I have a pair of "Cheap" helping hands with magnifier. These things you have to have but are never quite right. I also have a Panavise that I use them in conjunction with.

They end up breaking and the hinges and clamps for the clips are dodgy at best.

Are there any "Good" or "excellent" ones out there? I have to have the magnifier. I can't pay $300 for a set, but I would be willing to invest more than the $5.95 you pay now to get junk.

OK, I'll start out. Just found these two neat links.

Third Hand++: A multi-use helping hand for electronics and other delicate work.

Devon Jones’ Helping Hands NYC Resistor Electronics, Hacking, Classes, and Workspace.

Yeah, the helping hands that you normally buy suck. So does the magnifying lens. I still use my helping hands thingy occasionally, but normally just use my panavise circuit board holder (ebay). I also use an Optivisor:

Amazon.com: Donegan OptiVisor Headband Magnifier 2 1/2X Magnification: Industrial & Scientific

Mine is the highest magnification, which while fine for looking soldering joints over, etc., puts me too close into the work when soldering so I really should buy another lens for it (you can buy them separately). Good thing I like soldering fumes

Edited January 10, 201016 yr by Pars

Thanx! Thos look pretty good quality and the lenses are replaceable.

BTW, I just grabbed the link from Amazon, but don't know that they have the best pricing around.

My wife and her jewelry-designing friends all swear by the Optivisor.

Personally, I have one of those desk lamp magnifier (with the fluorescent ring) and a Panavise with a couple different jaws.

My wife and her jewelry-designing friends all swear by the Optivisor.

Personally, I have one of those desk lamp magnifier (with the fluorescent ring) and a Panavise with a couple different jaws.

Panavise is great for boards, but diffcicult for things like cable ends for me. Like terminating a connector with 24 GA wire stuff. The hands help with that. Those links I posted are giving me ideas for building then "proper" set of hands. Might even add a beer holder!

Panavise is great for boards, but diffcicult for things like cable ends for me. Like terminating a connector with 24 GA wire stuff.

I use a Panavise Jr for exactly that. Even attaching 24ga wire to Molex KK terminals for example.

Yep...a Panavise Jr is very handy for cables. I wish the jaws were made of teflon or some other heat resistant material. I've managed some melting by getting too close with the iron.

Yep...a Panavise Jr is very handy for cables. I wish the jaws were made of teflon or some other heat resistant material. I've managed some melting by getting too close with the iron.

x2

My wife and her jewelry-designing friends all swear by the Optivisor.

Personally, I have one of those desk lamp magnifier (with the fluorescent ring) and a Panavise with a couple different jaws.

Thanx! I doing this setup here.

OPTIVISOR DA5 2.5 x W/EXTRA MAGNIFIER & LIGHT DONEGAN - eBay (item 370278662668 end time Jan-20-10 04:48:23 PST)

Yep...a Panavise Jr is very handy for cables. I wish the jaws were made of teflon or some other heat resistant material. I've managed some melting by getting too close with the iron.

I've used my Panavise, but also used a part of one of the helping hands to hold the wire.

I often use my panavise in conjunction with a helping hands. And I've actually found it "handy" to have two sets of helping hands that are different sizes.

I often use my panavise in conjunction with a helping hands. And I've actually found it "handy" to have two sets of helping hands that are different sizes.

Heh! One can never have too much help!

Here's where I got my Visor stuff. Good pricing on most of the stuff. I did buy the Visor itself from a Plce on Amazon w/Free shipping for $29. But the OptiLoupes x2 and the Quasar Light System I got here.

Quasar LS Lighting System for Optivisor: LEDs Surround Optivisor Lens Plate

Just ordered a similar setup from the exact same place myself. I was going to order a magnifying lamp until I saw this thread. I do my tinkering near a window, and in the past, the evening sun through that window toasted a piece of bread as it passed through a pitcher of water that became a magnifying glass.

So, no magnifying lenses is preferable

Back to the original post, I was able to clamp on part of my original Radio Shack helping hands (not too bad, really, as helping hands go) to my Panavise. I run a spool of solder on one of the arms and use the two clips to hold wires and component parts.