Jump to content

Coc, Single Stamp Grippers


mightyjoe

Recommended Posts

how many grippers do you have?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 months later...

Ahhh. Single Stamp Grippers…

For about a year, I was thinking about selling my “Super 2”, a IM No. 2 I purchased in 1999, an absolute Mutant. It had the widest spread of the 200 or so IM grippers I have seen over the years, and Cannon rated it at 117 pounds AFTER cleaning and oiling it.

Being one of the original black springs, I figured it was a matter of time before the spring broke. I was going to sell it for $100 plus as a collector piece, but had not gotten around to it.

Well, I won’t be selling it now, as the spring exploded in my hand on both sides as I was closing it this morning. 
 

About 10 years ago, my 1999 Number 1 snapped, but not as dramatically. The old springs WILL break eventually. I doubt if the new ones EVER break

  • Like 2
  • Sad 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, Hubgeezer said:

I doubt if the new ones EVER break

They seem to be good for 10s of thousands of reps at least. Will keep you posted 🤗

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, Cannon said:

They seem to be good for 10s of thousands of reps at least. Will keep you posted 🤗

I think an interesting question is: Has anyone ever had an IM Gripper with a GR8 spring break/snap?

On the “black ones”, I have had two break.

Matt, when you say “Will keep you posted”, you will have to go “beyond the grave” for some of us. I speculate they are  least three times longer in the time/reps/resilience departments.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 hours ago, Hubgeezer said:

Matt, when you say “Will keep you posted”, you will have to go “beyond the grave” for some of us. I speculate they are  least three times longer in the time/reps/resilience departments.

I’m just doing that million rep project. If the spring breaks, I’ll let you know. 😁

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 9 months later...

With all this discussion on vintage coc grippers I thought I would post a photo of this. I purchased it in the early 80s at an exercise equipment store here in NJ. I believe it was sold in the backpages of Ironman magazine in the 60s and early 70s. Solid steel handles and heavy. 

20230802_194652.jpg

  • Like 8
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, mmc said:

With all this discussion on vintage coc grippers I thought I would post a photo of this. I purchased it in the early 80s at an exercise equipment store here in NJ. I believe it was sold in the backpages of Ironman magazine in the 60s and early 70s. Solid steel handles and heavy. 

20230802_194652.jpg

Hang on to that! One of the nicest I’ve seen!! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Something that has been floating around my head for a while is that I have found in dealing with collectors there is a misconception that single-stamped IronMind grippers are the most rare. (Excluding the super rare steel, stainless steel and silver crush stuff). 

The truth is that single stamped grippers accounted for 7-8 years of production from 1995 to 2003. The double stamped grippers which followed were only in production for around a 12-18 months. They showed up mid-2003 and by 2005 IronMind had debuted the GR8 spring. 

Double-stamped grippers with a black spring seem to be much more rare than single stamps. However, prices and collector interest tend to favor single stamped. I know that scarcity is not the only thing that drives the market--single stamped is older and people think they are cool--but the black spring double stamp is the more rare item. Seemingly by far. It should command the higher values and I would personally treat them that way if I could ever find any. :)   

  • Like 7
Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's nice to know I've got a 2 & 3 double stamps with blackish springs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 10/23/2022 at 9:26 PM, Hubgeezer said:

Ahhh. Single Stamp Grippers…

For about a year, I was thinking about selling my “Super 2”, a IM No. 2 I purchased in 1999, an absolute Mutant. It had the widest spread of the 200 or so IM grippers I have seen over the years, and Cannon rated it at 117 pounds AFTER cleaning and oiling it.

Being one of the original black springs, I figured it was a matter of time before the spring broke. I was going to sell it for $100 plus as a collector piece, but had not gotten around to it.

Well, I won’t be selling it now, as the spring exploded in my hand on both sides as I was closing it this morning. 
 

About 10 years ago, my 1999 Number 1 snapped, but not as dramatically. The old springs WILL break eventually. I doubt if the new ones EVER break

You mentioned that Cannon rated your "Super2" at 117 pounds.  The ratings data on that site currently lists 117 as the max range for an IM #2 rated by Cannon.  Is that rating for your gripper?  Or does Matt not count rate-and-return in his data?

Edited by RITParent15
spelling error corrected
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, RITParent15 said:

You mentioned that Cannon rated your "Super2" at 117 pounds.  The ratings data on that site currently lists 117 as the max range for an IM #2 rated by Cannon.  Is that rating for you gripper?  Or does Matt not count rate-and-return in his data?

He states the ratings in the dataset are only for brand new grippers on the page itself.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 minutes ago, liftyzig said:

He states the ratings in the dataset are only for brand new grippers on the page itself.

This is correct. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 minutes ago, liftyzig said:

He states the ratings in the dataset are only for brand new grippers on the page itself.

