Pro'sKit SS-331 Desolder Station Review

Frustrated with plunger style solder suckers & solder wick? Me too! I've been longing for a proper desolder station for years. However, electric/vacuum desoldering tools were way too expensive for the average hobbyist. No longer is that the case.

Now we can find decent desoldering stations for just over $100 USD and they actually work well. Let's take a look at the Pro'sKit SS-331 desolder station, also sold as the ZD-8915.

Product links below along with UNIVERSAL VOLTAGE UPDATE update video & Dave Jones's @EEVblog original ZD-985 video...

1. Banngood Pro'sKit SS-331H Desolder Station:

2. Amazon Pro'sKit SS-331E (110V version):

3. Amazon ZD-985 Desolder Station:

4. Amazon ZD-915 Desolder Station:

IMPORTANT! SS-331H Universal Voltage Confirmation Update Video:

Dave's ZD-985 desolder station video review:

Video Chapter Time Index:
- Intro 0:00
- Unboxing 1:44
- Looking inside the desoldering gun 11:28
- Looking inside the desoldering station 13:46
- Filter discussion for the SS-331 17:33
- Powering up & testing the Pro'sKit SS-331 18:10
- Desoldering demonstrations 20:20
- Cleaning solder out of the SS-331 24:25
- Conclusion 25:26

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[Rchelicopterfun]

January 2025 Five Year Update: This unit is still going strong. I use it a few times a month on average and others in the comments are even using them professionally daily without issue so anecdotally, it has been so worth it.

[CaptKaffeine]

Even though the video is 4 year old, I enjoyed the breakdown, the review, and the hints that were said during the video. Well done.

[RejectedManiac]

The point of wiggling the tip is to make sure solder is removed from all sides of the pin and barrel. If a pin is not center on the through hole, it's possible for solder to still be stuck to the pin and the barrel of the through hole and may not be visible. So when you go to pull the part out you can damage the pad or the barrel itself. It's to make sure all solder is completely removed to minimize damage to the PCB. That's what we learned in J standard IPC classes.

[vytautasslenderis]

Just a suggestion. DO NOT put any flux before sucking. Little by little, it eats away the tube inside the heating element. It becomes uneven and starts to clog. It is enough just to disolve the pins with additional solder using an iron and then use the gun. Good luck!

[xzitrzp]

We actually use one of these units at my buddy's shop - depending on the jobs that come in it's getting fired up on a weekly-to-daily basis, and it does a stellar job at its task. I've had the privilege of trying out a modern Hakko unit at another friend's shop - while it also does a fantastic job, I find the lower weight of the ProsKit gun to be more accommodating of long board rework sessions than the fully integrated Hakko gun; less weight makes for less fatigue doing the same amount of work :)
It merits worth mentioning that the unit at my buddy's shop has survived at least two years of abuse as a tool in a professional setting, and probably at least a couple more in the hands of a hobbyist prior to landing on the shop's bench. It is decidedly *good enough* at what it does that I've recently acquired on for my own bench, buying a preabused unit from a pinball/arcade machine repair shop that recently closed out; I don't know how many years of service it's seen already but the date codes of 2015 suggest more than a handful, and I expect it to last many more.
As an aside, I'm fairly certain these have become more costly on the open market since this review went up. I don't know what currency your price quotes were in but suffice to say those quotes are well below half of what I'm seeing the ProsKit SS-331 available for on the current market as of January 2025; on amazon Canada they currently sit at ~$240CAD, and BangGood doesn't offer anything terribly better at ~$233CAD. Buying mine used, I paid a little more than a third of that - a very fair price in contrast to the online offerings.
Glad to see in the comments that you've since discovered the SMPS is universal input voltage; they could certainly stand to make more apparent that the regional version is merely dictating what IEC cord is bundled in the box. Might not hurt to update the video itself to also take note of this, there's always going to be those who skip the comments section ;)

[Iamalizard]

Thanks for a thorough clear and to the point review. I like your mentioning the manual and what's in it; too many reviewers think they're to good, to smart or just to big to even look at it; a guy like Louis Rossmann roasted a perfectly good machine just because it operated differently from what he was used to and didn't know how it worked. I just like to know if its English, Chinglish, American, Australian, Canadian or whatever, has it error codes, numbers for replacement parts, and some specs, like you did because just advertisements makes things hard to compare. I'll be the judge for what's good for me. And yeah, I hate a power switch on the back plate too but its good to know it has one. Good to say to clean the gun with the rods after use to prevent clogging (its in the manual

[FordSeniorMaster]

