****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
This CRL vacuum lifter is head and shoulder above those available from Harbor Freight in quality and security of anchorage to glass. I find them dependable lift anchors every time I use them, whereas the less expensive lifters frustrate by frequently failing to grip. There are probably a number of reasons for the better grip of this device, but the ones that I have observed include: (1) A softer rubber compound that doesn't take a non-planar "set", and conforms to the glass surface with very little pressing; (2) The thumb pump, which allows multiple pumps through a pair of 1-way valves, thereby allowing formation of a much higher vacuum between the rubber and the glass than the cheaper lifters that use a lever to mechanically deform the rubber cup; and (3) This pump comes in a very nice carrying case that protects the rubber surface and (most important!) keeps the rubber face from taking on a deformed "set" between uses. By the way, a second valve allows easy release of the vacuum.So far I have used a single one of these to lift and place (and remove) 1/4" glass 54" x 36". Not heavy, but I'm maneuvering in tight spaces and with a lot of fragile stuff behind the glass. Zero problems, totally secure, no failures to create the vacuum. Night and day difference between these and the cheap ones.Overall, this is a high quality item-- and that means better personal safety, no glass breakage, and (in my case) all the cool stuff behind the glass remains safe during glass removal and replacement. These considerations made me throw away the 2 cheaper ones I bought (thinking I was being economical) after the first time I used this one.
