Clamps Reviews

The clamps are good for most cabinet construction requirements, though I prefer the Jorgenson cabinetmaster clamps for their larger beefier clamping heads and the larger handles. Both are very good clamps that will last a long time.

The clamps with the bench stand-offs set up quickly, worked well, and easily, to clamp mitred corner hardwood cabinet door rails and stiles.

Ordered these clamps the other day because of a gold box coupon. Even with out the coupon it's totally worth the price. Bessey clamps are the best on the market. The parallelism of the jaws and even clamping pressure top to bottom of the clamping surface is unmatched. A great addition to any shop!

If you are going to use this for clamping with any significant force, get a heavier clamp. Working with picture frames and similar light work, or in reduced lengths, this clamp will work well for you. When I stretch it out to ~15 inches and apply enough force to push 2 x 4's together on a biscuit, it flexes by bowing the I-beam in a semi-circular arc. This throws the jaws out of alignment and applies and off center force that causes the joints flex out of square.

In summary, if you are doing light work, this clamp is a great value. If you need moderate clamping force, save your money and buy a more appropriate clamp that won't flex on you.

This clamp is the perfect little tool to have around your house when you're building or mending small drawers or chairs. This is not a heavy duty piece, but you can manually tighten it to the point where it damages your object. Its important to remember that it doesnt have cushions and you need to use some kind of wooden or hard rubber spacer to protect the surface of your object.

I own several of these Bessey clamps in various lengths, and I think the world of them. I reach for these clamps the most often in my shop. I have never experienced the bar "bowing" like other clamp bars tend to do - not at any length. With a very reasonable pricetag, I think these are some of the better all-around clamps on the market.

This is not a high quality tool, but for someone like me that only uses a belt sander to fix a mistake, it is just fine. I would love to have a bosch, makita or dewalt and those are the sanders I would reccommend for heavy duty use, but I only use mine to strip old or mistake finishes and this tool seems to work just fine.

The miniute i turned this thing on it went flying, no doubt i had my 100 ft. extention cord hooked up to it and it took of like my new truck WITH A HEMI V8 BABY!!! I chased that ting until it ran over my neighboors annoying chihuaha. i didnt have to put up with the annoying barking for months. id give it 10 stars!

Rivals any of the more expensive model sanders.

I have emailed Griest Ind. several times trying to find a local dealer that handles the longer version as local companies will not order the 108 inch guide and Griset Ind. will not answer. A good tool without company support.

I have owned this simple but incredibly versatile clamp for at least ten years, and can't begin to tell you how many router and saw cuts were flawlessly executed using this wonderful straightedge/clamp. Recently, the end block that holds the spring broke or fell off (not sure what happened), so I called Griset's service number 800-662-2892(9am-4pm PST), left a message, and a nice fellow called back the next day, and arranged to send me the missing piece-no charge!! I received it in the mail a few days latter, with instructions on how to make the repair. A great tool and great service too!! What more could you ask for??

I have owned this clamp for a number of years now.I bought one of the first to come out I think. The clamp has always performed well and I reach for it for many cutting/routing applications as it is easy and quick to use requiring very little set-up time. Recently the end stop block/tail piece fell off and the clamp has become inaffective. I have emailed Griset Industries and asked for a part to repair the clamp (offered to pay)and have heard nothing from them so far! I have had other dealings w/ other tool Mfg companys and received prompt responses to my queries. Perhaps Griset is too busy to have customer service read the CONTACT US email that they offer on the web page. This is a first, when a company with exceptional tools have a customer service department that falls short of the tools they manufacture.

These clamps came in handy during my recent kitchen remodeling project. I'm sure they'll be put to good use in the future as well. Easy clamping and release mechanism.

Thes clamps are simple to use and work great for any home project.They are durable and have plastic jaws so they woun't
damage the item u are trying to grip or hold together.

I have used these clamps for a few years on picture frame restoration. The small clamps are wonderful for holding small areas while glue is drying.
The only negative is the yellow pads tend to fall off as the tool ages. We have stuck picture frame bumpers on them and that seems to work fine if the pads are lost.

You can buy [less expensive] versions of this clamp...

The plastic wears off and then the metal edges show through. Then the plastic comes off and gets lost. The springs are barely passable when new. Not the Pony.

The plastic does wear off, but not until after a long time of hard use. It use them at the miter saw table all the time. Makes it easier to cope molding when it is clamped to something solid.

I have always used PONY spring clamps because their quality is superior to cheaper models. They have a high quality spring, fine finish and better tip pads that stay on unlike quick-grips yellow tips which come off too easily. HOWEVER loyal PONY users should check out the PONY 3-way spring clamp which works as a spring clamp or as an incredibly simple edge-clamp. The 3-way edging spring also made by PONY, is a superior tool and more tool for your money.

