Review on Efficient and Safe American HAKKO FR301-03/P ESD Portable Desoldering Tool with Precise Temperature Control in °F/°C by Joe Jordan

I've used a Weller DS 600 desoldering station in the past and it does an excellent job with single or double layer boards. Since it is no longer produced and parts are only available on the remainder market, I decided to buy a new soldering iron. Hakko has almost always received rave reviews. The only negative I saw is that people didn't keep the iron clean, this is especially important without lead solder as it connects the device faster. I've tried the device on a few single and dual layer boards and it has worked flawlessly. I figured it might be worth desoldering a small power supply on an eight layer board. I turned the heater up to maximum, waited a minute and started removing the module. It did a great job and works as expected. Remember this is an 8 layer power and ground board that draws as much heat as possible from the connection and it worked great. The only problem I have is the recommended iron holder. The one that comes with the device is sketchy at best. The manual recommends the C1100. American Hakko does not offer this model for Revain. They sell 633-01 which is absolutely not suitable for desoldering. In my opinion this is an accident as the iron does not fully seat in the holder. If you are buying this unit and looking for a soldering iron holder, do not buy 633-01. Find and buy the recommended Hakko C1100. It costs more but does the job and you don't have to worry about the iron falling out and hitting the floor and possibly breaking the front. Others have reported this type of breakage when the iron is dropped.