I didn't know a THIRD HAND could be SO GOOD!

[@barnowl6807]

My first "Third Hand" was purchased in about 1975 at my local Radio Shack. I had a love hate relationship with it. The first improvement was to bend all the teeth 90 degrees out. In would cause snags. Then, there was the "action and reaction" problem where any fiddling with one arm would affect everything else. Still, better than nothing. Kind of. Then, when I was salvaging an old speaker magnet and the screws around my workbench would stand on end the light bulb went off. Magnet. Iron rod. cloths pin. Glue one end of the rod to cloths pin. Magnet heavy, doesn't move around easily. When the super magnets hit the market I would glue them to the rod and use a flat plate of metal for a base. Variations on cloths pin and rod length. This idea did not make me rich.

[@DaveEtchells]

I’ve had one of these for more than a year now - it was expensive, but has been SO worth it! The clamps work so well and can be so easily and precisely positioned. It’s one of those rare products that do exactly what you need them to, every time, effortlessly. It’s pricey for what it is, but on the other hand has saved me so much time, it’s been totally worth it.

[@Tony359_2]

Yes - in the end if it does the job and the quality is there, it’s an investment!

[@Eric_Wolfe-Schulte]

I'm terrible at soldering. I have one of these, and it's helped make me so much better.

[@Tony359_2]

It helps a lot indeed!

[@taffeylewis]

For 51 quid shipped, I ordered one before I was half way throught the video :-) Miles better than those crappy "Helping Hands" things. Thanks Tony.

[@Tony359_2]

ahah you're welcome :)

[@zimpenfish]

Same. Struggled with the bendy crocodile helpers for years. I reckon this will be great for soldering but also painting small miniatures. Also if it's magnetic, I guess you could just use a larger piece of metal for the base if it's not big enough?

[@Tony359_2]

ah, yes of course! I didn't think about that! I think the clamps are also sold individually.

[@TellyT-i5e]

Full of genius ideas. I want one

[@Asriazh]

Hi Tony! You're right. With traditional third hands, you're fighting against them more than you're working with them. I put lots of electrical tape around the crocodile clamps, but the're still punching very fine wires. If the Omnifixo wouldn't be quite pricey, I'd buy one in an instant. Maybe someone will gift me one for Christmas :D ? Or I'll buy one myself as a gift. Yep, I need that excuse to justify the purchase :D Thanks for sharing this tool with us ^_^

[@Tony359_2]

We all need those excuses! Thanks for watching!

[@minombredepila1580]

Amazing tool, Tony. Thanks for bringing it to the channel. Will try to do a low-budget home-made version !!!

[@Tony359_2]

Thanks and good luck! :)

[@EvenTheDogAgrees]

Thank you for introducing me to this. Just ordered one for myself, and another one for a buddy whom I know is gonna be stoked to receive this as an early xmas gift.

[@Tony359_2]

Hey, thank you for watching! I hope you like it!

[@alleycatjack4562]

Oh my.... That is absolutely brilliant. I think I know what I'm asking for Christmas.

[@jeffschroeder4805]

I recently purchased one of these and I agree they make aligning and soldering connections so much easier. The traditional 3rd hands are difficult to line up and do always seem to move apart as soon as you remove your fingers. Those helping hands made of plastic bead like flexible arms are the worst - absolutely impossible to align. If you do any amount of soldering these OMNIFIXO are expensive but do work incredibly well.

[@Tony359_2]

I'm glad you share my enthusiasm! I do love it!

[@BStudioT]

Thank you, i didn't know this. Must buy!

[@Tony359_2]

Thanks! Hope you like it! 🙂

[@vigneshperiyasamy3019]

i think overall height of the hands could be increased for better viewing in magnifiers or lengthy hands could be sold as a accessory

[@wiesawpeche7273]

Bought one after your review. Thank you!

[@Tony359_2]

I hope you like it! Thank you!

[@olivedrabcorp3026]

Great share Tony ! Especially as Christmas approaches. Indeed, it totally revolutionizes the concept of third hand. I'm going to ask two 😄

[@Tony359_2]

Yes, it's so simple yet so functional! Happy Christmas :)

[@Todestelzer]

I and my father use them too. Really nice and convenient tool.

[@Tony359_2]

It's a nice little tool indeed! :)

[@Echo3_]

temu stuff is actually pretty good!

[@tonys9860]

You identified all the issues with the bad plastic ones and the clips. This is the best find this year!