I use these clamps all the time. They are the best solution for the following:

1. Holding down boards when plunging a plate joiner (biscuit joiner).

2. Clamping two flat boards together to drill through both of them.

3. Holding down a straightedge while marking a long line.

The great thing about these clamps is that they go on and come off in a second, so you can hold wood down, do what you have to do, then turn the wood, re-clamp, turn again, etc. Also, unlike the "vise-style" clamps, they do not damage wood.

I like these clamps alot, they work well one handed. They are ambidextrous and hold well. I don't know the load limit,but i'm sure I have held several hundered pounds with it safely. I would give them 5 of 5 but they pinched the web between my thumb and four finger releasing the presure once.

this product is the best one made..............It has many uses for what I want.........drawers,jewelry boxes and trim on shelving......you can operate this clamp with one hand and release it easily....very easy to operate and it will not damage your workpiece

this product is the best one made..............It has many uses for what I want.........drawers,jewelry boxes and trim on shelving......you can operate this clamp with one hand and release it easily....very easy to operate and it will not damage your workpiece

Does what it says. Fairly easy set up and use. Flexibility allows use with both fixed and plunge bases and the turnlock base is universal. Comes with only 1 3/8" bit. I think it should come with the 1/4" bit also, but they are cheap. I like mine very much. Worth the money.

My first experience when I opened the box was one of amazement at all the pieces that had to be assembled. Once I got through the time consuming process of figuring how it went together and then actually assembling it, it was time for use. It only took a few minutes to get it clamped to a piece of wood and start routing. I have no complaints about the product now that it is assembled and ready for use. I would recommend this to others looking for a template.

I also reviewed the SpiroCrafter by Milescraft. Both products do as advertised. This time the larger turnlock base plate was required. It gave better support across the letter mounting rails. The bit included only works for the larger letters, but it is pretty cheap, and too large for the smaller letter set and bushing. The letter templates were actually thicker and sturdier than I expected. My first practice piece worked fine with no mistakes, and I am a novice. Your maximum letter width would probably be 7/16". A 3/8" bit is included. The other problem with the bit was it's lenght. With my PC 891 plunge base, I had to extend the bit quite a ways out of the collet since the bit is so short (about 1"). This set has to be a much easier way of making signs than the Vermont make that does one letter at a time. I am now looking at a 7/16" Freud dish carving bit that has a flatter bottom. You could also use a straight bit, but I like the rounded edges, but some letters, like a 'N' will have some ridges in the middle so you have to play with the router movement to clear the extra material. I'm sure I could have used a small chisel. No big deal either way, but a flatter bottom bit would have worked better. If you are considering this for outdoor signs, I think the 2 1/2" high letters and 3/8 thickness would be rather small to view from any distance away.

As with the entire quick grip products the features that should entice you to buy and use the Quick-Grip 524 Bar Clamps are the ease of adjustment and the fact that it won't mar even the softest of wood yet still provide ample force for your project. People with low hand strength or hand pain can use the trigger ratchet used for the adjustment with ease. It only requires a firm squeeze just over the pressure used for scissors.

The big benefit to these is that you get true mobility out of them. While holding a piece of work, lined up, in one hand, you use these quick grips in the other hand to secure the work. If it slips while clamping, it is still a one handed tool to release it, and reclamp it again. Enables you to maintain a professional flow to your work. I feel awkward when using regular clamps in comparison. They require two hands. You could use a spring clamp to hold it together, then get another clamp to give it a final hold, but the quick grip saves you from having to do that.
Having these clamps in a few different sizes is beneficial as well. Small ones are more frequently used, and don't get in the way. The 33 1/2" is great when you need to hold larger projects together, and you can't effectively use two smaller ones to substitute. Additionally the macro clamps give you deeper jaws for a farther reach, enabling you to use them for securing work, to your radial arm saw table for example. They are fast enough to be used for almost any application. Sometimes I use them to secure work when sanding with a power sander. A couple squeezes and they are on, and one squeeze and they pop off.
After getting the smaller ones, and using them, I immediately order two of the 33 1/2" for larger projects, and for tie downs on equipment, including the drill press, and occasionally the radial arm saw.
Their is a small rubber stopper, which you can readily remove, in order to reverse the end, and make it a spreader as well. Something not needed very often, but difficult to achieve without one of these.
One note is that these have built in rubber pads, that completely cover the metal internal end. That is an advantage when you do not want to mar the wood. That and the fact that you can squeeze these with one hand, creates a mechanism that is easy to use, but not something that you would want to use for strength clamping. As a safety measure, these clamp sufficiently for most operations, but a threaded bar clamp, is stronger. So for those operations where extreme strength is needed, these are not the clamps to use. You sacrifice mountain holding strength for the ease of use. For example if I was using a large bit on the drill press, and drilling into metal, I would clamp it with something more. Even the slightest movement in an operation like that, could cause a snag, sending the piece into movement. If you are using just one of them, at the end of a 24" board, and decide to rout the other end, it will move on you. Securing it with two of them, and it is super tied down. You get my drift.
The big advantage of quick grip clamps, is that they handle wood beautifully, even for glue up operations. Hold workpieces more than securely to do the job in most applications, and are so handy that they deserve more than 5 stars. I would feel lost without them. It is another tool in the must have category.

