Gorilla Gripper Panel Carrier

Product Description

Tighter even than Harambe's hold on our hearts, the Gorilla Gripper clings hard to heavy sheet goods so one dude can carry them without risk of back or neck injury, or a raging splinter, when his friend Cornelius is too... [Read more]

Features

• Makes it easy for one person to lift and carry sheet goods
• Reduces strain on back, neck, shoulders & arms
• Promotes personal safety in multiple ways
• Increases carrying capability
• Ruggedly constructed lifetime tool

Top Reviews

Be careful
by C. Little (2 out of 5 stars)
December 13, 2018

Okay, I don't know if I bought this here or on another site. I've had this for a long time now and can at this point give an honest (from my perspective) review. I'm taking the time to do this to warn you to be careful with this. If you lift a heavy panel make sure your foot is angled away from the panel - my foot was broke when this gripper let the panel I was picking up slip down. It slips often for me. I was reminded of this yesterday when I tried to pick up 1/4" sande plywood sheets - one slipped and dropped 3 times (at least I learned my lesson with the broke foot a year or so ago so it didn't get me that time - just jacked the $37 panel a little. Today it slipped again moving a half sheet of MDF. Your mileage may vary. But the two recent experiences between yesterday and today encouraged me to post this and advise others to make sure your foot is angled out from under the panel being lifted just in case. You don't want the experience a broke foot / ankle will give you.
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Great Idea, but not as useful as it looks
by D. Sargent (3 out of 5 stars)
December 27, 2011

I am a general renovation contractor and do a lot of work w/sheet goods (ie: plywood, sheetrock, cement board, etc.). I bought the Gorilla Gripper for the same reasons all the other reviewers did...hopefully to make my life easier.

I rarely use it now. Why(?), mostly because it is awkward, finnicky and I don't trust it w/anything heavy or w/multiple sheets.
1- Remember that to use this product you basically have to be able to 'curl' what you are lifting with one arm and hold it up intil you get to where you want it. I'm a big guy and after using it for awhile, I wouldn't think about lifting anything more than say 1 sheet of 1/2" plywood.
2- In many instances, it will slip when lifting multiple sheets- letting one drop either on your foot or on the ground.
3- As soon as you release the preasssure (even for a fraction of a second), what ever you are carrying will drop. Hopefully not from the top of a ladder or on your foot.
4- To grip, it squeezes the product. The heavier the panel, the harder it squeezes. Not so good for finished products. It can even leave dimples.
5- Many times, it takes a couple of seconds to get it to grip properly and each time you release the preassure, you have to re- grip the panel again. After you have dropped something (for any of the aforementioned reasons), you tend to do a double take to make sure it is gripping properly...frusterating.

So I'm done complaining here. I love the concept, but for me, it just doesn't cut the mustard, kinda a specialty item.

For those of you who want a really functional panel carrier, get the 'Troll'. It lifts from the bottom (not the top), it has wheels and you are only lifting from your hip...straight arm...no curls...and only when you need to. The rest of the time you just roll the product around. I (by myself) have no problem moving around 2- 12' sheets of 1/2" rock, safely.
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If you are reading this, buy it
by Daniel Reuter (5 out of 5 stars)
December 7, 2018

If you are reading this, you need to buy this tool. I will never again lift a sheet of plywood by myself without it. I take it to the hardware store too. Yes you need to be able hoist the sheet up onto your shoulder with one hand but the carry is very comfortable. The shape of the handle is very easy to grip and the weight is in the right spot that you can slightly arch your back and get the weight onto your back a little if you want. That said, this thing is subject to the laws of physics. The gripping force is limited by the weight of the payload. It does not have a hydraulic clamp that can squeeze multiple sheets together firmly. It doesn't work well with multiple sheets. I also wouldn't use it with drywall but that's not the fault of this tool. Build quality is excellent. This is a real tool not a gimmick
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Works great!
by Curtis Ratzlaff (5 out of 5 stars)
April 16, 2017

Works just as advertised. I own the contractor version (min 1/2" material) and have used it on plywood (1/2" and 3/4") and 5/8" drywall. I expected that it might damage the drywall, but it never did. I tried it on 10 foot, 1/2" drywall panels and was able to lift and maneuver them without a hitch.
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Very helpful tool
by Keepin straight (4 out of 5 stars)
February 9, 2010

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....
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worked but might not last long
by Roberto (4 out of 5 stars)
August 6, 2019

