I write as a British English speaker. Usually I would prefer the second, especially if the fragment is actually a complete sentence and this has been defined in the immediately preceding text. For instance:
'The connectors can be difficult to remove. This tool helps to deal with this.'
But the repetition of 'this' is ugly. I would be surprised if a teacher of English in the US or the UK would accept it as good style.
I would probably consider recasting the sentence in which such constructions occur to replace the unspecific 'dealing/deal' with a verb that describes the activity more definitely:
'This tool can be used to make removing the connectors easier.'
'This tool can be used to make the removal of the connectors easier.'
But remember that British English usage is by no means standardized and varies with the age of the writer (I am 57), the kind of education they had (strict English teachers, science degree), the place in which they grew up (the south west of England), and the audience to which the writing is directed.