Irwin Parallel Clamp

With jaws that stay perfectly parallel, these clamps are ideal for accurate clamping of casework and drawers. The unique handle doubles as a clutch - just pull up to disengage. Clutch prevents clamp head from sliding down and pinching your fingers while on the clamp rack. The bar has no serrations, so the jaws slide smoothly and dried glue flakes off easily. Non-marring jaws are a full 2" in width to spread clamping pressure over a greater surface area. Extra long screw thread gives a long clamping reach. Removable foot allows you to reverse the head for use as a spreader. 3-3/4" throat depth.

For better alignment, see our Rockler Parallel Clamp Blocks. The unique design guarantees parallel alignment for strong, solid holds.

Customer Reviews and Photos for: Irwin Parallel Clamp Average Rating: 3.7 (27 customer reviews) $39.99 Add your review...

1) Submitted by W. Lanford, from Eagle River, WI on 3/26/2011 Customer Rating: The clamps do not always tighten appropriately requiring readjustment or usage of another clamping system. Furthermore, when having no tension on the clamp, the device can be extremely difficult to freely move the moving arm becoming jammed. I prefer the bar clamps.

2) Submitted by Ted, from Wichita, KS on 1/25/2010 Customer Rating: I bought this set of four clamps and liked them so much I ordered another set. They seem very heavy duty and function well. Hard to beat at this price. I am surprised at how heavy they are.

3) Submitted by Dennis Rich, from Schenectady, NY on 4/9/2009 Customer Rating: I am very pleased with these clamps and I will buy some more.

4) Submitted by Brian from WA on 3/31/2009 Customer Rating: I received these from Rockler recently. The shipping package was damaged. One of the plastic end clips was missing and another one was broken. I am not very pleased with that, but this is the first time I've had any problems with their packaging. As for operation, the clamps work perfectly. I would buy again. Editor's note: Our customer service at 800-279-4441 will be able to get you replacements for boken or missing parts Brian.

5) Submitted by William Pasquale, from Lake Grove, NY on 2/22/2009 Customer Rating: I was not impressed with how these clamps operated. If they are any indication of how clamps of this type work I will stay with bar clamps.

6) Submitted by Rob, from Atlanta, GA on 2/6/2009 Customer Rating: I have had some of the 48" clamps for a while, they seem to work well. I recently purchased some 24" clamps to add to my collection. These came and the fixed head was way out of square, visibly so. With the jaws closed there was almost a 1/4" gap at the bar, which is not acceptable for "parallel" clamps. Rockler was very easy to work with and sent replacements- but they have the same problems. I am now working directly with Irwin to get these replaced. I'm a little concerned about Irwin quality control as you can tell these clamps were out of whack just looking at them. In the meantime I bought some Bessey K body clamps. For the same clamping surface, the Bessey clamps are much lighter. I don't know if this is good or bad, but I like that the clamped assembly is lighter, esp if you have multiple clamps on it. The bar on the Irwin clamps is smooth- until you use them. Every time I use the clamp it leaves notches in the bar- and I'm not cranking down on them- I've always used as little pressure as nessesary to clamp a joint. The release mechanism on the Irwin clamps has more play in it as well and seems a little sloppy. The Bessey clamps just have a nicer/smoother feel to them. I'll keep my Irwin clamps, but I think for me, my future clamps will be Bessey clamps.

7) Submitted by Stephen , from Orlando, FL on 1/13/2009 Customer Rating: Great clamps. Sturdy, well-built, easy to adjust.

8) Submitted by Barry Abrams, from Kiawah Island, SC on 1/12/2009 Customer Rating: I started using these clamps the day they arrived. They work perfectly and grip like iron. The only issue is their weight. If I use these clamps enough, I won't need to go to the gym. Presumably they need all that steel to provide the stability and strength.

9) Submitted by Jim Willis, from Germantown, TN on 1/30/2011 Customer Rating: I received the 4 clamp very quick after ordering them. One of he boxes was damaged but the clamp inside was not damaged. I am sure the damage was a result of the contents, they are extremely heavy, in fact they are heaavier than they should be. The next day I used all 4 on a project. While the clamps were on the box I had trouble turning them over but they hold on extremely tight and the glueing was 100% successfull. I am glad I only used 4 clamps, otherwise I would have been unable to move or turn the project over with the clamps in place. I am sure that engineering should be able to come up with a lighter material that bould provide the equivalent strength.

