2023 test18 productsHand Tools
Which C-clamp Brand Wins?
A head-to-head test of 18 c-clamp options with the measured results for each. See how they ranked and watch the full test video.
Budget pick
Irwin
Price shown in test: $14
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The measured results
Every number below is read straight from the test. Scroll sideways to see all measurements. Products are listed in the order they finished.
| Product | Weight | Jaw Opening | Throat | Adjustment Screw Slop | Clamping Force 50inlb Torque | Swivel Head Torque At 500lb Load | Handle Bend Test | Failure Load |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Wilton heavy duty (high visibility)$252, the most expensive C-clamp tested | 18.77 lb, more than three times any other brand | close to 6.5 in | 3.5 in | 0.0385 in | 1,039 lb before the torque wrench clicked off (test capped, not a true failure point) | not tested, this clamp has no swivel head | no handle, tested with a ratchet and socket instead | rated for 27,500 lb; a 20-ton (40,000 lb) hydraulic ram was exceeded and the clamp was still only stretching, not bending or breaking, finally reaching 50,327 lb (recap rounds to 'over 50,000 lb') with no damage, more than three times the second place finisher |
| 2Wright Tool$73 | 4.97 lb | just over 6 in | close to 4.2 in | 0.073 in | 667 lb | 8 in lb, the most efficient (lowest friction) swivel head of any brand tested | just over 9,000 lb before the frame began to twist, frame not bent, adjusting screw still in great shape | just over 11,300 lb (recap: 'over 11,000 lb'), frame experienced a small bend; presenter notes it outperformed the field throughout the showdown |
| 3Stanley Proto$60 | 5.1 lb | close to 6 in | close to 4.2 in | 0.024 in, second best (least slop) of all brands | 673 lb | 12 in lb, tied with Crescent | almost 9,000 lb before threads galled, making the clamp very difficult to work | over 11,000 lb (recap figure; individual mention says 'almost 9,000' at the handle-bend stage but the separate final failure test reached over 11,000 lb), frame experienced a pretty bad bend |
| 4Crescent$55 | 4.59 lb | close to 6.5 in | close to 4.2 in | 0.112 in | 831 lb, about 200 lb better than average; coarse threads held it back | 12 in lb, tied with Stanley Proto | just over 5,700 lb, took the lead at that point in testing, but threads became galled and difficult to work | just over 10,000 lb, extremely durable, frame experienced a bend |
| 5Yost$27 | just over 5 lb, heaviest yet at that point in testing | close to 6.25 in | 4.25 in, deepest yet at that point | 0.035 in, least slop yet at that point | 616 lb, held back by very coarse threads despite a longer than average handle | 16 in lb, tied with Lincoln Electric | over 5,300 lb, by far the best yet at that point; handle was the first part to give, frame not bent | almost 10,000 lb, refused to break; unlike other brands, the frame returned to its original shape once tension was removed rather than holding a permanent bend, an unusually elastic result |
| 6Wilton 6 FC (standard)$75 | 5.59 lb | close to 6.25 in | 4.25 in, second deepest yet at that point | 0.067 in | 747 lb despite coarser threads than most other brands | 17 in lb, same as Kanka, 9 in lb more than the Wright Tool | almost 6,400 lb, about 3,600 lb less than the Wright Tool | just over 9,200 lb, frame and adjusting screw now bent |
| 7Kanka$36 | 3.88 lb | right at 6 in | 2.75 in | 0.0215 in, the least slop (best) of all brands tested | 616 lb, about the same as Yost | 17 in lb, about the same as Wilton (6 FC) | 4,354 lb, second place at that point, frame with a small bend | almost 6,000 lb, frame twisted and bent |
| 8Harden$14, same price as Irwin | 2.55 lb | close to 6.25 in | 2.75 in | 0.14 in, about the same as Pittsburgh | 638 lb, very close to Pittsburgh's result | 48 in lb, over four times more resistance than the Irwin | 1,537 lb, handle badly bent; presenter notes it costs the same as the Irwin but delivers about half the performance | over 5,200 lb, frame badly bent but did not crack |
| 9Bessey C-Clamp$35 | 2.79 lb | close to 6.25 in | 2.75 in | 0.24 in, quite a bit of slop | 856 lb, about 214 lb less than the Groz | 18 in lb, almost as good as Lincoln Electric and Yost | 3,625 lb, frame began to bend | almost 5,000 lb after a couple of attempts, frame experienced a really bad bend |
