On 10/28/2015 4:09 PM, Mike Marlow wrote:
wrote:

.

So I figured I would be OK if I bought their bar clamps and some
squeeze clamps. They worked for the first glue up, then one or two
failed after the second glue up, and then finally after about a year
of use all but two of ten had failed. It was worse with their hand
squeeze clamps, which I use three or four times a week sometimes all
day as a second set of hands. Eventually, after light use all of
them (about 6) failed completely.


I have experienced this with the squeeze clamps but not at all with the bar
clamps or the pipe clamps. Neither of those have failed over more than 10
years of use. I put them to use for things far more than just woodworking.


To put this in perspective, I have four bar clamps that were made in
the 1920s or 1930s and have been heavily used. They still work fine,
although with the bars a little bent (and being really heavy) they
are more backup clamps than anything else. I have some off brand of
squeeze clamp I bought at HD about 20 years ago that I have used for
all twenty years, and they still work fine. Ditto my 3' and 4'
Stanley and Irwin clamps which are probably in the 15 year range. I
have Pony pipe clamps that have to be 50 years old that were given to
me by a retired contractor that used them for everything you could
imagine, and they work just fine.

My HF knock offs of the Pony pipe clamp continue to work as good as day one,
some 20 years later. Not sure that you're really making a point here
Robert.


With their short, **** poor track record, HF turned I will never buy
another HF clamp unless I figure some way it might be a one time use.
Clamps are tools I expect to work, period.

The squeeze clamps they sell have proven to be unreliable for me. That
said, the bar clamps and the Pony style clamps just continue to perform.
Can't understand the difference in experience...

..
Hey Mike! Until you have used some good clamps any clamp seems to be
good. ;~)