HF clamps a Jorgenson clone?

[shane lyall]

I picked up a few of these (blue ones) the other day just because they looked so much like my Jorgensons. They are pretty good clamps so far and half the price! I actually like the rubber cover on the grip a little better on the Jorgs wooden handle. Time will tell but they work great so far. Anyone else used these?

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f1...1300252408.jpg

[tyler mckee]

I have a few, careful how tight you torque them down the handle will strip. Other than that they are great for the price

[John Lifer]

Well, they are a really distant clone...
rail isn't plated, will rust. Very cheap steel, I had to pick thru a pile to find several that didn't have a twist or bend,
and the slot for the head is not perpendicular to the hole for the rail giving you a not to perfect clamp up.
I've bought some and they work, but if you really want good quality, this ain't it.

[david brum]

I have 20 of 30 of the 6" ones. They get used frequently for laminations, veneering, etc-where lots of clamps are required. I've had surprisingly good luck so far. I did have to straighten the arms on a few that were warped. They were bought when they were on sale for around $2 each, ordered from their web site. I love 'em.

[Rick Bunt]

I bought a dozen of the 6" clamps a year ago and have been very happy with them. Good value (performance / price) and no defects on the ones I received (all from web site, not store). I, too, like the handle better than the wooden ones.

[David Hostetler]

I have a collection of Jorgensons, as well as the older model Pittsburg clamps with the wooden handles, and the newer version with the rubber / plastic handles. I don't think the HF clamps are as well made / refined as the Jorgs, but I do believe they are functionally equivalent, the fact that they have the clamp pads included is a huge bonus, and get them on sale for dirt cheap... I quit buying Jorgs simply because I couldn't afford to stock up on them, I could afford the HF clamps...

FWIW, the wooden handle models versus the plastic ones. I really like the plastic handle models. They feel like a high quality screwdriver handle, not cheap brittle plastic...

So far I have 12 each of the 6, 12, and 24" models, almost all wooden handle with 1 6 inch plastic handle. I also have 8 of the 36" plastic handle. (the other 4 are Jorgs and Craftsman) For as long as they are, they deflect very little, and they certainly apply plenty of clamping pressure!

I am watching sales as I want to double my count to 24 of each size, possibly 36 of the 6". I have had projects where I used my 12" because I ran out of 6" clamps, and still needed more...

[Jay Jeffery]

I got a couple 36" HF clamps as some of my first. They are light, which comes in handy sometimes. Some projects distort or worse under the load of heavy clamps. These do bow REALLY easily and can't put out a lot of force. I would not recommended the long ones unless they are supplementing better clamps.

Also I would advise most woodworkers to steer clear of the one handed "Quick Grip" copies. They use plastic pins at the joints and do not work well.

Edit:
I just wanted to add that in lengths less than 24 inches, I would imagine that these bar clamps would work well.

[glenn bradley]

I use those like this: