Review on 💨 Tenma 21-8240 Vacuum Desoldering Iron: Powerful and Efficient Solder Removal Tool by Kevin Bucher

Just got it and had to test it right away. Coming from a long history of electronics, soldering and desoldering, this is not a new experience for me. However, I've never had time to get myself any advanced tools other than the standard suction pump. The only advanced soldering tool I've invested in is my adjustable soldering station. Now I have a heated desoldering pump. My first impression. it sucks. and not a good view. Well, sometimes not. It's only 30W so honestly don't expect too much. If you want to "work fast" this tool is not for you as it takes 5 to 10 minutes to get up to temperature. Maybe it's not a lot of time, but if you remove just one wire, then it's a long time. I work in a production environment so waiting 5-10 minutes doesn't help. My soldering station reaches temperature in about 60 seconds (between 550-650F from cold). However, once it's up to temperature, things aren't so bad. Soldering areas such as solid pads that require 15-20 seconds of heat from the soldering iron will require this desoldering pump for about 5 seconds, then press the button. This is due to the larger contact area of the tip. Keep this in mind for small contact points. So the mechanism works quite well. I tested this with several large solder joints and the o-ring seemed to resist after about 3-4 bumps, just as a starting point. I haven't opened it yet, but someone who answered the question said you just have to pull out the metal bar. I will keep trying. I'm sure there's nothing exciting about that. I have to mention how inconvenient it is to use and install. I watched a few YouTube videos about this pump before deciding to order it. One issue was 'storage while in use' and it was found that the pump had a flat spot to place it on a table. yes good this flat space was created for the routing of the wire, and the flat seating group is just a by-product of that. Therefore, the pump takes up a lot of space when at rest, and it is very easy to tip it over and get an unplanned adrenaline rush. The flat spot also feels sharp, if not sharp, so the designers definitely didn't think about ergonomics. While it's a good "thing", it might not be in this app. The power cord is quite heavy. and it's hard. The power cord weighs much more than the pump itself. The heating element is only rated at 30 watts, and your home's cords can carry around 1700 watts. It is completely redesigned or overpriced. The weight of the cord makes this tool "unbalanced" and awkward to use. In general, I just like it because it's definitely more convenient to use than holding a soldering iron in one hand and a pump in the other, and you need to switch off quickly to maximize your suction power. Could this product be better? Sure, but for the price I'll buy another one for the other bank and maybe a third one as a backup.