Jameco BenchPro IC Pin Straightener for 0.300" and 0.600" Wide ICS

I received this handy tool and immediately used it to install ICs on my electronic clock kit. It worked great and cut the time and, more importantly, the frustration level to a minimum. I installed 10 ICs in about 10 to 15 minutes. It was definitely worth every penny I paid for this straightener.

A totally unnecessary luxury that works very well. I'd buy another if I lost this one.

I love this! Yes you can bend your own pins, but this is sooooooo much easier! I just wish I had bought it sooner! Drop in IC, squeeze, perfect fit everytime! Do it by hand, doesn't quite fit, bend a little more, still not just right... Forget hand bending! This is so much easier! Perfect results every time! One side is for the wide chips and the other is for the narrow. So easy to use!

It's not a high quality tool but it gets the job done at a fair price. The two sides just wobble up and down because the guide pins/screws are loose. I wish that was a tighter fit. Maybe that was not possible with the plastic or desired by the designer. There is no comfortable way to squeeze the sides since instead of being flat there it a rectangular opening there I presume was to reduce plastic use. The best way I have found to use this is: flip to correct side (wide or narrow ICs) and lay on the bench (one side has a screw so it will not be flat) gently straighten left/right bends on DIP pins if needed insert chip and squeeze while pushing downward a bit I use it for almost every DIP now.

DIP chips! The pins aren't straight (90 degrees), but at a small angle from the factory. How do you fit them in? Painstakingly manually straighten them? No, with this product! It's so easy now. Works instantly, every time. Then they fit. Seems sturdy. Works on wide and regular DIP ICs.

Simple but effective at aligning pins. You may still need to fix the pins if the are bent side to side.

Worked great for me. I wish I purchased this sooner. I destroyed a few IC's in the past trying to get them slotted correctly.

It can only straighten pins bent inward or outward. If the pins are bent toward the front or back of the chip, useless. You will need a pair of pliers for doing that.