Comments about RadioShack 45-Watt Desoldering Iron:

It's Great

Comments about RadioShack 45-Watt Desoldering Iron:

I was pleased to see RS still stocks these, I brought one of these sometime in the 1980's so mine is not the current version. Fired it up the other day to do some component replacement and it still works great. For the do-it-yourselfer (or pro with only occasional need) this desoldering tool is the best way to desolder PCB components without spending $$ for a vacuum pump type tool. The amazing part is that tips are available and in stock at my local RS. I beleive they were under $2. Good job, RS. Hint: make sure you blow out the molten solder after ever "pull" or 2 - and aim the tip away from yourself and other people when you do.You need to be careful as the 45 watt output is a little too hot for desoldering on thin PCB traces. I have a Weller WCL100 (sold by RS also) and just plug the desoldering tool into it and turn down the heat. Instant adjustable desoldering tool.I agree with the other reviewers who cannot understand why RS does not stock replacement tips for certain models of their soldering tools. Special order would be an option, but many times you need the tip now and cannot take the time to place an order and then wait on delivery. RS is not what it once was. Look at some of their catalogs from the 1960's:[@]/Their focus now is on consumers looking for "gadgets" and cell phones, not on hams, electronic expierimentors, technical and service people.I suspect this is why we see such merchandising blunders as having RS stores stock a soldering iron but not the tip for it. The merchandisers at corporate HQ are probably not technicaly oriented persons. When mine dies, I will definately purchase another one.I hope they still stock them...

Comments about RadioShack 45-Watt Desoldering Iron:

This iron is an amazing deal and I'm glad Radio Shack still sells them. I bought one almost 15 years ago when I was struggling to desolder some chip sockets in a double sided circuit board with solder wick and vaccum pumps/bulbs. I finally in despiration tried one of these and it did the trick!!!

Thanks Radio Shack! ;-)

Comments about RadioShack 45-Watt Desoldering Iron:

Even after reading other reviews but not knowing the experience level of other users I was hesitant. I am very picky with my tools especially when it comes to electronics tools. I had an old HF transceiver that needs some preventative maintenance that involved a lot of desoldering and resoldering of new components. I have desoldered using everything from braid/wick to the little red bulb to the plunger type vacuum tools. I have always found it very inconvenient to have both hands tied up with any of these methods.

Going into this purchase with a fair amount of skepticism I have to admit that I found this tool to be the most convenient desoldering tool I have used to date. With it's low price point I will likely pickup a couple of extras so I can keep one in the grab and go bag and one at the other house.

I would love to see this same setup applied to an adjustable wattage soldering station. There are such units available but for the most part they are cost prohibitive which makes this one the best deal in town.

Comments about RadioShack 45-Watt Desoldering Iron:

Cleans solder joints easily and quickly! Pulled 3 16 pin DIP's and associated circuitry in a few minutes.

Comments about RadioShack 45-Watt Desoldering Iron:

Great. Ample heat

Comments about RadioShack 45-Watt Desoldering Iron:

This thing is great. I am building a circuit board for a little project I'm doing, and I had not soldered much before now, so I'm learning. If I make the occasional sloppy connection, I just de solder it. I love a tool that gets the job done. And this one does. Put one in your tool box. You will use it.

Comments about RadioShack 45-Watt Desoldering Iron:

I HAVED USED AND OWNED $800.00 DESOLDERING SOLDER STATIONS AND THIS WORKS PROBABLY AS WELL OR BETTER WITH LITTLE MAINTAINENCE

Comments about RadioShack 45-Watt Desoldering Iron:

Woman who loves working on her Honda Civic here. I have next-to-none soldering experience. I removed the old solder from my Civic's heater control unit A/C switch connections without problem. I look forward to using this tool more.

Comments about RadioShack 45-Watt Desoldering Iron:

Used this to recap a Dell GX270 motherboard. This was my second board and the first one took forever using solder wick. I removed 10 caps in 30 minutes and I wasn't in a hurry. Works great. Heck, I'm going to buy another one soon just so I have a spare.

Comments about RadioShack 45-Watt Desoldering Iron:

Removing components from circuit boards

Comments about RadioShack 45-Watt Desoldering Iron:

Bought this to repair my tv, worked great. Regular pumps with plastic tips are useless compared to this. I used this pump to remove in most cases 99-100% of the solder. Adding a small amount of solder before using the pump vastly increases the effectiveness. The joints that had a little left are best taken care of with braid.

A few negatives though:
The tip will not last long; good for maybe a few dozen joints. RS used to sell iron clad tips which lasted far longer.
Caution!! You must be very careful as this WILL damage the PCB if held over the joint too long. I wish they made this in a lower wattage like 25-30W. Remember: the PCB is much more valuable than components. Use heatsinks whenever possible; I find alligator clips work great, especially the smaller ones for hard-to-reach places.

Comments about RadioShack 45-Watt Desoldering Iron:

It works better than a "solder sucker". Continuous heat is applied while removing solder is the reason why this WORKS so well! Removable tip also a plus. TIP: Disassemble head via side screw, lightly q-tip inside with solder paste, blowtorch head while tapping to remove stuck solder.

Comments about RadioShack 45-Watt Desoldering Iron:

The time it took me to desolder a power jack on a laptop's motherboard went from what seemed to be forever, to just a few minutes! I wish I had bought this earlier!

