Customer Reviews

FastCap 3rd Hand Support System 57-to-144-Inches, 2-pack #3HAND5

5 star:		(55)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Got 4 of these units. Have used them for installing kitchen cabinets on two jobs so far. WOW! once you get the hang of adjusting it and getting it in place, they are better than having a work partner. They don't give opinions. They just do their job. The loads I have put on them have been fairly heavy and they still held it using multiple jacks.

Found them very useful too for acting as pushers when installing a deck to push some deck boards into line when they are a bit warped.

Used these jacks as floor to ceiling push clamps during a wood floor installation. After gluing in place the wood flooring, placed a scab 2x6 plank on leading edge of new floor and used these jacks to apply some downward pressure keeping all the installed floor snug and down tight until the adhesive set up. The floor is beautiful.

Expect to also use them soon to hold up a plastic barrier around an area I will be working in order to control dust and dirt migration. Could work very well if you are spray painting indoors.

Always carry at least two of these with me at all times now.

For some reason, they do not want to provide many details about this product. So I'll fill in the blanks. The maximum weight limit is 70 pounds. The blue body is made out of steel. The top and bottom plates, and the squeeze handle are made out of plastic. There is a non-marring rubber pad on both the top and bottom plates. The plates swivel on a plastic ball joint. The total shipping weight is 13 pounds. Made in China. Overall I'm quite happy with it. The reason I gave it 4 stars is I'm not sure how long the plastic ball joints are going to last. Time will tell.

Problem 1: There is a small plastic bracket that attaches the bottom foot to the steel pole. This bracket was damaged during shipping on both poles. On the one it had shattered in 10 pieces.

Solution: I just used epoxy to glue the brackets into the pole.

Problem 2: The little spring-loaded nubs that lock the pole open are way too stiff. It actually makes it difficult to adjust the length of the pole, especially when it is in the shortest position and there isn't a good handhold on one end.

Solution: I removed the nubs. They were easy to pop out the bottom of the pole (due to the conveniently damaged bottom foot brackets). There is a tension-screw that can also be used to lock the pole open and it works just fine. If you were planning on putting a heavy load on the pole, it would probably be a good idea to put a small bolt through the nub holes, just to make sure the pole doesn't slide closed.

Once I got past these problems, the poles actually work really well. They are long, sturdy and easy to adjust. The pole body is steel, so my magnetic laser level will clip right to it. The top foot has a pump mechanism that makes it easy to lock the pole into place between floor and ceiling. The bottom foot has a threaded rod that you can use to easily micro-adjust the height, for hanging cabinets or such.

If the pole feet were made out of better materials, this product would easily be a 5-star. The plastic brackets and fittings are very brittle, though, and I doubt that they would survive any serious abuse.

They are Handy, they work very well. For what I paid they are a good value. Then again, I am not a contractor, don't use em every day etc.... They are not tough enough to handle long term abuse.

If I was a drywall installer? Forget it...too flimsy. Kinda like expecting a pup tent to last as a toolshed. For the weekender who may hang a cabinet or two, or hang a celing's worth of sheetrock now and again...it's GREAT!

They do have a weight limit of 70 lbs....I suspect that a 4X12 sheet of 5/8" rock might be overwhelming for just one unit!

Remember...it's cheaper than renting a drywall jack...and...you get what you pay for. For the intended purpose...I got my money's worth.

I just used a pair to install crown molding. Now, I'm wondering how I would have done the job without these handy helpers. Very impressive! I'm not concerned about the strenght of these supports for crown molding. Still, I would not put much load on them fully extended - maybe 10 pounds. Fully retracted, they are quite strong. There were no instructions, cautions, or specifications packed in the shipping box. I thought this to be very odd as manufacturers are pretty cautious about misuse of their products.

You can easily extend the supports to the proper length as you would with a pipe clamp and then chinch it tight with the hand hand grip. The grip and ball joints at the top and bottom are made of plastic and would appear to be easy to break. If it does, the support becomes useless. This concern is why I rated it with 4 stars. However, I've dropped mine on hard tile twice now and have not broken anything yet.

As always, Amazon shipped quick and complete. The first job I did with this was to jack up a cardboard-type ceiling that was sagging from a water leak above it. Left the jacks in place for a week til the ceiling dried. Success. Now I am putting up 1/2" 4x8 sheetrock on a ceiling that is 9 ft tall. 13 sheets. It's making this job very easy. I'm still using a cleat to hold the first edge up, than using the jacks to support the rest. If you work alone, like I do, this is what you'd been waiting for.

I purchased the set of "3rd hands" with hopes of the jacks helping to hold items an poly walls. After haveing it for less then one week, I just love it. I work alone most of the time doing remodeling and new home trim and etc. most of the time. In remodeling the poly temp. wall keeps customers happy, but the 3rd hand keep me happy. Hanging cabinets, installing long ceiling molding, esspecially getting the cut mark. Holding up and in perfect place pocket door tracks. Had to cover the wood unfinished ceiling so the spray insulation guys could do their thing. This is just the beginning in less than one week. Just great!!

I just finished installing 6 inch by 16 ft. lengths of crown molding completely throughout a house I am building. Working by myself is a pleasure and the 3rd hand support system made this job not only possible to do by my self but much easier then I ever expected. The best helpmate I have ever purchased besides a pannel lift for sheetrock.

This is a great tool. I am a maintenance guy and I use them for all sorts of things. I looked at the Rockler version, but it doesn't go as high...it only goes to 10' and 3rd hand goes to 12'. Also, the feet pivot all the way around on the 3rd hand and the Rockler one only pivots one way. I prefer the 3rd hand and it seems heavier duty too.

Received my 3rd hands today and one was damaged. The plastic
piece on the bottom and the neoprene grip both broken. Called
the Fastcap company got great service they shipped out new pieces
the same day. Product works good but I think they need to revamp
the plastic ends going onto the red metal shaft from plastic to
metal. Would still recommend this product and was very impressed
with the fast response of the Fast cap company.