Looking for a better 3rd hand tool

[zogthegreat]

Hi everyone!

 

I have a POS 3rd hand tool for soldering that, well, it mostly works, but I want something better.

 

Any suggestions?

 

Thanks!

 

zog

 

[zogthegreat]

Hi @James Evens I use it mostly for soldering.

[minibois]

Over the last couple years I've seen quite a few YouTubers show off the product "Quad Hands". A bit ago I got a sort of knockoff of these, which mount to a desk. Those work alright for me, but it's kind of annoying to fit them to the desk. My soldering workspace isn't that big, so they can get in the way quickly.

 

Just a couple minutes I saw a YouTube video, which showed this PCB holder: https://www.banggood.com/Universal-3-Flexible-Arms-Soldering-Station-Holder-PCB-Fixture-Helping-Hands-with-4Pcs-Magnetic-Column-p-1550056.html

It looks like those red/blue posts can move around the surface (making it only suitable for PCB's up to a certain size), but that looks like a pretty good option to hold PCB in the air when soldering mainly SMD parts.

[zogthegreat]

@minibois

 

That's a nice one actually, I'll have to give it a good consideration. The magnet mounts are really nice, I could just add a piece of steel plate to my work area... might keep me from burning more spots on my work bench!

 

@James Evens

 

Yeah, I know what you mean, I used to use two of the one that I have now, (one of my kids absconded with one of them!), it made it easier to hold things where I needed them to be held. The one that @minibois linked looks really good to me, the only draw back is that it only has two clamp arms... I probably could mod the magnifying glass for a third clip, I'll have to think about it.