Obviously obtaining a full array of clamps is very expensive and I understand the need for K-Body and deep jaw length clamps.
Is there really a working advantage of Irwin, Jorgensen, or Bessey Quick Grip clamps over the economical Harbour Freight Pittsburg Quick Grip clamps?
Any opinions on the Pittsburg C-Clamps?
Replies
you get what you pay for!
I have no use for c clamps in the woodshed. I'm sure some do.
I use Irwin Quick Grip clamps a lot, and like them. The only other brand I have are Dewalt. I don't like them as much. They're clunkier.
Buy a couple of each and see what you like.
I agree with 'user' above. I would add that if you are a regular woodworker and in the shop often for hours at a time, you will notice the poor quality of the cheap clamps pretty quick. They won't clamp tight, the threads will strip out, handles fall off, etc. There's a reason that they are cheap. Poor quality will result in poor results pretty soon.
If you want to save money, go to flea markets and garage sales. Invest a little time and you'll find decent stuff that, with a little cleaning, will work well. I enjoy the "treasure hunt" aspect of this also.
Howdy. Might I suggest (if, like me, you have more time than money) that you consider making some clamps of your own. While it might work better for some types of clamps than others, I would think that DIY clamps would be plenty serviceable in the shop. Check the ones that this guy designed/built: https://ibuildit.ca/category/clamps-vises/
I own more clamps than anyone should have.Almost all purchased at flee markets.When I see a pair,never buy less than two matching clamps, and the price is right, I pounce. While I am not a big fan of pipe clamps,years ago I was given pipes used on awnings that are rust proof.They served me for 25 years as my long clamps with great results
Yeah it’s amazing you can have a couple $thou sitting on the wall.
Rarely if ever use C clamps in my work
However, I can tell you the HF F clamps are good. In fact, I think they perform just as good as Bessey, are lighter, and I they screw down much easier. But don’t get over 12”. The pads come off easily double stick tape will hold them on.
The HF aluminum bar clamps are junk, but, they can be made to work by 1)filing the edges of the sliding collet to eliminate binding, 2) insert a length of hardwood inside the bar, 3) glue the rubber caps on the handles. I replace mine with threaded rod and acorn nuts. 36” max.
I have a full array of Bessey parallels, but many times on large panels that I have to move I will use them instead of lifting a panel with 80# of clamps.
On the trigger clamps I don’t think they always the exert enough pressure for joinery. And, they aren’t cheap anymore. I recently bought a set of Work Pro trigger clamps solely based on the reviews.
I was not disappointed! Equally so with the WP spring clamps.
i have never had a need for a c-clamp. f-clamps, pipe clamps, and parallel clamps are all i ever needed. that said, even with a narrow choice like that i estimate i have ~$10k worth of bessey clamps hanging on my shop walls. i wholeheartedly agree with the poster above, you get what you pay for.
Bessey Ks & revos, Fs by bessey and others are primary users. I only use the Q-grips when one handed is the need. Cs only get used for stop blocks & fences.
It really depends on what you make and the $$ you want to allocate for clamps. As Robert mentioned above, I use the HF F clamps without issues. I also got the HF aluminum bar clamps and used the wood insert hack to make them serviceable. I paid $7 for mine on sale and am happy with the results. HF did have parallel clamps in the past and I have 7 and use them pretty often. I also use wood hand-screw clamps and the HF good trigger clamps. Their cheap ones are useless IMHO. I take care to keep glue off clamps by waxing surfaces and put down a strip of tape where the clamp can get glue drips. The Bessey clamps are very good but were too expensive for me and I found good serviceable options.
Love my C-clamps. have bunches from 2" to 12". I like the deeper reach and clamping force they offer. Also have F-clamps (6, 12 & 24") I use for longer reaches. The short ones are good when I don't need a lot of clamp (luthiery & bent wood projects.)
My opinion, get some pipe clamp hardware for 3/4" pipes, 1/2" is too flexible. At Ace Hardware they cut & threaded (2) 5' pieces of galvanized pipe, solving my need for 3, 4 and 5' clamps.
Last, true you get what you pay for but any trigger clamp that does what it's supposed to is a good clamp. And just because someone else doesn't use a particular clamp doesn't make them bad or useless.
