One-handed clamp buying guide
Updated: 23 October 2026
You are holding a shelf with one hand and choosing a clamp that will keep it there while you drill. This one-handed clamp buying guide takes opening and throat first, then the force figure as a claim, then how many you need. The [one-handed clamp comparison](/hub/hand-tools/one-handed-clamp) holds the table, from £9.95 to £42.99. The [best one-handed clamp](/hub/hand-tools/one-handed-clamp/sub/one-handed-clamp-best) page names the top pick and the best value. If the ratchet stops with the joint still open, read [one-handed clamp vs screw clamp](/hub/hand-tools/one-handed-clamp/sub/one-handed-clamp-vs-screw-clamp).
You are holding a shelf with one hand and choosing a clamp that will keep it there while you drill.
You are holding a shelf with one hand and choosing a clamp that will keep it there while you drill. This one-handed clamp buying guide takes opening and throat first, then the force figure as a claim, then how many you need. The one-handed clamp comparison holds the table, from £9.95 to £42.99. The best one-handed clamp page names the top pick and the best value. If the ratchet stops with the joint still open, read one-handed clamp vs screw clamp.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Jaw capacity | Throat | Pieces | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Presch Presch 300 mm one-handed clamp | 300 mm | 90 mm | 1 | 7.7 | about £42.99 | View offer |
 Jorgensen Jorgensen 150 mm bar clamp, 4-pack | 150 mm, join claimed to 400 mm | 62 mm | 4 | 9.7 | about £29.99 | View offer | |
| Best value |  WORKPRO WORKPRO 150 mm bar clamp, 2-pack | 150 mm | 60 mm | 2 | 9.6 | about £12.99 | View offer |
On this page
What you are choosing
A one-handed clamp closes while your other hand holds the work. A ratchet walks the jaw along the bar, and a release lets it run back. That suits a shelf end, a temporary fence, or a glue-up you have already brought together. It is a weak choice on timber that is still bowed, because the ratchet stops at the last tooth.
Under £15 the rows run from the Hultafors at £9.95 to the IRWIN twin at £14.90. Presch, at £42.99, is priced like a heavier tool. Hultafors is a small nylon ratchet, not a 150 mm bar.
Opening and throat
Jaw capacity has to clear the work plus a caul. The usual stated openings are 150 mm and about 300 mm. WORKPRO’s short pairs, the Jorgensen four-pack and the Roughneck all state 150 mm. Jorgensen says two clamps join to a claimed 400 mm. That is two short bars linked, and the listing does not say the joined pair keeps 68 kg.
For a piece near 300 mm, look at the IRWIN mini, the WORKPRO 305 mm pair, Presch, or DBAILY at 310 mm. Most stated throats are 60 mm or 62 mm. Presch states 90 mm, the deepest here. Roughneck’s 75 mm line is an item diameter, not a throat.
Force claims without a shared test
Nobody measured these clamps against each other. Read each figure as the seller’s claim, in one unit. IRWIN states 63 kg. Jorgensen and WORKPRO state 68 kg. The £12.99 WORKPRO bullet says 68 kg (150 lb), while a highlight prints 68 kg (50 lb). Do not quote 50 lb. Presch prints 300 kg. DBAILY prints 140 kg and has no reviews.
DEKO’s 130 lb is about 59 kg if you convert the unit. SIIIXS states up to 177 lb, beside UK reviews of jaws that slip. ZOFUN and Roughneck state no kilogram force.
How many, and which lines to distrust
One clamp rarely finishes a glue-up. WORKPRO sells pairs. Jorgensen, SIIIXS and ZOFUN sell fours. The £12.99 WORKPRO pair is about £6.50 a clamp, and the £29.99 Jorgensen four-pack is about £7.50. The SIIIXS four-pack at £18.31 looks generous until you read that ratchets walk back.
The GS line on SIIIXS is a German mark, not UKCA. The three WORKPRO pages share opening reviews, so a count near 8,900 is not three panels. Updated 22 October 2026, with no force measurement. A qualifying purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Common questions
Is 150 mm enough, or do I need 300 mm?
A 150 mm jaw covers a shelf end, a batten, or a thin stack with a caul. Choose about 300 mm when the timber is already that wide: the IRWIN mini, the WORKPRO 305 mm pair, Presch, or DBAILY at 310 mm. Jorgensen’s claimed 400 mm join is two short clamps, and the 68 kg line is not restated for the join.
What does throat depth change?
Throat depth is the reach from the edge back to the bar. A 60 mm or 62 mm throat clamps a shelf edge and will not sit in the middle of a wide board. Presch is the exception at 90 mm. Roughneck does not state a throat. The 75 mm figure there is an item diameter.
Is a 68 kg claim the same sort of number as 300 kg or 177 lb?
No. They are claims, and they are not one unit. Jorgensen and WORKPRO print 68 kg. Presch prints 300 kg. SIIIXS prints up to 177 lb, about 80 kg as a conversion only, and DEKO prints 130 lb, about 59 kg. None of this is a lab result.
Should I buy one clamp or a pack?
Buy a pair unless you already own clamps and you are filling one gap. A single Roughneck or Presch is one handhold. Four clamps that stay locked are more useful than one headline force figure while you drill. Check the piece count, because some unit-count lines say 1 while the title says four or six.
Which listings do not state a force or a spreader?
Roughneck and ZOFUN state no kilogram force and no spreader. IRWIN states 63 kg and no spreader. Hultafors states neither. Presch states 300 kg and a spreading function, without millimetres of travel. WORKPRO, Jorgensen, SIIIXS, DEKO and DBAILY print a distance. A missing range is not an invitation to guess one.
Does a GS line make a clamp UK-approved?
No. GS on the SIIIXS listing is a German mark claimed on that page. It is not UKCA, not a British Standard, and not an HSE finding. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 still covers a new clamp that will not lock. The mark does not cancel UK reviews of slipping jaws.
Why is the Hultafors listing not a 150 mm bar clamp?
It is a small nylon ratchet at £9.95, and the sizes disagree. The title says 38 mm, the bullet says 58 mm, and the set name says RC 60 inches. UK notes call it tiny, useful for a dolls’ house, or short of real grip. There is no long bar and no spreader.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources from the research digest. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures in those comparison sources, not a live re-price.
- HSE, PUWER overview (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- HSE L114, safe use of woodworking machinery (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 22 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- GOV.UK, refunds for faulty or misdescribed goods (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- Spear & Jackson, Eclipse one-handed bar clamps (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- Bessey UK, EZS30-8 one-handed clamp (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- IRWIN workholding brochure (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- UK Workshop, one-handed clamps thread (retrieved 22 October 2026)