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Review on πŸ”§ Optimized Velleman VTDESOL3U Vacuum Desoldering Pump with Built-In 30W Heater by Richard Turner

Revainrating 5 out of 5

Slightly better than using a separate soldering iron and suction iron

I used my Weller iron with a manual suction tool that never worked very well. It just works a little better. Its main advantage is that you no longer have to juggle two instruments on opposite sides of the board. However, it cleans through holes poorly and appears to be completely ineffective if the component is still there. The solder just won't come out. The iron also only uses 30W so it takes quite a while to heat up and it doesn't have temperature control so it gets progressively hotter. It's only $10 so I think I'll save up for a Hakko FR-300. While I don't do end-to-end rework very often, it's a breeze with the right tool. Edit: After using it along with the wide application of Flux, its performance improved somewhat. Flux, flux and more flux! It's still not fantastic but I'd say once flux is added it cleans about 85% of the joints I've used it on.

Pros
  • Easy to use
Cons
  • Unfashionable