4th Hand, 3rd Hand, Cable Stretcher, Thing-a-ma-jig

The tool shown below has been the topic of a bit of discussion at the Bike Kitchen as of late. The official name for this device is the Park Tool BT-2 Cable Stretcher.

From the Park Tool website:

Commonly referred to as a "4th Hand", the Park Tool Cable Stretcher pulls cables tight for adjustment of derailleurs and brakes. It features one-hand operation with a thumb lock to hold the cable tight while your hand is freed up to tighten pull-up bolts and nuts. A must for any shop, home or professional.

Stevil from "All Hail The Black Market" posted a little commentary regarding this issue on his blog today with his post Tools come in all shapes and sizes..

From "All Hail the Black Market"

I was never sure why this was called the fourth hand. Personally I only have two and this acts as my third. I suppose if you get down to the nitty gritty, this pinches as well as pulls, so perhaps it would be more appropriately called 'the third and fourth hand', but just so there's no confusion, well simply call it by it's traditional name, a cable puller.