Yihua 948D-I

[brandon7861]

I recently received my new desoldering gun and it was instant regret that I hadn't got one sooner! For the price of one good night at the bar, this thing is an absolute game changer. I haven't had it long enough to know the true quality of the unit, but for the one test piece I tried it on, I'm very satisfied! All the IC legs I cut, all the wick I wasted trying to clear impossible holes, the time fumbling with that manual sucker... All for nothing, really.

If you can drop a hundred bucks on pull tabs or a bag of weed, just go get one of these. Bypass the wife altogether, go straight to ebay. My only advice is that if Wisconsin is between the source and you, get it from ebay with UPS as a carrier because my first amazon attempt fell into the Oak Creek USPS black hole (like my last 3 purchases did).

 

[Cable Guy]

I recently received my new desoldering gun and it was instant regret that I hadn't got one sooner! For the price of one good night at the bar, this thing is an absolute game changer. I haven't had it long enough to know the true quality of the unit, but for the one test piece I tried it on, I'm very satisfied! All the IC legs I cut, all the wick I wasted trying to clear impossible holes, the time fumbling with that manual sucker... All for nothing, really.

If you can drop a hundred bucks on pull tabs or a bag of weed, just go get one of these. Bypass the wife altogether, go straight to ebay. My only advice is that if Wisconsin is between the source and you, get it from ebay with UPS as a carrier because my first amazon attempt fell into the Oak Creek USPS black hole (like my last 3 purchases did).

I'm looking forward to the final review. I've had desoldering tools that only lasted about the same time as an ounce of grass, can't see making it a recurring purchase. I really hope it is good and lasts. Does it come with replacement tips that are easily obtained? Also, I need you to tell me how you do the strike out text sometime.

 

[Naysayer]

I recently received my new desoldering gun and it was instant regret that I hadn't got one sooner! For the price of one good night at the bar, this thing is an absolute game changer. I haven't had it long enough to know the true quality of the unit, but for the one test piece I tried it on, I'm very satisfied! All the IC legs I cut, all the wick I wasted trying to clear impossible holes, the time fumbling with that manual sucker... All for nothing, really.

If you can drop a hundred bucks on pull tabs or a bag of weed, just go get one of these. Bypass the wife altogether, go straight to ebay. My only advice is that if Wisconsin is between the source and you, get it from ebay with UPS as a carrier because my first amazon attempt fell into the Oak Creek USPS black hole (like my last 3 purchases did).

coincidence, I ordered same unit yesterday

 

[brandon7861]

Does it come with replacement tips that are easily obtained? Also, I need you to tell me how you do the strike out text sometime.

It came with one extra tip, but I assume it has a different sized hole in it. I have been watching a lot of videos on soldering iron care.

That blue sponge it comes with, throw it away. The wet sponge thermally shocks tips and causes plating to weaken. Another huge mistake I've been making my whole life is putting the iron away clean after using that sponge (worst thing I could have been doing). Now I use only brass sponge because its softer than the tip plating and is not going to thermally shock anything, just veryify it is brass with a magnet because that copper plated steel is bad.. I like the cans that have rosin in them. I like to bust a few chunks up and put them on top and melt them into the brass.

Since I switched to that brass sponge and started obsessively tinning my tips, I have noticed a HUGE difference and I honestly believe a single tip will last me several years now instead of several months (just like the guy in the video reports).

As for the guns, I asked on eev and got some good advice. Someone pointed out that they usually fail because the flux residue burns inside the sucker tube and thermally insulates the hole. Making sure that stays clean (along with the rest) is a must. Frequent cleaning is key with those after every job.

The strikeout is hidden up top here. Next to bold and italic, there are three dots that expand the format options. A second row appears with S in it. Highlight the text you want strike through and click that button.

 

[Cable Guy]

Thanks, and I also quit using a damp sponge and only use the brass mesh.