John,
I literally just received my Pro's Kit "SS-331" from Banggood today. I placed the order last Friday and it arrived today. This unit is quite AWESOME! I did an "un-boxing" video and mentioned your channel and your reviews etc.
After spending a fair amount of time over the past year comparing different units etc., I was leaning VERY hard towards the Pro's Kit "SS-331". I have to say was your video review that finalized my decision to get "SS-331".
Also, I have been leaning hard towards the KSGER soldering stations over the past year as well. I have been wanting to upgrade to the "direct drive" technology, I can NOT afford Hakko etc prices. Likewise, due to your videos of KSGER products, I will be ordering a new KSGER set-up within a couple of weeks.
Thanks for your time and "research" man! Love the humor and sarcasm in your videos BTW! I can VERY much
All the best from Indiana!
Patrick

[stevenfinken]

I have watched some reviews in my time...but, holy cra-! You broke this thing down to the basics and the "what really matters" with such detail! I would buy this product knowing how I could modify it to make it more efficient and improve it from and 8 to a 10 easily. I will be watching more of your reviews because of this breakdown review. So very impressed with your method and details.

[FixedUntilBroken]

I have an Anesty ZD-915... its that things older brother. I've been using mine for about 2 years now. The pump does get gummed up from flux fumes if you use flux with it. If that happens clean the pump out with IPA and it will work good as new. I have been waiting for the whole thing to die so I can upgrade to a used hakko unit but this thing just keeps going so I am sure that will last you years.

[demofilm]

Hi viewers, and John. my experience with one of those is relatively good. and I have been using this for a view years now. some advice for better usage...
in the beginning if the pump sounds a bit slow and you do not get enough suction. it helps to get the motor some run time, those dc motors will be quicker if you let them run in. in the collecting tube, I have add a small piece of sponge(the one with the rough patch on one side). the sponge can help with suction power and filter conservation,
also is very cheap.
and for the heat pipe that could get cloged, you have those stupid rake things that brake or get stuck.. i just take out the heat pipe and heat it with one of those little gas burners, and when it is hot I quickly blow it out with a can of compressed air. be careful tho because there will be hot solder flying out from the other end.
this procedure has helped me a lot with the problems I had.

[sayeretmatkaal]

Sweet ! I paused the video and ordered one. Before i saw the video, I did not even know I wanted one of these ! You're inspirational, John ! ;-)
I particularly liked the down-to-earth, value-for money perspective.
I detest the snooty "every meter should be fluke & every car a rolls" tone of the well incentivised famous influencers.
I do the exact opposite of what they recommend & that works very well for me.

[mat.b.]

thanks for this! In mine there are no actual assembly instructions at all, so this video filled the gap

[nigelnightmare]

Thank you.
Very helpful especially as my glass tube sprung off and all the bits ended up on the floor, I didn't know where the silicone washer went.
I've got a 'Katsu zd8915' which is basically identical.
+1 for the tip of using flux especially on multi layered boards.

[seetecktee]

Wiggling it is just to prevent sweat joints. Also a good indicator for when solder is completely molten. Can start vacuum the moment the lead swings freely

[steve_hammond]

Hello @Rchelicopterfun, After viewing your video and some others, I ordered one and just received it today. Did not had time to test it in real life, but just for the sake of it, I decided to test the ground as you did in the current video, an saw that the ground from the gun to the connector was connected, but from the ground connector on the back, I did not get the signal. So maybe a bit of a warning, after investigating the matter for a while, I realized that the connector was not doing contact to the base. The screw of the connector looked correctly screwed, but the reality was that it was not. The threads are probably a bit on the edge, and are difficult to screw. Just make sure you test this when you get yours.

[boenhiantan]

Excellent review. I have one still in the box. The idea of moving the main switch to the front is great idea. Thanks again.

[johnrussell]

At 22:57, the 5th hole across the top had the plated through hole yanked through. It is still attached to the 5th pin of the IC

[Color-Theory]

Thank you for the tip about the little rubber gasket inside the gun. I was having trouble getting good suction and fixing that did the trick. Have a good one!

[talwarjatin]

What a beautiful demonstration . Loved it to the core. Thanks a lot for making this informative video . Cheers !!

[larsgregersen]

Thank you for this review. I have been working though a metre of desoldering wich and a manual desoldering pump during the past week which is not fun and was considering buying a Hakko desoldering gun for 400 USD. Not anymore. This SS-331H I can get from Aliexpress for 112 USD and shipping is 7 USD from Spain (I live in Europe)