Customer Reviews

Gorilla Gripper 44010 Panel Carrier

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I saw the Gorilla Gripper on TV and decided right then that I needed to have it. I waited a while hoping to find it in the stores, but never did. I finally bought it on Amazon and was so happy when it came in. I tried it out, ouch! I was sure glad I had my steel-toed shoes on. I droped the first sheet of drywall twice while carrying from the garage to the basement. I went back up to the garage to get the second sheet but this time played with the positioning, practiced lifting it smoothly, got comfortable with the new walking style, and I was good to go. I now carry plywood, tile backer board, and drywall from the utility trailer, into the garage, into the house, and into the basement all without ever having a problem. This tool is very useful and I love it!

As I get older I'm literally "loosing my grip". The Gorilla Gripper works as advertised (except the clothes in the ad aren't required). I had a 700 square foot building to roof which included hauling approximately 30 sheets of CDX up a 14 foot ladder. My thought was to use the GG to do the job. I know some day I'll need to use it (and it works just as the add shows), but it's much faster to hoist the sheet so it's held by one hand & balanced on the shoulder, go up the ladder on to the trusses and put the sheet in place. I found it awkward to the point of dangerous trying to make the transition from the ladder to the trusses with a sheet hanging by the GG.

If you have to move sheet-goods in a shop and your grip aint what it used to be, then the GG is probably your saving grace. I think it's one of those tools that help folks that can no longer muscle the sheets around. But it's only for carrying; it will lose its grip when the sheet isn't very near vertical. So while it helps carry the sheet, it won't help moving it to the bench or saw-horse; you'll still need to muscle the sheet to the vertical position.

Good idea; works as advertised; hard to incorporate in to the workflow.

i just discovered this tool the other day while trolling the woodworking forums, watched the video (BTW, the second video on the website is HYSTERICAL) and bought it online. i received the gripper within three days, went in the garage, clamped it on top of a sheet of MDF and started waltzing around with it as a smile crept over my face. anyone who has to deal with sheet goods (drywall, melamine, plywood, tile backerboard) on a hobbyist, DIY'er or professional basis should seriously consider this purchase as an insurance against: smashed fingers/toes and strained backs. i eagerly look forward to the next time i go to home depot and have to pick up and load 10 sheets of melamine by myself!

My previous review of this tool was quite negative but I am happy to report that the manufacturer has completely re-designed it with substantial improvements. It is recommended for anyone who needs to move sheet materials (plywood, drywall, etc.) around. The gripper is not designed for materials below 3/8" thickness without putting a pad (rubber or similar) into the jaws.

I bought this when a broken hand turned me into a one-handed carpenter. I would definitely recommend going to the manufacturer's website and watching the video. I didn't find it quite as hilarious as other posters, but that's beside the point. What it does in that video, it does in real life. If you will be doing those sorts of actions, this tool will be a real help. The ability to grip a sheet of 3/4 ply at the top, in the center, and carry it on your shoulder without twisting, bending or straining, walking normally, is a real nice thing, especially if you need to get a bunch of ply from one end of a jobsite to another through doorways. No more stooping. That said, it's pretty useless going up stairs.

Like I said in the title, it isn't versatile, but it is really good at what it does do. It is not cheap, so I would not recommend it to a DIY'er, but it's the kind of thing that as a pro, you can throw in the back of your truck and know it will eventually pay for itself.

A well made tool. Works quite well for 3/4 panels, progressively less well as the panel gets thinner. And, as another reviewer has noted, under less than ideal conditions the gripper may suddenly drop the panel, at the peril of the panel, your foot, and your customer's shiny floor. If possible, try one before you buy. You may find (as I did) that one of those cheap plastic carriers that you stick under the panel actually works better for your particular anatomy.

I read over a lot of reviews, especially the 1 - 2 star ones and decided to give this a try anyway.
We run a custom cabinet shop and work with heavy sheet goods like 3/4" mdf. We load our sheet goods from the
truck right on to our panel saw but even so working with these sheet goods is tough on our aging wrists and usually
one guy will work with the panel saw.
The tool works as described, however you cannot unweight the sheet at all or it will slip right out. Example -
on the first sheet I tried -3/4" MDF I wanted to shift my grip slightly on the tool to get a better
hand grip. I snapped the weight of the board up slightly to do this and the split second
that the weight of the board was gone as it "bounced" it slipped out of the gripper and dropped. No toes crushed so
I tried again, this time I lifted up quickly on the board and bounced the weight again on purpose and it slipped
right out. So moral to the story is go slow and steady, if you need to change a grip or body position -set the
board down and then lift again. We watched the video on the gorilla gripper site and if you watch he never
unweights the board, and moves very smoothly and slowly and we know why. I'm not sure about
using it on ladders or scaffolding, but I would certainly give it a try with the above comment in mind.
But now we always use the gripper to handle our sheet goods. We have had
no problem with the slick MDF slipping out of the unit as noted on other reviews. Hope this helps your decision....

A well built tool. A bit pricy for what you get, but if you want to avoid trips to the chiropractor due to lifting awkward & heavy sheet stock, this is the tool for you. Works great with heavy wood panels. Very thin (< 1/4") won't work due to limits on Gorilla's clamping stroke, but these panels are light anyway. Gorilla can be used on thin sheet stock by adding a shim/spacer. Just make sure your spacer has a rough surface to avoid slipage. Slick-side panels such as sheet rock can lead to slipage our of the lifter, but use of rough tape such as painters masking tape on the back side (non-visible side of the panel) helps a bit. Final caution is to not allow the bottom of clamped panels to inadvertantly "un-load" from the Gorilla. This momentary release can release the clamping action, resulting in a falling panel. Key thing to remember is, "Once in the lifted mode, keep it there until you're ready to unload the Gorilla." The Gorilla works like a dream when lifting heavy wooden sheet stock. I'd recommend it to anybody who wants to save their back. Wish I'd invented it....

it is a novel idea but for me it didnt help. I needed to move 50 sheets of Drywall from outside up 3 steps into house and down twelve into basement. with narrow stair. it didnt work. as soon a I got 4 steps down and needed to tilt the panel down the stair it hit a stair tread the weight was taken off the gripper and it fell out of it. and bounced down the step crushing the bottom corners. it maybe useful for flat carry by a single person but not up and down stairs. I consider it a waste of money on my part and plan to put it on ebay to see if someone else wants it.

I have used the Gorilla Gripper for a couple of weeks now. It make carrying sheet goods much easier. It grips very well when used as directed. Example: With a piece of sheet goods setting on the floor on the edge, place the gripper half way of the lenght, pick up as shown on the instructions and you can easly carry the piece with one hand. Money well spent, especially if you are working by yourself or carrying 3/4" sheet goods which are heavy.

DLB