Magnetic Helping Hands Third Hand Soldering Work Station | EXtra Large & Heavy Duty Base Plate | Flexible Arms | 360 Hot Air Gun Holder (Helping Hand with Magic Hand)

TL/DR: Buy this set. Great value. Works great. I bought my set of helping hands from the Amazon warehouse, and there were two minor scratches. I expected them, they dont affect anything, and someone was nice enough to color them in with a matching black pen. In operation, the base is stable, the arms move where you want, and stay there. The clips are better than the average ones Ive seen, and do the job. More precise tips, and plasti-dipped alligator clips vice the sleeved ones would be nice...but thats nit-picking. This set has already worked great for replacing the lipo batteries on some Anki Overdrive cars. The small pillars are the icing on this cake. Extremely stable (magnets dont move), six of them, and once I cleaned them up (3 of the brass tops needed wrench removal and lubrication to move freely) they are the best part of the set. They hold the board rock steady. When Ive messed up electrical repair work, it has been due to trying perform tasks that require more hands than I possess. That isnt an issue anymore with this set. Random helpful hint for larger projects that requires more space and/or ridiculous stability. Buy a cheap set of iron brake rotors. I bought some cheap ones for $12, and those provide two satellite platforms for either side of the plate that comes with this set. The magnetic pillars and flex arms will stick to the rotors, too (if you buy the iron ones...aluminum rotors and some ceramic ones...not so much). At 14lbs each, the ones I bought arent moving.

The longer arms are pretty weak at holding anything in position. The clips constantly moved on me and would spin when trying to solder. The hot gun glue holder would constantly come unscrewed from the the base. I bought this because of all the positive reviews. Maybe I got a bad unit. Not worth the money.

I had a cheap third hand from radio shack for twenty years and finally upgraded to this one after it broke. I should have bought this a long time ago - its so much nicer and more functional. It makes positioning pcb boards to solder so easy!

I looked for all the helping hands on amazon and this was the one that offered the most value for money at the time of my purchase. It includes 5 alligator clips, 2 long and 3 short and 6 magnetic pillar holders. It is very well built, all the components are of great quality and sturdiness. The metal plate is very heavy and it will last forever. The alligator clips come with a plastic tube surrounding the tips so they wont damage your electronics. All the magnets are very strong and the rubber feet come with 3M adhesive. I recommend this product.

Very easy to adjust alligator clips to hold items. Magnets sometimes disconnect from base if the arms are Stretched too far but otherwise a great product

The first thing I had to check was if the adjustable arms really didn’t rebound when you moved them into position. It’s actually true. Good solid feel and the base is heavy enough that you won’t accidentally move it. My wife wanted to borrow it for crafts the minute she saw it.

I am impressed with the flexibility and versatility of the helping hands. The arms allow me to access what Im working on from any angle I choose. The base is very heavy and has a very big surface, and the magnets are stronger than I imagined. The only complaint I have is the the screws that tighten down on the alligator clips. They dont secure as well as I would like, and if you tighten them too much, it causes the metal to crimp in on itself. This isnt to say they dont tighten well enough to use, if you are careful. I am still very happy with the quality of the whole kit.

Better than what I expected, would buy again and recommend to those looking for helping hands for soldering, etc.

I’ve been an tinkerer for years. Had some of the cheap helping hands tools. They’ve always failed, or broken. Pros: - It’s sturdy and doesn’t shift while working - Solid build materials - High diversity in the arms allows manipulation of a lot of materials Cons: - The clips utilize screws to keep them in place. Which can come out fairly easily - No ESD clip/mount so be careful Wish there was a light (which I simply build) and that there was a better way to manage the alligator clips. Other than that it’s a solid tool that anyone working with electronics should have.

Its a great buy when u need extra hand strong mag holing the hands to the frame .sturdiness accurate to description. Hands free