Buyer Beware!

Wow, remember when Stanley was a trusted name?

-- Joe

Thanks for the heads up on the stanleys. I had these on a shopping list, now I will look else where.

-- if the hand is not working it is not a pure hand

I haven’t had a problem with the ones that I have from Big Lots, but then again, one of them didn’t even have the rubber pads on them. Could be bad clamps all together, or could just be the ones at your store. There’s really no way to tell for sure.

Joe, I remember when a LOT of big names were trusted names.

-- Respect your shop tools and they will respect you - Ric

Ric, sad but so true.

-- Joe

I too remember. Oh well, who is John Galt?

-- tim hill www.newcalshop.com

It’s a shame that a very trusted name in tools such as Stanley has gone down the toilet like they have. I have some Stanley items that I inherited over 20 years ago that are still in great shape, but the stuff they produce now, well no thanks.

-- Greg S.E. Ga. www.joesawdust.com

Guys I just want to verify that you aren’t just now noticing that Stanley hasn’t made tough tools for many years. it will be interesting to see how it goes as they try to make a comeback.

-- Wipe the blood stains from your blade before coming in.

I have found that big lots is truely a get what you pay for store. Some stuff is good other stuff is junk.

-- There is no such thing as a mistake. Its called a design modification Rick Kruse, Grand Rapids, MI

BigLots also recently had Columbian brand clamps and those are pretty nice. I got a bunch and have been very happy with them. If you see any, give them a try.

There are a few tools you can get a big lots that you pretty much can’t screw up. In my experience these include my rubber mallet and a pair of C-clamps.

A few of the tools I inherited from my grandfather are Stanley, and are good quality. Of course, none of them have moving parts (hammer, screwdrivers, and a couple of chisels). I haven’t bought anything else by them in 20 years, however.

-- Chris

Same thing happened when I bought a no-name pistol grip bar clamp. $3 vs $16 for Irwin. One way I found to test it, it might be hard to pull them apart, but loosen real quick when you clamp it on some stationary object and jiggle it (rotate it along its clamping axis). Completely useless, go back to store afterwards and ALL those cheap types cannot clamp. Bought Irwins and those actually work as intended.

At least 8 of your 10 Stanley’s worked. On the other hand, I’ve bought cheap F-Clamps before and they’re ok, only the threads are a bit loose.

As for your clamp pads, maybe PLASTI DIP will do the trick

-- Ed

i noticed the same thing as you with the clamp pads. I just wiped it down with mineral spirits really well and it seemed to get rid of the marks on my walnut. Maybe that will work for you too. as for the clamps, not holding, try scuffing the bars with some 150 grit sandpaper. Hopefully these ideas help.

I purchased their 24 inch and 60 inch flat opening clamp. The ones that look like the bessey’s with a wide flat opening that closes the entire depth of the clamp. They’ve been wonderful. They came from big lots for 10 and 15 dollars. I’ve been looking at their trigger fat max clamps for about $10 there too. Maybe I’ll buy a couple and see what develops. I know that purchasing good clamps is a good idea but I’d rather purchase them at a lower price if possible. IF they do end up working well then I can up my clamp anti. Never enough of them. I do have a set of Jet bar clamps but find them no better than less expensive ones of that type. I hate doing glue jobs in pieces that lasts from one day to the next. I did purchase three trigger clamps awhile back really cheap from a salvage store. They lasted just long enough to let me know that I want some like them that will last. They are very handy.

-- The smell of wood, coffee in the cup, the wife let's me do my thing, the lake is peaceful. http://web.me.com/deceiver6/Deceiver/Craftsman_on_the_lake/Craftsman_on_the_lake.html

I noticed that the long bar on the clamp has a flat top and bottom edges. I think this is why it doesn’t hold very well.
All of my f-type clamps have small ridges or grooves like teeth that help them grip.
Maybe something to look for when buying them.

Big lots is an interesting place… sometimes you find stuff that is really good, and you found out about the other times. I actually have a no name air compressor I bought there almost 10 years ago, it works like new… but a paint scraper I bought there last week (coincedentially, it a Stanley product) fell apart after I scraped ONCE! so go figure.

-- Adventure? Heh! Excitement? Heh! A Woodworker craves not these things!

My next door neighbor is a regional for big lots I will pass along the info. A note about Stanley they got the homeowner bug thats when a co thinks there main cust is dumb and wont use the product more than once and throw it away.

-- projects dont pay,pieces are profitable,production is painfull

noknot, I call those people the HGTV/DIY “Pro’s”. The ones who think they can do anything, because it looks so simple on TV, but have no actual experience in the field.

-- Respect your shop tools and they will respect you - Ric

Surprised to read this. I bought about 15 of this style and they are excellent and I’ve used them many times. All hold solid as a rock and IMHO better than some of red ones I have in many ways.

The two complaints with these clamps is the oily discharge they leave if you use the cheapo pads they come with and the cheapo plastic end caps … but for $10/ea, I’m not complaining.

Thanks for the review though … I was wondering how others were fairing.

-- Jeremy, Charlotte, North Carolina

BigLots gets a lot of close out and discontinued stuff, and I suspect they get a lot of factory 2nd’s thrown in. You might want to contact the actual manufacturer. Even if they are factory 2nds or something, they might make good on them just to stand behind their name.