[@Tony359_2]

Yes, so simple yet so effective!

[@neverendingstudent]

I've had the Omnifixo on my to-buy list for over a year now, and just pulled the trigger on it last night - ordered 2 of them, one to add to my field soldering kit that is part of my main low voltage toolbag, the other for my electronics bench. I look forward to having it hands-on and testing it out.

[@Tony359_2]

ahah fantastic! I hope you like it!

[@alanduncan3710]

Just ordered mine :)

[@gadgetmind]

Added to Christmas list, thanks.

[@Tony359_2]

It's Christmas already! :) Thank you!

[@Snowsea-gs4wu]

Simply awesome!

[@Tony359_2]

It is a nice little thing indeed!

[@danlscan]

Great review.

[@Tony359_2]

Thanks!

[@ohmbug10]

Hi Tony, great review. Looks like a really good tool...I want one.

[@Tony359_2]

eheh I know the feeling! Thanks!

[@amaiorano]

I have one, and it's one of my most used tools on my bench. Fantastic review!

[@Tony359_2]

it's really impressive, isn't it! :) Thank you!

[@MarcelHuguenin]

Have one and I love it.

[@Tony359_2]

Amazing!

[@joell439]

Thank you 🙏

[@Tony359_2]

You’re welcome 😊

[@joeynobody1138]

To bad it isn't available for the U.S. Great video and good looking product.

[@Tony359_2]

if you select USD at the top right, I get "US stock" available. Thanks for your kind words!

[@joelkist6493]

Nice... Thanks for sharing this tool. I have one of those pictured that is lost in your shop; mine is also lost in the shop!🤣

[@Tony359_2]

I think it's good that it's lost in the shop! :)

[@sokoloft3]

Wow that looks like it works 100 time better than the cheap helping hands you showed. I have a set of them and have the same issues you mention with it. Even adding heat shrink around the alligator clips it'll still bite into a cable sheathing. Or since they clamp down so hard, deform it since it gets warm.

[@Tony359_2]

Yes, those cheap ones are so pointless I lost mine :)

[@jonathanwhiteside6092]

Another thing you've reviewed I'll probably have to buy :)

[@Tony359_2]

ahahah - sorry! :)

[@jonathanwhiteside6092]

@@Tony359_2 And ordered...Will go nicely with my Zoyi ZT-MD1...

[@Tony359_2]

I feel guilty! I hope you like them both :)

[@jonathanwhiteside6092]

@@Tony359_2 don't fee guilty 🤣 so far I like the Zoyi and I'm sure I'll like the Omnifixo, I've been looking for both 😁

[@Tony359_2]

it's so rewarding to hear that. I don't do reviews because I get paid but to promote (or DEMOTE if needed LOL) good products! Thank you!

[@walter7671]

Crocodiles are a problem. You can put something on them to stop them from "biting," but the angle of attachment makes them a pain. In your video, the "crocodiles" hold anything evenly, regardless of thickness. The idea of ​​magnets is great; whoever developed that is an evil genius.

[@Tony359_2]

ahaha yesss! Simple but genius :)

[@simontay4851]

That is really good for £47. I was expecting it to cost a lot more than that. Ive asked for one for xmas.

[@Tony359_2]

Super - let me know how you find it!

[@Mobin92]

Idk it's basically 4 small clamps. Seems pretty pricey to me, to be honest. And shipping is not included.

[@Tony359_2]

Well, then there's plenty available on Aliexpress :)

[@fu1r4]

I have it already, very nice ...

[@Tony359_2]

I'm glad you like it too!

[@inoid724]

great news

[@brouwereric644]

Great review and product. Too bad it can not be shipped to South Africa.

[@barrymayson2492]

PCB lego😊

[@detalite]

I would buy, but only that spring clamps. The metal base is too small for me. If you were looking for affordable soldering tweezers there is new on the market, Sequre HT-140, for roughly $100. Dave from EEVBlog made a review but accessible only through his website for now.

[@Tony359_2]

I've been offered them too! I'll test them but they'll have the usual 100V at the tips... We'll see if there is a workaround! Thanks!

[@detalite]

@@Tony359_2 They works with UCB-C and round plug, so you can use bench power supply or power bank with PD.

[@EvenTheDogAgrees]

The clamps, including the magnetic feet, are sold separately. Although they're currently sold out. They go for €12 apiece, not including shipping. So if you only need 2, you can save quite a bit compared to the full 4-clamp set.

