Triton SuperJaws Portable Clamping System – Extra-Extra Large (XXL), Heavy-Duty Free-Standing Work Support, Orange (SJA100XL)

First impressions and messing around with it , I wonder why I didn’t buy this years ago .. very impressed, very sturdy, easy to use , gent yet a firm grip

Bought this to use as putting together a building in the back garden and thought I'd get something that would allow me to hold fairly chunky bits of stock securely and safely. You can get a really solid grip by just positioning the stock, moving the clamps in and pressing down with the foot pedal. The flick of a selector switch locks this in place, and then you can give a bit of an extra squeeze with the foot pedal if required. I opted for the SJA 1000XL rather than the 327323 SuperJaws as I wanted something a bit more robust. Turns out this is very robust. It also weighs a tonne (not literally, but you know what I mean). The downside is that this is a mission to move around and fold up, the positive being that it barely moves at all. I've clamped 5m 45x175 and sawed one end without it moving about noticeably. There are also a couple of attachments that can be added to the 1000XL. A side extension tray, log jaws and engineers jaws. I don't own any of these yet, but will almost certainly be investing in the side support and probably the log jaws as well. Summary: Sturdy, heavy, strong. Whether its worth the £50 premium over the Triton 327323 SuperJaws is up to you. For me, I'm pleased I plumped for the 1000.

I have been trying to find a reliable way of clamping smallish branches to allow me to cut them to length with my Stihl battery chainsaw as my current method is too time consuming and fiddly - small workmate with jaws set at 45 degrees and short elastic luggage straps as clamps is not that reliable. Then I got an email from Screwfix the other day and their "Deal of the Day" @ £79.99, ending at midnight, was this Triton XXL superjaws. I googled some details and reviews and decided it would be ideal for my needs. Tried to order it - home delivery not available and no store within a 50 mile radius seemed to have one in stock! Then I noticed it was available on Amazon for the same price - so much for Screwfix "Deal of the Day" I thought. I ordered it along with the additional log jaws. (Make sure you get the right ones as there seems to be 3 different sorts) It arrived yesterday and was relatively simple to set up - it is pretty heavy, around 20Kg so be careful. The only disappointments:- 1) One of the plastic pins that retain the standard jaw pads was so tight that I had to use a hammer and a drift to remove it and the pin is now in a sorry state and I need a replacement. They are only a friction fit but that is taking the Michael. These have to be removed to fit the log jaws. 2) The actual log jaws are pretty rusty all around the internal welds - so much for the "Zinc-plated steel for corrosion resistance" in the listing! Not particularly a major issue, I shan't bother sending them back, but it would have been nice not to have rust from new! I have given them a coat of Waxoyl so that will stop any progression. 3) Two of the captive nyloc nuts in the fixings for the log jaws were faulty and the bolts would not screw in. Luckily I had some replacements to hand but I doubt everyone would have. 4) As mentioned in some other reviews the movable jaw was a bit rough when moved over the base - the paint on the main body runners is not that smooth. I tried some PTFE spray on both parts and it has made the operation as smooth as butter now. Having got it all assembled and fettled I actually tried it - absolutely brilliant! I tried lots of different sizes of branches from 2" up to about 5" and it was an absolute treat to use - just place the log in the jaws, slide the rear jaw towards you to touch the wood, flip the big lock lever to "Lock" then give a prod on the foot pedal and that's it. Grips like a vice (Oh, it is a vice!) You don't even need to press the pedal that hard. You can pull, push and strain on the free end of the log and nothing moves - you can even lift the whole device off the floor and it will not let go! When you have made your cuts, and obviously you can make several without moving the log, then just flip the locking lever up and give another quick prod on the foot pedal and the jaws release - it is so simple and quick. Obviously it will accommodate much larger branches than I tested today, I think the specification for the log jaws says up to 12", but you need to be careful that you don't unbalance the whole thing by having too much overhang on one side of the device. Obviously for heavier items you can clamp at the middle point and take multiple cuts either side of the jaws which would leave you only one relocation to chop the very middle bit in half. The minimum length I could get for the last piece was about 8" ( without the chain getting too close to the metalwork!) For thinner wood I think the main limiting factor for how much overhang, and therefore multiple cuts, you can get away with is the amount of whip in the timber causing the saw to vibrate or chatter. That really depends on what variety of wood you are cutting and how sharp your chainsaw is! Overall it is a well designed, simple to use bit of kit that I will be using for all sizes of logging that I envisage to be needing to cut. I think my LogMaster chainsaw bench will be needing a new home! By the way, I happened to check the Amazon listing just after midnight the day I ordered it and it had gone up in price to £111:00 - so it would seem that they had matched the Screwfix price for that day! I have emailed Triton outlining the poor quality control problems I encountered and I am hoping they will at least send me a spare plastic pin but I have not had a reply as yet. Hence the drop of one star as there were several items not quite right and they are obviously a bit slow to respond.

