Circuit Board Working Platform

OK worktable. Not very solid.

This work platform is decent. Not the greatest, but it gets the job done. Holds smaller PCBs well, making working on the PCB easier. This platform is also good for hot air work since it raises the PCB of the table, avoiding accidental table buns ;)Since the platform is not too expensive it is worth the money.

You get what you pay for...this is a a barely usable mix of plastic and metal that cuts corners where you wish it didn't. The plastic thumb screw used to open and close the vise area does not turn smoothly and the vise arms tend to stick as they're moving. The gripping area itself is made of three metal plates, with the middle one inset slightly to hold the edge of the board. Nice, but it only works for thinner boards...I'm guessing thinner than 1.6mm. Holding normal boards becomes a really awkward balance job that does not hold the board securely and as a result I returned mine for a refund.

I have been soldering up my guitar effect pedal circuit boards using a PanaVise knock-off from Harbor Freight. I wanted something to hold the pcb closer to desk height afterwards while I tinkered with off-board components. This was the cheapest option. It is definitely lacking in quality craftsmanship. Also, my pcb boards (1.6-1.7 mm thick) wouldn't fit in the slot at first.I took 10 minutes to make some fixes, and now it's just what I needed. First off, the slots are made up of 3 metal strips layered on top of each other, with the middle layer inset a little to allow the circuit board to sit in there. I took off the top layer (by removing 2 screws), and put a small washer just underneath that layer. This created the depth I needed to fit the board in the slot. Also, don't expect this to hold any tools other than smaller screwdrivers at first. But there is a big cavity (if you take the thing apart you can see it), so drilling a few extra holes will allow you to put your common tools within arm's reach, as the picture shows.I normally wouldn't deal with making fixes to an item I just took out of the box. But I knew this price couldn't be beat, so it was definitely worth it for me...thus all 5 stars.

Waste of money and timeDon't buy

I've been looking for a good work platform for pcb soldering and most of the units I have seen cost well over a hundred bucks. This thing is a steal at less than twenty bucks and it is very easy to set up (a simple thumb wheel opens and closes the pcb vise) and has a handy slot with holes for tools like soldering iron tips and screwdrivers or small positioning tools.It is limited in the size of pcb you can work on, and there aren't really any angles you can turn the board to, but it is very easy to release the board and flip it over and the whole thing is small enough that you might be able to mount it in an adjustable vise and move the whole unit around. Still, for the price, this is a pretty nice little pcb holder and the quality is reasonable - again, for the price it is downright good!I am working on small boards for LED and laser power and this is really nice. I would recommend it for small pcb work.

GOOD

Works great! I recommend lubricating the clamp screw by run a #2 pencil along the threads on each side of the Jaws this really smooths out the operation of the clamp and reduces wear. The unit has metal guards on the edges so you don't accidentally melt it.there is plenty of room under the clamp area for population of thru-hole components. Item is sure footed it won't move around while you work on the board. Perfect for working on todays small electronics.