Fastcap 3HANDCPACK 3rd Hand Contractor Poles 4-Pack

I had been looking for an excuse to buy a system called "Zip Wall". I finally have a job where I really needed some way of controlling dust. When I searched for "Zip Wall" it also came up with this competing system. I was intriqued and pleased to see that the FastCap product was approximately half of what the other one was. I did a lot of research and was not helped by the add copy which leaves a lot out. After almost ordering two of the dual packs I carefully read the copy again on several sites and was able to determine that the Contractor Pack was the better deal including the big feet and the bag, which is quite usable with the feet removed.Ok... I needed the 3rd hands for controlling dust when I removed the old plaster from wall bricks so I could repair them. Since this is interior work I really need to keep the dust from getting all over the place.The first part of the job however was to fix a crack in the poured basement wall. The crack runs from floor to ceiling. The top of the crack runs behind a cold air return duct which I needed to either cut in half or move a lot of sheet metal to remove. Since the 3rd hand can support 70 lbs. each I supported the item with 3 of them and cut it in half then lowered it to the floor.Once the crack was repaired I now needed to reinstall the sheet metal. However the plaster ceiling (in a hundred year old house) had sagged and hung down about 3 inces and I could not get the duct to fit properly let alone support it properly [I didn't want to use a really long screw since I was afraid further sagging would rip it out].I used the 3rd hands to gradually lift the ceiling running 4 1/2 inch screws with fender washers about every 6 inches into sound joists. I only raised the ceiling about 2 feet out from the duct area, but am sure I could have done the entire ceiling in this manner in much less time than any other way I have heard of. Of course the 3rd hands let me support the duct again as I secured it to the ceiling.Oh yea... It does make a great dust barrier too.In short I was quite pleased with the strength and utility of this product. This is my first review of any product anywhere. It has already paid for itself and I am not finished with the job...

I have about 10 of these. Old ones are better & easy to use. New ones are different, not same as photos. Photo shows a big knob to tight the pipes, which are same as old models, but new models that I have purchased this year and last year don't have these knobs. This means pole needs to be extended using spring pin and hole. It is very annoying. Mostly I use them to set up the painter's plastic to make dust barrier during the job. So I don't need to lift or hold heavy stuffs on them. Last year I have bought 2 pieces, then I noticed they don't have knob. Early this year, I have bought another 4 piece set because picture shows knob (just under lever). But ones I received are still without this knob. So I am still using old ones mostly instead of new ones. When I extend the pole for plastic dust barrier, I simply use this knob instead of pin & hole. Also carrying bag is too tight (small) in length. When I put them back into the bag, I need to remove top & bottom feet every time.I like Fastcap poles and use a lot. They are very handy and good tools.I wish Fastcap would be growing more and more with better designs and tools. Thank you.

I first used these under my deck to install 4'x8' panels to divert the rain water and keep the area under the deck dry. Currently I'm using them for my laundry room remodel to hold up wallboard on walls and ceiling(these extend to 12' so I've got side-to-side, end-to-end, and floor-to-ceiling coverage(laundry is 104"x60"x96"). Since I'm only using 2 to hold wallboard the other 2 are used to hold up a dust barrier in the hall outside the room to keep the mess at bay.The extra large 6" feet are great for the wallboard.It should be noted that these 3rd hands are too tall for cabinet installs(except over fridge and stove or where the cabinets are higher than 5ft), buy the "upper hand" size for cabinets without the base installed, or the small "little hand" size if you already have bases installed.I've found the quality and versatility of these to be exceptional for me working solo...also with my neighbor as we were both able to screw drywall while the sheet was being held by the 3rd hand.

I think Amazon sent me a used (or returned) product. One of the padded handles was split and there were scratches on some of the painted shafts, even though each of the "3rd hands" was individually packed. I suspect someone returned these to Amazon and they shipped them to me without inspecting the damage. However, I needed to use it immediately and I didn't see any operational damage so I did not complain.The product works great and they have been very useful. I retired last year and have several remodeling projects to do in and around my house. I don't have anyone to help me. My wife has arthritis and is unable to help hold up boards, etc. I can't seem to find anyone I can hire to help me on an irregular basis; therefore, I needed these "3rd hand" poles to help hold up long boards and vinyl siding I am using as a ceiling in a new carport.I have three minor complaints. Two out of four of the accessory feet that allow the poles to stand up without support do not fit tight enough to stay on the poles when lifted. Some duct tape solved this but FastCap should build these better. Also, the feet are too small. The slightest slope to the floor and the poles won't stand alone. I solved this by screwing them to some plywood. My third complaint is the release for the upper sliding rod. The handle is short and difficult to operate. These will pinch your finger quick. Even after getting used to the release I still have pinched my finger several times. My old hands can't stand much of this (Wear gloves).Bottom line is these work well and allow me to do much more work than I could have done otherwise. I would buy them again.