XYK Helping Hands Soldering Station with 3X Magnifying Glass with light, 4 Flexible Helping Hand Arms Magnifier and Third Hand Soldering Tool for Electronic Repair Soldering Jewelry Crafts

Better than I expected! The first thing I noticed is that the box was heavier than I expected - it's built pretty solid. The magnifier lens is about 4" is slightly less, a pretty good size. I got the $35 rectangle version, with the magnetic podiums that fit mounting holes on a PCB. The magnets that hold the parts in position are very strong.The instructions for attaching the feet weren't perfectly clear. The two with larger screw holes have the screw go through the base and used to attach two of the gooseneck arms. The other two feet have small screws that screw into a boss on the bottom of the base. (The other two gooseneck arms have magnetic mounts rather than being screwed on.)

First let me state that this is a really cool station that has articulating arms, a bright-ish LED, and decent magnification. I use it almost daily for my hobbies and projects and I don't regret the purchase, just wish it was a little better.Enough about the good things, let's talk about the areas where it could be better, as that is what makes a good review over the ones that say "it's awesome, buy it".1.) The LED doesn't shut off when it's turned off, it goes into low brightness mode, like a nightlight, say 20% brightness. I personally like this but note that this doesn't actually shut off. At least my version from 2022 does this.2.) When in this low mode turned off but still on, it actually flickers completely off and back again to the 20%. This part is annoying and it does this every 15-45 seconds randomly. I have tried different USB power supplies, tried PD and QC and old-school apple ones and it does it no matter what.3.) I use 120W PD USB power with 2 ports and 1 is connected to this and the other is a 65W soldering iron. When I turn on the soldering iron the light goes off...Most of the time. After both have been on a while and I repeat the process to turn back on the soldering iron the light stays on. It seems to be super sensitive to any power fluxuations but clearly there is way more than enough power to supply the light but it likes to shut off and forces me to turn it back on.4.) The stand is solid and the arms are solid, but the arms are a bit too solid. They aren't as flexible as needed so it becomes a chore to find the right angle. The arms to NOT rotate so if your part needs to be 90 degrees orientation you have to move the whole arm and fight with it to get it into that position. Most of the time it's easier to use a different arm because you can't get it to hold the piece in the correct position.5.) The magnifying part is only 3x. I wish it was more, maybe 5x so I have to wear magnifying readers and also the lens on here, but it was the only one with this form factor that I liked and so I have to live with 3x.6.) The light could be brighter but it's solid. You can never have too much light so over bright LEDs would have been nice so I could turn it down when not needed but as of right now it's full bright and wishing I had more light at time. I have to keep a flashlight near for those times when I need more.Overall you can see I didn't rate it bad because it's not bad, but it's not without its flaws. If it was $10 cheaper I would say buy it and live with the flaws but since it's kind of a price premium piece I am much more critical.

Secure hold of item to be soldered, excellent light, and a good magnification lens that can easily be moved to see your project at many angles.

One screw bound up when installing, so I am afraid it will break at some point but so far, so GOOD!

Not the cheapest but great helping hands. The instructions were good, not perfect: but if you use helping hands, you should be able to assemble without any issues. The magnifying glass is really nice. I definitely recommend these. The flexible arms do 'move', but you can work them into place. It includes a screwdriver and a fixed wrench, which is nice.

Works very well. I used it to build my MightyOhm Geiger Counter. It worked very well. I'll be using it on my future projects.

It's useful, but honestly, the little alligator clips mostly just get in the way. The base is a good weight and the magnifier light is good, but overall the thing is too small. In order for the flexible arms to be useful they're stiff like they should be. But the problem with that when you take in the small diameter of the base is that if you want to clamp something into the clip and then have it be horizontal you have to bend the arm down but since the arm is pretty stiff you need to clamp it in multiple places so they'll all hold it down. Many objects you can't do this with so the arms become useless and in the way.Same problem with the magnifier light: The stuff you're working on is going to be on the plate ideally or somewhere within the vicinity. So you try to push the magnifier down flat so it's at a plane you can see your part through it, but it just wants to spring back up and sit at a 45-60 degree angle. Long story short, it's a hassle to use.I'd say you'd be better off getting a little mini vise and separate magnifier light. (As I end up setting my mini vise on the table next to it and bending the light down over it.

Easy to put together, light is bright, and holds the electrical components steadily in place while you do your soldering.