Comments about RadioShack 45-Watt Desoldering Iron:

I like this tool it gets the job done. I also bought the vacuum that rs also sells like this much better, but don't squeeze the bulb to hard after using always squeeze over a dish of water so the solder is ejected there and not your work.

Comments about RadioShack 45-Watt Desoldering Iron:

I was hesitant to buy this thing to start with but have found it to be one of the best products I have ever purchased. I wish I would have had one of these 30 years ago when I got started in electronics. I have used everything from solder wick to $600.00 vacuum pump outfits and this thing puts them all to shame. Solder wick will ruin your part and make you pull your hair. With the expensive vacuum systems I spent more time cleaning them out than I did actually using them. This thing would have saved me hundreds of dollars in ruined parts over the years. I think I am going to buy several of these in case Radio Shack decides to quit selling them. I don't ever want be without this. Honestly, it works that good.

Comments about RadioShack 45-Watt Desoldering Iron:

Great for removing heavy through hole connectors, DIPS. I first bought one in 1988.
Wish I had known about it sooner instead of struggling with lousy plastic 'solder suckers'
I've bought 2 since (only after losing the others!). They are STILL a great bargain too!
I say, get 'em while they're HOT!

Comments about RadioShack 45-Watt Desoldering Iron:

This has been one of the best desoldering tools I have ever used. It is very fast, easy to handle, comfortable, and just great!

Comments about RadioShack 45-Watt Desoldering Iron:

I've bought at least a dozen of these over the years; I keep replacing them because my students take them.
This tool is simply the fastest and best cheap way to remove chips, wires, and other things with leads from thru-hole PCBs. In fact, you have to be fast because you'll damage some parts with the heat if you are too slow.
Unfortunately, the speed and ease of use do lead to the danger that a user will deflate the bulb with the tool pointed unwisely, thus giving whatever a fine spray of molten solder. The target for the spray should be a shallow tray of water or some similarly heat-safe substance that will keep the spray contained. Keeping the tip clean improves both function (more even heating) and safety (more predictable spray pattern).

Comments about RadioShack 45-Watt Desoldering Iron:

Excellent for desoldering through-hole boards. I had several whole tv's to scrap for parts, and began using a solder sucker and iron, but found this very awkward; then I used desoldering braid (which does also work very well) but you use it up so fast with that many joints it is like throwing money in the trash. I purchased this desoldering iron on advice from a friend, and it works magnificently. It not only increases my desoldering speed, but is easy, completely desolders the joint, and was very reasonably priced. I can scrap many more tv's with this essential tool!

Comments about RadioShack 45-Watt Desoldering Iron:

I use this mostly for speaker wiring and some circuit board work. Performs great in both ways. Leaves virtually no clean up at all if any. This thing is great especially in low light areas when you need the other hand for light. Can be somewhat limited when in a tight spot but usually I don't have that to much. Over all it's a MUST HAVE try it you'll see.

Comments about RadioShack 45-Watt Desoldering Iron:

I bought one because I had to desolder approximately 120 through-hole RGB LEDs from their circuit boards, and it was cheap enough to buy on a whim. It was worth every penny. I wish I'd bought one YEARS ago. Compared to a "normal" iron + plastic "solder sucker" combo, it's a night and day improvement.

Comments about RadioShack 45-Watt Desoldering Iron:

It works great on all sort of boards or posts. I was very surprised in how well it has performed.

Comments about RadioShack 45-Watt Desoldering Iron:

I used this recently to remove a DC jack from a laptop motherboard and it worked flawlessly. I had been using a sucker and iron but wasn't getting far that way. Lead free solder can be tough to remove but this heated everything just right and sucked up the mess before it cooled. Definitally staying in my toolkit.

Comments about RadioShack 45-Watt Desoldering Iron:

This iron works great to suck up solder, Except that it comes out in very tiny little balls, so they go evrywhere. They are good if you want to Modify it any make something like a Hot Air Soldering Iron.

Comments about RadioShack 45-Watt Desoldering Iron:

I have been using one of these for years. I've used it to desolder a flyback transformer to repair a TV, for removing relays from boards, etc. It is a one-handed tool, which frees the other hand for using solder braid. I consider this an essential part of my soldering toolbox.

Comments about RadioShack 45-Watt Desoldering Iron:

There is no better tool for removing I.C. pins! This tool easily removes 20,40 etc. pin dip chips and, leaves the pin holes completely empty; you can then solder in a new ic socket that looks as if the job was done by the oem: factory perfect! This is by far, the best desoldering tool I have ever found!

Comments about RadioShack 45-Watt Desoldering Iron:

This item is good for removing large amounts of solder, it is ackward to use but with practice it will become easier to use, the main thing to watch out for is overheating what you are desoldering, you should use heat sinks and be careful not to burn the components or circuit board traces. It is a good idea to keep the tip of this device clean and tinned with solder to make heat transfer better, it is also a good idea to brush the solder you are removing with flux first. This is only for large solder joints, for smaller joints or to get the solder that this misses you should not keep trying to remove small amounts with this tool, you will only end up damaging what you are working on, once the bulk of the solder is removed use solder braid, if it is a small job dont use this tool, just use the solder braid alone, use flux on make sure your iron has a clean and tinned tip to make the desolering more efficient and make sure not to use too much heat using either method. If you are careful and use it as I mentioned then it is worth the money.