FR-301 Portable Desoldering Tool

This is a very, very useful tool. I’m strictly an amateur with the soldering iron but being able to remove the existing solder, especially when it’s on a board, makes the whole remove and replace task incredibly easier.If you’re reading this, I suspect you’re probably frustrated with desoldering wire (never an find) or spring-loaded (inefficient) suction devices. It sucks, it doesn’t blow.This is the JDM version (or I received a JDM version) but works smashingly n NYC electric current.The case is invaluable. The instructions are in Japanese.Great brand.Worth every cent.

I've used desoldering braid and those spring-loaded pumps, but this alternative blows them away. It heats up very quickly for such a heavy tip, about 30 seconds. And the vacuum is quite powerful, easily sucking up solder pools instantly, even without perfect contact with the board.My only complaint is that it's not possible to see at a glance what temperature range it's set on without turning it upside down, where the numbers are printed on the dial. I melted off several pads when I first turned it on, since there are just tick marks on the side of the dial, which mean nothing.As others have mentioned, this is a Japanese model, so all the documentation is in that language, however given that there's only one control you normally use aside from the vacuum trigger, this isn't the end of the world.I'm just very impressed, and with several decades of experience in electronics it's obvious this is a winner. It is fairly expensive, but for a name-brand tool of such high quality I think it's worth it.

This makes desoldering (specially through hole) 1000000x faster, better and cleaner. This is a time saver! Go get yourself one! With all the difference size nozzle and quick change, you don't need your old manual pump tool.This is the JP domestic version, it supposed to only work with 100v. At 120v the pump does work at 20% higher than spec, but just think of it a turbocharged pump now. The heating element part stays fine, that part is regulated.You can research this on the internet and find way to mod the unit to spec the same as the US version.

This thing is AWESOME, should have bought it years ago. Do not be concerned about it being a grey market version, it is genuine. Comes with a non-polarized 2 prong US cord instead of the 3-prong US cord. Saves you $100 not having that 3 prong cord, works perfectly, temp regulation works perfectly. Should have bought this thing years ago.

This is a 100V item, and should NOT be sold in the USA!!!!!!!!!!!!! According to Hakko themselves: "While it is possible to plug a 100V FR-301 in a 120V outlet, a step-down transformer should be used. We do not recommend this however since these 100V units are designed for the Japanese domestic market. Connecting the units to 120V will cause an overvoltage on the PCB and the heating element that could lead to premature failure. The units are also not rated for safety to UL standards in North America. If a problem were to occur with the unit, you will need to return the unit to the place of purchase as we are unable to repair it."

I got the Japanese version. How can I tell? Because the entire paper documents are in Japanese with no additional languages. So, did that make it difficult to understand or use? No, not at all. And There's only a handful of buttons and switches on the device, they all have a very straightforward and necessary function, no weird alt-modes to fumble with so it's pretty easy and intuitive to figure out. Plus it works so good, every time I need to suck some solder off of a joint or trace, or out of a via, this little guy works perfect. No more lost pads, no more fighting with capacitors, desoldering has finally become as easy as or easier than soldering! If you are sick and tired of solder wick for every job, unless this unit arrives broken, you're not going to regret this purchase, you'll only regret not buying a couple of the alt-shaped tips at the same time (at least the slightly wider slotted tip). Oh, and one of the tricks I recently learned is to add more solder to some joints so that the nozzle makes a better seal with the via you're trying to clear. Easy!

I received the 100 volt unit like others. it has the standard us 3 prong plug. the controller pcb rating(in their manual) is 100-110 volts. The heating element is also rated at 100-110 volts. There is a 120 volt version of the board and the heater. Considering the difference is only 10 volts. Under heavy use it might wear out quicker. but Hakko has all the parts and at that time you could just change the heater to the 120 volt version and the pcb as well. Those are the only voltage specific parts I saw. This unit was allot cheaper than the other hakko fr301 that i found. so if it wears out a little sooner just fix it. the instructions were written in Chinese or Japanese language. (cannot tell) Hakko is a great company for all soldering equipment. I used to buy only Weller but hakko is in the same class. It is a bit sturdier built. Plastic is tougher.

I've purchased the tool twice. The first time I loved it, but I sold it when I needed the money and thought I couldn't justify keeping it. I can now justify it, but the second time I purchased it I was sent the Japanese model, which comes with Japanese instructions and a 100v electrical requirement. Without purchasing a transformer, it is not safe to use.As far as the operation goes, it's a pretty great tool. It's convenient to be a self-contained unit, albeit slightly heavy. It can be a bit difficult to clean, but much better than most solder suckers. It worked incredibly well at desoldering everything I threw at it, but you will eventually need to purchase a few extra tips for different components.