[morzh]

Bought X-Tronic 9010 Pro. It is a gun-type  desoldering station with vacuum pump. 

https://www.amazon.com/X-Tronic-9010-Pro...988&sr=8-9

It is really not for antique radios, it is for things with PCBs in it. Right now I am working on my Philips CD player and this is helpful.
I have to say, for $99 this thing is a few times cheaper than the competition. It is a new product., they do not even have it on the company website.
Obviously it cannot be made same way that the more expensive relatives are made, but it works well so far.
I have a review written on Amazon.

Unless you are into solid state, you do not need it. It is useless for most of the radios. 
But if working on HiFi of the solid state era, it will be very handy.
Of course, time will tell how reliable it is.

[rfeenstra]

I have Xytronic 988D. It works OK but the sucked up solder has to go through a tube that is too far from the heater. It plugs up regularly as the solder cools too much before exiting the tube. I have to let the unit heat up for a long time to get the tube hot enough. The unit also lhas a fine tip soldiering iron for fine work on PC boards. I would like to know how you like the unit in the long run.

[Eliot Ness]

Interesting, I've often toyed with buying a Hako but so far have stuck with my solder wick, Soldapullt, and occasionally a bulb.  I guess if I did a lot of solid state repairs I'd look into one a little more seriously.

I remember talking to my late brother about making one of these and he used his wife's old shark vacuum cleaner and made one.  When I was cleaning out his shop for my sister-in-law I found it.  If I remember correctly he said it worked pretty good and I remember playing with it for a bit, but it was, well a loud vacuum cleaner with a large hose so I wound up giving it back to her to use as a vacuum.  I remember her saying, "I wondered whatever happened to that vacuum" 

[morzh]

John,

Vacuum cleaner is too much, too bulky and too loud. Though one thing it will do is suck well.
You also have to interface the intake orifice which is 1-1/2 inches to a much smaller (1/4") tube that would attach to the solder want/gun, else it would be unwieldy.
Any vane or rotary snall pump does just fine.

Rob,

Xytronics is a different company though. Amazing how they make the same name vary by add8ng one letter
Speaking of frozen solder, all stations (at the time I started usung them they were all US-made, with glass tubes etc) had this peoblem and required nozzle cleaning.
I remember experimenting with the suction: the filter really reduces it.
BTW: Xytronic lf-8800 is sold by Jameco for $330, and by SPWindustrial for $700. Nuts.....

Your 988D on eBay is being offered for $299.

[Eliot Ness]

Mike, at the time I was a bit overwhelmed with the task of cleaning his workshop so I didn't focus on the homebrew solder sucker too much because of the noise and bulk. I can't really remember how he interfaced it to the nozzle or his filter material, but I guess it worked for what he was using it for. Had he lived longer he might have come up with a version 2 had he found a more appropriate pump. As it was, as a crude prototype so to speak, I felt it best to return it back to being just a vacuum

[rfeenstra]

I only use mine for PC board repair. It would never work on these old radios - too much solder! I too use a lot of solder wick.

[morzh]

Exactly my point.
I use hand suction pump and soldering iron for radios.
I bought the desoldering station for the PCBs. Let alone the fact the power of my station might simply not be enough to melt and suck out a large blob of solder.

On my PCB I was able to lift and desolder a lead that was formed to be flush to pad surface, using the fine gage nozzle.