By: David Thiel
From the first day I saw a one-handed, quick-adjust clamp, I've thought they were pretty clever and useful shop helpers. The price always seemed a little steep, but darned if I didn't have four of whatever was the newest model hanging in my shop. Granted, they didn't provide “true” clamping pressure, but did a pretty good job for most simple assemblies. When a couple of manufacturers designed models that could be used as spreaders (by reversing the non-lever end) this was clever, but honestly I don't use a spreader clamp all that often. But when I saw the newest version from Jorgensen, I actually got that old excited feeling again.
The company known for any number of clamping innovations had done it again. I've been “hooking” clamps together to increase their capacity for years, but it was always an awkward and frequently unsuccessful exercise. But the new Jorgensen ISD3 (the 3 is important here) added a very simple feature that changed the clamp's versatility completely. By adding a “dovetail” of sorts to the non-levered clamp head they made my life easier. 
By first reversing the non-levered head, then slipping the two ends together you not only double the capacity, but actually add 6” more! Very cool. No struggling or falling apart. One of those “why didn't I think of that” moments.Is it perfect? Not completely. With two 18” clamps linked together and tightened across a flat surface, there was noticeable sag in the bars. But not enough to negate the benefit, and it was providing some pretty good pressure across the 42” span. I can live with that.
The clamps work well in single clamp mode as well. Again, good clamping pressure, a comfortable grip and an easy “release” lever built into the back handle. And the new quick release knob on the non-levered head (another upgrade from the earlier ISD model) gives a positive click lock, so you know it's going to stay in place. The protective (and replaceable) pads are a good size (1-1/2” x 2”) and the 3” throat depth (to the bar) makes them a nice all-purpose clamp.
Pricing from Amazon.com has the 12” model at $17.99, the 24” at $29.06, and the 36"at $33.86. The ISD3 is available in 6”, 12”, 18”, 24” and 36” lengths. The ISD stands for Innovative, Superior and Dependable. Yup, I agree.
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