Tell me why I shouldn't buy...

[Andy Henriksen]

the dirt cheap clamps at Harbor Freight. They are on clearance, or some such sale. 12" bar clamps $1.99 upto 36" for $5.99. I know they are junky, but given the price, I'd have to think it's a good deal. I mean, they're just clamps, right? If it's still not worth it, tell me why.

[Lynn Sonier]

I have made a couple of good buys on clamps on Ebay. I got 4 36 inchers which are non-name brand but which work great. I also bought 8 12 inch clamps for a really good price and they all work well also.
Just be sure to check the feedback on the person you are considering buying from.

[Donnie Raines]

I had some. The screw clamps would "back off"..and thats not a good thing when you are needing the clamping pressure.

[Chris Padilla]

Andy,

Sometimes you get what you pay for. :)

[larry merlau]

well i tend to agree with don i too have had some bargin clamps and found out why i didnt want them. its like this, look at what you are trying to make and then think if its worth the risk of having it fail because of the lesser quality clamps. your work is a reflection of you and your skills. just ole guys opinion

[Tyler Howell]

Andy,

You get what you pay for! Just thinking back to the HF DP that cut ellipses or the HF impact wrench that sucked my compressor dry to remove one lug nut.

I can think of nothing more traumatic than a glue up with expensive imported hardwoods, short open time and clamp failure.

I inherited some HF clamps from the X FIL that were pot metal. They broke in the middle and the threads would slip under tension.

Just my personal experience

[Royce Meritt]

The problem I've found with cheap clamps (yes, I own a few) is that they do not always seem to tighten in a straight line. As you tighten them down they this causes the pieces being clamped to want to slip and slide out of alignment. This seems to happen no matter the type of clamp whether they be pipe clamps, bar clamps, C-clamps, etc.

In my opinion, the old saying "You can never have enough clamps" is only true if they are not cheap clamps. You CAN have enough cheap ones.

[Dan Gill]

Allow me to stray from the group here. I have about a dozen harbor freight clamps and with one exception they all work well. The one that doesn't is the pipe clamp with the serrated locking lever. It slips. All the others work quite well. In fact, a couple of my favorite smaller clamps are the harbor freight models. They don't compare to Bessey K-bodies, but they don't cost anywhere near as much, either.

Clamps are one of the few things I would buy at harbor freight, though.

[Curt Harms]

Allow me to stray from the group here. I have about a dozen harbor freight clamps and with one exception they all work well. The one that doesn't is the pipe clamp with the serrated locking lever. It slips. All the others work quite well. In fact, a couple of my favorite smaller clamps are the harbor freight models. They don't compare to Bessey K-bodies, but they don't cost anywhere near as much, either.

Clamps are one of the few things I would buy at harbor freight, though.

My experience parallels Dan's. I have 4 of their 12" "F" clamps and they work as well as Pony. I also have some pipe clamps with the clutch disk mechanism. They don't slip like the toothed mechanism, but the clutch mechanism doesn't release as well as Ponys. I looked at the aluminum bar clamps but they seemed sloppier than the Jet bar clamps I have. It's nice to be able to go to a store and handle them; it's a crap shoot mail order. My experience.

Curt

[George Summers]

I too have a bunch of the HF bar clamps, as well as some from WoodWorkers Supply when they go on sale. I also have some of the HF bar clamps that have the reversable heads to make spreaders (they are fairly new, black with orange/red heads). Also I am a believer in their 3/4" pipe clamps (Pony knock-offs). Yes, I ocassionally run across one that might not clamp in a straight line or one of the reversable ones that slips under 'high pressure', but for the price, I can discard them and be many many $$$$ ahead. Besides you don't screw the heck out them for a glue up, you'll starve the joint. What little WW $$$ I come up with goes for quality in actual tools (chisels, saws, routers, sanders and related accessories, etc).

