Aven 17542 Desoldering Wick, 2.5mm Width, 5′ Length

Pros: Works, easy to use, fits on my solder spoolCons: NoneI ordered this desoldering wick as an alternative to the desoldering pump I was used to using. I figured this would probably be better for desoldering SMT components. It works really well, just place it against the solder, heat it up with the soldering iron (I use mine at about 370 Fahrenheit), and the solder flows right into the wick. It leaves a nice, clean, solder-free surface and makes removing chips and wires from PCBs a breeze. Sometimes a pump is still more useful, such as instances where there’s a lot of solder to remove at once, but I find that I use this wick much more often.I’ve placed mine on the solder spool attached to my soldering stand. It works pretty well like that; I can just pull the wick out, desolder something, and roll it back into the container when I’m done. I usually clip the wick whenever I’ve got a couple inches of it saturated with solder and it starts to get in the way. I’ve also found it useful for removing broken metal tabs soldered to the ends of wires since the wick tends to pull the metal tab off the wire along with the solder. As of this review, I’ve had this wick for almost a year now and have used it countless times so it definitely lasts a long time.Overall, I’d say this desoldering wick is worth 5 stars. It does what it’s supposed to and is convenient to use.