The best BUDGET desoldering station 

Thanks Eric! I really appreciate that. I hope you enjoy it and find it as good as I have. Tha k you so much for taking the time to comment 😊

Really pleased to hear that, and thank you for watching my vids 😊

Thanks for taking the time to comment

Thanks for commenting. I really appreciate that 😊

It's funny you should say that. I have a 'proper' solder cleaning scourer thingy. I was looking at it the other day and wondering if a kitchen pan scrub would do the same thing. I've recently got myself some wire wool which seems to work quite well for the more stubborn residue. Have you ever used tip restorer? I've seen it here and there but never used it. I've had an absolute nightmare with my soldering tips recently, and just worked out why. Perhaps worth a short video on my soldering learning curve

@@RetroComputingReboot i have never used any product marketed as a "tip restorer'. (but now that i'm older, i may have to.) 😃 i would simply heat up my soldering pencil/iron and give it a fat dose of flux, then work it over with a stiff steel wire brush to remove any surface oxidation. if done regularly, i never had any issues.

​@@JohnLeePettimoreIII, A steel brush may end up damaging the tip of your soldering iron. Good quality tips are made with copper but plated with *iron*, not steel, at the very pointy business end of the tip because bare copper would be easily worn away by the dissolving effects of flux and molten solder; iron resists the dissolving effect yet still allows solder to "wet" to it. The iron plating is softer than steel, however, especially if the tip is hot, and so brushing it with a steel brush may wear the tip coating away. I would use a brass brush instead, and avoid use of a steel brush unless the tip is very heavily oxidized. Even then you are probably better off using a tip cleaning block, which usually contain a mix of powdered solder and some kind of caustic alkaline chemical such as ammonium chloride (aka sal ammoniac). The tip-cleani g block isn't recommended for every day usage, just as a way to recover tips that are getting dirty and badly oxidized; and then if you use the brass wool cleaner (which I prefer) and keep your tip always tinned, it should last a long time without needing to be cleaned again with the tip-cleaning block.

​@@RetroComputingReboot if you Still hadnt had the Chance to test it i did it and it worked great. those reactivators are working.

Thanks Kevin. I'm glad you found it useful 😁

$73 US! Where did you find it for that price? Seems almost too cheap to beat true and I hope it's not a clone or a counterfeit. Who is the seller?

I think you're right. When I did the video I thought the guns themselves were identical to the cream coloured ones as they look just so similar, but that isn't the case. A number of people have commented the same. It's a shame really as performance wise they seem just as good as the Yihua. Maybe if you're using it every day for work, the big extra cost of the Hakko's etc would see a return with speed of cleaning, but I'd take some convincing there. But same as you, I don't have the budget for the likes of Hakko / JBC etc, so wanted to share my experiences so that anyone without those deep pockets can see they can get something that actually performs really well for a fraction of the cost. Thanks for the comment BTW. I read and respond to every one, good or bad 😊

@@RetroComputingReboot I wonder if the handles are interchangeable ... the black handles can be had as spares on Amazon for 30 quid (probably cheaper from Ali). I guess it depends whether the pinout of that aviation connector is the same. Might be worth a punt though.

@TimsRetroCorner I think there's a good chance they would work. If memory serves me right, the black guns are available in either 5 or 7 pin configurations