The marks from the pads seem to be a common problem. I have some small orange Jorgensen’s that leave the same stain. The stains sand out easily and are not a problem. Like someone said, you can use mineral spirits to remove the oily marks.

-- joejt

I have learned to try the clamps before leaving the store. I did find some of their clamps did not hold. I did buy alot of FAT MAX clamps there and all of those have served me well. People here are right though, Big Lots are very hit and miss on alot of their mechandise.

-- ericandcandi, Louisiana- Home of the "LSU Tigers"

I have to add that the name Big Lots, means just that. There is a lot of low end stuff there, most factory seconds and discontinued. If it’s too good to be true don’t…............... I hesitate to trust tools from places like this, your investment in a good tool will last you longer time in the shop creating, not solving. Don’t knock Stanley for their great products, unfortunately some of their goofs end up in places like this. I sometimes drop in to Big Lots in my town just to browse if I am in the neighborhood. I may walk out of there with popsicle molds for the grandchildren if I am lucky to find them. I like the LSU tigers, great sports program.

-- justjohn49, New Hampshire

A lot of this type of clamp with a plastic pad ooze an oil when under pressure even some very expensive ones I have bought, but for for the price you paid, it is not worth taking them back, it would cost you more in gas.

I find that these cheepo clamps have a place in the workshop, especially when they can be used, abused and discarded without damaging the wallet too much.

Thanks for posting the review

-- Tony - All things are possible, just some things are more difficult than others! - SKYPE: Heron2005 (http://www.poydatjatuolit.fi)

It occurs to me that while people are bemoaning the drop in quality of a brand like Stanley, they are shopping for the absolute lowest priced products at a place like Big Lots. That implies that if Stanley was holding to their quality standards, and selling at consistently higher prices, many people wouldn’t buy their tools at all.

joejt mentioned Jorgensen’s leaving the same marks, and I second that. I had Besseys and Irwins, then picked up some Jorgensen “Pony” bar clamps with the orange rubber pads for a big glue-up I had to do immediately. I wanted to stick with Besseys, but at the time didn’t know where to find them without ordering them, and I needed them that night, so I got the ponies at Home Depot. They left very thick black marks in the birch, and it was a nightmare to sand them out. I had to take off quite a bit of wood to get down deep enough. The oily residue seeped deeply into the birch. It happened on another clamp job later, so I started putting a piece of blue tape on them. Just tear off a square and stick it over the whole face of each pad, so the non-sticky back of the tape would touch the wood. That stopped it, but I still don’t like using the ponies.

-- Gary, Los Angeles, video game animator

I have used about 6 of these and they are great except for the flimsy rubber pads leaving oil. That is easliy overcome using the left over plastic top from a 2 liter bottle.

These are the clamps of choice when I really need to clamp something tight.

Nothings more irritating than needing 4 hands to get a clamp in place but only having 2. Then discovering you have a clamp that refuses to cooperate.

I chunk such tools in the trash just to avoid accidentaly picking them up again.

-- miles125, Alabama.."Architecture is frozen music""

Thanx for the info to avoid the stanley clamps. I am always trying to pick up some clamps, but I’ll be sure to steer clear of these.

I remember my dad buying mostly stanley tools and always having good luck. It’s a shame what they have become now!!!

-- Steve-o

well, i’ll put it this way. if i found these at the same price at big lots again, I’d buy many more. I’m goign to keep looking because aside from the small mark, I’ve been quite happy. In the future, I’ll just take the rubber pad off and use a wood block. That’s what I’d need to do with other brands anyway.

I’m with HokieMojo on this … these are very, very, very, very good clamps for the mula. While I normally wouldn’t touch Stanley, when I saw these on the forums and heard they were in BigLots (another place I avoid), I rushed out and picked up a bundle. I have all the different name brands of clamps, and these are a close second to the Bessey’s (and in one way, better … in that the head moves much easier up/down the ibeam).

-- Jeremy, Charlotte, North Carolina

big lots has been here for years.. not a great place for tools.. they had a crowbar there once that may have lasted.. stanley USED to be top shelf.. sorry to see another company perfers quanity over quality

-- It's not a sickness, i can stop buying tools anytime.

Well I’ll tell you, I’ve got a couple of their large 50” cabinet clamps. They are fantastic and I picked them up for $15 at big lots. They look and work like professional clamps. I can’t fault them, they are great.

-- The smell of wood, coffee in the cup, the wife let's me do my thing, the lake is peaceful. http://web.me.com/deceiver6/Deceiver/Craftsman_on_the_lake/Craftsman_on_the_lake.html

Daniel, are they stanley?

-- It's not a sickness, i can stop buying tools anytime.

Johnpoolesc, Yes stanley, I’m managed to pick up two longer and two shorter ones for $15 and $10 each resspectively. I saw two moro 60” ones there last weekend. I should have bought them. Here’s an Amazon link to a couple of 18 inch ones. As an adjuct: take a look at the customer reviews.

stanley clamps

Big Lots is full of junk buyouts. They even have some junk bar clamps. But not these.

-- The smell of wood, coffee in the cup, the wife let's me do my thing, the lake is peaceful. http://web.me.com/deceiver6/Deceiver/Craftsman_on_the_lake/Craftsman_on_the_lake.html