My local tools store, KMS, has a sale on Irwin’s Quick Grip XP Clamps (http://www.irwin.com/irwin/consumer/jhtml/detail.jhtml?prodId=IrwinProd100036). The 6″ clamps are on sale for $11 from $30 and 12″ on sale for $20 from $35, or so. I recall that these clamps were tested to achieve the most pressure in FW’s controversial clamping article.
Does anyone have any experience with these? Would you recommend them for general woodworking, or am I better off with parallel-bar clamps? They do seem like an awfully good deal.
Chris @ flairwoodworks
– Success is not the key to happines. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. – Albert Schweitzer
Replies
I'd definitely pick up as many as you can. They work fine for many, if not most, applications, and can do stuff PB clamps cannot. Out of any 10 clamping operations, I'd guess I grab the quick clamps 9-1/2 times. They provide "good enough" pressure, and are lighter and more versitile than the large PB clamps. The spreader feature comes in handy once in a while too.
I kinda have a love/hate relationship with quick clamps. Sometimes they refuse to "ratchet" tighter when you squeeze the handle. Almost always happens when you're using all three of your hands and the glue is starting to set. ;-) That said, I got a million of 'em!
Mike Hennessy
Pittsburgh, PA
Chris,
Take out a second mortgage and get lots of them! :>)
Ditto everything Mike said. Great for many different things. Small ones are good for attaching stop blocks. Wish I had more.
Regards,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
I love quick-grip type clamps for lots of things, but they aren't the same beast as parallel-jaw clamps (Bessies, Jet, etc.). I'd say don't blow all of your money on them, but get a half-dozen or a dozen for various jobs around the shop. You'll still need the PJ clamps for cabinetry -- that nice long parallel push, as it were.
Get a bunch, sell some on eBay for $20 and go buy yourself some wood with the profits.
Thanks for all your input. I ended up buying 20 of the 6" clamps at $11 a shot.Chris @ flairwoodworks
- Success is not the key to happines. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
hey, around here(wallingford ct) lowes has those exact clamps in a variety of sizes on buy one get one free through today (friday 3/14) i bought two this morning.
greg
A couple of weeks ago the local Menards had the 6"ers on sale for $12 and buy one get one free. I tried to buy 6 and was told that the buy one, get one offer was one per household so I just bought one set. I considered just going back in for more (how in the world would they ever know) but didn't.
Rob
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