SainSmart Magnetic Helping Hands, Third Hand Tool with 5X LED Magnifying Lamp, 4 PCB Circuit Board Holder & 4 Flexible Arms, 11.1 x 7.1 Inch Extra Larger Base, Soldering Station for Electronic Repair

Feels well built, nice sized working surface. The magnifying glass is nice and large. Good size options and flexibility.

My only wish was to have a second, higher magnification spyglass, but at this price its great.

This helping hands is absolutely worth the money! Ive had ones before where they have a spring motion in the arm, so when you place it and then let go, it springs away half an inch. Very frustrating when working with small electronics! But not with this one! While the longest arms have a little bit of this, its so minimal and predictable that I have no issues getting everything aligned! I also like that the arms can be placed anywhere on the metal base, allowing for a high level of flexibility in how I can arrange both the arms and the illuminated lens. While I dont solder for a living, and I certainly dont claim to know everything, I can say that this is the best Helping Hands that I have ever used and I strongly recommend it to anyone looking for one!

Great. It gives me enough options to get the job done no matter what the job is. It simply works and is very convenient. Sometimes I need to hold something flush to PCB so I can solder and the clips often help do that while also holding it for me. I can also use it to secure switches and other small things Im soldering without them sliding around the table when I push the soldering iron up to the lead + contact. Its a very simple tool that make things much easier and the light + magnifying glass are pretty much essential.

My husband is constantly making things and this has made things better for me. He no longer feels the need to call me in from the other room to help him. Win, win for me and him. I’m free to do as I please and he doesn’t have to wait on me to get to the next step of his project.

The base and magnetic arms seem to be of good quality. The only complaint is the magnifer lamp. The lens has aberrations and a small field of view. The ring lamp is alright. The lamps power switch is in the middle of the power cord instead of being close to the lamp. This puts the switch off of the desktop and out of reach. Buy the one without this worthless maginifer lamp.

So I had been using a piece of wood with solid copper single conductor wire holding alligator clips to hold my wires for soldering. It worked.... This is more refined and elegant, additionally it provides better stability and has a higher quality of material. When time is considered this is a great value for the money.

Very sturdy, I love that the magnifier has a dimmable light because I have an extreme light-sensitivity, and that the white balance can be changed! Everything is movable but very solid so it only moves when you want it to. I wish the bendables allowed for more acute angles lower but I made it work by using the shelves of the circuit holder instead of the prongs and holding one side of the component up with the pincer (as shown in photo).

This 3rd hand device does the job, but has a few quirks. As others stated, the retaining screws used to secure the alligator clips to the flexible support arms do not provide a positive lock. In other words, the retaining screws require frequent tightening. Unlike other reviewers, after approximately a dozen uses, I have not experienced problems with the LED. The base of the unit has sufficient mass and provides a stable platform, especially with the rubber foot pads installed. The magnetic base of each support arm clings to the base with enough force to support workpieces weighing several ounces; and the rigidity of the arms supports this functionality. Used in combination, the arms can support substantial workpieces. The pillar supports perform flawlessly.

This has a very heavy steel base with a nice finish. The arms are nicely flexible and hold their positions well. The clips are nicely made and have a smooth chrome finish. They are much nicer than the alligator clips used on most of the smaller helping hands devices Ive seen (and have a couple of). The magnifying glass doesnt distort. The adjustable ring light is nice. I thought I would only use it on the brightest setting, but I actually find it useful to adjust it brighter and dimmer depending on what components Im working on and where on the board they are located. The board holders work very well. The one design change I could suggest is that the points (used to hold a board by mounting holes) could be offset to one side of the post. This would allow it to hold very small boards by mounting holes. But they are still very usable. I expect that I will use it for many things beyond assembling electronics. I can also imagine people finding it useful for things like jewelry making and other small crafts.