If you are a professional in DIY electronics or even a beginner, you would understand the importance of having this in your tool kit. In this article, we are going to list down some of the best soldering helping hands available to buy online. We have curated this list on the basis of 4 key factors. They are;
Foundation: The foundation of a solder helping hand is very important. This Base will provide you with a foundational weight that will keep the elements in the hand, in place without moving them. The base foundation of the device needs to be heavy and sturdy enough that it does not move very easily. Also, please bear in the mind that the foundation board should also be broad enough to be able to hold the width of a good-sized PCB board apart from regular elements too. Arms: The arms refer to the tentacle-like ornaments which would provide the height required to lift up the elements to be soldered. The thing that you need to remember at this juncture is that the hands need to be as flexible as possible and still need to retain enough sturdiness to hold the elements up in the air. Beaded tentacles are much preferred. Clamps: These refer to the tips that actually hold down the elements to be soldered. Most of the time, solder helping hands come with alligator clips but there are a wide different range of models too. A stainless steel clamp is always a wise choice. Accessories: Apart from the basics, a few of the solder helping hands also come with accessories that you might find interesting and quite helpful. For example, some boards come with an LED light that would illuminate your work and a few even come with a fan of sorts that would aid in faster cooldown of the solder etc.,
Best Soldering Helping Hands
7 Best Soldering Helping Hands Reviews
1. KOTTO Helping Hands Soldering
Soldering stations Desoldering stations Best solder for electronics Soldering: mats, guns, kits, cordless irons
First on our list is the KOTTO Soldering Helping Hands by Fstop Labs. This third-hand soldering tool with incredibly superior ratings and highly positive reviews. Great for soldering, assembly, repair, modelling and much more, the Kotto helping hands base is highly helpful for a lot of DIY crafts such as electronics, jewelery and crafts too. The base is strong and has a great weight to it. It weighs about 2 lbs. to be precise and holds its own against any movement. It has 2 pairs of anti-split rubber feet. This will keep the base in its place and not move about due to accidental touch or movement due to air as such. The feet are powder coated with industrial-grade rubber for no-slip. It has a total of 4 rubber-based arms that are durable and highly flexible. These clamps can be rotated to a 360 degrees and let you take any position you desire for your elements. Even the alligator tip clamps that come with the device are strong and have a 360-degree rotation to them. Made out of solid weighted steel construction, the clips are durable and have a very strong grip on them. The stand comes with a 30 days full satisfaction and no questions asked return window and US-based customer support as well. Pros:
Highly rated and reviewed Great 2 lbs. weighted base Industrial grade rubber feet 4 Strong rubber arms 360 degrees rotatable stainless steel alligator clamps 30 days satisfaction guarantee with no questions asked return window
Cons:
None found so far
2. QuadHands Soldering Helping Hand
Next on our list, we have an incredibly high-rated 4 tentacle soldering third-hand vise from the QuadHands classic workbench helping hands soldering station. It comes with an innovative approach for the arms. This 4-arm soldering helping hand is an ideal option for any soldering, painting, electronic, crafting, DIY work, or precision project where you need extreme accuracy. This ultimate workbench tool helps to clamp, hold and move the object to any position for smart and precise working. Among 4 heat-resistant arms, two of them are short (8 inches) and the remaining two are large (16 inches). Here the large arms help to capture larger elements, whereas its short arms serve for the rest of the small – medium elements. The stainless steel alligator clamps have removable silicone covers and magnetic repositioning throughout the base that lock the place. The gooseneck arms are made of industrial-grade rubber making them quite flexible. Thus, this innovative flex design let you use the soldering iron steadily for a longer period. In addition, it comes with a heavy powder-coated steel 8X8 inches X-shaped base with rubber feet that allows you to work comfortably on the bench or desk without moving. Also, it prevents getting any scuffing or scratching on the work surface. Furthermore, the manufacturer offers a lifetime warranty on this third hand to have peace of mind in its usage. Pros:
Uniquely designed 4 tentacles with 2 of large size and 2 of small size Large 8 X 8 inches X-shaped base 360-degree strong stainless steel rotating alligator clamps Powder-coated steel base with rubber feet for stability Flexible and durable design Comes with a lifetime satisfaction guarantee
Cons:
Nothing found so far.
