Polymorph wrote:
Has anyone ever used a tool like the following: http://www.computronics.com.au/sc7000/
That's a fairly standard vacuum desoldering handpiece. My OK Industries unit looks very much like it. That page is bit non-specific about whether the price includes the vacuum pump, though. Probably would be worth asking the question ahead of time!
or: http://www.cutter.com.au/proddetail.php?prod=cut226
A so-called "solder-pult". I've used and abused these over the years. They aren't as convenient as the pump-based units and (in my experience) are more prone to clogging.
They certainly look and sound what I need, but I would like someone's opinion if they've ever used such desoldering tools. The continual vacuum tool looks like good value for money if it works as advertised. The radio shack one sounds good too, but I was unable to find anything like that here in Australia and any cost benefits would be offset by high postage costs, so I would prefer to find one locally.
The Radio Shack unit is philosophically similar to the solder-pult, but with a squeeze bulb for the vacuum. These are even more prone to clogging and (again, in my opinion) lack the "ooomph" for reliably clearing holes on double-sided or multi-layer boards.
I've been doing electronic technical work for over 40-years, FWIW, and have formed a lot of opinions that I'm sure others will disagree with <g>. In the long-term the craftsman is more important than the tool. You can probably obtain good results with any of these after some practice.
Steve