These clamps are the better mousetrap in today's woodworking. To a guy like me who works alone, and often needs an extra hand, these clamps are a blessing. Providing the means for one handed clamping is great and the non-marring faces NEVER leave marks on the wood. An added feature which I like is the fact that the design of these clamps will not allow you to put so much force onto them as to bend the bar (or mar the work piece). Although you won't pull any unruly hardwood glue joints together with these, they definitely have their place. The cost is high, but to do what they are designed to do, I wouldn't trade the ones I have for anything on the market.

This clamp uses the ingenius trigger grip design for unbelievable ease of use. This makes the clamp unbelievably easy to tighten using one hand. A few warnings about this particular product, however:

(1)Be sure the size is correct. 6" is usually too small for the projects I use clamps for. This size has been great for small projects, however. I think the 18" size is a better all-around size.

(2)The plastic construction makes the clamps best for holding items "approximately" in place. If you need total clamping for cutting precision, look elsewhere.

All in all, a good product if it is the right size, and used for the right purpose.

As with so many of my reviews, I have to say that this is a superior product but only an "ok" price. For a woodworker who works alone, these clamps are the next best thing to a paid assistant. So often it seems that I am standing on my head while balancing two awkward pieces that I need to do something to, and I just don't have enough hands to clamp it all down securely and accurately. Thats where these clamps shine. I use them to hold work to my bench while I sand/drill/saw/route. I use them to hold work to my drill press table. I use them as a spreader when I am finished dry-fitting a snug mortise and tenon joint. I keep several of these clamped to my workbench legs so that I will always have one in easy reach. Try it and you'll be amazed how much you use these "extra hands". Because this is how I use these clamps, I have found the 6" and 4" to be the most useful sizes. I do not like thse clamps for glue ups as they do not have the clamping pressure of traditional bar or pipe clamps.

As for the price, I found a holiday sale where I got 2 for $15. Normally thet are about $15 each at Menards, Lowe's etc.

The big benefit to these is that you get true mobility out of them. While holding a piece of work, lined up, in one hand, you use these quick grips in the other hand to secure the work. If it slips while clamping, it is still a one handed tool to release it, and reclamp it again. Enables you to maintain a professional flow to your work. I feel awkward when using regular clamps in comparison. They require two hands. You could use a spring clamp to hold it together, then get another clamp to give it a final hold, but the quick grip saves you from having to do that.
Having these clamps in a few different sizes is beneficial as well. Small ones are more frequently used, and don't get in the way. The 33 1/2" is great when you need to hold larger projects together, and you can't effectively use two smaller ones to substitute. Additionally the macro clamps give you deeper jaws for a farther reach, enabling you to use them for securing work, to your radial arm saw table for example. They are fast enough to be used for almost any application. Sometimes I use them to secure work when sanding with a power sander. A couple squeezes and they are on, and one squeeze and they pop off.
After getting the smaller ones, and using them, I immediately order two of the 33 1/2" for larger projects, and for tie downs on equipment, including the drill press, and occasionally the radial arm saw.
Their is a small rubber stopper, which you can readily remove, in order to reverse the end, and make it a spreader as well. Something not needed very often, but difficult to achieve without one of these.
One note is that these have built in rubber pads, that completely cover the metal internal end. That is an advantage when you do not want to mar the wood. That and the fact that you can squeeze these with one hand, creates a mechanism that is easy to use, but not something that you would want to use for strength clamping. As a safety measure, these clamp sufficiently for most operations, but a threaded bar clamp, is stronger. So for those operations where extreme strength is needed, these are not the clamps to use. You sacrifice mountain holding strength for the ease of use. For example if I was using a large bit on the drill press, and drilling into metal, I would clamp it with something more. Even the slightest movement in an operation like that, could cause a snag, sending the piece into movement. If you are using just one of them, at the end of a 24" board, and decide to rout the other end, it will move on you. Securing it with two of them, and it is super tied down. You get my drift.
The big advantage of quick grip clamps, is that they handle wood beautifully, even for glue up operations. Hold workpieces more than securely to do the job in most applications, and are so handy that they deserve more than 5 stars. I would feel lost without them. It is another tool in the must have category.