| 10Performance Tool$17 | 2.63 lb | close to 6.5 in | 2.5 in | 0.332 in, about twice as much slop as any other brand tested | 282 lb, the worst result of all 18 clamps at that point | 25 in lb, better than Pony but still more than twice the Irwin's result | 1,416 lb, handle bent | almost 4,200 lb, frame and adjustment screw badly bent |
| 11Groz$28 | very close to 3 lb | just under 6 in | very close to 3 in | 0.074 in, better than most other brands | 1,070 lb, the highest of all 18 clamps in this standardized test, took the lead from the WEN | 14 in lb, better than Lincoln Electric and Yost | 3,669 lb, frame began to twist | just over 4,000 lb before suddenly snapping |
| 12Irwin$14 | 3.73 lb, heaviest yet at that point in testing | 6.875 in | 3.5 in, most yet at that point | 0.06 in, least yet at that point | 1,005 lb, fourth best in the standardized test, moved into second place behind WEN at the time | 11 in lb, best yet at that point in testing | 3,321 lb, handle bent but frame and adjusting screw still in good shape | just under 3,900 lb |
| 13WEN$12 | 2.85 lb | 6.4375 in | 2.75 in | 0.187 in, the most slop yet at that point in testing | 1,058 lb, second best of all 18 clamps, almost twice the Pittsburgh's result | 23 in lb, about half the resistance of the Pittsburgh, called good performance for a budget clamp | 2,568 lb, small frame bend, outperformed the Pittsburgh | described as breaking into almost 4,000 lb, with the frame beginning to bend and twist at 3,500 lb; exact final failure figure is somewhat ambiguous in the transcript phrasing, kept as 'just under 4,000 lb' |
| 14Lincoln Electric$22 | 2.35 lb | close to 6 in | 2.75 in | 0.194 in | 770 lb, third place at that point in testing, behind Irwin | 16 in lb, second best at that point in testing | 1,681 lb, frame began to twist | almost 3,200 lb |
| 15Pony$15 | 2.31 lb, described as pretty light | close to 6.5 in | 3.5 in, same as Irwin | 0.118 in, about the same as Pittsburgh and Harden | 651 lb, a little better than Pittsburgh | 36 in lb, about three times the Irwin's result, described as pretty stiff | 1,562 lb, frame beginning to bend | 2,765 lb, frame snapped |
| 16Pittsburgh$6, sold at Harbor Freight | 2.44 lb | 6.4375 in | 2.75 in, half an inch more than the Shop-Tek | 0.12 in, a little worse than Shop-Tek | 644 lb, close to 250 lb more than the Shop-Tek | 45 in lb | briefly reached 2,163 lb before losing ground, small frame bend | 2,581 lb when the frame broke, described as 'pretty brutal' cast metal failure |
| 17Bessey F-Style$52 | 2.32 lb, very light | close to 7 in, largest of all brands | 4.6 in, deepest of all brands | 0.055 in, better than average | just fell short of 600 lb | 15 in lb, moves very freely | rated by its own packaging for 1,330 lb; actually reached 1,615 lb, better than advertised, with only a very small frame bend | just over 2,000 lb, frame began to twist and bend |
| 18Shop-Tek$25.50 for a six-pack, or $4.25 each, the least expensive brand tested | 1.89 lb | 5.625 in actual vs 6 in advertised capacity | 2.25 in, weakest throat reach of all brands tested | 0.095 in | 396 lb, weakest of all 18 clamps | swivel head was stuck solid and could not be tested; too flat to grip with locking pliers to attempt the measurement | 812 lb before the handle bent, weakest of all brands | 980 lb, frame bent in two different directions, first brand to fail |
How it was tested
- standardized maximum clamping force at 50 in lb of handle torque
- physical measurements: jaw opening, throat depth, adjustment screw slop, weight
- swivel head friction/rotation resistance under a 500 lb clamping load
- handle bending force (maximum force before the handle bends, using a cheater bar)
- ultimate failure load (maximum holding force before frame or screw damage/breakage)
“So which C-clamp is the best? If it's all about brute force the heavy duty Wilton is in a league of its own, in my opinion it's way too large, heavy and expensive for most applications. The Stanley Proto and Wright Tool both performed extremely well but both of them fall within the buy once and cry once category when it comes to price. And it's all about affordability I really like the Irwin at only 14, it performed extremely well.”