Clamps Reviews

Make sure that when ordering anything from Amizon.com that the total of your order OVER $25.00. May last order was $25.00 on the head and I was charged over $9.00 in shipping for something that could have fit in my shirt pocket. So much for the free shipping.

I have just returned the second drill because the clutch gave out again. After this let down I am going to Milwaukee for my drill/saw kit. I usually love DeWalt tools, they have worked forever, not this time. The saw works great now but I am worried it will quit in the middle of a job too.

C'mon, how badly can you screw-up a simple clamp?

Many of my old Klemmsia clamps "walked away" recently and I had to buy replacements. I chose these from Gross Stabil. I mean, a wooden, cam-action clamp is a wooden, cam-action clamp, right? Apparently not.

Every one was different, from various cheaper woods (not maple or similar, as it should be) to different styles of metal bars and end-rivets.

Mostly they were all severely misaligned and useless in the condition I got them. With some sawing, grinding, and sanding, I managed to fix all the problems, but what's the point in that? These ought to be a no-brainer, with established jigs and known supplies. One ought to be as well made and aligned as the next. Not from Gross Stabil, however. I get the impression they buy these pre-made, at any quality level they can find, stamp their name on them then resell them.

Plan on these fixes:

1. The metal bar extends beyond the fixed jaw at the end. That's a problem because these clamps are designed to stand flat on the end jaw, bar pointing upwards. However, with the bar extending below the jaw, the whole thing wobbles and falls over. Grind the bar back down below the edge of the jaw so it works like it should have done out of the package.

2. The cam jaw has a slit cut in it. This slit is what the cam pushes against the fixed jaw. The cam is supposed to ride just on, or perhaps just shy of, that slit piece of wood when the cam is fully retracted. This is to allow the slit piece of wood to be set parallel with the fixed jaw. These clamps have the cam already far too low, pushing the slit piece downwards and out of parallel with the fixed jaw. You'll never get parallel unless the run a piece of sandpaper (coarse grit, and many, many passes) under the cam edge to sand it away from the slit piece of wood.

3. In addition to no. 2 above, the whole movable jaw should be aligned parallel to the fix jaw. None of what I ordered were parallel. They were canted too far forward or aft. I had to remove the cork pad, and, using a block plan, angle the surfaces of both jaws so they could be set parallel. Then I had to go buy more cork pad to replace what I removed for fixing the problem.

4. The two back ends of the jaws are supposed to be parallel with the bar so that clamped work can be balanced on them (with the bar horizontal and close to the bench). Just as no. 1 above, the idea of these clamps is to give you a balancing position while your work is in progress or your glue dries. But the backs of these jaws are never in alignment, and they won't balance. Since it's end-grain that has to be trimmed, I had to saw (rather than plane) the back ends of both jaws to be in alignment.

OK, so after all that work, all my clamps are usable. I would have been more appreciative had they simply sold me a kit with loose parts and let me assmemble the thing myself. That's much easier than trying to correct sloppy workmanship.

And that sums up my opinion. Sloppy workmanship. Very, very sloppy. I'll never buy Gross Stabil again. Money is better spent with someone who delivers what is expected, especially since clamps like this are SO very simple to get right the first time.

2 stars only because, after working with them, I was able to actually say that yes, I have cam-action clamps and all that that term is supposed to imply.

The steel band clamp should only be used in one type of application. That being where you are putting two SMOOTH surfaces together, like a garden hose or radiator hose. But with a DC application of a ribbed hose, the steel band clamp is NOT the preferred choice, use the wire clamp.

The steel band clamp will only strip and never be fully seated trying to compress and secure the wire rib to the smooth DC fitting. The steel banding and worm screw is not designed to do that task and provide the needed pressure to fully seat the ribbed hose. Whereas, the wire clamp will actually strattle the rib on both sides and create a perfect clamping fit.

I tried to save the ten cents over the wire clamp, and wound up stripping the clamp thread on about 75% of the 3" hose applications with the steel band clamps. I antied up and spent the extra cash and got the right product, the wire clamps for the ribbed DC hose.

I used both types of band clamps- steel band clamps and wire band clamps- with the ribbed hose in my dust collection system.The steel band clamps slipped more, were harder to control going on and didn't seat as well as the the wire band clamps

I make many picture frames, usually of exotic hardwoods, usually using a biscuit joiner, so I'm always looking for something that will make the gluing process easier. I'm very meticulous about measuring and cutting, so I *should* be able to get joints that butt correctly without gaps. But as others who do this kind of work know, even with perfect cuts, getting the joint set up to glue correctly isn't easy. Invariably, you think you've got it clamped up juuuuust right, then come back after the glue's set up to find gaping chasms between the pieces. This jig promises to make the process foolproof, but I found it doesn't work very well, especially if you anticipate using it for a long time.

The process: Put the jig on a table (or the floor), set the retaining corner pieces in the slots that allow you to place your picture frame in it; in other words, if you have a large frame, the corner pieces go into slots farther out on the four aluminum braces. (Note: The image above shows the corner pieces backwards.) Then you tighten a wingnut in the center to pull the braces inward. You cannot adjust the angles in each corner; they're all exactly 45 degrees. That should work, though sometimes, even if you've cut the wood properly, it'd be nice to be able to shim in a corner or two ever so slightly.

The fatal flaws in this device: One, one small wingnut tightens the whole thing, so it takes some effort to get the thing really tight. Two, it doesn't have any mechanism to flatten the wood vertically, so you must use clamps to make sure they don't ride up (even with biscuits, I find that happens occasionally). Three, the corner pieces are plastic, and apparently cheap plastic -- after tightening the jig too much, I broke one, making the entire jig useless.

I think this thing could be a very useful device, but it needs a better tightening mechanism and sturdier components.

I purchased this saw about a year ago. I hold a full time position as a site superintendent so I only use my tools when I land side jobs. This saw looked to be a well built tool. I bought it because most of my side work is remodeling. I have around 15-20 hours tops on this tool. Just recently I was in the middle of a job when it just DROPPED DEAD on me. The tool still looks new. I had to finish the job with my 5year old DeWalt 18 volt. New the saw cut great but if I cant depend on a tool; my customer cant depend on me!!! I will think twice before I buy Milwaukee again.

I recently bought a pair of these here on Amazon and am rather disappointed. The casting is very crude - so crude that one of my clamps has over 2-1/2" capacity while the other has only 2-1/8". The screw is very poorly copper plated, rough to the touch and tough to turn.

I ordered the 4 1/2" & 7 1/2"cam Clamps from RIGHT-[...]I received the 4 1/2" with in one week. It's been almost two months and I have not recived the 7 1/2" clamps. I received a email stating they were back ordered and would be shipped in 4 to 6 weeks from order date. I have made numerous attempts to speak to someone via email or phone to check the status of my order and get no reponse. The price is great but what does it matter if you don't get the product or at least an explanation.

The steel band clamp should only be used in one type of application. That being where you are putting two SMOOTH surfaces together, like a garden hose or radiator hose. But with a DC application of a ribbed hose, the steel band clamp is NOT the preferred choice, use the wire clamp.

The steel band clamp will only strip and never be fully seated trying to compress and secure the wire rib to the smooth DC fitting. The steel banding and worm screw is not designed to do that task and provide the needed pressure to fully seat the ribbed hose. Whereas, the wire clamp will actually strattle the rib on both sides and create a perfect clamping fit.

I tried to save the twenty cents over the wire clamp, and wound up stripping the clamp thread on about 50% of the applications with the steel band clamps. I antied up and spent the extra cash and got the right product, the wire clamps for the ribbed DC hose.