Mikaol
There IS a difference - you will find the steel is thinner, the plastic is plastickier and they will probably not grip as hard or last as long, but they WILL grip and probably well enough. If not take them back to the store...
You will always find a use for the cheapo clamps later, even if you decide to upgrade. You do have to be careful though as some brands have difference offerings - Personally I find deWalt clamps are outstanding but you have to be careful as they make them in several quality levels, grip levels and price points but they all carry the deWalt brand name.
Where I live, Irwin is bottom of the range and Bessey are always good quality.
C Clamps are really for crushing wood into submission - can provide a huge amount of force and doing a proportionate amount of damage. If an F clamp can't do the job then think it through some more!
You are asking specifically about quick grip clamps and HF C-clamps. Unsure about new Jorgensen or Irwin quick grips. However, I do have older Jorgensen models (my favorites quick grips, including the ones with squeeze grip along the bar - awesome hold downs) and some older Irwin quick grips - I would prefer either by long ways and pay more for them than HF's. I think I would try to find old ones at flea market, garage sales, etc, like mentioned in post above if time is on your side. Otherwise, I think I would be tempted to buy Besseys on sale. My opinion is that Christmas time is the best time to buy quick grips new/retail - there are many packaged bargains then by all sorts of stores. I use c-clamps on rare occasion - have a boxed set of them I got at rock bottom sale/clearance price 20+ years ago at Sears when Craftsman wasn't as much a diluted brand...some of the smaller ones are still in their packaging, illustrating how much they get used. I use the larger ones more often to clamp down metal parts on the drill press table or for home-improvement work than for my woodworking hobbies, but occasionally use one of the monster ones for deep reach - but you do have to be careful about pressure. Honestly, my best recommendation would be to go F-clamps over c-clamps for woodworking.....I have found that my purchase of 8 each of 6, 12 and 18 inch Besseys has turned out in actual practice to feel much better than the day I decided to bite the bullet and invest. (I mean, who really wants to decent money on clamps....a hand plane has appeal, but clamps just don't have that tug.....until you live through some bad glue-ups, then you start appreciating what makes a good clamp) The Bessey's don't frustrate, they work nicely, they clamp down reasonably square. Depending on what you build you will be surprised at how many clamps you end up using at one time and the assortment of lengths is convenient. The very best use I know of for a c-clamp by a woodworker is to clamp down a red shop rag on the end of a 10 foot board you are hauling home from the hardwood dealer!.....I carry one in my truck always. I think i got this tip from FineWoodworking somewhere along the way.
Bessey 6 and 12" clamps from home depot are cheap enough that I wouldn't bother with the HF ones to save $10. I've heard people struggling with the HF clamps as they slip. YMMV. I'm done with the guessing game and the time spent returning stuff.
I do own several deep each C clamps from HF, and they are a cheap way to get an 8 or 12" deep reach clamp. They aren't frequently used, but when needed, they serve the purpose well. C clamps seem to be simple enough that they work fine.
The original post was about quick grip clamps: I have several of the HF ratcheting clamps and they slip under light load. I do not use them. I have several of the Bremen trigger clamps and they work very well, but cost signifyingly more. I frequently use the 6, 12, 18, and 24 inch HF F clamps where appropriate. I got the 6 inch clamps for $1.99 and use them for a variety of projects like clamping my router table to the work bench, wood clamps while I chop mortises, and similar tasks. I just used the 18 for a partial glue up of a hickory coffee table because the boards came off the jointer straight and I did not need anything more. I just used the 24 inch clamps to hold that 22 inch table to my panel sled to cross cut the ends for bread boards. I have parallel and pipe clamps for bigger jobs - but not all jobs.
It depends on what you need them for. W/R to the 24 inch F clamps: If you want to spend 2 x $17.50 at HD vs 2 x $7 at HF to hold something to the cross cut sled, no problem, your money.
I frequently see advice here, "Buy only the best, you will not be sorry.", must be viewed in context. I just put up a small section of crown molding in my house using my $100 chop saw (with a good blade). There is nothing level, consistent, or at 90 degrees in this house, 1848 post and beam. A Festool Kapex at $850 would not have reduced my agony with this project.
So my advice is, what are you building, how many do you need, how much money should you allocate to tooling. There is no one answer to your needs.
Thanks for all the responses. There is value in each response.
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