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Best Desoldering Tools for Retro Repairs (2026 Comparison)
Special thanks to PCBWay for sponsoring this video.
https://www.pcbway.com/
After a year of putting the Hakko FR-301 through its paces, itβs time for a rematch. Iβve assembled seven different desoldering toolsβfrom the legendary (and expensive) Hakko to a suspiciously cheap Β£17 "fire hazard"βto see which one is the true king of vintage PCB repair.
In this episode, I'm put these tools through the "Desoldering Hunger Games." Iβm testing heat-up times, maintenance requirements, and a brutal, unscientific desoldering test on a sacrificial Issue 2 ZX Spectrum board.
On test:
The costly Hakko FR-301 (and the Japanese import "hack")
The modded ZD-915 (Is the "Moo Gun" still the value king?)
The surprisingly quiet Yihua 948
The Gaojie S-993A and the terrifying 845
Plus manual options like the Engineer SS-02 and the Yihua 929D
WARNING!
Working on vintage hardware requires care. Please don't treat your working boards the way I treat this sacrificial Spectrum!
Check out Jan Beta's ZD-915 Mod Video: @JanBeta
Yihua 948D upgraded digital model! Affiliate link
https://amzn.to/40ktLQy
Engineer manual pump
https://amzn.to/4s8oV57
More Fun Fixing It: @morefunfixingit
Support the channel on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/morefunmakingit
Join our Retro Hardware Discord: https://discord.gg/ChH726tbbF
0:00 Intro: The Desoldering Hunger Games
3:00 One Year with the Hakko FR301
4:44 Modding the ZD915: The "Moo Gun"
7:28 Meet the Contenders: Gaojie & Yihua
8:31 Manual Suckers & The Fire Hazard
11:53 Thank you to PCBWay!
12:57 Price Comparison & The Japanese Import "Hack"
16:14 Tips, Spares, and Quick-Change Nozzles
19:30 The Heat-Up Race: 0 to 350Β°C
23:19 Why the Yihua 948 is "Slow"
25:20 Maintenance: Cleaning Out the Goop
29:43 Repairability & Longevity
31:05 The Sacrificial Spectrum: Desoldering Test
47:23 Results Under the Microscope
54:31 The Verdict: Why the ZD915 (Almost) Wins
56:36 My New Daily Driver
#RetroRepair #ElectronicsEngineering #Hakko
View all episodes
By Special thanks to PCBWay for sponsoring this video.
https://www.pcbway.com/
After a year of putting the Hakko FR-301 through its paces, itβs time for a rematch. Iβve assembled seven different desoldering toolsβfrom the legendary (and expensive) Hakko to a suspiciously cheap Β£17 "fire hazard"βto see which one is the true king of vintage PCB repair.
In this episode, I'm put these tools through the "Desoldering Hunger Games." Iβm testing heat-up times, maintenance requirements, and a brutal, unscientific desoldering test on a sacrificial Issue 2 ZX Spectrum board.
On test:
The costly Hakko FR-301 (and the Japanese import "hack")
The modded ZD-915 (Is the "Moo Gun" still the value king?)
The surprisingly quiet Yihua 948
The Gaojie S-993A and the terrifying 845
Plus manual options like the Engineer SS-02 and the Yihua 929D
WARNING!
Working on vintage hardware requires care. Please don't treat your working boards the way I treat this sacrificial Spectrum!
Check out Jan Beta's ZD-915 Mod Video: @JanBeta
Yihua 948D upgraded digital model! Affiliate link
https://amzn.to/40ktLQy
Engineer manual pump
https://amzn.to/4s8oV57
More Fun Fixing It: @morefunfixingit
Support the channel on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/morefunmakingit
Join our Retro Hardware Discord: https://discord.gg/ChH726tbbF
0:00 Intro: The Desoldering Hunger Games
3:00 One Year with the Hakko FR301
4:44 Modding the ZD915: The "Moo Gun"
7:28 Meet the Contenders: Gaojie & Yihua
8:31 Manual Suckers & The Fire Hazard
11:53 Thank you to PCBWay!
12:57 Price Comparison & The Japanese Import "Hack"
16:14 Tips, Spares, and Quick-Change Nozzles
19:30 The Heat-Up Race: 0 to 350Β°C
23:19 Why the Yihua 948 is "Slow"
25:20 Maintenance: Cleaning Out the Goop
29:43 Repairability & Longevity
31:05 The Sacrificial Spectrum: Desoldering Test
47:23 Results Under the Microscope
54:31 The Verdict: Why the ZD915 (Almost) Wins
56:36 My New Daily Driver
#RetroRepair #ElectronicsEngineering #Hakko