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205 Posts
I want to give my review of two different clamps here and some sandpaper.
First the bar/quick clamp:
These are Pittsburgh brand from Harbor Freight. There are two different designs. A while back I purchased a few of these:
Notice the release lever and the direction of the tightening handle. These clamps tend to loosen or fail to grip tightly. The tightening handles often fail to pop back out when tightening.
Recently while at Harbor Freight I noticed that the design had changed so I picked up several more to try out.
These have a release button and the tightening handle is facing the opposite way. I was impressed with these. They grip tightly, do not loosen, and have very smooth operation. The release button works great. I have put quite a bit of force on them and none have broken. At $3 each, they are quite a bargain compared to the my Visegrip/Irwin brand clamps. IMO, virtually the same performance at a fraction of the cost. Both carry a lifetime warranty. If you decide to buy any, look closely at the design. When I purchased these 'better working' clamps, the old poor design was still available on the shelves right next to these.
Next are these F style clamps also made by Pittsburgh. Initially I found that the rubber handles loosen around the threaded rod when tightening. I removed the rubber handles and used a 5 minute epoxy to put them back on. I can now torque on them without any problems. Outside of that, the clamps work great. Even after the home remedy, they are still a good deal if you are on a budget like me.
Finally and on a side note, I shop at Menards often and picked up some Performax brand sand paper. 100 grit, 6 sheets per pack.
If you haven't figured out by now, I shop at Harbor Freight often too. I purchased a package of 100 grit/6 sheet per pack from HF at a fraction of what I paid at Menards. I wanted to see if there was any difference like how long it lasted and stuff. The Menards brand is on the left:
After opening them, the manufacturers are the same, just different branding and price. Both are "GatorGrip" aluminum oxide made in U.S.A.
I hope this review was helpful to other frugal shoppers like myself.
First the bar/quick clamp:
These are Pittsburgh brand from Harbor Freight. There are two different designs. A while back I purchased a few of these:

Notice the release lever and the direction of the tightening handle. These clamps tend to loosen or fail to grip tightly. The tightening handles often fail to pop back out when tightening.
Recently while at Harbor Freight I noticed that the design had changed so I picked up several more to try out.

These have a release button and the tightening handle is facing the opposite way. I was impressed with these. They grip tightly, do not loosen, and have very smooth operation. The release button works great. I have put quite a bit of force on them and none have broken. At $3 each, they are quite a bargain compared to the my Visegrip/Irwin brand clamps. IMO, virtually the same performance at a fraction of the cost. Both carry a lifetime warranty. If you decide to buy any, look closely at the design. When I purchased these 'better working' clamps, the old poor design was still available on the shelves right next to these.
Next are these F style clamps also made by Pittsburgh. Initially I found that the rubber handles loosen around the threaded rod when tightening. I removed the rubber handles and used a 5 minute epoxy to put them back on. I can now torque on them without any problems. Outside of that, the clamps work great. Even after the home remedy, they are still a good deal if you are on a budget like me.

Finally and on a side note, I shop at Menards often and picked up some Performax brand sand paper. 100 grit, 6 sheets per pack.
If you haven't figured out by now, I shop at Harbor Freight often too. I purchased a package of 100 grit/6 sheet per pack from HF at a fraction of what I paid at Menards. I wanted to see if there was any difference like how long it lasted and stuff. The Menards brand is on the left:

After opening them, the manufacturers are the same, just different branding and price. Both are "GatorGrip" aluminum oxide made in U.S.A.

I hope this review was helpful to other frugal shoppers like myself.