10) Submitted by Jeff N, from Moses Lake , WA on 3/13/2009 Customer Rating: These clamps take a lot of turning to engage and disengage the clutch compared to others. They are very heavy and have great clamping force and comfortable handles. The front jaw is very inconsistant from clamp to clamp on how parrallel it is mounted compared to the moving jaw. Rockler was great at dealing with the out of alignment front jaw and taking care of me.

11) Submitted by Stan Bauernfeind, from Lexington, NC on 12/7/2008 Customer Rating: Very good clamps, maybe a litter better than Bessy.

12) Submitted by Jim Vallino, from Fairport, NY on 12/1/2008 Customer Rating: Sturdy clamps. It took a couple of tries to figure out how to adjust them without binding the clamp, but once I got that figured out I have had no problems.

13) Submitted by Tony Barringer, from Hillsborough, NC on 8/10/2008 Customer Rating: Great clamps! I have been using Bessey for years and I find these clamps just a good if not better. Besides, I was getting tired of all my clamps being red!

14) Submitted by Jason from FL on 1/9/2010 Customer Rating: I needed a set of 24" Parallel clamps to add to my collection. I have started to acquire Jet Parallel clamps, but stumbled upon a set of the Irwin's. Compared to the cost of the Jet's they seemed like a bargain. Well once I got them I tested them out, and within 1 minute I knew that I did not care for them all that much. Although they are just as beefy as the Jet's and will probably outlive me they have a fatal flaw or flaws. Pros: Cost is cheaper than other comparable clamps. Well made and beefy. They are blue, change is nice. Handles are good and does not fatigue or slip. Cons: Not a Jet clamp (seriously). The non grooved bar becomes grooved randomly as you tighten the clamp and forever scars the bar. The fine threaded rod that forces the clamp heads together should have never passed the R&D testing phase. This is probably the straw that broke the camels back for me. This rod should be coarse threaded, period! To make a comparison, if I had to turn the handle on my Jet 4 times to close it tight, the equivalent I would have to turn the Irwin would be 12! The clamp head does not seem to want to slide smoothly, or rather to make it slide is somewhat awkward. Final thoughts: The Irwins are not complete failures. They work, with more effort than I have been spoiled with the Jets. They are well made and they are much less expensive. If it was all you ever knew, then you would not know what you are missing. If I could do it again, I would probably have passed on these and forked over the extra cash because clamps like these you have for life, and the difference up front is really nothing in the end.

15) Submitted by Fred Wood, from Lititz, PA on 6/18/2008 Customer Rating: I recently added some 24" and 48" clamps to my clamping arsenal. I found these Irwin clamps to be everything I thought they would be. Parallel jaws, heavy duty and built to last, I don't know what else you could ask for in this product.

16) Submitted by Morgan Holt, from Phoenix, AZ on 2/14/2008 Customer Rating: Excellent clamp no doubt. The connectors for longer lengths are easy to use also, not threading pipe together or storing long pipe sections. Now if they just had the handle of a Pony clamp. The quick one handed rotation motion would be an improvemnent. The screwdriver handle is not quite as easy to use, but not enough to knock a rating.

17) Submitted by Gary Zobell, from Duchesne, UT on 2/10/2008 Customer Rating: I have used all different types of clamps in my woodworking shop. I probably have about as many different types as Norm Abram, and the Irwin clamps are some of the best I have used, and they are built to last a life time.

18) Submitted by Ken Melby, from Williamsport, MD on 1/19/2008 Customer Rating: I have a small one man cabinet shop. I have to do everything myself and depend on quality tools. I always seem to need more clamps and decided to pick up a couple more on my next order. I have tried them all from Bessey to Pony to the cheap imports. I always seem to have at least one complaint of any of them like they don't operate as smooth as I would like or the diameter of the handle is too small to get a good grip or the jaw face is not big enough. Well get ready for this... The Irwin has it all! I am so pleased with the quality, performance and features that I have decided to only buy these clamps going forward and will eventually replace all of my existing parallel clamps with these beauties! Thanks Irwin for making such a great product and thanks to you Rockler for carrying the quality tools that keep picky guys like me happy!

19) Submitted by David Ballinger, from Orlando, FL on 11/23/2007 Customer Rating: These really are great clamps. Really sturdy, really well made. Couldn't be happier with them. We manufacture large pre-fab SIP panels - we used to use black 'l' shaped brackets to keep everything in place, but found it difficult to move the panels out of the brackets when we'd put them together - these clamps offer the perfect solution...we clamp the wall compenents tight and then we can release them with ease to release the materials. I wish I'd found these 5 years ago...it would have solved a lot of problems. Also, with the deeper clamp you really can use large heavy materials...much better than pipe clamps and at a very decent price.

