RadioShack® Helping Hands with Magnifier

Comments about RadioShack® Helping Hands with Magnifier:

As soon as I tried to use it I could tell I had made a terrible purchase. Everyone commenting on the base being to small and not heavy enough are correct. My big issue is that no matter how you tighten things it flips and flops. I have 2 screws so far, the ones with the plastic thumb screw part connected to the metal screw, that are stripped. The thumb part turns but the screw does not. They also made it all out of polished metal. Come on radio shack, tell the suplier to leave the bars and ball joints rough. Then when you tighten stuff it will have something to grab to. Do not buy this it is a waste of money. Buy your stuff online from someone else unless radio shack gets with the program.

Comments about RadioShack® Helping Hands with Magnifier:

I needed helping hands while doing an emergency repair on the road while traveling. My local Radio Shack had two in stock. I opened the package before purchasing and found problems with the tightening mechanism for the magnifying glass and one gator clip was bent. The magnifier lens wouldn't tighten into position and flopped around helplessly. I opened the second package and between the two I was able to mix parts and make a unit that works. At home I found the device to be functional but frustrating. The adjustments you make will not stay in position, there is very little weight this unit can hold firmly and the short height of the unit keeps you too close to your work. The gator clips to don't extend into the view of the magnifying lens. The magnifier is weak and I had to add a makeshift 1.5x to it.

Comments about RadioShack® Helping Hands with Magnifier:

This is a good product to use when you need a third hand to help solder or to hold items for small jobs. It is fairly small in comparison to other 3rd hand clamping devises and this is cheap. The first thing I did when I opened it from the plastic container is that I removed the solder pen holder and the magnify glass due to it possibly tipping over while in use. Basically, It does the job for small projects.

I gave this a 3 rating because of the small base on it. The base should have been bigger and wider so it isn't so top heavy when using circuit boards. Also, the screws/wingnuts that hold the clamping arms don't stay in place even if you crank down on them. You have to twist and turn them certain ways to get the arms from drooping downward from the weight.

Comments about RadioShack® Helping Hands with Magnifier:

Buy a panavise instead. This is hard to work with.

Comments about RadioShack® Helping Hands with Magnifier:

It does as the packaging says. A helpful third hand when you run out of hands to work with. The magnifier allows one to check their solder job, the soldering iron holder works for non-station irons, and the sponge works well to clean the tip. My only complaint is the flimsy feel of the whole thing... It would be nice if they redesigned the base to be more sturdy while keeping the nifty sponge. It still works, but you have to spin the magnifier and clips to the side with the sponge to keep it standing.

Comments about RadioShack® Helping Hands with Magnifier:

now i bought this to help me be more efficient in what i do. every one was right about this thing being top heavy, but there is a solution to this problem. it needs a bigger base, and something to hold the screws in place. well i fixed this problem by adding a bigger base, and countersink some small holes holes on the pole part halfway up just for the clamps part. now i say if you see it grab it while you have the chance it worth it.

Comments about RadioShack® Helping Hands with Magnifier:

My experience is similar to one of the other reviewers, I was in the States on holiday last year, (Newark!!)and just had to check out Radioshack, seen it mentioned many times on the net, Anyway, I saw one of these helping hands tools and decided to buy one. Its not too bad for the price, works for a while but as another reviewer said, the magnifying glass is a bit too top-heavy for the size of the base. I kept it on a shelf here in Spain and unfortunately, either the heat or the humidity or both caused the magnifying glass "frame" to come unstuck, resulting in the glass popping out and smashing on the floor, where i found it one morning in bits and pieces. Also the whole frame has rusted causing the ball joints and screws to become less than effective. All in all not a bad idea, but because of a few little flaws, it has been rendered next to useless. With a little more thought going into the design, bigger base, stronger glue, and better steel, this little item could be sold for a few dollars more, and could be a tool to keep for a lifetime. Id prefer to spend 25 dollars on a lifetime tool than to spend [$] on something that lasted me only a few months. One users comment about the tip of the iron touching the table is a bit misleading by the way, the idea is to swivel the holder so that the tip goes inward, not outward.

Comments about RadioShack® Helping Hands with Magnifier:

I have been a ham radio operator for well over 35 years, and am also into building electronic circuits, repairing appliances, lamps, you name it. My profession is in tool and die and gunsmithing. This device can be used in any field, electronic or not. It supplies the extra hands needed to hold small parts for soldering, and the hands dissipate unwanted heat that could damage electronic parts, in machine work, the hands can hold small parts for examination under the magnifier, freeing you to measure them with precision instruments, etc. The base is solid, and heavy enough to not move while you are working, and can be clamped to a workbench if needbe. This tool takes the frustration out of working with small parts under tedious conditions. The soldering iron holder really comes in handy, and the base is heavy duty enough to keep it from tipping over with the soldering iron in place. The magnifier is able to be set in almost any position thanks to the ball and clamp assembly. If you work on anything, esp. small parts, and need a very suitable fixture to hold them for soldering, or inspection, and are tired of having to "Rig" something, this tool is for you. I love mine, I have used it at work and home, this is why I have 2 of these. This tool can be used in conjunction with other holding devices to really do the job right, and neat. Also, it is a real time saver. Get this item if you are a beginner or professional. With this, a beginner gets professional results.

Comments about RadioShack® Helping Hands with Magnifier:

I bought this despite its dismal reviews because I couldn't readily find something like it that might work better. I wanted to make several solder connections to a netbook MB. This is delicate work for anyone, and this gadget really saved the day. OK, 5 stars might be over the top, but 1 star is under the bottom. Of course, it's sometimes balky and hard to adjust. Each joint takes a while to set up. But that's the nature of this kind of work. For less than $20 this thing is a bargain.

Comments about RadioShack® Helping Hands with Magnifier:

I really just needed the magnifier part, though the soldering gun holder and sponge / holder were useful. I got this to help with a couple of guitar electronics projects. But the magnifying glass came apart, the metal frame of it just came unglued and the part where it joins in a ball to fit in the socket disintegrated, after about 2-3 uses over 3-4 months. I kept it in the original packaging when not in use (so, it wasn't getting kicked around or anything)