I bought one an it worked for a month (not even) and then while heating it blew up. Luckily I wasn't at the room at the moment but I heard a loud BANG and the smoke was terrible. Positive things: It didn't burn the whole house and no one died. I trust more my skills now with a manual pump. Negative things: Money down the drain. Losing over 100e (a lot of money for me) for lethally dangerous junk. But yeah. It seems it's somewhat a gamble what you get. Anyone got suggestions where to buy another one in EU that wouldn't explode?

I have a similar sucker like this one. But you bought a dud, dude. My says XTREME. Should be at least 4 times better than some Duratool.

I had FR-301, but after 2 times it broke I bought Yihua 929D for like $4 and it works even better than Hakko tbh, WAAAYYY less cleaning since it works like those solder suckers, but with a hot tip.

I would not buy a Hakko tool off Amazon, there's far too many counterfeit goods being sold via Amazon or ebay. I'd only buy anything premium brand from the likes of RS or Farnell etc. Might be slightly more money but at least you know it's traceable to the real manufacturer and you're not getting a fake, and you'll have good after sales service if it's faulty. Similar with things like Mitotoyo calipers/micrometers, Amazon/ebay sellers are full of counterfeits.

Not worth it for me. My cheap aoyue station does a great job. Purchased in 2017….have used it countless times. Pulled 100’s of chips fast and successfully. Still going strong, no issues. Paid $150 for it

Come off it mate. I’ve owned a Duratool. It was a piece of shit.

The Hakko is a bargain if you are doing this for a living. For a hobbyist the inconveniences of the cheaper unit might be bearable.