I think this is a good value for the money. It takes a bit of time to reach temperature, but once it's there, it works very well. I've been using various desoldering stations for years, most costing a lot more than this one, and I can tell you this - desoldering stations need to be cleaned regularly. Failure to do so, will result in clogging, lack of suction, and a big headache. And it doesn't matter if you buy a $1,000 unit, it still needs to be cleaned. I take care of this station, and so far it has done a great job. If you search around, you can find replacement filters and tips, as I believe this unit is made with a couple of different brand names on the case. For an inexpensive soldering station, I would definitely recommend this.

I've been using this for a couple months now and it's great. It's my first vacuum powered desoldering device so I can't directly compare it to anything, but it does the job and does it well. It heats up quickly, has strong vacuum and pulls away the solder easily.

Update: May 2019

I've been using this de-soldering station for just about a year now and I'm still very happy with it. I've probably collectively removed about half a pound of solder with it. I haven't exactly been treating it with kit gloves either. (Honestly I've been much harder on it than I should). There were a couple of spots where I let it go too long before cleaning the catch tube and allowed the filter pad to clog, and a couple of mishaps where the shaft was clogged at the catch tube with skunky half-century old solder because I didn't swab it out with the provided cleaning rods in time - this is really my fault. The shaft can't (and shouldn't) get hot enough to melt solder at the catch tube end, but its entirely fixable. If this happens to you just shut the gun off, remove the catch tube, push one of the cleaning rods into the shaft and press while you heat the catch tube end with another soldering iron - after a few seconds the stuck solder should loosen and push out the old solder.

Replacement tips and filter pads have been easy to get.

After a year the gun still heats up quickly, the vacuum is still strong (despite the fact that I allowed it to get clogged numerous times). It DOES get clogged sometimes but not if you make a point to clean the catch tube after heavy use and use the cleaning rods each time before you put the gun back in its holder.

I restored one vintage audio receiver with a solder sucker and that was not fun. I broke down and paid up for this station and it makes a difficult job easy and fun. I'm on my third vintage receiver restoration in 3 months and so far so good. So satisfying to see the solder disappear and pull the capacitor out in a matter of seconds. heat is set at 765F for 50 year old solder. work quickly and you wont pull up any traces. Suction is good, better than I expected, no complaints about that. The Ceramic filter in the gun gets pretty dirty quickly. It comes with some, but you will need to get extras. Not sure how long the tip will last, I use the largest one. Need to find a back up for that, I haven't seen a replacement advertised. Now my criticisms, It takes a little time to warm up, It starts and stops a couple time on a cold start-up, hope this is not an indication of a problem developing, once it gets going it seem fine. the glass vial is difficult to remove, It's fine for now but you have to apply a lot of force to squeeze it out of the handle. All in all I'm very happy with this, hopefully it lasts a long time

I know varying reviews on this but from my experience, it works well. It is loud as the fan spins fast. There are youtube videos to fix this. I feel it is acceptable. Suction wise, it works well for my purpose, PCB board repair. I use the larger tip which fits well over the top better. I have not had the clogging issue mentioned, but I use the provided cleaner brushes often and while using. No real usable instructions come with this and that is disappointing. But it is pretty straightforward.

To clean, there is a small button on the back of the wand that you push down and the top black piece pulls back. this releases the clear cylinder tube, but not all the way. You have to force it out some with the back of the tube coming out first. Then to reinsert, start with the front of the tube first.

All in all, this really makes a difference for if you need to remove many parts.

I really don't see how you can go wrong for the price of this station. The quality and performance is well beyond what I expected to receive. I have used production level professional desoldering stations, and fully understood this was not made for that kind of rigorous use when I got it. It is a hobby level machine and works perfectly in that application. Basically what this means is you have to keep up on cleaning and maintaining it . But I was able to easily remove several DIP IC's and even components with thick leads the very first time I used this. You should clean up the filter and spring after every use, and that is super simple to do. I have not had any clogs, but I run the cleaning wire through it every now and then while using it just to prevent any. Even the professional grade desoldering tools clog now and then. The main unit is heavier than what you would expect, and stays firmly put on the bench. I'm not sure why everyone points out that the front panel is plastic as the fronts are plastic on nearly every soldering/desoldering station today. The gun sight tube is actual glass, and lets you see when the filter is getting full. The LCD display is excellent, the pushbuttons a little stiff but not a problem. It will display in degrees C or F, and has non-volatile memory that retains all the settings at power off. In all, no complaints at all for $129.00, I'm very satisfied with this.

