Helping Hands or Third Hand for Soldering

[JatoTheRipper 95]

I need help holding my XT60 connector and wires when soldering! It should have a heavy base so as to not slide around. The arms should be sturdy and the grips strong. There are a huge variety of helping hands, third hands, and solder jigs, but I am looking for real world reviews and recommendations. See some of the different styles below that I have found. Which one do you prefer and why? Specific brands would be helpful as we know that just because two things look alike does not mean they are of the same quality nor do they offer the same performance.

QuadHands
https://www.quadhands.com/

 

Loc-Line helping hands/third hand - and there are many options with some being cheap and generic. This one is from SparkFun.

 

I am tired of Helping Hands / Third Hands like this one that do not work well.

 

[alvinlwh 7419]

57 minutes ago, JatoTheRipper said:

holding my XT60 connector and wires when soldering

If just XT-60, this? 

Personally I just use the clips on my soldering iron stand for XT-60. Yes in the beginning, they don't seem to work good. Same as the one you rejected. After a while though, I got used to them and they are OK for quick jobs. 

[JatoTheRipper 95]

7 minutes ago, alvinlwh said:

If just XT-60, this? 

Personally I just use the clips on my soldering iron stand for XT-60. Yes in the beginning, they don't seem to work good. Same as the one you rejected. After a while though, I got used to them and they are OK for quick jobs. 

I've seen that jig and many similar ones, but I have idea how that helps.  It will hold the connector, but not wires or anything else. 

[alvinlwh 7419]

2 minutes ago, JatoTheRipper said:

I've seen that jig and many similar ones, but I have idea how that helps.  It will hold the connector, but not wires or anything else. 

Em... Wire you hold with your hand? 

[skom25 2320]

Small vice with additionall holes, to hold connectors.

[JatoTheRipper 95]

1 hour ago, alvinlwh said:

Em... Wire you hold with your hand? 

No, that should be done by the helping hands.  I solder with my right hand and want my left hand free so I can grab the solder, move the heat shrink, or do whatever else I need to do at the time.

[Mad Ax 10827]

I use one of those blue jig things with various holdie options for different connectors.  I find it useful as it doesn't move around.  I'm assuming that's what's been posted above but I can't see the image while on the work computer.

I know some people are adept at pre-tinning both parts and then holding the wire with one hand and the soldering iron the other, personally I prefer to use a helping hand to hold the wire so I can get some fresh solder in while I'm making the connection.

I have those cheap and nasty helping hands in pic 3 from the OP,  I really need to get some better ones.  Mine are even worse because I tried to use them with a MAPP brazing torch and it denatured the springs in the jaws, so now they don't really hold anything.  I'd like to think the SparkFun stuff would be good but it might be a little lightweight for the bigger RC connectors.  I'd love to find something strong enough for brazing heavy brass components.

[ad456 470]

I have a jig similar to the top one for soldering at work and it’s fine enough, there’s better and there’s worse depending on the job yer doing. I’ve held RC stuff in it, PS5 controller pcb, iPhone boards, various other things and it works. 

At home I’ve got the one with the nice big red cross and while it is absolutely cheap rubbish I’ve managed to solder all my rc and arduino needs with it for the last 15years. I don’t like it but it works, I swapped the parts around and binned the magnifier and I want to replace it but just haven’t as it gets the job done every time without too much swearing.

If I were to buy one solely for RC I’d probably go for something like Boom Racings KUDU jig as it has a croc clip and all the battery connector holders, bullets and motor too. It’s a bit expensive but it looks like it would be pretty decent. 
 

@Mad Ax check out some science type stuff for Bunsen burners, some of those clamps can be ideal for brazing. 

Edited August 29, 2024 by ad456

[Verskis 409]

Anybody tried this one?

https://omnifixo.com/?currency=EUR

The parallel clamps look like a good feature.

[Verskis 409]

10 hours ago, Verskis said:

Anybody tried this one?

https://omnifixo.com/?currency=EUR

The parallel clamps look like a good feature.

I decided to try it myself, just ordered the smaller two clamp version.

[sosidge 717]

I bought a Quadhands. Unfortunately it's not as useful for RC as I would have hoped, the clips don't have enough freedom of movement.

For XT60s I have a little jig made of plywood from a UK company called J Perkins. 

[JatoTheRipper 95]

3 hours ago, Verskis said:

I decided to try it myself, just ordered the smaller two clamp version.

Nice!  I'm anxious to hear how it works out for you.  I did see that option in my internet searches.

 

3 hours ago, sosidge said:

I bought a Quadhands. Unfortunately it's not as useful for RC as I would have hoped, the clips don't have enough freedom of movement.

For XT60s I have a little jig made of plywood from a UK company called J Perkins. 

Bummer about QuadHands!

Do you have a direct link or photo of the J Perkins jig?  Their website shows nothing for me.

[SlideWRX 984]

On 8/29/2024 at 9:37 AM, JatoTheRipper said:

I have a Kotto brand version of this.  I was also mainly soldering XT60s, replacing mostly Tamiya/Molex connectors.  It was Ok, not great.  Batteries are heavy and want to sit on the desktop, and these arms don't really want to bend that far down without effort.  The arms flex obviously, so trying to hold a connector in place while trying to hold a soldering iron against it wasn't always easy.  You have to bend them past where you want them to stay.  I was going to say it would be interesting to replace a couple of the arms with the Loc-Line style, but actually those Omnifixo items look really usefull too...

 

 

[SlideWRX 984]

This looks like it would work well, from Amozon or Aliexpress...  A search for "rc connector soldering jig" will find it.