Grip pad on one side started to slide off. It would move an eighth of an inch with each piece of 23/32 advantech decking that I moved. Had 60 sheets to carry into a basement by myself. It was going great up until the 40th sheet when I noticed the glue had released on the grip pad and it was sliding off. I was able to stick it back on every so often to get the job done but I dis not try to pick up a sheet without the pad in place. I was too worried about getting dirt in the glue and rendering it useless.
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Not for drywall
by W. Jones (3 out of 5 stars)
August 6, 2011

I occasionally used the Gorilla Gripper to carry plywood around my house and move drywall short distances in the basement and never had a problem. Before today I would have rated it five stars. Today I started my project of moving a bunch of drywall from my garage through my backyard to my walk out basement. I started with one 4x10 sheet and it started ok but by the time I got most of the way there the drywall just broke off and fell to the ground, leaving a small piece in the Gorilla Gripper. I guess the weakness of drywall, the small surface area where the Gorilla Gripper supports the drywall and the flopping around of the drywall as you carry a long piece resulted in the drywall breaking. I had planned on moving it 25 sheets but had to stop after the first one didn't even make it or else risk breaking more sheets. I'll try a traditional panel carrier that goes under the drywall if I can find one tomorrow. Otherwise I may have to just get some help and carry it with two people.
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More expensive than a panel carry handle, but much better
by J. Collins (5 out of 5 stars)
March 4, 2012

I had to unload 25 sheets of type-x drywall from a truck to my house by myself. These sheets weigh about 75 lbs per sheet, so I asked Lowe's if there were a tool that made carrying these sheets my yourself any easier. They introduced me to a $7 panel carry handle. However, I found it too difficult to position the base of the panel carry beneath the center of the sheet. Additionally, it was awkward finding the right balance for carrying. I decided to scrap the panel carry and search for another solution. Further research lead me to the expensive Gorilla Gripper. I took a chance and purchased it from Amazon. It has certainly paid itself off many times over.

So far, I have used my Gorilla Gripper to carry 4x8 sheets of OSB subfloor, 75-lb 4x8 5/8" sheets of type-x drywall, and 85-lb 4x8 5/8" sheets of QuietRock 525. What I love about it is that you simply position it in the center of the top of the sheet and lift. With the panel carry handle, if it's not dead center beneath the sheet, you have to reposition it which can be quite a pain since you have the sheet sitting on top of it. With the Gorilla Gripper, if you find that the balance is off because you didn't place it directly in the center of the sheet, you just slide it over an inch or two and try lifting again.

Some have also talked about how the Gorilla Gripper can damage drywall. I am sure this is true, but probably only for regular drywall which, I believe, weighs only around 40 lbs for a 4x8 5/8" sheet. If you do have to carry such drywall with the Gorilla Gripper, you will want to avoid turning too suddenly or sharply. Instead, take your turns slowly and steadily and you will reduce the chance of damage.
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Excellent for working alone at home, in the shop or on a job site.
by Richard (5 out of 5 stars)
October 8, 2011

I love this tool. I'm no youngster and I frequently work alone doing cabinetry and home remodeling. The handle is well-padded and very comfortable. The Gorilla Gripper allows one person to move 4' x 8' panels of plywood and drywall around the shop or work site without bending awkwardly. This, in my opinion, significantly reduces the probability of a lower back strain and eases the load on arms and shoulders as well. While the sheet goods don't get any lighter, the unique grip action and lifting angle of this tool makes it possible to get a firm, properly balanced grip on full-sized sheet goods. By grasping the panel at the center of the long edge, you can easily carry a full size sheet by yourself. Moving the gripper a few inches to either side of center causes the panel to hang from the gripper at an angle suitable for going up or down stairs. The rubber padding and nice wide grip distributes the gripping pressure allowing you to carry 4' x 8' drywall panels without damaging or marking the panel. This is a well-made tool suitable for around the house/shop as well as commercial applications. This is worth the price and has already gotten rave reviews from my arms, shoulders and back. Recommended without reservation.
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Just what I needed
by Chuck Willow (5 out of 5 stars)
February 3, 2014

I built a panel lifter for use with plywood but it was limited in several ways that this gripper isn't. Used this as soon as I received it and the other lifter...is lonely in the corner now.

One of the great things about this one is that it helps you PULL sheets out of the bin as well as LIFT them once they're out.

Light weight tool for heavy weight jobs.

Now I can pull out the sheet of plywood I need that is invariably buried in the rack. Before, I had to unload panels down to the one I needed.

One problem...COST kept me from buying this when they first came out. After I finally got over the price and got mine I kicked myself in the pants (not an easy thing to do either).

Don't put it off...just GET ONE. Life's too short to work harder than you have to.

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