I have tried several "off-brand" desoldering guns, and honestly my experience is that the money saved (versus a "gold-standard" Hakko FR-300/FR-301) isn't worth the tradeoff in performance; the Hakko units really do seem to work THAT much better.

That being said, I hardly ever use my FR-301 unless extensive PCB work is needed (rare for me). I much prefer using a QUALITY spring-loaded vacuum sucker for most pinball repairs because I find them less cumbersome to use and that they often actually do a better job sucking the solder than the guns. The only disadvantages are that they are slower to use with big jobs, and require a bit of force to push/lock the plunger and a steady hand when "triggered" (might be tough for arthritis or carpal tunnel sufferers).

I prefer the "Engineer" branded ones available on Amazon; I've used mine extensively for four years and it has proven very durable, smooth, and doesn't seem to have lost any suction.
https://www.amazon.com/Engineer-SS-02-Solder-Sucker/dp/B002MJMXD4/ref=sr_1_45

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To each his own, I guess!

I used manual suckers for years before trying a desoldering station so I became fairly well-coordinated at using my right hand for the soldering iron and switching between solder wire and sucker with my left, and this approach feels more comfortable and efficient when working in situ than managing the extra power cable and heat source of separate soldering/desoldering tools.

I do prefer using my FR-301 on finer-pitch PCBs at the bench however.