Reuse the old connector housings there's no reason to replace them unless they are the IDC type as in the newer older games.

The other issue you will get better with practice.... it helps to have a quality crimper. The Yellow handled Waldron is "ok" for a pin or 2, but for mass repinnings a good ratcheting one is a must and makes it so much easier to get good crimps.

That's where the practice and experience comes in. A lot of it comes down to the tools you get though, if you have crap tools, it's just going to be an exercise in frustration for you. I have the same blue handled crimper oldschoolbob does (as well as the yellow handle waldrons), but I use a small jewelers' screwdriver to get the pins out. That's the biggest pain. I made crap connections for years before I got the right tools.

Sure, when the housings are easily available. The .100 bally ones don't usually get too brittle or hammered though and I've saved a bunch of them from parts playfields from years past. .156 connectors I always use new ones it's just faster than extracting the pins ones at a time.

What exactly makes old solder 'bad' that reflowing it and adding a bit of solder doesn't fix?

I've never really found a use for the squeeze bulb type, certainly not to suck up solder. I have the hakko for chips or if I'm doing a lot at once but otherwise the solder sucker tube or braid works fine.

For people with the hakko.... if you can desolder sideways it makes it a lot easier since you're not overcoming gravity. At a buddy's once I had to replace a 40 pin PIA on a system 11 board he went upstairs for a couple minutes to get a beer and when he came back down I was done with the desoldering AND the installation of a new socket.... he couldn't believe it.

Of course, major advantage when you're cutting OUT the chip and just have to remove the pins. But still.... less than 10 minutes.

Get extra filters and change them occasionally to keep the pump in good shape.

Yeah, I have a couple of old radioshack ones that work fine. Sometimes the pin that pushes the solder out gets misaligned but other than that it's good.

That's some bad QC.... you have a right to be pissed. No way are those going into the housings and staying correctly.

Yes, that's why he's going to take care of it with his supplier - it sucks for him to get stuck with the poor QC he posted pics of.

I meant Ed must be pissed.... as the supplier he's going to be ordering thousands and thousands of these, and the complaints are going to be directed at him, and now he has to deal with it. Ed's great no one disputes that.