Magnetic Helping Hands Third Arm Soldering Work Station | EXtra Large & Heavy Duty Base Plate | 5 Flexible Arms with Precision 360 Degree Alligator Clip

Works well and is very stable with good weight. The alligator clips can come loose easy but definitely good quality with strong holding ability. Very solid and feels like it is great quality

I'll admit, this product is a bit more expensive than I'd like. I mostly bought it on an impulse when it went on sale. But I am so happy that I did. This product really does live up to its promises:The metal baseplate is thick and heavy, which helps keep everything anchored and still while you're working. In addition, it has big rubber feet to stabilize it and keep it from sliding across the table while in use. Its powder coating not only protects the metal, but the texture helps keep the magnetic arms anchored so the don't slide when you're working.The gooseneck arms are of the best quality I've ever seen (in any product, ever). They really have no memory or bounce-back. By that I mean: when you bend them into the position you want, they stay exactly where you put them. They don't retract a little, trying to return to the previous position, or upset at how far you've bent them. Not even a millimeter. Wherever you point them, they stay exactly in that position. They're also very strong and can hold surprising weight. And the magnets on their feet (that connect them to the metal baseplate) are very strong and keep them in place. Plus there is a thin rubber-like coating on them that adds to their traction.The soft tips on the alligator clips are a great and welcome addition. While easy to remove the soft tips if unwanted, they help to grip onto whatever you're working on while also protecting it from any scratches or gouges from the alligator teeth. The clips are also rotatable and completely removable (so you could add your own custom "gripping" devices if needed).The magnifying light was an unexpected bonus. I assumed it was going to be a cheap "add-on" product that wouldn't be worth the extra packaging it came in. But to my surprise, it turned out to be a really great addition. The light, while very easy to use, has many settings, allowing you to customize the brightness and color-temp of the light. Plus the magnifying lens is real glass (not knock-off cheap plastic made to fool people into thinking it's glass.) And it has a good magnification level. I have bigger articulated magnifying lamps, but this one is so handy it seems to be the one I reach for the most now. So it was a very surprising value-add to this purchase.While it certainly came with a lot of gooseneck arms (the kit I went with has five), I've decided to purchase some more separately, as now I've found them so handy I can't live without them and would like more for larger projects that need more "hands" for more (or much heavier) objects. I've just got to be sure I purchase this exact same brand, because I've seen a lot of other knock-off brands, and I don't trust them to not be junk.Also, the quality for each piece is obvious. No burs or slag, no scrapes in the paint, no manufacturing marks or nicks. Everything feels heavy in the hand, quality made. And it looks like whomever makes these takes pride in their work. I can't say I checked, but it has a real "Made in USA" feel to it.All in all, I can say this is one of the few products that promised a fair bit and actually lived up to it. I would say I am more than happy with this product (and in fact can think of no way it could be improved, other than to lower the price just a little maybe. Its just a tad too high and creates some sticker shock that I think is preventing them from getting new customers. I know I held off for quite a while before relentimg and purchasing.).So, all in all, I whole heartedly recommend this product. I will update this review if that changes.

These really work. The magnets solidly hold the arms on the tray and the articulated arms stay where you put them. Plenty of flexibility and a solid piece of gear.

I am impressed with the flexibility and versatility of the helping hands. The arms allow me to access what I'm 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 don't secure as well as I would like, and if you tighten them too much, it causes the metal to crimp in on itself. This isn't to say they don't tighten well enough to use, if you are careful. I am still very happy with the quality of the whole kit.

This thing is solid! Heavy base, super strong fat magnets on the arms and those little bullet spikes. I’m using this for my 1/24 rc crawler Scx24. Support the chassis on 4 of the spikes which are sharp and sturdy and slide right into any spot u want. I only use two of the bend arms to secure it to the spikes and that thing ain’t budging a bit. This thing is the real deal. I borrowed a little yellow helping hand from a buddy to work on an rc car. It helped a lot but I remember the feet always coming loose as I adjusted the bendy arms and it started eating away at my soul. This thing feels like I cemented my car to something, but the hatter clips have these nice rubber socks on the teeth so they are super gentle in the gear but hold it super tight. So nice

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 don't 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 I've seen, and do the job. More precise tips, and plasti-dipped alligator clips vice the sleeved ones would be nice...but that's 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 don't 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 I've messed up electrical repair work, it has been due to trying perform tasks that require more hands than I possess. That isn't 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 aren't moving.

Must have this product. Test and troubleshoot system boards before installing in the case… I highly recommend it.

Very good and very handy

This is a high quality board. Everything feels solid and robust, plus its extremely versatile. The bottom plate is heavy and doesn't move while you're working. If you're tired of cheap helping hands, get this kit, you won't regret it. Really great customer service too. I had an issue with one of the arms. I e-mailed the company and I received a brand new one the same week.

This is the best Helping hand unit EVER. the adjustable magic arm ROCKS.

La plaque (base) est de bonne qualité, assez de poids pour tenir le tout. Les différents bras articuler sont bien attacher sur la base grâce à leurs aimants à leur base. Le petit plastique sur le pince est toutefois de moins bonne qualité mais les pinces eux le sont. Il est juste triste que le tout viens pas avec un sac de transport pour entreposer le tout. Je recommande.