SDTM Cary Hardy: The Hakko FR301 Desoldering Tool Review

Cary Hardy Reviews Hakko's FR301Desoldering Tool For Pinball Use

@CaryHardy
@HakkoUSA

[TiltingT]

When a tool makes you say "I shouldve bought this a long time ago" you know you got a good tool!

[FlickLives]

I’ve had one for a couple of years with multiple tips. It is indispensable.

[LuckyScrewdriver]

Glad to see you stepped up to the right tools. :)

[brunogaspar]

Hope you do another video placing back the new components into the board

[RETROCENGO]

So nice to see your excitement, it’s a great tool to use😊
Congratulations with it

[Pinhead-qi]

Congrats on the new toy. Hard to go back after using one of these. Sometime on older boards, it helps to add some fresh solder. Or if there's a bunch of groundplane, use another soldering iron topside to help the solder in the via really flow well.

[colinbaxter]

Just a tip and only “the tip” let it melt the solder before she sucks. Eyelets come cleaner. When you do that I also find that getting the leads to straighten out is easier

[j.m.ratkos]

people who have been using these for years recommend adding a bit of solder to the existing connection to "wet" and help transfer the heat of the gun to the solder connection, allowing you remove the solder quicker.

additionally, you don't want to use the tip of the gun to bend the leads (this is bad on the board and on the tips themselves). it's better to clip the lead from the top side and then desolder, allowing the broken lead to fall free from the board.

[Darkstar]

That’s cool! My amazing girlfriend soldered for a living with the military...boards that were “don’t ask what it’s for”...she had never seen one of those before...thanks for the heads up. Same with the temporary fuse breaker tool...I bought one of those back when you showed it off...appreciate it

[andrewdoane]

I have one of these still in the box waiting for my next desolder job. Which additional tips did your buy for pinball use?

[Rosscotas]

I want one and I don't have soldering iron!

[pinballpeanut]

Got the same gun, haven't used it yet. Do you "tin the tip" before each use like you would a soldering iron?

[tyarnold]

Looks good. What would you recommend for soldering?

[digitalbytes]

As always when looking at the cost of a tool. What’s the value of your time.

[snextime]

Who in the hell thumbdowned this video? Damn haters.

[allthegearnoidea]

Very good review just slightly spoiled by the loud annoying music

[TychiBalls]

Is this similar to the Hakko FR301-82? It goes for $169 on ebay.

[ReefMimic]

Should have bought one 4 years ago. Now it’s way overpriced