Initially, worked very well. Then, suction power decreased progressively - likely as the suction tube narrowed its clear area - and it completely stopped working about a week ago. No amount of effort to clear the airways paid off.

The issue - and I believe it's a design flaw - is that most of the suction tube path is unheated and it's just too long for the solder to flow. It inevitably slows down and accrues, ultimately filling the entire suction tube. Tried heating it through the back with iron, through the front, etc. Nothing had any effect on it, and I couldn't clear the tube.

Worst of all, I requested replacement parts - the handheld part of it should be replaced in this case, I believe - and I received no response. So don;t count on the "one year warranty" commitment, as they will fail to support it.

Too bad, it's otherwise a pretty well put together piece of machinery. I am switching to the next level up name brand, with manufacturing in Japan. I just can't afford the downtime, aggravation, and lack of support. That in mind, this is actually far too expensive.

Update: I'm still loving this tool, but, it clogged up badly and I had to take it apart. To avoid this, run the little included cleaning rod down the tube after every few desolders, don't wait. A partial clog can be cleared, but a full clog is a big hassle. This thing is awesome BUT, you have to clean it or else it may be ruined. There is a small metal tube that runs from the tip to the waste-solder glass collection area. The tube is heated at the tip but, that's it, so it gets cooler the further back it goes. When you suck up solder, most of it makes it all the way to the back of the glass waste area but some of it will get stuck on the inside of the metal tube, it's inevitable. The tool comes with three different cleaning rods in 3 sizes. There is a cylindrical shield that covers the metal tube and holds the tip onto the end of the tube. A knurled nut holds the shield on and it easily comes off. Take the shield and tip off to expose the full length of the metal tube. Also remove the glass cylindar by releasing the latch, then pushing the glass tube towads the back while lifting the front. It's a tight fit but it will come out. Now, starting with the smallest rod, which has a file like cutting surface, run it through the tube back and forth several times. Do the same with the next size rod, then the largest. Clean out the glass tube with a paper towel. There is a spring inside the glass tube with a flat piece of metal where the hot solder collects. Pull that out of the spring along with the filter behind it and clean those off. The important part is running the rods through the gun because if the tube gets completely blocked you have a problem that fortunately, I haven't had to deal with (yet). Keep it clean, and you'll love this solder sucker. How often do you have to clean it? Good question. I removed around 8 caps and 6 resistors before cleaning mine. Solder was already stuck on the inside of the tube. Luckily I was able to get only the small rod through, but worked up to the largest and now it's like new again. Clean it more often than you think you need to. Good luck.

This unit works great at first. As all Chinese products, the manual is crap and written in # 2 font. Mine started acting up and it turns out that you need to clean the solder suction tube EVERYTIME you use it. When I checked mine out, there was no suction and it turned out that the solder solidifies and plugs up the back of the tube where it doesn't get hot. Once it's plugged, it's over. I tore mine apart and couldn't get it unplugged. I ordered a replacement gun for $32.00 I wish I had bought a higher quality unit (Starts with an "H"). According to the crap instructions, you only need to pull back on the black plastic (like cocking a gun) and the button will move and it'll open up. Mine didn't work as described, and broke. The replacement gun opened as described.

My desoldering gun now has a label to remind me to clean the gun every use. The unit comes with three diameter tube cleaners, use the one that fits the size tip you're using.

If you're doing production work or more than a hobbyist, do yourself a favor and buy a better unit.

Grazie a questo prodotto ho recuperato tanti compone ti che normalmente danneggiavo con la dissaldatura

He recibido mi paquete pero no hace la función de succionar , o extraer la soldadura , al activar el gatillo suena fuerte pero no tiene nada de fuerza para extraer la soldadura ....

Ottimo prodotto e buono il rapporto qualità prezzo

Arriva un Anfel al posto del Anesty, contattato il venditore e dichiara che è lo stesso prodotto e stesso produttore. Non so se sia vero comunque andrebbe indicato, questo comportamento non mi è piaciuto. Ho provato la macchina e sembra funzionare, ho aspirato solo due saldature, la prima subito, la seconda ho dovuto fare qualche tentativo in più usando anche il flussante, farò altre prove. Il corpo macchina sembra di fabbricazione discreta e pesante, non posso dire lo stesso della pistola, comunque vedremo con il tempo se dura tutto sommato può andare bene. Tre stelle soprattutto per non aver ricevuto il prodotto del marchio che mi aspettavo.

Eccellente e funzionale