Princess Auto 36" 24" 12" 6" Bar Clamps $9/8/7/6 each.

The last time they were on sale I had a look at them and found them to be kind of flimsy. If you want a lot of clamping force I'd stick to pipe clamps. But on the other hand... $9.

updated original post to include links for the other bar clamps for those lazy :P

Solarisphere wrote: ↑ The last time they were on sale I had a look at them and found them to be kind of flimsy. If you want a lot of clamping force I'd stick to pipe clamps. But on the other hand... $9.

Your comments pretty much mimic what's on the reviews on it...I can tell you right now that the 36" clamps will do the job what I had in mind but I wouldn't put your life on it if that's what you're after. I don't think you'd get much argument about pipe clamps being more secure etc...but again for sub $10/each hard to go wrong for the value.

Solarisphere wrote: ↑ The last time they were on sale I had a look at them and found them to be kind of flimsy. If you want a lot of clamping force I'd stick to pipe clamps. But on the other hand... $9.

Depends on what you're using them for but typical woodworking glue ups shouldn't need high clamping force. If they do you need to brush up on your skills

dirtmover wrote: ↑ Depends on what you're using them for but typical woodworking glue ups shouldn't need high clamping force. If they do you need to brush up on your skills

I've definitely compensated for some screwy fits with clamps. It squeezes the glue out of the joint but that's better than the glue not being able to bridge the gap.

Sloppy woodworking aside, I'll always prefer the overbuilt tool. It's nice to know that the jaws are parallel and I can put as much or as little force as I need into it. If budget is limited though and you've got a choice between more garbage clamps or fewer good ones, that's a tougher call.

will drop by tomorrow.. last time this came I ordered a ton and got 2 lol

Can anyone comment on instore stock levels? I'm thinking of going back to pick up a set of 24"

I've upvoted for price, but hey are not professional quality by any means. They twist if you have a little strength and some are very difficult to slide and use as the tolerances and parts used are subpar. They are decent enough to hold something in place long enough to do simple things, but are iffy even with glue ups. They will break on you.

I own all sizes of these clamps from the previous sale they had. You can find basic uses for them, but if I had a choice, I wouldn't buy them again. Just too wasteful for my circumstance but for light duty, it's fine. One of the few things from PA that I actually am disappointed in.

thanks OP. ordered a few

Are these good enough to laminate wood together?

They are lighter duty than the home depot Bessey clamps for sure. Still they are pretty decent, you can definitely modify them to be "beefier" and even make a few to be flat sitting if need be. pretty easy to do so.

I found them too weak even for glue ups. The Mastercraft basic ones are much stronger and not much more money whenever they are 1/2 off in a “sale” which is at least once every couple of months.

You guys do realize this is Princess Auto, right? The quality of their products (especially their house brands) is pretty much the same across the board and these clamps are no different. They are ok for light/occasional use.
I am currently using their clamps to make a chess board and they are working fine.

$100 of shipping covered if you spend $50. Basically free shipping if you get a few clamps and some other random small stuff

Bart_ wrote: ↑ You guys do realize this is Princess Auto, right? The quality of their products (especially their house brands) is pretty much the same across the board and these clamps are no different. They are ok for light/occasional use.
I am currently using their clamps to make a chess board and they are working fine.

Their Pro-Point aluminum clamps are very well built. But heavy and pricey.

I ended up using the powerfist clamps more because they're lighter and easier to use with one hand. For many jobs, they're good enough.

E39M62 wrote: ↑ I found them too weak even for glue ups. The Mastercraft basic ones are much stronger and not much more money whenever they are 1/2 off in a “sale” which is at least once every couple of months.

I have a couple of small 12" Mastercraft basic plastic ones that I've been using for 5+ years. One works great with good clamping force, as much as I can muster though I don't have the strength of a 1000 men. The other one slips and can only get about 90% tight. I don't own these PA basic ones but PA does have that awesome lifetime return policy so if you break them or they don't work you can just bring them back.

As an aside, I do have a set of 48" Power Fist bar clamps and I've been quite happy with them. Not nearly as much clamping force as a proper Bessy bar clamps but much lighter and easier to position. They go on sale often and are good value.

E39M62 wrote: ↑ I found them too weak even for glue ups. The Mastercraft basic ones are much stronger and not much more money whenever they are 1/2 off in a “sale” which is at least once every couple of months.

Out of curiosity what's the pricing on the mastercraft ones when they are on sale as i know cdn tire prices are often out of whack with reality as everything is inflated till its like 70% off lol.

Definitely fine for lighter duties. Ordered a few last time they had a sale. One fell apart almost immediately the others have been good.

Krrrong wrote: ↑ Definitely fine for lighter duties. Ordered a few last time they had a sale. One fell apart almost immediately the others have been good.

Doesn't princess auto have lifetime warranty or something if their product fails (?) Hope your project survived when the tool failed.