3. KOTTO Helping Hands Soldering with LED Lamp
Yet another Kotto third-hand soldering PCB Holder tool, this product by the Fstop Labs has a very unique design and numerous tentacles and most importantly, great accessories too. Starting off with the base, unlike conventional board bases, this Kotto soldering PCB holder has a pentagonal shape with 5 tentacles around on each side. All these tentacles surround converge along the center. The base is heavy and weighted made out of solid stainless steel. It is powder-coated with industrial-grade rubber feet to make sure that the base does not move easily due to air or accidental hand fall. Speaking of the clampers, they are strong and are small and also made out of stainless steel. They have a very strong grip to them and are attached to the 4 tentacles, which themselves are made out of sturdy industrial-grade rubber but very flexible too and can move about in 360 degrees. It also most importantly comes with accessories such as a magnifying glass cum LED light as well. This magnifying glass can zoom in on the project 3 times (3x) when looked from above. The magnifying glass set up also has a small 5-watt neutral colour LED which acts as a table light thus lighting up the details thus adding more detail through the PureView Optical Glass. This light can be powered using any USB adapter through a laptop, computer or a power outlet too. Like most of the Kotto products, this one too comes with a 30 days satisfaction guaranteed return window and US-based customer support too. Pros:
Unique pentagon styled base Heavy steel build base 4 tentacles with sturdy industrial grade rubber Tight grip pincers of alligator clamps Includes a 3X magnifying glass on top 5 watt neutral coloured LED to illuminate the elements 30 days no questions asked satisfaction return window
Cons:
None too specific to mention
4. Ram-Pro Helping Hands Magnifier Glass
Next on our list is a rather professional, high end helping hand with very economical pricing and at the same time, a very high-quality product. The Ram Pro might not come with a lot of hands but it has 2 gooseneck clipper hands that do the job and much more thanks to their studded accessories. Starting off with the hands, you have two gooseneck metal hands that are not entirely flexible but flexible enough. They are made out of stainless steel and are very durable in nature that can hold a lot of stuff very fast and tight. The helping hand may not have a wide metal base but it comes with the great build quality and awesome accessories studded to it. Starting with it is the 3x zoom magnifying glass. This lets you inspect your project for greater detail and perform a better job. Aiding to the magnifying glass is a focus beamed LED light. This will further illuminate your project and aid in getting a highly detailed output. The magnifying glass is made out of high-quality impact-resistant glass whereas the LED lamp is powered by a battery. Great not only for DIY electronics but a wide range of works. All the elements in the product come with tight bolts that let you fix the stand to a single place. The entire set up would have a 10 inches width and 12 inches height thus perfect for a lot of projects. Pros:
Professional set-up and design Entirely made out of stainless steel Comes with 2 high quality and long gooseneck arms with tight clippers A 3x impact-proof magnifying glass A focused beam LED light Tight bolted design 10 inches x 12 inches size
Cons:
Could have had more arms and a wider base
5. Newacalox Helping Hands Soldering
Much like the Kotto Magnifying LED glass helping hand, the NEWACALOX Helping hand too comes with a multi hand set up and an LED magnifying glass to it. This one actually comes with 6 flexible gooseneck arms that have a beaded body to them. They are highly durable and greatly flexible. With their strong alligator clips, they can hold onto the elements tightly. These alligator clips have 180-degree rotation freedom and can lock onto a single place without moving anything. While they are strong, they won’t cause any scratch or pinching of the elements placed in their grasp. With a strong metal plate as its base, the tool has heavyweight to it and the bottom of the base has strong rubber feet to prevent slipping and it won’t tip over easily due to wind or any small accidents. Now to the magnifying glass, it has a 3X capacity to let you have a zoomed-in look at the elements in the project. Included in it is a USB powered flashlight to illuminate the entire set up. The light has a 3 section settings that let you adjust the brightness too which is an add on The set up also comes with a USB powered fan that will blow away any toxic soldering fumes that may form thus serve as an addition of defence against lead-based solder. The package comes with 10 extra rubber covers each for the 5 alligator clips in case you lose them. In case you get uneven arms, the Newacalox support will offer a replacement as well. Pros:
USB based micro fan to blow away toxic fumes USB powered LED light inside the 3X magnifying glass arm The light has a 3 level brightness adjustment too Sturdy and weighted base Hexagonal set up with 5 arms in total (durable beaded shaped rubber build) Flexible and durable build Comes with 10 rubber clips as replacement The customer support also replaces the arms if they seem uneven
Cons:
None too specific to mention
6. Chanseon Helping Hands Soldering
The Chanseon soldering station is soldering helping hand with a very sturdy metal base and a hollow. The station comes with 6 gooseneck tentacles that are all equidistant from each other in a hexagonal set-up. All pointing towards the centre, these tentacles were in a beaded aesthetic making them very flexible and sturdy at the same time. They could freely rotate in a 360-degree fashion. For all the 6 arms, you have very strong, high pincer strength and 360-degree rotatable alligator clamp clips. They can hold the tiniest of the resistor to the thickest of the PCB board with great ease, strength and extreme heat resistance. Coming to the base, it is stable and has a great strength to it. It is made out of aluminium and the heavy build weight keeps the base from moving or tipping over due to blowing of air or something. Great for a wide range of DIY applications, the stand comes with superior customer service and most importantly, a massive 3 months manufacturer’s warranty window too, which is a bit uncommon for soldering stations. Pros:
The great aesthetically pleasing design of hexagonal hollow set up 6 gooseneck tentacle arms with 6 very strong stainless steel alligator clips The base is made out of heavy and high-quality aluminium Comes with a 3 months manufacturer’s warranty window Great customer support
Cons:
Though the tentacles are large enough, a little more base plate room would have been nice
7. Zega Crafts Helping Hand Magnifier
Last on our list is the Zega Crafts helping hand with a magnifier glass. The design schema of the Zega Crafts tool is just like the Ram Pro soldering station but unlike the Ram Pro, the Zega Crafts tool does not have an LED light but has a powerful Magnifying glass to it. The base of this tool is stable enough and comes with 2 gooseneck arms and each has its own adjustable alligator clip. They are made out of heavy cast iron and very durable in their build quality. As for the accessories, the stand has a 4X magnifier which is strong and made out of high impact-resistant glass. This is mounted onto a flexible gooseneck thus making it adjustable for its position as well. On full extension, the stand can go up to a width of 10.5 inches and a height of 7.75 inches other than having a great base build quality, the customer service of the product could be improved a little. Pros:
Neat and stylish stainless steel design Comes with 2 goosenecks iron cast clipper studded hands 4X impact-resistant high-quality magnifying glass Great for soldering and other small DIY craft projects Width of 10.5 inches x 7.75 inches in height
Cons:
Could use more hands Could improve customer support
Conclusion
Wrapping up our list, we declare the KOTTO Soldering Helping Hands to be our winner. Its 4 strong 360 degrees movable gooseneck arms with tight alligator clips, 2 pounds of stable, powder-coated and metallic build base, 4 anti-slip rubber feet, 30 days satisfaction no questions asked refund policy and most importantly, the impeccably high reviews and ratings make it the best solder helping hands/ soldering station. While those were our choices, we are interested in hearing you out. How’d you like our list? Do you want us to add or remove something? Or do you have any questions regarding soldering hands or soldering in general? About this or any other DIY projects, if you have any questions, feel free to write to us in the comments section below. Our team will write back to you as soon as possible. I am a electronics engineer i will definitely recommend your segregation to my students Comment * Name * Email * Website
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