willardjamessloan Posted March 14, 2002 Share Posted March 14, 2002 Hello everyone , I need a gripper betwen #2- #3. I have no idea where to look . PDA seem great but I do not understand some of there terms concernig begining torque. final sweep etc. I just want a gripper to have about 235# strength to close. Have come up with a lot of ideas watching the screen. You guys seem very helpful to everyone from novices to masters. THANKS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arthur Antonopoulos Posted March 14, 2002 Share Posted March 14, 2002 I say go for the Beefbuilder Master. They do vary like all grippers, but mine is harder than my both the #2's I currently have and the wider handles will help develop your sweep a bit too. My one sits perfectly between the 2's and my 3's. They can be ordered through Weighlifter's Warehouse Arthur Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willardjamessloan Posted March 14, 2002 Author Share Posted March 14, 2002 Thanks Arthur, however I understood that they sold only 1.2.3.4 just like im. So when I order just ask for beefmaster. I will look on their site when I get off here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willardjamessloan Posted March 14, 2002 Author Share Posted March 14, 2002 Arthur just got off ww site , master beefbuilder is 195# to close just like IM . If so how is it harder, sorry I am a little slow on the uptake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arthur Antonopoulos Posted March 14, 2002 Share Posted March 14, 2002 From my experience the BB Master is harder due to a number of factors. First the sweep of the handles is wider. Second the spring is roughly the same size as the #2 but it is set deeper into the handles. I currently have an old #2 and a fairly new one, the older one being a fair bit harder than the new one. The BB Master is another step up in hardness from the old one and is a fair bit easier than my #3. For me it was the perfect gripper to step up to after the #2's. According to the PDA calibration results (check the first post on the GripBoard) the BB Master seems to have a closing torque rated in the high 200's, around 280 or so, so take that 195 rating with a grain of salt. Hope this is of some help in making your decision. Arthur Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest omniexist Posted March 14, 2002 Share Posted March 14, 2002 The average closing torque for a BBM is 306.3 pounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest baldy Posted March 14, 2002 Share Posted March 14, 2002 Not trying to talk you out of a BBM, but the one I ordered was easier than my IronMind #2 and the handle spread was smaller. It looked just like my PDA gripper, actually, but was much easier to close. WW doesn't market the BBM as in-between an IM #2 and #3, though, so I don't fault them for that. On here everyone else's was between their #2 and #3, so I tried it. I think that all the months of talk about calibration tell us that you don't know exactly what you will get when you order a gripper. Some of us luck out with one brand, some with another. The only thing written in stone is that all IM #3's and #4's are hard. All BBE's are hard. Some are harder than others, but all are hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supersqueeze Posted March 14, 2002 Share Posted March 14, 2002 My brother's new IM #3 is easier than my PDA 347 ip gripper which is pretty darn easy compaired to my IM #3. I could certify tomorrow on my brother's gripper, if I wished to. My point is that not all IM #3's are particularly "hard". They are subject to the same material (spring metal) inconsistencies as are all other grippers. I do not believe there is a straight-forward answer to the original question on this post. If you can afford it The Grippanator may be the way to go. I am waiting for a few reports to appear on this forum about it before I decide about it. Looks good though, but pretty expensive. -Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tou Posted March 15, 2002 Share Posted March 15, 2002 I was in the same situation as you : I wanted an in-between gripper, between 2 and 3. I got a 325 PDA and it is no contest. Almost as hard as my #3. Most people have good results with the BBM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest StrongerthanArne Posted March 15, 2002 Share Posted March 15, 2002 Yes it seems nearly impossible to get a gripper right between the #2 and #3. I got a 338 ip PDA gripper that was easier to close than all four IM #2's I have tested. I was thinking of getting a BBM but maybe it will be another waste of money? I have had access to three IM #3's. If one could just close the easiest one, one would have 2-3 mm left on the intermediate one and if one could just close the latter one would have about 2 mm left on the hard one. I also have a 437 ip PDA which I wanted to be tougher to close than the middle one of the 3's and luckily it is, so I was very pleased with it (in contrast to the 338 which feels like something between a IM #1 and #2). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest baldy Posted March 15, 2002 Share Posted March 15, 2002 Mikael, I won't say it is a waste of money. So far as anyone has posted here, my experience with a weak BBM has been the only one. I really like my PDA 347, it is built just like the BBM was but it is has a higher tension (between my #2 and #3, just like I wanted). Judging from all the posts about this, though, it is very hit-and-miss trying to get a gripper with a desired felt-tension. I didn't post to slander WW or their products, just wanted to let people know that a BBM won't always be harder than an IM #2. Mike, my PDA 347 is also considerably easier than my IM #3. I have also heard stories of IM #3's that were "easy". However, it is considered a great feat of strength to close a gripper from IM (that hasn't been tampered with) that has a '3' or a '4' stamped on the handle. I do not want to belittle anyone's accomplishments, so as far as I am concerned if you can close one stamped '3' you are strong. Period. Any decision you make to work towards a harder gripper is your business. On a personal note I do think it shows character not to take the "easy route", but that is just my opinion. BTW, it is interesting that we have the same calibrated inch-lb from PDA... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supersqueeze Posted March 15, 2002 Share Posted March 15, 2002 Baldy, I really love both my PDA grippers. They fit in my hands better. Each of my IM grippers has a very different configuration and requires more specialized learning on the part of my hand to close. In other words, I must work with them harder to get their feel. I do feel pretty good about my progress with the grippers. It has been pretty slow though - I've been at it for about three years now. I'm ALMOST where I hoped to be at the end of my first year! HA! Boy, was I naive. -Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest baldy Posted March 16, 2002 Share Posted March 16, 2002 Mike, I really like my PDA gripper too - both the feel (as you mentioned) and the felt tension when closing it. However, it still seems like a lot of people have had problems getting that "perfect gripper". The BBM I was sent had the same handle spread that the PDA grippers have. Everyone else said the handles were wider on their BBM. I have small hands so the wide handles on my #3 and #4 are a challenge, but that is all part of it. As for "getting the feel", Heath's method of training every day with at least the IM trainer or #1 has helped me a lot overcoming that problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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