Review on 🔧 FlexiMag QuadHands WorkBench for Soldering by Mike Barnes

Before I had these boards, I soldered onto a silicone mat and supported the boards with small things (eg Lego parts) when soldering. QuadHands was a pretty big improvement over my previous setup. I've used it for several soldering projects since then. I chose this model because I have a telescopic reading light that uses the same flexible metal sheath around the cords and I knew this design would last and provide a rigid work platform. Build quality is excellent and the parts are solid, the base is very heavy and doesn't move, and the magnets that hold your hands in place are very solid and don't move while you use them. The QuadHands are a little tight and if you try to insert the tip of the wire into a through hole or contact they tend to spring back into their original position. In detail soldering, where my parts need to be positioned with millimeter precision, the suspension really messes up the position of the parts and I had a lot of trouble getting them in place. Maybe if I bend my arms a little more, the elasticity will decrease over time, but so far it's been quite difficult to get things right. Also included are tiny silicone tubes that fit over the end of the alligator clips. Alligator clips are sharp and will easily bite the wire insulation or mark the plastic case. Silicone hoses are designed to remove alligator clips and protect your parts. However, since the alligator clips are not designed for the thickness of the pipes, they do not hold well and small or heavy parts easily slip out when soldering. Overall, though, this is a minor thing and I'm not deducting a star for it. For a project where I don't need that kind of precision - like when I'm soldering two wires together and I can wrap or loop the wires to hold them in place - QuadHands works very well. However, what frustrates me when making a small PCB is that they have to sit in the right position and I still have to tweak a few things. Overall, QuadHands is better than a silicone mat and I'm sure it will last a lifetime, but the price is too high for the benefit I get from it. It would be nice if I could deal with the problem of elastic hands and go into it in detail.