George

[David A]

Andy;
For the price, they're OK. the real reason one might say you shouldn't buy HF clamps is to avoid the temptation to buy other stuff while you're there. I am referring to many items that they will have there that will be so cheap "yo've got to, got to get it." Mostly stuff where the manufacturer can cut corners in materials or quality control -- and they do. If it has a motor, be very careful.

So if you can control yourself, go for it.

[Bart Leetch]

I have the Harbor Freight 3/4" clutch style pipe clamps & light duty F style & aluminum tube style & I also have some of the HF squeeze style bar clamps that have the reversible heads to make spreaders (they are fairly new, black with orange/red heads). I've only had trouble with 1 of the F style clamps not gripping & ground the rivet off the bar & turned the clutch pack around & it worked fine I cut a nail off & peened it back in the hole. On the squeeze style bar clamps that have the reversible heads I had the reversible head break off. All in all at least as good or better than Sears. :eek: :D

[Scott Parks]

A few years ago I bought 10 18" F-clamps for $2 each. I'm not sure if they are still the same ones they sell or not. Anyway, lets put it this way, I wish I bought 30! They've worked fine for me.

[Jeremy Bracey]

I dont know about the pipe clamps or the longer ones, But I have a dozen 12" F clamps and 6 18" F clamps and if thier on sale again I will pick up another dozen.

Thier very handy to have around. They dont slip and they hold up just fine.

I wasted some money on Bessy F clamps, thier is no difference in my opinion. The Bessey's might "release" a little easier, but for $2 pick some up.

[thomas prevost]

about a year ago I bought a barrell of clamps at a cabinet shop auction for $50 when I got home I had about 130 F clamps that look like HF or Homier or some other importer. Sorted out about 10 cracked or broke. The rest seem to work fine. I have had no problems slipping or failing.

I wish they hadn't taken the Bessy's out and sold them separately. They went for about 10% less than list.

[Spence DePauw]

I got some, and they work OK if you take their capabilities into account. They can't put much pressure on, in my experience the bars flex much more than the Jorgenson equivalents. Another thing I noticed is when you pick them out in the store, look carefully at the alignment of the screw with the clamp pad. Some are pretty far off, and will tend to make the parts slide laterally. I mostly use them for small work, or to supplement better quality clamps when I need a lot of them.

Spence

[Steve Beadle]

I have several bar clamps from HF and have found them acceptable in every way, except that the plastic pads are too thin. I don't clamp anything very tightly with them, of course, but they have never failed or slipped. These low-priced clamps are about the only thing I do buy from HF, however!

[Kelly C. Hanna]

the dirt cheap clamps at Harbor Freight. They are on clearance, or some such sale. 12" bar clamps $1.99 upto 36" for $5.99. I know they are junky, but given the price, I'd have to think it's a good deal. I mean, they're just clamps, right? If it's still not worth it, tell me why.
You know they are junk....that's all you need to know. They do function somewhat for a very short time, but they aren't good for anything past government work. City government at that. :eek:

Don't waste your cash. Check Rockler's clamp sale...24" for $6.99 and they are top notch clamps.

[scott spencer]

Allow me to stray from the group here. I have about a dozen harbor freight clamps and with one exception they all work well. The one that doesn't is the pipe clamp with the serrated locking lever. It slips. All the others work quite well. In fact, a couple of my favorite smaller clamps are the harbor freight models. They don't compare to Bessey K-bodies, but they don't cost anywhere near as much, either.

Clamps are one of the few things I would buy at harbor freight, though.

My experiences with the Pittsburg bar clamps from HF are exactly like Dan's...in my case they've been a good investment, but I sure don't view them as my best and most critical clamps.

[Tom LaRussa]

the dirt cheap clamps at Harbor Freight. They are on clearance, or some such sale. 12" bar clamps $1.99 upto 36" for $5.99. I know they are junky, but given the price, I'd have to think it's a good deal. I mean, they're just clamps, right? If it's still not worth it, tell me why.
Andy,

There is absolutely no reason at all why you should not buy clamps at HF -- unless you are worried about impressing tool snobs who put things down without knowing anything about them. Since we don't have any such persons here on SMC, then you should go right ahead.

