[Elecraft] De-soldering Tool Recommendations?

[G4GNX]

I have a similar story when I worked for Centronics back in the 1980s.

In the UK, we had one rework tech and he had the vacuum desoldering tool. Mostly he would remove components, but sometimes the rest of us would do our own work and the rework tech taught me how to use the tool properly and how to clean it.

I can\t remember who made that tool, but I do remember a badge on it with the word “Swaplater”.

I can’t say whether the cheap device I bought from Banged has as much suction as the “Swaplater” but I find it adequate for my needs as a hobbyist.

73,
Alan - G4GNX



> On 14 Mar 2022, at 22:24, Dave Fugleberg <dave.w0zf at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Back when I was a bench tech doing component level repair, I used a vacuum
> desoldering station from Pace (I forget the model). That thing worked
> great- I pulled hundreds (maybe thousands) of through-hole parts from
> boards with it.
> 
> They were (and are) expensive, but so are time and PC boards, so my
> employer equipped every bench with one. It had a glass tube in the handset
> that collected the solder. As long as you cleaned it regularly, it worked.
> 
> I recently looked at some used ones but still couldn’t justify the price
> for my hobby needs, so I continue to use a variety of means to remove
> solder. None are as good as the Pace. I’ve been tempted to buy a Hakko or
> one of its knock offs, but reviews generally say they don’t have enough
> suction. I’d love to hear an honest comparison between the Pace and the
> Hakko from someone who has used both.
> 
> 73 de W0ZF
>