Hakko C1390C Omnivise

[ransonjd]

I just got a pair of Hakko C1390C Omnivise PCB holders.  They're about fist sized, stable and heavy. I think one of these is as heavy as the FR-830 preheater they're being used with. They have very smooth movement. The surface finish and knurling is quite nice. Adjustment is easy.

The rubber pads in the "jaws" are a little bit of a concern. The outer edges of the rubber on both clamps are sticky. It appears that they're using a non-curing self adhesive rubber pad, and the adhesive sticks out a little at the edge.

The pads also came firmly stuck together. Even after loosening the clamp, the rubber was too stuck to be wedged apart with a probe. Unscrewing the clamp with extra force pulled the pads apart, but I was concerned for the adhesive holding the pads to the metal. There was no evident damage. To keep the rubber from sticking in the future, I'll probably store them with the jaws open.

All in all, they're nice units.

[ransonjd]

I just noted that they're clearly labeled with their date of manufacture. The clamps had been in storage for about a year before sale, so the stuck rubber makes some sense.

[lukego]

Thanks for posting about this. I'm finding this years later, seeing a reasonable deal on these from Batterfly, and ordering some partly on your recommendation.

I've been doing hot air rework straight on my ESD mat and it's making me crazy with boards sliding around, rubber getting hot and disfigured/discoloured, and probably a bit of unhelpful heat dissipation. Suddenly the Omnivise doesn't seem quite so extravagant anymore.