I just went out into the gar... -- er, shop -- and counted. I own the following HF clamps:

F-shaped bar clamps:
6 @ 6"
8 @12"
8 @ 18"
8 @ 36"

Aluminum bar clamps -- 6 @ 48"

1/2" pipe clamps -- 6

Ratcheting clamps/spreader type clamps -- 8 @ various sizes

Spring clamps of various sizes -- 30

In other words, I have a tiny bit of experience with these things.

My comments:

The F clamps are comparable to the new Jorgensen Light Duty numbers, http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/ak/Tools/Clamps/Light_Duty_Bar/BC3236_JORGENSEN_LIGHT_DUTY_STEEL_BAR_CLAMP_2_1_2_ X_36_IN_6_BX_3736_prod/index.html, except that when they are on sale, they are significantly cheaper. (About 1/5 to 1/3 the price of the Jorgensen Light Weights, and about 1/10th the price of the super-duper parallel-type "Besseys" and "Jorgies" so many folks wax ecstatic about.)

Yes, they will bend if you put too much pressure on them. There are two solutions to this problem. The first is better joinery, and the second is adding more clamps. This latter solution is rather easy, given the low price of these units.

The same goes for the aluminum bar clamps. These last may not be of the quality of these no-name clamps from Woodcraft -- http://shop.woodcraft.com/Woodcraft/product_family.asp?family%5Fid=3963&gift=False&0=dept%2Easp%2Cdept%5Fid%3D2080%26menu%5Fid%3D%26T ree%3D%2CBar%20Clamps%20%26%20Handscrews&Gift=False&mscssid=095B4E68BF9854C84AD39E87C2E7B5A3 -- but then I paid $4.45 per unit for mine, vs the $29.99 per that Woodcraft wants for theirs. I'll gladly put six of mine up against one of theirs any day of the week.

I have had a problem with one of the pipe clamps -- a rivet broke and will need to be replaced. Still, considering that I spent $12 on all six of mine -- vs $12 for one Pony, I won't complain too much.

Similarly, the clamp/spreader units are not going to replace a hydraulic press in anybody's metal shop, but at 1/5 to 1/10 the price of similar "branded" units, who the heck cares? They are convenient to use and cheap to buy.

Oh, since I'm on the subject, I also have some clamps that I bought off eBay, and some others I bought on closeout from BigLots. They look pretty much like the HF models, but they are not of the same quality. I would not buy any further clamps from either source, especially since I have a HF store near me.

So, if you feel the need to cowtow to tool snobs, then stay the heck away from HF clamps. But if you need a number of decent clamps, at an excellent price, to use now, rather than dream about being able to afford "some day" -- then by all means grab some from HF.

HTH,

Tom

p.s. Regarding HF in general, as well as other stuff from HF

[1] Only buy stuff that's on sale

[2] If you buy anything electric, buy the two year replacement warranty. They honor those religiously.

[3] I have an 8" bench grinder and a 4" belt / 6" disc stationary sander from HF. I abuse them both regularly and they chug along like little champs -- champs which cost me about 1/3 of what a comparable unit would have cost from Delta or some other big name.

[nic obie]

I must own 30 or 40 of the HF "F" style bar clamps and havn't yet had any problems with them. One thing you have to do is take them out of their boxes and check that the ball pivots freely (it seems about 10% don't).

I own mostly 6 and 12 inch ones and would stay away from any longer than 24" as any brand of these light weight style clamps flex too much for my liking. For sizes larger than 24" I buy the Bessey "F" type.