​​@@RetroComputingReboot, I used an Aoyue dual soldering/desoldering station for my last 5 years as an audio equipment bench technician (now retired) because the 1980's Hakko units we had were all failing and parts weren't easily available. The Aoyue INT701A++ worked surprisingly well and typically got 2 or 3 hours of use every day. If I remember correctly the Aoyue had a 5 pin screw-on connector, and look virtually identical to the Yihua gun, but I don't know if they would be directly plugin-compatible with a Yihua station. I wouldn't chance it without opening up a Yihua gun and an Aoyue gun side by side and examining the innards and the wiring to the connector. Aoyue guns are relatively inexpensive at $55 here in the states (replacement heating elements are $13); the guns are slightly cheesy but I came up with a couple of tweaks and modifications to make them work better with less clogging. One thing I can tell you after a lot of experience is that the spring they supply is a stupid way to contain the bits of solder ---- it does catch them OK but it's difficult to empty the solder from inside the spring and so I don't use that at all , preferring to loosely stuff the cylinder with steel wool as everybody did for years with industrial grade Hakko units. By the way I posted some reviews and teardown videos of soldering equipment and accessories on my channel recently, Including one on how to easily differentiate good quality saturating tips from bad ones simply by using a magnet and another where I examine and test a cheap $45 Schneider soldering station from Harbor Freight (I even disassembled the iron and diagrammed the wiring connections from the heating element and internal circuit board to the 7 pin connector). It's actually a pretty decent unit if you buy better tips for it ( The tips included are junk); the cable is a little stiff for my liking and not heat resistant, but with the aid of the diagram I drew, the cable could be changed out for a hest resistant, flexible silicone cable.....

Hi Leo. That's really kind of you to ask. Yes all is good thanks. I've had a couple of issues with the PC I use for editing, but should be back to normal shortly. Work has then got in the way a bit, but should have a video out in the next couple of days with three Speccys in it 😁. Thanks for the patience and support 😊

Hi Leo. I can certainly see your comment 😊. I never delete comments unless they are just abusive. Anyone can be as critical as they like, and that's fine with me (I've learned a few things from critical comments, and hopefully make better content as a result). I'm glad you enjoyed the video. This one I spent a lot longer on putting together than I usually do

Well, seems like this one stays, the one i put in your giveaway seems to have desapeard, strange, guess ill have to try again, since it is on until tomorrow.

@@leojrgensen2819 Don't worry Leo about the comment for the giveaway as long as you sent me an email (closing date is 30th April anyway 😊). I think the problem with your previous comment being removed was that it was done automatically by RU-vid as it had a link in it. I had to change the entry rules as I couldn't stop RU-vid deleting them.

Two possibilities. You could've used a forbidden word accidentally, and so the c omment was filtered automatically by the T ube. Or, they don't like your comments, they don't fit their agendas, and you've been s hadow b anned. If you have then short comments will appear fine, but longer comments are filtered regardless of the content. You'll see them, at least for a short time, but others won't. A quick way to tell is to enter the comment, log out, and then view the comment thread. If you can 't see the comment, you've been s hadow b anned.

Two possibilities. You accidentally used a forbidden word or you've been sh adow Ba nned by the T ube. Either way it's been f iltered

Thanks for the comment. I'll have to give that a try. I do have some silicone grease 😊

​@@RetroComputingReboot, greasing the spring turns a dry mess into an oily greasy mess. Don't use the spring at all; put a loose wad of medium grade steel wool in the collection chamber instead. I've been soldering for 55 years including 20 years as a full-time audio-equipment bench tech, now retired. I used a desoldering gun for several hours of every day at work , for 2 decades!

@goodun2974 Sounds interesting. I might have to give that a try

@@RetroComputingReboot , To make it easier to remove the glass solder collection tube, shorten the flange on the rubber gasket that protrudes into the tube from the heater end of the gun; the flange is about 1/4" longer than it needs to be. Use a good sharp razor blade and it'll be easy to trim neatly.

@goodun2974 To be fair, it's not too bad to remove this one, unlike the Duratool version. It's the white filters that I have issues with. They aren't cheap and not so easy to come by (unless I'm being an idiot of course, which is quite probable 😂)

Hi John, thanks for the comment. I was under the impression though that YiHua and WEP were the same company. I did what you suggested, and having looked on line, the cheapest I can find the WEP delivered to the UK was £108.33 from AliExpress with an estimated 65 day shipping time, which isn't much of a saving from the YiHua £125 eBay price including 3 day shipping. Where did you find it 40% cheaper? That is an amazing deal

@@RetroComputingReboot - yes, I suppose that they are the same. Anyway, "Yihua" is the name brand and yet WEP is often half the price. Currently on Ali, the "WEP soldering tools Store" has them for AUD $161.12 + $17 delivery on a "Superdeal". That equates to about UKP £91

@johncoops6897 Thanks John, worth looking out for if you're getting the same thing. This is the third thing I've had from Yihua, and I can really fault them (so far)

@@RetroComputingReboot - I edited my comment above with Ali prices 👆 I iust checked on EBay Australia, the Yihua 948 is only AU $130.15 with 3 day delivery, which is about UKP £67. So, my 40% comment related to Ali and it seems it's wise to shop around. I've got only WEP tools. The main point is that they are the same as Yihua, us there's a couple of other brands like "SilverFlo" that are also the same. My trick is to search "948 Desoldering" rather than any brand.

