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Independent Tool Review
by Peter Brett - July August 2006
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New Triton Superjaws
Get A Grip On Things
In my opinion, based on long observation,Triton is one of those companies that has thrived by making good solid products that really work. Then they develop these products, making them better. They also keep up with trends and developments in the field, and add their specially developed products to them. Triton’s range now includes table saws, a router table and a specially designed circular saw and router. Having had a Triton sawbench of my own for a few years I can testify to its ruggedness and versatility. I expect to continue to use it for many years to come, its accuracy, portability and storeability an ideal combination in my relatively small workshop.
Stealthily it seems, and yet not quite unnoticed, the Triton Superjaws has been gaining friends in the trades for many years. In fact a few years ago, an executive from a major international tool company confessed to me that he wished he had the Triton Superjaws as part of his company’s product range. He has since moved much higher in the echelons of this company, and I am prepared to bet that he still thinks the same.
Let’s get some of the spec stuff out of the way first so that we can start appreciating exactly what the Triton SJA200 Superjaws can do in real life.
The first thing I noticed is that the Superjaws is no mean weight. That is because no compromise has been made in its manufacture. There are a few ways in which some weight has been shaved off it, but it is robustly fabricated from steel. I challenge the most clumsy employee to be able to break it. At 16,5 Kgs I found it hard to remove from its shipping carton easily and it will take a bit of humping around a building site because, folded up, it is fairly awkward to carry. But from here on, things get easier. It will clamp items from 0 to 956mm long. The clamping force exerted via the footpedal is a massive 1000 Kgs. The maximum load it can support is a not insubstantial 100 Kgs. So you see, the weight is the least of it. The Superjaws is, as it stands, one of the most powerful portable gripping tools and therefore it has as many applications you can think of.
The Superjaws uses the principle of the triangle as being a stable structure and on its three legs it stands firmly on most surfaces. This is handy on the building site or outdoors where it is not always possible to find a flat surface. To open the Superjaws, there is an easy way and a hard way. The easy way is to lay upside down on the ground at first and slip the back leg out of its small socket and tighten it into place by its locking screw. The foot pedal is then raised until it clicks into position.
Next, the front legs fold out straightforwardly and are held in place by simple metal turnscrews. Once opened, the Superjaws can be turned over onto its legs, it is nearly ready for use because the all important gripping bits are exposed. Mastering the use of the two locking latches is a matter of a few minutes but by using them correctly, the jaws can then be tightened and released very easily. If both latches are released, the jaws can be moved up and down the slides by hand, making speedy adjustments very easy.
For general use the standard jaws are lined with a tough rubber that grips very hard and also protects the workpiece. For most purposes these jaws would be perfectly adequate. I was doing a bit of general carpentry work and found that I got on pretty well with them.
For engineers, plumbers and pipefitters, the solidly made cast iron engineer’s jaws are really easy to fit to the existing jaws. These jaws have grooves and hollows that allow easy gripping of pipes and other geometric shapes.
The final option on the jaws front is the log jaws. Obviously based on the Great White Shark, that favourite of Australian surfers, these toothy jaws will hold the slipperiest and wettest logs being offered up to a chainsaw with safety. My wife, who has ambitions to be a wood sculptor, loved them because they held a nice large lump of ash for her while she set about it with a large gouge. The footpedal also got a thumbs-up for being a really good way for her to exert a lot of holding pressure without the need for her to have a great deal of strength.
The other piece of essential kit to have with the Triton Superjaws is the accessories tray. If you work the way I do, I always have a load of extraneous bits that I am using at the same time. By itself, the Superjaws has no place to put these bits, but the addition of the sturdy plastic tray, mounted on rails passed through the body of the tool is a really good idea. The rails themselves, without the tray could also be used to hang things from, and they also serve as a work support for larger pieces.
Well you can see from the above that I really have no major gripes with the Superjaws. It is a really practical well thought out product that is brilliant to use, and I suspect would soon become my workbench of choice for outdoor or on-site work. There are many trades which could make really good use of its features. A pair of them, linked with a piece of strong ply would make a work surface as stable as a workshop bench.
Although not as easy to carry around the site as a workmate, it takes up less space in the van and is probably more versatile if you can make up a few bits for it, for example a worktop.
Looking through what I have written, the words “tough,” “robust”, and “strong” keep appearing. This is my abiding impression of the Superjaws- tough as an Australian Rules Football player, and a lot more useful. ( Fortunately this review is for UK publication only, so perhaps I will avoid confrontations with irate Aussies!)
Independent Review by Peter Brett
Airstream Communications