Yost parallel bar clamps?

[James Spillman]

I've used Bessy,Jorgensen, and Jet parallel bar clamps. Now I would like to try Yost parallel clamps. I'm interested in the 12" size. I'm wondering what folks here have to say about Yost parallel clamps. Thanks.

[Nick Decker]

I have four of them, two 36" and two 12". Yost has two different versions of these clamps, medium duty and heavy duty. I've tried them both.

Medium duty: Good clamps, pretty light in weight, which can be a plus if you're using a lot of them at once. I had a bit of a problem, in that I noticed that the clamp pads were leaving a small, oily looking stain on the wood. Tried cleaning them with various solvents, didn't help. It seemed as if the rubber itself (or whatever the pad is made of) was leaving the stain.

I emailed Yost. They responded promptly, saying they had not seen the problem, could I send a photo? I did, and even though the clamps were out of warranty, they asked which clamps I had and sent me replacements immediately.

What they sent, however, were their newer and more expensive heavy-duty clamps, didn't ask for the old ones back.

Heavy Duty Clamps: Excellent clamps and very heavy. Opening and closing the jaws takes some getting used to, but not that hard once you get used to how to do it. Great feature is the "breakaway" tightening handle, which allows you to put huge pressure on when needed. No staining whatsoever.