ENGINEEREngineer SS-08 Without IC

I am an Engineering Student and we started working with ICs. The Op Amp that we were using got wedged in there pretty good (you'll never get me to admit it might have been an error in the circuit and there may have been some melting involved!). After trying to use a pair of antistatic tweezers, which is all I had handy, and it slipping and slicing my finger open in lab, I decided I'm going to have to invest in an IC extractor.I'm glad I chose these. I haven't had to lock them in place to use them yet, but if I ever need to, I am glad to know that I can lock them in place and rock it back and forth to get it out without damaging anything. They will work much better than a screw driver and you won't have to worry about damaging/dinging/scratching up your IC. Definitely handy when you get the better quality breadboards that hold on to the pins much tighter.

I love how long the hooks are, the really get under and support the chip well when pulling from tight sockets. The lock is nice, but I find I rarely use it. I combine this tool with a chip pry bar to get under tightly seated chips on old PC boards and it made pulling chips easier and safer than inexpensive tools.

Extractor came quick enough. But I had to modify the angle of the grabber feet so that it actually would hang onto an integrated circuit

I haven't used it much, but it seems to work well. Stays clipped on the chip so you can release your finger squeeze.

This tool is definitely nicer to use compared to those cheap $5 IC pullers that don't have the crossbar.

Not what I expected

Got the Job done on a very small chip ,finger tips just too large , glad I have it!

Perfect for extracting parts from a circuit board.

This is a really high quality product. It is slightly more pricey than some, but you get what you pay for. As this product is made in Japan, you would expect it to be of high quality, and it is. The cheaper versions of these tools are OK, but remember "buy cheap, buy twice" - this tool will last a lifetime and is top notch fit and finish.As for doing it's job, well, it does that perfectly too. You can get a great purchase on the IC and extraction is no problem. The handles are PVC coated so ESD discharge shouldn't be a problem and I can confirm that it will handle 8pin to 48pin chips no worries.I hope other Amazoner's will find this review useful :)Regards,Mickey.

Nice and solid pincers that don't bend (like cheaper versions). My only criticism is that the bar that's screwed in place is loose at one end - the manufacturer needs to ensure that it can't move as freely. You can still lock it all up, but you have to push it in with your thumb before screwing the clamp down.The pincers are quite large, so if you're working in a confined space on the board you might find you can't get them under the chip. But that's more on the PCB designer.

It's great quality, sturdy, and has a tightening thumbwheel to help you keep the right width and grip.I've used some 'tweezer' style ones that are pretty flimsy and this is far better. It's a little more expensive that those but you won't need to replace it for a long time.Stop using your fingers or a screwdriver and get this.

This is a solid tool, well made. The problem is that you can't trust the locking. Maybe this needs more practice, but I had a situation where the tool unlocked during pulling and the prongs went bit sideways effectively almost destroying the IC I was pulling. I was amazed how it bent all its legs.I will be extremely careful with this when using on rare ICs, and maybe I will look for another tool.

These work pretty well. Sometimes need moving from side to side to ensure equal pull. The rubber insulated grip handles well and adds a bit ot weight to the item. The locking mechanism isn't great and the legs still have a degree of flex in them which has caused them to let go a couple of times. That said, they're 100 times better than prizing ic's out with a flat bladed screw driver.