[@Tony359_2]

but that means floating...

[@EvenTheDogAgrees]

@@Tony359_2 Well, yeah, but he was interested in the clamps only as the base was too small for his use case.

[@SobieRobie]

You should have some commission for every item I buy because of your videos 😂

[@Tony359_2]

ahah - yes!

[@Mobin92]

Very neat but too expensive for basically 4 fancy small clamps and a metal plate. I'd consider it for 20€, but not for 50€ plus shipping.

[@Tony359_2]

Plenty of cheaper ones on Aliexpress :)

[@jake_d4094]

Had one for a while and I love the flexibility and versatility. Also a great addition are the PCBite probes, they are a bit pricy but worth it

[@Tony359_2]

Just had a look - AMAZING!!!

[@donepearce]

Very nice, but far too expensive at $62.

[@aephix73]

These clips are rediculously over priced for 4 clamps and a steel plate.

[@Tony359_2]

Maybe - but the thing is that they work and work well. You pay for the idea here, not the materials :)

[@EvenTheDogAgrees]

The magnets in the base are simple round neodymium magnets with a chamfered hole, intended to be screwed to walls and such. You can pick up a 10-pack of those for around €4, give or take, if you go for 15x5x5mm, which looks about the ideal proportions for this application. The balls are stainless steel balls, and a 10-pack of 15mm balls with m3 thread sets you back another €15. The rods, I'm not sure about. Those could be stainless steel rods with thread at the end, or it could be a simple screw with a sleeve of the right size around it. Either way, those are jellybean parts, and won't set you back that much either. Let's go with m3x50mm screws for the moment, those will set you back another €5 for a 50-pack, and let's assume a similar price for some sleeves (hollow tubes, often found in hobby shops) to go around them. No idea about those springs, but those can't be that expensive either, so let's go with another €5 for those, which should certainly cover the cost and then some. I'm not even going to guess at the price of those rubber nubs, as that's probably negligible. As are the plastic parts the magnets sit in, which you can 3D print for pennies if you don't find anything suitable. That leaves the only parts that are not off-the-shelf: the bent metal parts that form the beaks of the clamps. I mean, I might be mistaken, but those don't look like off-the-shelf parts, but custom made. Without those, we're already looking at a €10-15 BOM cost, not including the metal base plate. So no, I don't think it's all that overpriced at €57 for the kit. These are manufactured in small batches, as it's a rather niche product. The designer had to design the thing, probably do a couple of prototype runs to iron out all the kinks, and has to manage sales and logistics. You could probably build these at a fraction of the cost yourself, if you want to put in the time to cut/file/de-burr and precisely bend the parts that make up the clamps. And if you don't mind putting in the time, or if you enjoy the work (there's always value in doing things for fun), that might be a good way to spend a couple of evenings. But if you value your time in monetary terms, you'll quickly realise it's cheaper to buy these than to try and recreate them yourself.

[@NigelTolley]

Make your own set then? I made something like this earlier this year.

[@smarmosaur]

​@@EvenTheDogAgreesTIL there are threaded ball bearings out there. Now I'm wondering how they're made.

[@EvenTheDogAgrees]

@@smarmosaur My guess? Start with a cylindrical blank in the lathe, center drill and tap thread, part off. Then mount threaded rod in the lathe, screw on the threaded cylindrical piece, and use a forming tool to turn the cylinder into a sphere. See the video "Form Tools -- Turning the Ball End Features on my Cannon Barrel" by Joe Pie. For smaller spheres, it's possible to form the tool such that it cuts both sides at once. Another way, especially for bigger spheres, is using a rotating tool holder like you see in "Spherical Turning on a Manual Lathe" by Chronova Engineering. Cheers, mate!

[@kozko-xe1xl]

57€,too expensive is what i think.

[@Tony359_2]

It’s not cheap and plenty of cheaper around but they often lack the precision so they are not very useful… Thanks for watching!

[@JoSeph-cu2sr]

Who is soldering wire attached to nothing? You claim that the best feature its the precision without backlash. It would have been so much better if you actually soldered a real multiwire cable to that db25 or try to connect two multiwire cables with this. You know those big shielded stiff cables. Because yes 2 free thin wire even the cheap helpers can do it. After watching your review I still dont know if this is good. waste of time. I was used to better content from you. You promote it without real life test..........Anyway keep up the good works

[@Tony359_2]

Thanks for watching!