Gripper Junkies, Need Info For The Fbbc Grips

[John Beatty]

Guys, I'm getting ready to finalize choices for the FBBC grippers, so I need some input. What strengths (roughly) will you guys want if I'm doing 4 or 5 grippers. I don't plan on doing anything too weak, probably nothing under a 1.5 or RB130-160 range. I'll use a letter system instead of numbers. The grippers will be marked X, XX, XXX, XXXX, XXXXX. Or just to XXXX if I only do 4.

The springs will be plain. I may possible do some powder coat versions, I've got a local guy that does powder coat for performance auto stuff, so he's pretty good. I may also try some powder coat handles, too, maybe do an all black, purple, who knows.

I'm planning for now to offer steel handles, Brass handles, and 1" handles as an option. I plan to offer engraving, also, depending on costs. I thought about offering non knurled hex handles for kicks.

I want you guys to give me any suggestions you might have, if it's not to crazy or expensive (as in I have to pay for some crazy stock that will cost a fortune & never move), I'll do it.

[knyaz]

5 grippers would be a good idea, you should have all 5 as a cert on the FBBC site, this way people will buy them , im guessing if you start at around coc # 2 level and to the 3.5 people will try to cert on them

engraving is also a great idea one handle for the strength and the other custom, id definately pick some up

[big nasty]

I think a gripper cert would be cool Im game.

[matthcarl]

I'm not a real gripper junkie, but it would be cool to have a set. I agree with knyaz...if you had certs on the easier grippers it would bring weaklings like me out of the woodwork

[jad]

A cert gripper at 160, 170, 180, 190, 200, and 210 would be pretty cool. The numbers reflect RGC poundages. If you had good QC I think you could move a lot of 190 grippers.

[barbe705]

I'd be interested in the 1" handles. the smooth handles to. as for poundages, I have no idea.

brent

[MalachiMcMullen]

Well, I'm not too sure about the poundages Josh posted. Perhaps a good 130lb starter and going to 140ish, 150, then 170. If you do 5 then go for a 190lb gripper to finish it off. I'd only offer certs on the last 2 there though. Great idea John and I would love to have a set! It would compliment my FBBC Hard and Super nicely

[mightyjoe]

Just having that kind of variety will increase your gripper sales.

I'm in on the hex handles, 1" handles and different colored

powdered coated versions too.

Strengths? 1.5 -2.5 and then 2 BIG DOGS.

Let us know when they're available, PLEASE!

Thanks John!

Mighty Joe

[Cannon]

I think steel or brass handles would be cool. I don't know what to think about thick handles, but maybe consider thin handles. Taking down the diameter on both handles even a little bit essentially makes it a BTR gripper. So if there was a gripper with the same spring as a #3, it would be a challenge for #3 closers because of the strength required to close the extra gap. I have no idea what brass is like, but I imagine steel handles would be plenty ridgid even if they were ever-so-slightly thinner. (Teemu's SW got me thinking about this.)

You could also consider something like one knurled and one smooth handle on the same gripper. I think plenty of people are taping the finger-side handle on grippers they use for heavy negatives. After the release of the Vulcan, plenty of people have said how much they enjoy the smooth handle. I think I actually gain a little by taping the handle on a goal gripper.

You could play with handle length to make the spread a little wider, but setting would be managable because you have more leverage with the longer handle. I'm just thinking 1/4 to 1/2" longer. Maybe shoot for a 3" spread. EDIT: The handles would be the same length, though. Wanted to clarify.

I would enjoy a 1/8" to 3/16" standard mount on the grippers. I think these BBs with buried springs bind too much.

Overall, the important thing to me would be that you get something unique out there. FBBC grippers with steel handles that are slightly thinner, maybe slightly longer, with a wider spread might be cool. I would think a regular gripper would feel easier after working with these.

Edited August 7, 2008 by Cannon

[Teemu I]

Really good ideas thrown around here in my opinion. I especially like the idea that Josh presented about aiming for strengths of 160, 170, 180, 190, 200, and 210 as in RGC-calibrated pounds.

I like Matt's idea about slightly thinner handles too.

[ae_yogi]

I am not planning to buy any more grippers for a while, but I would like the idea of a gripper that has been calibrated. I would like grippers to bridge the gap and it is a crap shoot as to what strength I will get when buying them now from any manufacturer. I suppose that to be calibrated the grippers would have to be seasoned first.

[Teemu I]

I am not planning to buy any more grippers for a while, but I would like the idea of a gripper that has been calibrated. I would like grippers to bridge the gap and it is a crap shoot as to what strength I will get when buying them now from any manufacturer. I suppose that to be calibrated the grippers would have to be seasoned first.

In any case it will not work that way. It just isn't possible to make that accurate grippers. How I understood the idea that Josh presented is to have grippers that feel somewhere around those ballparks and work as those poundages as a guideline. That is the realistic way to look at this thing. If the prototypes can be made pretty close to those poundages that's a good start, but we shouldn't expect anything unrealistic from John. In my opinion, no need to preseason the grippers or anything like that. As for quality expectations it should be kept in my mind that PDA already tried to make accurate grippers but failed in that too. If you can get close to the variation to that of the CoC's or BB's, that's good. Edited August 7, 2008 by Teemu I

[bigmatt]

I am so happy! HEX sounds so cool! I want one of each!! HAHAH

[Florian Kellersmann]

I don't think there is any need for more nutcracker style grippers, John. Why not producing a gripper with parallel handles like the Ironhand gripper? Something like this in good quality I would be interested in.

