Bessey Ratcheting Spring Clamps
A significant improvement to the original screw clamp, these ratcheting spring clamps feature quick releases similar to a vice grip. You can hold your project in place with one hand and attach the clamp with the other -- all with one squeeze of a trigger. Allows you to spend more time on your project and less time screwing around (...and around, and around).
We purchased two of the four-inch clamps at Lowe's about a year ago and use them a lot in our boat repairs. In the last month, they've come in handy on two projects: to hold an awkward[shaped piece of fiberglass in place while we trimmed it; and to clamp some teak to the workbench so that it could be sanded. We have also used them to attach a straightedge to 4x8 pieces of plywood to provide a cutting guide.
We don't normally take the clamps with us out to sea (or let any of our tools get wet for that matter) so they should hold up fine. The clamps are made out of heavy duty resin, so they should never rust; this also explains why they're so lightweight, especially compared to old-fashioned metal clamps.
Available from Amazon
Favorite (15)
Angela
Okay, those are TOTALLY cool. I am glad you told us where we can get some because my husband is a "tool hound" and he'd be ecstatic if I got him some of them. I am bookmarking this post for sure. :)
Mac
You can get them a lot cheaper from Lowe's... I think I paid about $4 each for mine. I don't know why you'd order them from Amazon. Lowe's also carries a similar item with a more traditional Y-shaped jaw which is handy when this wider square-shaped clamp won't fit.
Ash
I bought a pair of these from Lowe's a few years ago. I keep them in my tool bag because they're lightweight and quick to use, but they're really not built for heavy clamping requirements. They don't open very wide (in the photograph above I suspect they had to be wiggled around the top bit of wood), and they don't clamp very hard (a consequence of the ratchet design -- they can't clamp to an exact pressure, so they end up just slightly looser than ideal).
Like Nancy, the original poster, I use them frequently for light, little tasks. But they've been frustrating when I'm trying to clamp wood to a benchtop for sawing, for example. They're nice to have, but not revolutionary!
Steve
I have a similar, smaller set of ratcheting clamps (made by Stanley I think--yellow handles) that I've had for several years; they're amazingly versatile for light-duty stuff. The oddest use I've found for them is clipping sheet music to my stand at outdoor music gigs--they work way better than clothespins!
Davey
Can they put on enough pressure for gluing wood pieces?
Sean
I had these, but I broke one the first week of use. I'm not gifted with superhuman strength (as far as I know). I just clamped, squeezed a little harder to max it, and was suddenly holding broken plastic in my hands. I went back my old-fashioned screw clamps.
Mike
Yeah, I also have the Stanley version, in two sizes. As Steve said above, they are very versatile. I've found them to be particularly useful as another set of hands to hold things when I need to do some work by myself and two hands just aren't enough. But also as Ash said, they do not open very wide. I've used them to glue wood together amongst other uses.