For this Cool Tools review, I’m going to show you the Manfrotto Magic Arm and Super Clamp. You can pick up this combo for around $154 on Amazon Prime. Not cheap, but I rely on this every single week and it’s been a worthwhile investment. If you happen to pick one up using the link in the description, you help support my videos and the Cool Tools blog. 

So what’s so magic about the magic arm? This is the best tool I’ve found for getting perfect overhead shots of project builds on your desk or workbench. It has a standard camera mount on the top, a heavy duty clamp on the bottom, and a locking elbow joint in the middle.

Unlocked, the whole thing can twist and wiggle around until you find an angle you like. By locking the elbow, every joint, from top to bottom, seizes up and holds its place. This is especially handy when you need a heavy camera to cantilever out over your desk and stay still while you drill and solder and screw a project together. Most of my Cool Tool videos, with the exception of this one, are made using this system.

The only thing I don’t like about it, aside from the price, is that every few months the elbow joint needs to be tightened with an allen wrench to keep the tension snug. I also sometimes wish the arms were a little longer so I could get higher over my work. But it helps that the clamp has a removable wedge so the clamp can attach to round poles, like a big tripod, when I need more height.

I learned about the Magic Arm from a post by maker extraordinaire Becky Stern on Makezine.com in 2014, where she shares 10 tips for making great build videos.  And remember, you can see thousands of reader recommended tools just like this at Cool-Tools.org.

Update 4/23/18:

This Magic Arm and Super Clamp combo are still a daily workhorse tool for my video production. But as many friends have pointed out (including Becky), there’s an updated version of the Magic Arm that uses a different, arguably superior tension joint. This updated arm doesn’t seem to suffer from the problem I had with mine every few months, where the tension has to be reset with allen wrench. The new and improved version can be found on Amazon here, but you’ll have to buy the Super Clamp separately. The combined price is roughly equivalent.