Dude those helping hands are amazing! I needed them for soldering, which I had to do for my Z scale train project. Helper hands are needed to hold the wires in a stable position if you want to solder them together. I like that the hands are easily adjustable and their bases are magnetic so they can be easily moved or removed from the baseplate when not needed. The base plate itself is a very strong, thick piece of metal with rubber bumpers holding it in place. Unless you're picking up something really heavy, this machine won't budge at the wrong moment. If you enjoy soldering, I highly recommend paying a little more for a soldering iron holder. I did it and I certainly don't regret it. Now soldering isn't a chore like it used to be - in fact I love it now!