Source for C Clamps

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Hello All. I am trying to find a source to buy some C clamps. I am looking for quality units with copper plating on the threads, dropped forged and MOST IMPORTANTLY  made in USA!Who sells them??? Any good sources out there??ThanksBill
Reply:any GOOD welding supply store   ...zap!
Reply:There is nothing that compares to a Bessey....  Of course they cost a great deal of money.I have often thought about having a couple but the price drives me away every time.http://www.besseyclamps.com/products...SlidingArm.php
Reply:[QUOTE=lotechman]There is nothing that compares to a Bessey....  Of course they cost a great deal of money.Thats true! You can buy ten Chinee clamps for the price of one!  All ten will be rusted,bent,useless p.o.s. while the bessey is still making you money but you can do it
Reply:Isn't Bessey German?  When I buy tools like clams, I look for all of the old stuff the foundaries put out before they were shut down in the 70's.  You get some of the best quality there.  You won't find copper coated threads, but a little never-seize keeps my clamps running free for years.
Reply:Thanks guys, Checking out Bessy - Price is more in line then what a wilton clamp cost....
Reply:...................IF it Catches...Let it Burn
Reply:I don't buy good clamps, but am curious to the difference?  I mean a clamp is a clamp, right?
Reply:NO!!!!!!!!!! A good clamp wont twist when you tighten it. Won't fall off a beam and kill you. Will last TEN TIMES longer than cheap-sh*t  junk. Buy good stuff and you only buy it once.......
Reply:I buy the cheapest c clamps I can find as long as they will hold what I'm welding no need to waste money on something that's going to get burnt and spatter on them anyway and still make me some money. You can buy the high price ones but the threads will still mess up. Just my 5 cents worth.Doing what I like
Reply:A clamp is not a clamp.  I have 15 clamps that are over 50 years old, much older than me.  I, have found many wilton and armstrong clamp in flea market, pawn shops and yard sales.  7 clamps came from an old blacksmith shop.  Well worth buying good ones.  A little planning will keep spatter off the thread (keep the thread opposite your welding).  They withstand heat better than cheap ones.  In 7 years I only have one that will not turn because of spatter on the shaft. Haven't bothered to clean it. Another one needs a new c-clip to hold the pad on(not disposable repairable).    Also, should you be so inclined good clamps have replacable parts and the screw can be re-turned with a die.    I also use Vice Grip c- clamps.  Surely never, never, never buy the cheap ones.  They will bend stretch and twist.  Bought the Vice Grips from a vendor on www.Amazon.com.  Got about 14 Vice Grips c-clamps and 4 cheap ones.I have tried welding the cheap ones for reinforcement and they still don't work. Sometimes the screw pops out the back.    I ones put a cheap c clamp in muratic acid for a week.  I took it out washed it off and the thread washed away.  I mean literaly the threads washed clean off the shaft.  If price is an issue then look for used stuff off ebay or yard sales.
Reply:When it comes to tools, I buy the best I can afford and take care of them. That was the purpose for starting this thread. I wanted to know who made good clamps. One name that popped up was Bessey. Are there others?? I have heard Wilton is moving some of its production to China. However, I have not been able to verify this.For the sake of arguement, lets assume good clamps are worth the money. That being the case, who makes them and where can you buy them? Thanks for the many replies.Bill
Reply:Sometimes it's more cost effective to buy a cheap tool and sometimes cheap tools are just too annoying to use.  I've a friend that's notorius for buying every single tool he has from Harbor Freight.  I helped him out on a project once and went through a half-dozen of his cheap C-clamps.  One simply exploded when it was dropped to the ground.  For clamps, I personally prefer to use well-made ones.  Now I just need to find an estate sale or something where I can get a bunch of Wilton clamps for cheap.  I have a couple Besseys, but damn, they're pricy.-Heath
Reply:Chinese ratchet handles are dangerous, I split my knuckles open when one slipped.  I should sue my shcool for buying it.