@@RetroComputingReboot - RU-vid is deleting my replies.

that said, the Duratool was also cheaper - some £70 or so from CPC.

Hi Ray, thanks for the comment. I appreciate the feedback. It was a bit hard to tell how similar the Duratool offering is without actually having one, just that they look incredibly similar

Yes the Duratool is definitely cheaper. I didn't mention in the video, but I did ask for comments on Facebook about the similarities before I put the video out. I had one or two comments suggesting that it was basically the same, but I couldn't find any reference to confirm this on the web. It may be that Duratool is made by Yihua or vice versa. There's certainly some very close similarities with the gun part but I just don't know any facts

@@RetroComputingReboot the Duratool gun doesn’t have the pressure indicator, and nor does it use a collector spring. It only comes with a single long clearing tool. My clearing tool buckled during a cleaning attempt and has since snapped. It doesn’t come with spare tubes, nor as many other spares. The temperature control doesn’t have the “at temperature” alert.

@RayBellis that's really useful to know. Thanks for the comment. I'll pin it.

Try searching for 'component leg bender' - I don't know if it has a proper name

@@RetroComputingReboot mm it seems like there's a tool called that you can place caps on before you cut them, to bend the legs. But the really nice tool you have, closest things I'm finding are for typewriter repair tools.

@@RetroComputingReboot Ok I think I found out what that tool is called. Which is, Needle Lifting shovel. Or, Watch Needle Remover. Similar tool used for sewing and watch repair.

@darkintelligence6229 Apologies I thought you were referring to someone meeting else - search eBay for 'soldering fork'

@darkintelligence6229 www.ebay.co.uk/itm/272664143171?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=A-a9Kfb_ThO&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=hsbo67l8SAS&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=WHATS_APP

Glad you liked the video. The leg bending tool was a gift from a viewer but you can pick them up pretty cheap off eBay with a quick search

@@RetroComputingReboot You know the name of it cause can’t seem to find it,thanks.

@theretrogeek2281 try searching for 'component leg bending tool'. That should give you plenty of options

@@RetroComputingReboot thanks 😊

@theretrogeek2281 You're welcome. I appreciate being of some help

Apologies 😟. Someone else mentioned that. I appreciate you letting me know though and I'm hoping I have resolved it

Hi Jason. It's really interesting you say that. With the Duratool gun looking so similar to the Yihua, I figured they were pretty much like for like. Iid hazard a guess theres a reasonable chance you could use a Yihua gun with the Duratool base. Just be aware that the Yihua gun itself can be bought new with either 6 or 7 pin connectors. I'd be tempted to give it a try. There's no way I could go back to a manual pump now

@@RetroComputingReboot From what I've been able to find on the interwebs these are all fundamentally clones of the Hakko 470. It does look like the Duratool uses the same connector as the 7 pin variant of the Yihua. This doesn't surprise me as there are countless clones of the Hakko 936 soldering station out there - they're all 24v. At the end of the day the clever stuff is in the gun - the box is basically just a transformer, pump and display/control module. I am tempted to buy a Yihua gun but they're near £40 which is a lot to spend on a mistake...

I'd still be tempted to give it a try 😁. Worst case scenario is sticking it on eBay if it doesn't work

I’d also been wondering this. The controller on the Yihua is a littler smarter than the Duratool, but the gun looks to be significantly improved.

BTW, even though it’s not perfect the Duratool is still the best tool I ever bought. Based on this review I’d buy the Yihua now if I ever needed to replace it.

Sorry the hear that. Mine continues to work really well

You pay peanuts, you get monkeys.