[Teemu I]

I don't think there is any need for more nutcracker style grippers, John. Why not producing a gripper with parallel handles like the Ironhand gripper? Something like this in good quality I would be interested in.

Florian, why would you say such thing?

[Florian Kellersmann]

I don't think there is any need for more nutcracker style grippers, John. Why not producing a gripper with parallel handles like the Ironhand gripper? Something like this in good quality I would be interested in.

Florian, why would you say such thing?

I've got already more that 40 of those grippers and I'm just seeing me buying those grippers again instead of saving money

I just think that it would be better to have more other types of grippers.

[PERTHPOWER]

Between the COC 2-4 range would make for a good set.

Also, being able to cert on them via FBBC would further sales of them and as MalachiMcMullen mentioned, they would be great in complimenting the Hard and Super.

Like the idea of springs/handles being of the same colour(would love a full set of blue with saltires on the ends of handles).

Whatever you finally decide John, I will purchase a set.

Yours in strength

"BIG AL"

Edited August 7, 2008 by PERTHPOWER

[Incindium]

I think that there are alot of grippers that are between a 2-3 but not as many between 3-3.5 which is actually where having smaller difference between grippers is more nessasary.

Not totally related but something that came to mind...

Have you thought about working someing out with David Horne so you could sell his Vulcan Gripper here in the US at a more affordable price?

Edited August 7, 2008 by Incindium

[twig]

I don't like the thick handles on the HG400 and HG500, so I doubt I'd like them on yours (although I'll get anything that's purple!), and I can see skin getting pinched between hexaganol handles.

I think it would be a good idea to have the handles set at a narrower spread than COC's or RB's, so that you can take the setting argument out of your cert process (and because I suck at setting).

[Autolupus]

What I think'd be nice is, some grippers mimicking the old GM grippers, with black anodised handles and a bright red powder coat on the spring, a la vesuvius 712: http://www.renaultalpineownersclub.com/paint_codes.htm

[Teemu I]

What I think'd be nice is, some grippers mimicking the old GM grippers, with black anodised handles and a bright red powder coat on the spring, a la vesuvius 712: http://www.renaultalpineownersclub.com/paint_codes.htm

I can imagine those would look nice.

[acorn]

Standard size handles, steel Black oxide coated, black spring. I would dig on an all Black one. Not powdercoated though, I think that would be too slippery. Maybe Black anodized Aluminum though.

- Aaron

[Teemu I]

Standard size handles, steel Black oxide coated, black spring. I would dig on an all Black one. Not powdercoated though, I think that would be too slippery. Maybe Black anodized Aluminum though.

- Aaron

All black sounds even better!

As you brought up the handle thickness, what would most people regard as standerd, as it's different in all 3 major brands? I for one, don't like the thicker handles that RB has. BB's have pretty optimal handle thickness in my opinion, but I still like the idea Matt talked about, making slightly thinner handles.

Edited August 8, 2008 by Teemu I

[John Beatty]

I have no problem making smaller (say 1/2") steel handles.

As to smooth handles, no problem there, just means we don't have to knurl it.

Parallel handles, maybe once we're up & running, but that's carrying a whole separate spring, the only problem there is probably no certs on them, or a whole separate cert list, as the springs would have to be bigger to offset the narrower start, and less tension.

Brass - plan for reg & hex, probably not smaller, I'd be nervous about the handle not holding up.

Powder coat - good. I can do all sorts of color combo's. Anodized? We'll see, I'll check into costs.

David's Vulcan - Never even thought about it, I'll check with him & maybe something can be done.

I'd probably start a little under a #2, strength-wise, aim for Between RB 330 & 365. As I said, to start, 4-5 springs depending on cost, then maybe expand later.

And, thanks for the suggestions!

Edited August 8, 2008 by John Beatty

[ae_yogi]

I am not planning to buy any more grippers for a while, but I would like the idea of a gripper that has been calibrated. I would like grippers to bridge the gap and it is a crap shoot as to what strength I will get when buying them now from any manufacturer. I suppose that to be calibrated the grippers would have to be seasoned first.

In any case it will not work that way. It just isn't possible to make that accurate grippers. How I understood the idea that Josh presented is to have grippers that feel somewhere around those ballparks and work as those poundages as a guideline. That is the realistic way to look at this thing. If the prototypes can be made pretty close to those poundages that's a good start, but we shouldn't expect anything unrealistic from John. In my opinion, no need to preseason the grippers or anything like that. As for quality expectations it should be kept in my mind that PDA already tried to make accurate grippers but failed in that too. If you can get close to the variation to that of the CoC's or BB's, that's good.

To clarify, my suggestion was not to try to make the grippers of an exact poundage, but to just calibrate the grippers so that we could know what we were buying. If John has a big enough stock we could buy a gripper of a specific RGC calibration.