# If you have never bought a good clamp, Do it now with the Bessey.



## a1Jim

Bessey clamps are good but in my opinion they are not the best ,In many reviews Jet clamps come out on top. Even though I own about 30 Bessey clamps but the Jet clamps are so much easier to work with because of their release trigger. In the video almost all clamps are better than the HF model so of course Bessey's are going to be better than them. Bessey's are good clamps but for the same amount of Money folks can have Jets. I don't mean to rain on your parade but I thought I would give my input before others that are looking for upgraded clamps might also look at Jet's clamps.
Thanks for your Review.


----------



## Dusty56

Welcome to the wonderful world of Bessey !! 
I have no problems with mine other than wishing that I had waxed the steel bars before glue got on them and turned them black….I have the pre-Revo models and also recently bought some Jorgensen parallel clamps on sale . Haven't used them yet , but they are beefy and well constructed : )


----------



## mikema

I started building up my clamp collection using the bessey's, and I have to agree, they are great! They make glue-ups go so much better, its great!


----------



## DrewM

I have some K-Body clamps, they work pretty good. My two issues are with the clamp faces falling off really easy and if a little glue gets on the bar it can jam up the sliding head. However they have great clamping force and remain pretty square under high force.


----------



## Dusty56

*"clamp faces falling off "* ??
Never heard of that happening and really can't picture it with my K-bodies…have you contacted Bessey with the issue , or the store you bought them from ?


----------



## surfin2

Another one bites the Dust…

No I'm not talking about Queen…

Bessey use to be that best. til Jet hit the market…

I* own both* the difference is *day n night*...


----------



## mbs

I have a bunch of k body and I'm going to slowly trade them for jet when I find great deals.


----------



## seriousturtle

Where's a good place to purchase the jet clamps?


----------



## surfin2

Amazon.com when they go on sale…

12" (2 pack) = $46.58
24" (2 pack) = $56.72
31" (2 pack) = $59.37
40" (2 pack) = $61.49


----------



## surfin2

http://www.woodtalkonline.com/topic/6882-jet-parallel-clamp-sale-amazon/


----------



## Texchappy

How do the Jet's and Bessey's compare with Jorgensen? I've been buying Jorgensen because they are available down the street at Home Despot and are American made (which I prefer).


----------



## surfin2

#1 Jet 
#2 Bessey
#3 Jorgensen
I couldn't compare Bessey with Jet cause nobody in my area carries them so I had to take a gamble & order them online, very gad that I did…


----------



## SCOTSMAN

I have some high quality large besseys but find the record clamps better they cramp up easier than bessey's too maybe it's my athritus but I cant get cramping with them just clamping. Alistair


----------



## surfin2

*Jet clamps are so much easier to work with because of their release trigger*

They also have a bigger handle & it's square (instead of round) easier to grab to tighten & loosen…


----------



## lumberjoe

Excuse my ignorance here, I am new to woodworking. What makes these clamps worth 5 to 6 times the amount of my HF purchased Pittsburgh F style clamps, or my Jorgensen bar clamps? I am not trying to stir up controversy, I really want to know. I have never had issues or struggles with glue ups. Then again I have never used an expensive clamp. I have about a dozen Irwin quick grips as well, however I don't use them for glue ups, those are to hold pieces while I cut them with a router/etc or to hold jigs in place.


----------



## Texchappy

Thought of this recent thread when you mentioned HF lumberjoe…
http://lumberjocks.com/reviews/2822


----------



## chopnhack

Better check on that Tex, I have heard that the Jorgies are not all made in USA… Looking at there website, they make no mention in the About Us section of USA made…


----------



## lumberjoe

Tex, I agree about those clamps, but I am referring to the Pittsburgh F style bar clamps. As I stated, I am not trying to stir up controversy, I am just wondering why I should spend 50$ on a clamp when my 6$ clamps do the job perfectly.

The clamps reviewed in the video are not a fair comparison. Those are the absolute worst clamps ever made. You would have better luck tying the pieces together with shoe laces than those ratchet clamps.