20) Submitted by Dave, from Long Beach, WA on 11/22/2007 Customer Rating: Kudos to Rockler for selling IRWIN tools. These are the best, as are all Irwin tools. Quality, innovation, and style are present in all Irwin tool and these clamps are no exception.

21) Submitted by Dan, from Park City, UT on 10/19/2007 Customer Rating: Now these are awesome clamps! I received two the other day and used one to properly affix a full height heat shield to my pantry... The countertop installers couldn't do it right because they had no way to keep the granite slab tight to the pantry cabinet long enough for the adhesive to set. And that was one day after I got these delivered! I'd highly recommend these over standard pipe clamps, they are very sturdy and have a deeper throat that is easy on the material you use them on.

22) Submitted by Tom Woodbury Sr., from St. Helens, OR on 5/11/2009 Customer Rating: I received my clamp set with one end cap damaged and I took it to the local store for replacement and was told that it was a bigger hassle as far as paperwork to replace it then to take off another 20% off the price I paid for it. The broken end cap does not affect the operation of the clamp, just the looks. I have a number of Irwin clamps in my collection and they all work just fine.

23) Submitted by Richard Noel, from Ponce, PR on 1/8/2010 Customer Rating: I purchased several months ago but I greatly prefer the Jet parallel clamps. The Irwin mechanism sticks when you slide it closed and slides open too easily. Not easy to use (thus not very practical for glue ups), though they do clamp parallel and with a lot of force. I won't buy more Irwins.

24) Submitted by Richard M. Schulte, from East Dundee, IL on 2/7/2010 Customer Rating: Recently, at the local Woodworking Show my friend had me talked into the Bessy parallel clamps. However, as we continued through I saw the Jet clamps and immediately knew these were nicer just at a glance. My guess is the guys who say the Irwins are the best never used the Jets. I bought two sets of the Irwins (2/48" & 2/24") cuz the price was right as they were on sale for the four clamp set. They are very good except for the previously mentioned marring of the bar wherever it's clamped. Obviously the bar material is very soft steel for these clamps to work like they are designed. The Jets have a serrated bar, like the Bessy's, but I especially like the "release" lever that locks the jaw in place...no more smashed thumbs if you hold it upright and allow, or forget to stop, the jaw from sliding into your hand. Also the threaded rod on the Jet is twice the diameter of the Irwin's but, they are still a very good clamp. I suppose if the gouging of the bar causes a problem for a specific project a file would knock them down till the next time. Overall, in my opinion, the Irwin's would take 3rd place with the Jet's way out in 1st and the Bessy's 2nd if I were suggesting them to a friend. They all have more than adequate clamping pressure.

25) Submitted by Terry Smith, from Gray, GA on 3/16/2011 Customer Rating: When the clamp is actually used, the binding mechanism gouges the bar, raising a burr. This makes sliding past the burr difficult for future use. Also the burr causes unwanted indexing into the same spot, so you can't reposition very near the same spot, or it slips off the front side of the burr into the gouged spot. Irwin failed in taking the cheaper way out by not making the bar with a rack type of gripping surface. I would not recommend them to anyone!

26) Submitted by Betty Bassett, from Coquille, OR on 3/24/2011 Customer Rating: I bought 2 of these clamps in 2008. They are heavy, clunky, and hard to use compared with Bessey K-clamps. One of the Irwins sits waiting to be taken to the junkyard because the jaws are stuck shut. The other one is clamped to a workbench in the corner and I use it as sparingly as possible. These clamps rate right down there with the Jorgensen k-clamps, which are attached to the same workbench and for which - except for the stuck jaws part - I would list the same complaints. Give me Besseys anytime.

27) Submitted by Steve Rice, from Columbus, NJ on 3/5/2009 Customer Rating: I’m afraid I had the same experience as another reviewer in which the 24” clamps were definitely not parallel. Rockler was great about sending replacements, but the replacements were not parallel either. Another problem is that tightening the clamps creates indentations in the bar. Your work piece sits directly on the bar and over time, as more and more scars form on the bars, the greater the opportunity to scratch your work piece or for that work piece to not sit parallel with the bar and the clamp heads (if, of course, they were parallel in the first place). The other day, I had the opportunity to take a good look at the Bessey Revo parallel clamps and they are significantly nicer that the Irwin clamps. If the return shipping wasn’t so expensive, I would return all the Irwin clamps and buy the Bessey clamps.