Lidl clamp quality query

[jonbee56]

On the back of Phil.p post regarding the Lidl vacuum, has anyone got the bar clamps ?

They look a decent price and I thought about picking some up and topping up my supply

https://www.lidl.co.uk/en/Non-Food-Offe ... t=DIYTools

 

[Hot stuff]

I bought half a dozen a year or so ago and find them ok. They're what I reach for if I want to hold something together rather than clamp really tight if that makes sense? I have read reports of handles snapping but I assume that's as a result of over enthusiastic tightening.
As a second pair of hands they're perfectly adequate for the price, certainly worth getting a few.

 

[jonbee56]

Thanks mate, I’ve some trusty cast iron Record gramps for heavy work, so it looks like they will be just the job as spares to grab with one hand while precariously balancing a project.

 

[Rorschach]

I have a couple, they work very well for use as described above, light clamping and holding things in place. I did spend 10 minutes upgrading things on them though which improved their function. I roughed up the bar so it grips a bit better, I added leather pads to the jaws partly for grip and partly so I could use them without damaging things. I also added a bolt though the handle pivot as this is only plastic, much stronger now.

 

[MarkDennehy]

Have two of the tiny ones, two of the 6" ones and four of the 1" ones. They're grand. The Irwin ones are better, but for the price...
So long as you have better clamps for where you actually need any pressure, they're worth the money. They do tend to be the last clamps I reach for in a glue-up and the first I'll reach for if I need a third hand to hold something and the 3.5" spring clips won't reach far enough.


The really tiny ones though, I don't think I've ever found a use for them in the shed, they got put into the electronics lab and left there; they're fine for that stuff.

 

[Jasper42]

I have a handful of them OK for light work, like the idea of the mods, might do that to mine.

 

[Fitzroy]

I bought four and have snapped the handles on all of them with single handed operation. I’m fairly beefy but was surprised each time as I didn’t feel I was putting huge force into them. All failed at same point from a casting injection point, so a design flaw in my view. I have similar Irwin ones and never broken one of them.

F

 

[Rorschach]

Take them back for a refund.

 

[Eric The Viking]

All failed at same point from a casting injection point, so a design flaw in my view. I have similar Irwin ones and never broken one of them.

To be pedantic, that sounds like a manufacturing defect: cycling the mould too fast, so the injected plastic cools before it's had enough time to close up properly. But from your pics it looks like a weak point (a design flaw, as you say), where that screwed-on plate joins the main part of the clamp body.

Do you think it could be reinforced somehow, for example glueing a strip of hardwood in the "U" of the handle to strengthen it there? I don't think you'd easily mend the break that way because of the material involved, but you might possibly stop it occurring in the first place.

I ask because you can never have too many clamps, and I'm keen to get some (if they're still there tomorrow (had to work today :-( ).

I've got some of the similar but bigger ones from Axminster and they've been great. The best thing is that you can use them in a "holy bench" arrangement (like the Festool MFT), just by taking off the end jaw, and putting it back on underneath the table top. I do that quite often and it's really useful, but smaller ones would get in the way a bit less (it's impractical to have the unused bit of the bar underneath the tabletop).

 

[Droogs]

So far I've managed to snap 3 of mine. But they go just in front of the red index finger grip part with the the flat part of the front of the body popping out and it's done by the metal plate bit inside i think. I will take 'em back and see about getting them replaced, will just use them for very light duty stuff from now on

 

[defsdoor]

I bought a couple of identical from Screwfix and snapped the handles off both within 15 minutes of getting them home. The main clamping part is far too solid in comparison to what the handles can take.

I've never got close to breaking an Irwin cramp.

 

[MrDavidRoberts]

I have the set of 4 as well - If I were you... I would stay clear of them,
1 handle snapped as well for me! The rest, I'm very careful now when using.. I sometimes use if I don't have anything better left.. They are just pathetic .. and I mean REALLY Pathetic in their holding power and the way you apply force to them..
same as the rest of the Lidl tool range= PATHETIC Low quality Chinesium junk, only fit for very very light ''work''.
Now don't start with the 3year warranty thing, what's the point from it if all of their tools are low quality Junk? Just because they won't give up in the first 3years doesn't means they are good in actual usage..
Spend a little more and get tools that you will actually Enjoy using.. If it's just for 1 time.. sure go ahead..you won't find anything cheaper if you are in a hunt for cheap low quality tools, just don't come crying when you can't do anything with them

 

[John Brown]

I had some very similar cheap ones a few years ago. All broken fairly quickly. It's a design flaw, IMO. If you look at an Irwin, for example, the moving part of the hand squeeze mechanism is on the other side. It makes the construction more complicated to the tune of about two components, but makes all the difference to the strength of the thing.