So seriously, can anyone tell me what makes a Jet or Bessy 36" clamp worth almost 10x's a standard F style clamp with real world examples? I would honestly like to know. I will gladly spend money where I need to, I am having a hard time finding the need though.


----------



## mikema

The only F style clamps I own are very old, and don't hold anything anymore. I ashamed to say I also have those junk HF quick clamps, as that was the budget allowed for when I needed to boost my clamp collection. They did however afford me the time to research clamps in general. Since I can't tell you based on personal experience why in most practical use they are worth the extra expense.

Based on conversations with others that have harbor freight f-style clamps, the work well until they break. The couple guys I knew that had them break were doing very large glue-ups that required a lot of pressure. Admittedly they probably exceeded the design tolerances of the clamps. However for me, that reason enough to rule out any more clamps from harbor freight. Next, I did evaluate other manufacturers' f-style clamps, which ranged $15-$25 on average. I also looked at reviews and spoke with people who actually used them. Again, I will admit, that for most cases they worked well. In fact, I almost did start buying those.

So why did I choose K-Body clamps? It came down to making sure my glue-ups went smoothly, which they rarely did. First, I liked that they would stand up on their own, and had stands to help keep the parts in place. Yes, I know jigs can be made to do the same thing with F-Style clamps, but there is something to be said about having it integrated into the clamp. The next aspect is holding power. The K-Bodies have a lot. Some glue-ups need that much power, some don't. What I have found is that many times you don't realize how much hold power is needed until your in the middle of the glue-up. For example, the glue makes a tenon swell more than anticipated so that it fits fine in dry fittings, needing more pressure to pull the parts together. So that made my decision to go with K-Body clamps

Now, why did I go with Bessey vs. other brands? Simply put, availability. I have a Woodcraft and Lowes, both of which sell them locally. Combine that with on-line availability, I can keep an eye on sales and specials on them that helps me get them at the best possible price.


----------



## Grizzled_Buckeye

Just picked up four 48" Jorgensen Cabinet Masters at Menard's, on sale for $32.99, each, and I'm itchin' to use 'em. They've got 36-inchers for $27.99, and 24-inchers for $24.99, too. I believe they're on sale until the 10th. My experience prior to these was pretty much limited to HF clamps: ratchet bar clamps, quick release bar clamps, aluminum bar clamps, and pipe clamps. I've gotten pretty good use from the quick release bar clamps and pipe clamps, but I've been uneasy about putting any serious pressure on the aluminum bar and ratchet bar clamps.

The bottom line is that I'd love to have a wall full of Jets, Besseys, or Jorgensens, but as a hobbyist, there's no way I can justify it (to the wife, at least.) The best I can do, for now, is get by with a few high-end clamps for when I need real clamping power, and use my economy clamps to meet my daily clamping needs.

I can also use my economy clamps to augment my power clamps, when needed, and I don't need to worry as much about them getting getting dropped, worn, etc. So, I guess there's something to be said for both classes of clamps.

Cheers!
Kevin


----------



## Dusty56

*Jorgensen Cabinet Masters at Menard's, on sale *
I was able to get mine from HoDepo by bringing them a printed copy of Menard's flyer page , which they honored : )
That trick was brought to my attention by LJ "CraftsmanontheLake"...thanks , Dan !!

SALE ends 6/10/12
http://www.menards.com/main/search.html?search=Jorgensen&sf_categoryHierarchy=Tools+%26+Hardware_8693


----------



## lumberjoe

As stated before, I am fairly new to woodworking, but have a strong background in ME (mechanical engineering). In one of my college courses - strength in materials, we actually tested clamping pressures. For a proper mechanical bond of tight fitting wood joints using common wood glue (we used original Titebond), a clamping pressure of 140 to 175 PSI at about an hour under pressure in 70 degree ambient conditions yielded the strongest joints. Anything over the 250PSI range actually compromised the joint. Instead of forcing the glue into the wood fibers - which actually makes the bond, it forces the glue out of the joints to escape points, or the glue "sets up" before it has a chance to properly penetrate the fibers. This test was conducted on red oak. This leaves less glue pressed into the grain of the wood and results in a joint where the tensile strength to separate is far less than a joint clamped at a lower PSI. We were able to separate glue joints where 700 PSI of clamping force was used at every 8" of surface area - at the joint. When 200 PSI was used, the joint did not fail. the wood itself did at weak points under the heavy shearing stress.

