A superior clamp design adds many details which result in increased performance and less maintenance. These include a wider profile, tighter tolerances to ensure more repeatability from part to part, and investment cast parts for less tooling degradation from one batch to the next.

A wider profile has a strong impact on the clamp’s performance. For example, a U-shaped profile has no sharp edges, allowing for a better fit into the groove during installation, as opposed to a more typical V-shaped groove that doesn’t properly fit tri-clamp connections. A V-clamp’s first point of contact is located far out on the connection, so users often over-torque the connection to get it to compress fully. Meanwhile a wider profile allows a flat-to-flat surface connection for a more reliable installation.

Clamp tolerances for machining processes are set arbitrarily from one manufacturer to the next. For example, when a company only casts the parts, the product then goes out to another manufacturer for machining. As a result, there’s no repeatability in these cast parts. Quality clamps are produced from manufacturers with internal manufacturing processes.