Decided to get one of these after seeing a friend using one. When I looked on Amazon for it I noticed the version that he had, was not available, probably as it has been superseded buy the XL & XXL version. I decided to go for the XXL one as it looked very chunky. At £169. it was not cheap, but I know from bitter experience, that you only get what you pay for in this world. One of the great things I like about Amazon is, when I clicked on checkout tab, to purchase it, I was offered the same model with over £70 off as it was "used" in original box. I thought that It it was going to be extremely difficult to damage this tool so I took a chance, and bought it, after all I have done this before with Amazon, with a couple of laptops and other items, and never been disappointed. It arrived next day to my shock, at around 8am, so I opened it up, a little apprehensively,, to find a virtually new super jaws inside, which still had all the original wrapping and plastic ties still in place. The only thing not perfect was the box, a bit bashed about, but who cares about the box? I can highly recommend the super jaws as a portable vice, it's so easy to use, with your leg doing most of the hard work, and although a lot of the reviews complain about the weight, I found it very easy to carry about, even though I am in my mid seventy's. Also if you take off the sliding rear jaw it will be around 4kg lighter. I only wish I had one of these in my younger days. Definitely 5 stars from me.

The build quality, strength and overall finish are simply superb. The only faults this has are niggling ones at best: 1. I'd like a way to lock the extended legs in place that wasn't reliant upon a bit of plastic. 2. I'd like a way to lock the legs in place when they weren't extended - that way, the handle might have an actual use!

This vice is so good.... Its portable and can be put into back of van and brought to any job.... The interchange clamps offer so many uses.... How did I cope without it...

Our ship yard had a dozen or so of these so Im aware of how useful they are They also took a serious amount of abuse on a daily basis and continued to function. One of the most practical items one can have in their work shed. Edited to add, the faces of the jaws are not square with each other, this a result of poor construction. Removed two stars.

I've had a CelPro "JH2" at work for about 15 years or so, which is the same sort of thing, so I am familiar with these clamps and their capabilities. I've had no problems with the JH2 and it's still going very strong; I bought this Triton XXL to set up a work station at home for a particular job to save me carrying my other work clamp back and forth. Here are the problems I've found after receiving my Triton XXL today: 1.The pedal lever began to slip intermittently (literally after 3 or 4 pushes) so that locking and unlocking the jaws had become hit and miss (and potentially injurious). The latch bolt was hardly long enough to engage the striking area making the whole thing actually useless as a tool. I have had to weld on an extension (I am a metal fabricator) so that the bolt would safely engage to get the thing working again. 2. There's no lock for the movable jaw so that it can just slide off and smash on whatever happens to be unfortunate enough to be near (including yours or others peoples bodyparts) when carrying the clamp. My old clamp has a locking device to prevent this. Again, I've had to modify and make and fit a similar twist lock for the Triton. 3. The rear leg was slightly wobbly as it only slots in to a 1cm deep recess rather than a tapered socket found on the old JH2, which is rock solid by comparison. I had to put a few spots of weld on the end of the leg to take out the slack in the fit. 4. As mentioned by others, the rubber jaws are a joke and the rear facing one just pops off at will...there's just an ineffectual push fit rubber collar to hold it in place...Useless! 5. A design issue rather than QC; the anvil on the top front of the fixed jaw is deep and gets in the way for some jobs. For example, if you want to mount a small vice in it (which I do) the vice handle swing is restricted, which is annoying. I hadn't anticipated this so just a headsup. There's a few other bits and pieces, time will tell if they become issues, but just to summarize in saying that the quality control of wherever these are made leaves a lot to be desired. I was surprised by the poor quality as I assumed Triton were the market leader for these things, but they're obviously made to a low price point. So much so that I would definitely have had to send this back if I hadn't had the facilities on hand and an hour or two to make it serviceable. Just to add insult to injury, I notice the price is up by a few quid since I last looked (now £150+)