Best-value sub-$100 soldering equipment purchase I've ever made!

By Gabriel Staples
Written: 26 May 2018
Last Updated: 26 May 2018

Related post: Recommended Soldering Kit & Tutorials (for Arduino, Electronics, & Radio Control)

My review on my latest desoldering tool purchase (< $10)!

I just bought this Velleman desoldering iron/vacuum (desoldering pump) for ~$10 on Amazon. It worked so well I wanted to share my review directly, since it could have saved me dozens of hours and tons of frustration before when I was newer to soldering and trying to desolder through-hole parts with lots of legs, such as switches. It is SUCH a great value and would have prevented me from destroying or damaging several circuit boards in the past!

My Review title: Best-value sub-$100 soldering equipment purchase I've ever made!
By Gabriel S on May 19, 2018
Verified Purchase


I own a few hundred dollars worth of soldering equipment, and this is the best-value soldering purchase I've ever made! It heats like a champ and has tons of power and can *easily* desolder *large* through-hole components, even switches and pots the size of your thumb, as well as small stuff too! The secret? Properly tin the tip the very first time you heat it up, and treat it like a soldering iron!--ie: keep the tip wet with fresh solder while you work. *Adding* solder to a joint you want to *desolder* is a "secret" well-known by the experts because it keeps the joint fresh and flowing rather than brittle and plasticized so that the solder flows well and the joint is cleaned nicely when you press the vacuum button. Also be sure to hold the iron vertical to get good suction when sucking. And let me repeat: if you say the iron is not hot enough you are WRONG! (in 98% of the cases). What you need to do instead is *add fresh flux-core solder* to the iron tip--get it all up inside the tip even, then place the tip over your through-hole leg to desolder and now the fresh solder will flow the heat right into the joint--press the vacuum sucker button and voila! You've just cleaned that joint perfectly! Repeat a few more times and the through-hole component can be just wiggled right out! Amazing! BEST SUB-$100 PURCHASE I'VE EVER MADE IN THE SOLDERING WORLD SO FAR (and it's only $10), and I've been in it a while: Google "Recommended Soldering Kit & Tutorials Electric RC Aircraft Guy" for instance and you can find me.

Also, this unit *can* be cleaned. The light cleaning: with the iron fully heated, rapidly press the plunger a few times. It will shoot out drops of solder that were sitting up inside. The heavy cleaning: the vacuum tube can be removed with some force, care, and a small to medium flathead screwdriver. Search the YouTube videos.

Here is the link directly if you'd like one.
Note that I paid for this thing 100% myself. I did NOT get promotions or discounts, and no one told me to write this review. I did it because I love the product. That being said, I've posted this as an Amazon affiliate link, so if you use the link here when you make your purchase (please do) I'll get a few cents out of it. Thanks.

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Keywords: Amazon Velleman VTDESOL3U Vacuum Desoldering Pump With Heater 30W; desoldering pump; best desoldering iron; best desoldering tool; desoldering station; hot air rework station alternative; hot plate desoldering