Starting Clamp
- Thread starter sstchur
- Start date
http://www.eagnas.com/maxgen1/pp600.html
$15.95
I have this one and the one by Gamma. They both work equally for me.
$15.95
I have this one and the one by Gamma. They both work equally for me.
Just a note about the eagnas starting clamp, a poster here once posted(do a search and you will find), posted that he received a rusted shut starting clamp from eagnas. They made him pay shipping to send the clamp back, and also gave him a rough time. You may be taking chances.$40.00 is not a bad price for a quality starting clamp!
timsims
Rookie
Amen to this! Price is not always the way to choose!
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william7gr
Professional
I remember some troubles others had with this clamp.
ambro
Professional
Agreed, don't be cheap with a starting clamp. Buy the one from grand slam stringers.com (remove spaces) and you'll be set for the rest of your stringing career. That one clamp will last you longer than 5 separate starting clamps from Eagnas would.
Don't be a fool, buy a quality tool! :lol:
Don't be a fool, buy a quality tool! :lol:
D
Deleted member 25923
Guest
Yes, don't be cheap with a starting clamp. It pays for itself quickly.
ryangoring
Professional
go to the bay, they have a mutual power one that i have and works great.
diredesire
Adjunct Moderator
My rule of thumb is to just spend the extra on the better tools. You will have them with you for at least 5 years, probably 10, especially if you use them sparingly. That's 4 bucks a YEAR.
It will pay off in the long run, especially when the other one breaks, and you upgrade anyways. The holding force is great to have, especially when in a pinch. I don't want to have to rely on a cheaper, crapper clamp when I'm bridging a string at 65+ lbs.
It will pay off in the long run, especially when the other one breaks, and you upgrade anyways. The holding force is great to have, especially when in a pinch. I don't want to have to rely on a cheaper, crapper clamp when I'm bridging a string at 65+ lbs.
Il Mostro is correct!! I have 3 different starting clamps. All 3 work fine, the alpha clamp is a little larger than the others, but my favorite is the one from gss. You will not go wrong with that clamp!
I have both the Eagnas clamp and the Alpha clamp from TW. Purchased the Eagnas first, trying to save a buck and it doesn’t have enough clamping power to use as a starting clamp. Cleaned it several times and it won’t hold the string when starting or using as a bridge. Regretting that purchase, I spent the $40 on the Alpha clamp and it has been awesome. Never slips and I trust it completely.
diredesire
Adjunct Moderator
good luck 
The above poster ended up spending $70 on a starter, versus $40 ($30?) on a nice one. Hopefully you won't have to do the same
I had an older Gamma clamp, and it was great at first, then the diamond dusting wore down, and then stopped holding.
THEN the diamond dusted plate fell out, but I think they've improved their design since then
The above poster ended up spending $70 on a starter, versus $40 ($30?) on a nice one. Hopefully you won't have to do the same
I had an older Gamma clamp, and it was great at first, then the diamond dusting wore down, and then stopped holding.
THEN the diamond dusted plate fell out, but I think they've improved their design since then
Il Mostro
Banned
For anyone who is interested, I got my Eagnas clamp the other day and I tried it out on a DireDesire ATW pattern, and I was very pleased. It actually seems very strong, very sturdy and holds the strings well as far as I could tell.
Granted, I'm not an expert on stringing or stringing equipment, so take my assessment with a grain of salt, but I'm happy with my $15 purchase.
Granted, I'm not an expert on stringing or stringing equipment, so take my assessment with a grain of salt, but I'm happy with my $15 purchase.
dancraig
Hall of Fame
How much did they charge for shipping, $6 ?
Good luck with it. I guess I've had lots of good luck with Eagnas too. I've read of one person having problems with their Eagnas starting clamp, but when I purchased mine, I figured how much can go wrong with a starting clamp? Mine does the job. No regrets with my purchase. Still works after 2 years, and I really can't see a big difference between my Eagnas and Gammas starting clamps.
Off topic: When I purchased my Eagnas starting clamp, I also asked Victor about the pathfinder awl and it's durability. He was pretty honest about them and said pathfinder awls are pretty delicate and should be used only in emergencies. He was very friendly to me. He actually threw in an extra pathfinder awl at no charge. I did order a regular awl and I purchased a machine from Eagnas in the past. There is a lot of negativity against Victor and Eagnas here, but I've had no problems.
I think it was $8, because if I recall correctly, my total was $23
D
Deleted member 25923
Guest
I personally wouldn't risk it.
I've GSS and Xtreme starting clamp, both work very well.
I also have the old & new Eagnas starting clamp but both not work properly, since the are not diamond dust coating, just have the rough surface to contact the string. When you stringing the premium multi string, you should know what is "NOT work properly".
I prefer to buy the good starting clamp like GSS, don't waste the money to buy the cheap one.
I also have the old & new Eagnas starting clamp but both not work properly, since the are not diamond dust coating, just have the rough surface to contact the string. When you stringing the premium multi string, you should know what is "NOT work properly".
I prefer to buy the good starting clamp like GSS, don't waste the money to buy the cheap one.
Il Mostro
Banned
+1 There is an old saying... "you don't know what you don't know" which applies perfectly here. Color me crazy, but for a few bucks more you can get a clamp from any number of proven companies. Eagnas has only proven to be hit and miss. Not saying it won't work out, but why bother?
Ronaldo
Bionic Poster
My starting clamp never seems to hold as a bridge. Have a Stringway floating clamp that works extremely well.
dancraig
Hall of Fame
Which brings a question to mind, what can a starting clamp do that a good floating clamp can't do?
D
Deleted member 25923
Guest
Can you use a floating clamp to start crosses?
Regardless, I use a starting clamp to tie knots as well.
dancraig
Hall of Fame
You can start crosses, make a bridge or tie knots.
atennisrand
Banned
I got all of my tools and more free with my machine when I bought it from the store. I would assume that around $40-50 would be an appropriate amount to pay for a good starting clamp.
atennisrand
Banned
The machine I bought was an Eagnas also.
diredesire
Adjunct Moderator
Not really anything special. However, a GOOD floating clamp alone will generally cost more than a good starter (I'm not talking about the "composite" (plastic) floaters...).
The other thing is that the floating clamp will need a scrap piece of string for clamping in the other jaw, and when using it as a bridge, it will be pulled diagonally, so the tension pulled might not be incredibly accurate (although for our intents and purposes, it might be A-OK).
Short answer: I wouldn't turn down a good floating clamp, but it's not designed for what the starter is.
You also might run into the issue of the starter being a little too bulky, especially if you used it to back up a regular clamp.
My Alpha starting clamp has never slipped as a bridge. Used it several times on polys and syn gut.
