Warning: That $15 Chinese desoldering gun was a total waste

Picked up a cheap desoldering gun off Amazon for about 15 bucks last month. Figured it would help me clear through some old board work faster. First use, the tip clogged up within ten minutes and the suction barely worked. Ended up having to dig out the solder with wick anyway and the whole thing just made a mess. Anyone else tried one of these budget desoldering tools and had the same problem?

3 comments

3 Comments

logan5251mo ago

Did you try cleaning it right when you finished that first joint? I've found with those cheap guns you have to hit the plunger while the solder is still completely liquid, not even a second delay. The tips on those things are junk too, they have a tiny hole that clogs fast. I learned the hard way that you have to keep a little wire or needle handy to poke through the tip while it's hot, otherwise you're just blowing air. And honestly, even doing all that, I got maybe three or four decent pulls before it started acting up again. Wasted a whole afternoon fighting mine before I tossed it.

jamie8041mo ago

That's the truth, and @karenb97 mentioned that solder alloy difference which I bet makes it even worse.

karenb971mo ago

Yeah I actually read somewhere that some of those cheap guns use a different kind of solder than the name brand ones, something about a lower melting point. Supposedly if you don't match the technique to that specific solder it's almost impossible to get a clean pull no matter how quick you are. I think the article said something about how the Chinese factories cut corners on the alloy mix. That needle trick is a lifesaver though, I've started carrying a safety pin in my toolbox for exactly that reason.