I always try to have seamless joints before I apply glue. The only reason you need a ton of clamping pressure is when you have joints that require a lot of force to get the pieces to fit without gaps. In that case you will have a weak joint. Standard, ordinary (we tested cheap Jorgensen) bar clamps can exert 400PSI before the bars start deforming. That is twice the amount of force needed for a tight, clean fitting joint to glue up properly.


----------



## garriv777

I haven't owned the Bessey either but I just wanted to give a thumbs up to the Jet also. I have a bunch of Jet F-style clamps and I love them. I bought them on sale at Rockler years ago, there were 2 12" inch and 2 24" in together in a pack and they were at a reasonable price so I bought them and have never regretted it. Great clamps!


----------



## tblank

The Jet clamps have an inch rule on the side of the bars and come with stop blocks that are very handy in a glue up with a critical time element. But I have a set of Jorgenson "I" beam clamps that have lasted over 30 yrs and are still at work. I like the screw handles instead of the twist handles on Jet's and Bessey's but will happily settle for any of the three.


----------



## goethert

I own both JET and Bessey parallel clamps. They are both great clamps and you cannot go wrong to pick either one. JET clamp has some nice features such as ruler on the bar, quick release button, square grip. Those are great but not a great deal for my applications.


----------



## thebigvise

I must concur with my colleagues who give Jet clamps the edge. Their refinements, already enumerated above, are subtle but significant.


----------



## Sarit

I also don't like the removable protective pads. Sometimes when you're in a hurry (like during the glueup) you grab the clamp mostly by the pad and the clamp slides off and onto the floor (or your foot…ouch!). They really need to design the pads better. It should be almost impossible to remove. How often do you really expect us to change those pads?


----------



## jweisgram

To lumberjoe, you asked why the Bessey Revo K Body or other parallel clamps are worth so much more than Pittburgh F clamps.

First, parallel clamps are very different than F clamps. I find that having both types is valuable. I have a lot more F clamps than parallel clamps. But if I am gluing up a cabinet, or boards edge grain to edge grain, the parallel clamps are my go to clamp. The bars are much beefier than what a Pittsburgh F clamp has, and the faces stay almost parallel as you put on the clamping pressure. The pads of the parallel clamps are larger and they aren't going to slip off nearly as easily as the F clamp and they distribute pressure more evenly, I think. Overall when the parallel clamps are suitable, the glueups go much more efficiently and often more accurately.

But when the parallel clamp is too big and physically gets in the way, then I will most often use F clamps, or maybe quickclamps, or maybe both. For temporary hold-downing I might use the quickclamp or the F clamp, but not the parallel.

As for F clamps, I have Bessey, Jorgenson, and Pittsburgh clamps and I use them all. I have older 24 and 36" Pittsburgh F clamps and they do have too much flex in the bar for me to want to use them much. I have newer 6" and 12" Pittsburgh F clamps and they work pretty well for me. But I will reach for my Bessey's every time before I go with the Pittsburgh clamps, or the Jorgenson's. They are just much better, handle more force, feel more solid. I've had a couple of Pittsburgh clamps fall apart on me, BTW.

But yes I will buy more Pittsburgh clamps in the future when I find a project where I need a bunch of clamps. I think I would only go up to 18" though. They are good enough for many uses and they are often available at 50% off. So even if a few fall apart, I will still be money ahead. On the other hand, if I was a pro and time was money, I wouldn't bother with them.

By the way, I also use lightly bowed clamping cauls to cut way down on the number of clamps I need to use. Like these, only I made them myself: Bowclamps. (Even though Frank Klausz is quoted there as saying I'd have to be crazy to do that).


----------

