RoGeorgeUse a good 3'rd hand device. During time, I tried a few:
So far, the most appropriate for my use was the Stickvise:
Since I started using the Stickvise, all the other devices were removed from my workbench. Now I am using the Stickvise all the time, at various tasks, not only for soldering. Out of the all devices I have tried so far, the Stickvise is the most handy one, very easy and fast to adjust, with a very good grip and a low profile under the microscope. I am not affiliated in any way with any Stickvise producer or seller, but I highly recommend this device.
The most useless device was the one with the big magnifier glass. It is cumbersome to adjust and unstable.
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I agree that stickvise is a very nice tool... I do find some other ones are useful too, though; of the devices I have, I use three: 1) Stickvise, 2) Panavise (for hot air reflow), and 3) the little pincers like what you have in your top photo attached to the magnifying glass, but I remove the magnifying glass so only the pincers remain. Pincers are great for soldering wires or connectors, panavise is all metal and great for reflow, and stickvise is great for all sorts of circuit boards.
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Lately I was finding myself using only the Stickvise, and sometimes the vacuum vice (far left in the picture). The vacuum vice also have rubber jaws, very handy for fragile and brittle materials, and has a ball articulation, so it can be oriented in any direction without moving the vacuum base (the base remains anchored on the desk because it has a rubber suction cup).
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