[Andy Henriksen]

Once again, you guys are awesome. In 24 hours, I was able to get 20 good reviews/comments - just what I needed. I will probably pick up some soon, as they do fit my budget. And given my sloppy joinery, a clamp slipping a bit is the least of my concerns. I'll let you know what I think. Also, I do have store in town, so I'll be able to inspect them rather than having to order them sight unseen. When I get some more $, maybe I can get a few more "nice" clamps to supplement them with.

[Norman Hitt]

HF sells two grades of the F style clamps besides the light duty aluminum clamps, or at least they did til about 6 months ago at our HF store. The ones with the Black cast heads and Red Twist Handles, are the best and have the thicker/stouter bar, (and they DON'T Bend either). I have quite a few of these, and they work just fine. I have other brand pipe clamps, some Cabinet Masters, and a coupla dozen Bessys, but in all honesty, the ones that get used most often for all types of general clamping, are those little HF's. I kinda save the High Dollar clamps for dry fits, and final glue ups. The little nylon protectors are thin and slip off and get lost easily, but you can get some scraps, or buy a blank belt strip of about 3/16" to 1/4" thick leather from a leather shop, glue them on and trim to fit, and that works well to prevent marring the wood.

I haven't bought any of the lighter duty ones they have been selling here since the black ones disappeared from their stock, so I can't comment on those. I bought all mine at different times when they were on sale also. I would suggest getting a few and try them, and if they work well for you, buy some more when they go on sale next time, that's what I did.

[Bart Leetch]

If the clamps Norman is talking about are the ones that you just slide up or down & when you tighten the red screw handle they lock into the notches on the bar they work great BUT the cup on top of the threaded shaft is hollow pressed metal type cup & not flat like the lighter duty F clamps & tends to wear the plastic clamp pad out, but the nice thing is the Pony light duty F style clamp pads will fit as a replacement. :)

[Norman Hitt]

If the clamps Norman is talking about are the ones that you just slide up or down & when you tighten the red screw handle they lock into the notches on the bar they work great BUT the cup on top of the threaded shaft is hollow pressed metal type cup & not flat like the lighter duty F clamps & tends to wear the plastic clamp pad out, but the nice thing is the Pony light duty F style clamp pads will fit as a replacement. :)


Yeah, Bart, that's the ones I'm talking about. Where is a good place to get those Pony light duty clamp pads? That might save a little time over glueing on the leather, (which I've done on all kinds of clamps and even vises for many years).

[Mickey Elam]

I have several of the F-clamps and love them. They aren't the most rigid clamps in the world, but I mostly use them as supplemental clamps during large glue-ups. I rarely ever use them in a position where alignment is crucial. I also have six of the aluminum bar clamps and don't care so much for them. They've had problems with parallel clamping pressure since new and I've had lots of problems with the locking lever breaking. It appears to be cast pot metal and, amazingly enough, the tip of the lever breaks off and completely destroys the ability of the clamp to hold. The aluminum bar holds up fine but the hardware is not up to snuff. I've finally had to drill holes across the bar and put in pins to use the clamps further. I also have a few of the ratcheting quick clamps and really hate them. About all they're good for is holding things near each other until I can get a good clamp on them.

[Kevin Arceneaux]

I have a few of them also. I use them to supplement my better clamps.

[Bart Leetch]

Yeah, Bart, that's the ones I'm talking about. Where is a good place to get those Pony light duty clamp pads? That might save a little time over gluing on the leather, (which I've done on all kinds of clamps and even vises for many years).

Norman

I purchased mine at Western Tool but I imagine you should be able to find them almost wherever the Jorgenson clamps are sold.

Mickey

It may be bad metal in the locking lever.

There was a post on another forum about this problem & it ended up that the person was trying to do heavy duty clamping with these light duty clamps.

I can't help but wonder if your not expecting to much out of the aluminum bar clamps I have several of these clamps & used them a lot & never had a problem with them.


I agree with you on the quick clamps.

I think the big thing on any of harbor Freight's clamps is to inspect them very closely before you purchase them. Make sure that the fixed end & movable end align & will clamp & hold your project in proper alignment.