Reply:Bessey Clamps are on order - Thanks to "lotechman" for pointing me in the right direction.Bill
Reply:bigbill:  You will not be disappointed with Bessey clamps.  Some of the larger ones can run close to a thousand dollars.  They have close to a four foot reach and are huge.   Take care of them and they will last forever.  Don't start putting a piece of pipe on the end of the handle to tighten.  They will take it for awhile but then the frame starts to twist.   There is a really fast way to release these clamps but I wouldn't let the owner or foreman catch you doing it.  A blow with a hammer to the outside edge of the sliding part of the arm will release the arm.   I saw it done all the time in a shipyard.  It was a big place and no one cared.   I work in a relatively small shop and we have about ten old Besseys.  The frames are twisted on some of them but they are still usable.  Lock up your tool box.  I am not to be trusted when it comes to Besseys :')))
Reply:I have a handful of old US made forged c-clamps in various sizes and I really depend on them, but I also take care of them.  Then I have some HF cheap junk that I bought on sale for 50%+ off the already cheap price.  Usually no more than a few dollars each. They are great for welding a piece of angle onto so I can do a butt weld 2 pieces of tube, or just a week or so ago I cut the bottom off a nearly brand new one, welded it to my welding table top (sheesh, talk about crappy metal!!!) to hold a piece in place, then knocked it off and threw it in a pile of similar "jig pieces" till I need it again.  I would never do that kind of stuff to my good clamps...Each has their place.
Reply:porta-vise.com ...i just met the president of the company last week, and several of my friends love these clamps (my boss has an old prototype in the shop that im going to "test" when i get the chance). they may not be exactly what you are looking for but they sure got my attention.
Reply:You'll want to be careful if you have to hit something that you have clamped, too. Sometimes the impact on the part will jolt the clamp loose: . Not good if its overhead. (like a beam con./ bull pin)
Reply:A few good ones, Wilton,Proto,Armstrong. As long as they are drop forged  ( in America ) not cast,malable iron you will get fine service. The cheap ones are just not worth anything. At least not when it comes to clamping steel.Beware some of these companys now sell cheap stuff in their line up along with the good ones.
Reply:I have always had good like with Vice-Grip C-Claps.  Also the cheaper ones can mess up the tighter you tighten them.  Them seem to bend and screw up some how.
Reply:I bought a Bessey 90 degree clamp 10 years ago when I first started and it always works like a champ. I would love to have 6 of them, but at about 200 dollars each, I just weld one corner at a time. I have several old c clamps including craftsman that I tried to weld with. They twist, tweak and are no longer true. They slide off the work because they are twisted now. I am starting to invest more in Bessey clamps now. Should have spent the money right the first time.
Reply:A lot of Bessey Clamps can be had on EBAY as well under 50 bucks which is good considering normal cheaper ones at like Home Depot are 20 bucks like the Vice Grip ones.
Reply:I'm surprised no one here has mentioned "Kant-Twist" clamps.    For some tasks they simply can't be beat.    They are also relatively inexpensive for what you get.    They can be had with cooper coated working arts for welding.From my experience with wood working some of Bessey's clamps are excellent.    Others leave something to be desired.    Their "F" style clamp though is excellent.Many have already mentioned Armstrong and few others.    In any event you do have to look closely at the country of origin and fabrication method as others have mentioned.When looking for this and similar products it does pay to have the McMaster-Carr, MSC and other preferred vendor catalogs in front of you.   You might also want to become familiar with Carr - Lane a manufacture of clamps and fixturing components.   They have everything from toggle clamps to C - clamps.   Even have plastic C - clamps.    Plus they are a good source of hardware if you need to make fixturing.ThanksDave
Reply:Wilton makes some good ones and so does armstrong i have some wilton, bessey and also armstrong all are good clamps.try www.trick-tools.com that where we buy ours from