Has anyone seen the difference between different clamp kits? There's quite a range of prices for "52-piece" kits:

$180 TE-CO 20402 (via travers.com, 83-011-156)
$95 TE-CO 20402PL (without rack, via travers.com, 83-011-175)
$50 TTC 11257 (without rack, via travers.com, 83-011-257)
$35 Grizzly G1076

I can guess that the more expensive ones are better, but $35 to $180 is huge. What is the difference in quality or performance that folks have seen?

One project involves holding down 2.5" thick HDPE (polyethylene, a soft plastic). It's a slippery material. I'll be trying out an Onsrud Cutter 1/4" ball router bit that is intended for soft plastic.

Also, what mail-order tool distributors do folks here like?

Because I'm a noob and don't know any better, I bought the one from Harbor Freight. Seems to be just fine for my needs.

--97T--

Got two sets on EBay with racks - $ 45 TOTAL - work great.
Clamps is clamps - not like they're precision tools. IMO

price went up a bit :
http://cgi.ebay.com/52-PCS-1-2-13-CLAMP-CLAMPING-KIT-BRIDGEPORT-MILL-5-8_W0QQitemZ7603000164QQihZ017QQcategoryZ12584QQcmdZViewItem


shippings a bit of a kick in the pants tho - $35.

I've got a no-name import set for my manual mill and sprung for a Teco kit with wall rack (~$100 from Enco). They both work about the same, but the fit and finish on the Teco seems quite a bit better. The step blocks on the import were marking the table on my manual mill until I started using 1/8" thick HDPE sheet scrap under them.

Watch out for T-nuts that are threaded completely through as the studs can get threaded through the nuts far enough to start bearing on the bottom of the T-slots on your table. Both of my sets have the thread at the bottom of the nuts partially closed to prevent that but I've read that some imports lack the feature.

Mike

I had forgotten about HF, and I find things on eBay all of the time.

Mike, thanks for alerting me to the issue from poor block finish. That's the sort of thing I was expecting, but I hadn't considered the effect of a rougher finish on the table.

Clamps are clamps, but curiously, TE-CO provides two models of 52-piece 5/8" clamping kits. One on-line catalog says that components of the PL version are made of powdered steel.

The big difference that I found from experience is that the real cheap ones will tend to bind the nut and stud when tightening. Good ones don't. It has to do with the quality of steel and the amount of hardening of the components.

I use my cheap one as little as possible.

Along with the issues already mentioned the imported clamps can bend when tightening down the hold down nut.

We have used everything on the market in our shop. I now exclusively buy the "made in the USA" sets. I just picked up a TE-CO 20402 yesterday from a local supply shop for $130.00.