Magnifier, 2 Helping Hands, Soldering Iron Holder, Weighted Base | Great For Soldering, Crafting, Model-Making | 2.5" Magnifier | 1.5" Clips | 2" Base | 3.5" Holder

I was skeptical when ordering this product. I had bought something similar to this at Tandy Radio Shack many years ago and remembered how useful it had been to me over time. My old one was not as sophisticated as this one and was missing an alligator clip, so when I saw this one on Amazon.com I thought it would be worth the risk to order it and see if it would be a better replacement for my old one. One thing that made me skeptical was the price. I assumed it was too inexpensive to be good quality, but at that price I was willing to take that risk. Nothing ventured nothing gained. What a pleasant surprise! This thing way exceeded my expectations. This product is high quality metal and glass not plastic. The magnifying glass is not a toy, nor is the soldering iron holder, both of which are not present with my old Radio Shack Helping Hands. The base is cast iron and has a place to put a soldering iron sponge or cloth (not included but who cares because you can do this yourself with such ease) but is plenty heavy to keep the unit solid and stable. Even if you don't do much soldering, there will be times when you are way better off using this tool and you will be glad you have it. This could also be used to hold together small parts in place for applying epoxy or adhesive to keep the parts in place while the epoxy or adhesive cures.By the way, I found a pack of alligator clips at Radio Shack to replace the one I lost on my old unit and now it's back up and in working order. Regardless, I prefer this new one I got from Amazon to my old one.To get a better idea of the dimensions of this thing from looking a picture, the lens has a diameter of 2.5 inches (almost the diameter of a tennis ball).Hope this review helps.

Without this Helping Hand, it would be nearly impossible for me to do most of the electronic soldering I need to do. I'm a Ham Operator, and have many opportunities to solder small wires that don't normally stay where you want them. This tool keeps the wires exactly where you need them to get the job done. This tool is a big help since I have a neuro-muscular disease.The soldering iron tool holder works absolutely perfectly. You have to be smarter then the tool holder and install it at the proper angle to utilize center of gravity which will reduce or stop the entire thing from tipping over. Also, if you're using a Butane Gas soldering iron - they are so light weight that it really doesn't matter how you install the tool holder. The base outweighs the soldering iron many times over.The clamps are very strong - and you may have to take steps to protect those fine wires from the teeth on these clamps. It might work better without the teeth - but this is easily solved with some electrical tape on the teeth or other material to protect the wire from being punctured.Overall, all said and done, I'd recommend this to my family - friends, and my Ham Buddies. The huge magnifying glass is a plus. Worth every stinking penny I paid for it and more.

This is very handy for me I do work on guitars and have to do a lot of soldering and in tight areas but with this tool it makes holding 2 wires together while soldering very easy to do or even just holding 1 wire down while soldering it to the control potentiometer and this tool has small arms to get into the electrical area alot easier than your fingers and it has a weighted base so it doesn't fall over while your working with it, if your doing a lot of soldering than this will probably work well for you.

Wasn't expecting much since the price is so low but I was pleasantly surprised at the quality and usefulness given how low-priced it is. The solder iron holder works great with a regular size pencil. The base seems like it would be too small to keep everything upright and stable but it's a heavy cast iron base that has enough weight to keep everything where you put it.I just finished soldering 36 capacitors to pairs of wires using the aligator clips to hold the parts and it worked perfectly.Definitely worth the price .

I am happy with this product for the price. It is functional and worth the $. But it is a very cheaply made-in-China item. It is not going to win any awards for innovation, durability, functionality, or ease of use. It is a cheap solder-iron holder, wire clip, magnifying glass, ginsu blender...nothing more. Fine for the $, but I wished there were something more professional out there because I would have gotten it instead.

This thing is very handy when working with leds and small mother boards. My only concern is the durability of the screws.the clips are great but the bolt holding the glass is a little cheezy. I love this thing and would recommend it.SPONGE NOT INCLUDED

Next time you show your product with I tiny sponge triangle in the base, you might want to include a tiny sponge triangle in the base. The product has been alright as far as I can tell but the sponge irked me.

I got this on a whim for my 52-year-old husband who is constantly modified his guitars. I wasn't sure if it would be good quality or very useful. He assured me it was both. He's had it a year. I've seen it out many times. It has held up very well and is fantastic for someone with what I like to call "older eyes" aka poor eyesight for close up work. He has used it to fix my jewelry, as well.