Too bad.  It'd be great to look at an entry on a data sheet and be able to say "That's Mine !" 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 minutes ago, RITParent15 said:

Too bad.  It'd be great to look at an entry on a data sheet and be able to say "That's Mine !" 

I knew it was not mine. But I wonder what it would have been rated in 1999 when I got it! The best performance I ever saw on a first time touch on a gripper was a fellow who was 30 years old at the time (1999), and he closed that sucker. He was an electrician, and could not afford "good wire cutters" back then. I know lots of people say they know such and such who did such and such the first time they touched a gripper, but THAT is the top experience I ever witnessed...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 minutes ago, RITParent15 said:

Too bad.  It'd be great to look at an entry on a data sheet and be able to say "That's Mine !" 

I do have all the data, it’s just not published. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Cannon said:

I do have all the data, it’s just not published. 

The current data lists the heaviest IM #4 at 228, and the heaviest of any grippers as a Tetting World Class at 300.  Have you ever rated any IM #4 higher than 228?  Is that Tetting the heaviest of anything?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 minutes ago, Hubgeezer said:

I knew it was not mine. But I wonder what it would have been rated in 1999 when I got it! The best performance I ever saw on a first time touch on a gripper was a fellow who was 30 years old at the time (1999), and he closed that sucker. He was an electrician, and could not afford "good wire cutters" back then. I know lots of people say they know such and such who did such and such the first time they touched a gripper, but THAT is the top experience I ever witnessed...

You mentioned that he was an electrician.  We just had a tree come down in a wind storm and knock out power.  It ripped the lines and meter box right off our place.  I was talking with the power company electricians as they restrung the service to our house.  The guy in charge was older and didn't look athletic at all.  When they left I shook his hand and he nearly broke mine.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 8/3/2023 at 3:56 PM, RITParent15 said:

The current data lists the heaviest IM #4 at 228, and the heaviest of any grippers as a Tetting World Class at 300.  Have you ever rated any IM #4 higher than 228?  Is that Tetting the heaviest of anything?

The heaviest #4 is that one.. the 228. 

The heaviest of any gripper we have rated was a 380 lbs K2FSI.com Level 400 gripper. Real oddball.  

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Decided to post my Single Stamps here after completing the set 😇 All MINT! 

image.thumb.jpeg.2e71bb175c0504fdb1614c49f6c82031.jpeg

image.thumb.jpeg.3d8248be406611702ca956561050178a.jpeg

Rated by the one and only @Cannon like all of my grippers 🥳

Edited by Alex K
  • Like 10
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
On 8/3/2023 at 12:11 PM, Cannon said:

Something that has been floating around my head for a while is that I have found in dealing with collectors there is a misconception that single-stamped IronMind grippers are the most rare. (Excluding the super rare steel, stainless steel and silver crush stuff). 

The truth is that single stamped grippers accounted for 7-8 years of production from 1995 to 2003. The double stamped grippers which followed were only in production for around a 12-18 months. They showed up mid-2003 and by 2005 IronMind had debuted the GR8 spring. 

Double-stamped grippers with a black spring seem to be much more rare than single stamps. However, prices and collector interest tend to favor single stamped. I know that scarcity is not the only thing that drives the market--single stamped is older and people think they are cool--but the black spring double stamp is the more rare item. Seemingly by far. It should command the higher values and I would personally treat them that way if I could ever find any. :)   

Along those lines, I think the most interesting are the double stamped with GR8 springs.  There was probably even a shorter period of time when the black springs must have run out before the handles, so there's this interesting transition gripper.

 

I've often wondered if it's possible to create a complete set of these "mutt" grippers and which of them (T, #1, #2, #3 or #4) are the rarest in this state. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...
On 1/29/2013 at 8:16 AM, mightyjoe said:

Here's a pic from my gallery of my COC single stamp grippers I've recently acquired:

http://www.gripboard.com/index.php?app=galleryℑ=10874

I will SOON have the SS Trainer which will complete my single stamp collection!

Hope you Enjoy!!!

Just coming across this now...10 years later.  The link doesn't work.  Do you still have a pic of the case that was commented on?  The one you bought at Hobby Lobby?  Can you post a new pic?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, RITParent15 said:

Do you still have a pic of the case that was commented on?  The one you bought at Hobby Lobby?  Can you post a new pic?

Mighty Joe has not been around for a long time. I am trying to research if he deleted the photo or if the link is just broken.

Edited by Cannon
kinda figured it out
Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 minutes ago, RITParent15 said:

Just coming across this now...10 years later.  The link doesn't work.  Do you still have a pic of the case that was commented on?  The one you bought at Hobby Lobby?  Can you post a new pic?

This is the picture. Joe's comments and the date posted match. 

>>LINK<<

gallery_14752_1064_889672.jpg

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy policies.