Good gear man !
What i've found better for lifting the pin than a knife ,is a tool that your dentist uses ,one of them hook things.It get's under and around the pins better than anything else i've seen or used,and with just a tiny bit of pressure near the solder side of the leg, the leg of the HU IC just lifts up and off the motherboard.
Without using any soldering equipment to boot .Practice on some canibalised parts first though.