Gross Stabil Clamps

I have one Gross Stabil parallel clamp that I got as a gift from a friend who builds staircases for a living. The rest of my clamps are primarily Bessey and I would say that the Gross Stabil is of a finer quality. That’s not to say the Besseys don’t get the job done… they are great clamps. It’s the details such as the bar detents – the Bessey’s detents are stamped while the Gross Stabil’s are cut. The head on the Gross Stabil is a tough glass reinforced nylon over steel where the Bessey is a thin plastic covering over steel (I’ve cracked the plastic on three of my Besseys). The sad news is that Gross Stabil is no longer making clamps. I believe that they’ve sold that part of their business to Bessey (but they still make casters as an OEM supplier to the contract furniture industry). That said, the Jets are probably the better parallel clamps being made right now.

Based on the quality of the Bessey-produced Gross Stabil F clamps I’ve seen, I’d say you’re better off getting the Bessey’s. I love mine. However, if you ever have the chance to get your hands on some Wetzler clamps I couldn’t recommend them more highly. In my opinion, they’re the gold standard for what a clamp should be. And they’re made here in the US.