Kreg K3 worth the upgrade from the K2000?

[Matt Meiser]

Anyone have an opinion on whether the K3 is worth the upgrade from the K2000 jig I already have? The dust collection hookup and new clamp mechanism look nice.

I'd love to get a Foreman, but probably not a justifiable expense.

[Mike Heidrick]

Keep the K2000 and save for the foreman.

I went from K2000 to K3 and I rarely use dc with it as now with a foreman it only gets used when I have not planned enough ahead or to retro fit something.

As long as you are ok with reaching around the back to clamp the K2000 it works just as well as the K3 IMO.

The foreman makes drilling pocket holes on stacks of work pieces almost comical. You fly through them. It or a castle/PC 552 are sweet tools.

Save for it and find a Bing cashback deal (if they still do that) and order one through utterguys - it will dropship from Kreg in Iowa, will have extra machine kreg bits, and you will save some cash.

Only place to go to after that is a full on castle with the one step actuation - really really awesome.

[Van Huskey]

Anyone have an opinion on whether the K3 is worth the upgrade from the K2000 jig I already have? The dust collection hookup and new clamp mechanism look nice.

I'd love to get a Foreman, but probably not a justifiable expense.

I don't know, I think I would more then likely just spend part of the money on accessories as opposed to getting the kit.

[Mike Goetzke]

Matt - I upgraded when the K3 just came out and sold my 2000. I use the dust port all of the time (I think so have built their own dust ports for the K2000). Plus I have used my Kreg on panels and I really like the front mounted clamping handle.

Mike

[Scott Vantine]

I have the K3! One of the nice features that I am not sure that the K2000 has, is the ability to use the jig in a tight location if you forgot to drill previously. Plus I am not a fan of the clamp system used on the K2000 or K4 as you need to reach around to clamp the stock!

[Peter Pedisich]

Matt,

I found the K3 to be difficult to adjust with regards to clamping pressure. A little too much and the jig distorts, not enough and the workpeice can slip. Keep in mind we are not talking by a lot, but enough to be annoying to me. I'd rather have the older aluminum bodied version for rigidity, or if the clamp surface was grippier, the K3 would be better...wait, why dont I put some 120 grit on the round plastic pad!:o
The dust collection on the K3 is nice - keeps the bit cool, and the front clamp handle location is nice when large workpeices are clamped in.

Pete

[Matt Meiser]

The foreman makes drilling pocket holes on stacks of work pieces almost comical. You fly through them. It or a castle/PC 552 are sweet tools.

If you could buy the 552 used for $450 or the Foreman in recon for $550, which would you choose?

[Art Mulder]

Matt, I have no experience with the K2000.

I had the Kreg "standard" jig -- which they don't sell anymore. This was the same as the master system, but without the DC hookup, and without the bench mount.

It worked great.

Or at least, I thought so, until finally midway last year I bought the upgrade kit that took me up to the "master" system. I knew it was being discontinued with the rollout of the new k4 system.

I could not believe at how much this sped up my drilling, and far increased my enjoyment of using this jig.

The DC alone just made this virtually a chip-free experience. Otherwise I had to tap-tap-tap the jig after every few holes to get rid of the chips that packed into it.

...art

[Chris Tsutsui]

The K3 is not as fast as a foot operated pocket hole machine, but the end result is just as good and it's portable.

If you're not doing production work then I would just get the K3.

I hook up a CT33 shop vac to the chip collector and there's no mess at all. The DC helps to cool the bit and jig from the constant air that flows through it, and the DC helps make drilling faster and easier.

I will never use the Kreg jig without the dust collection because without it, it just makes a mess and I have to make at least 2 plunges with the drill because chips get wedged in the flutes of the bit. It's really like night and day with the DC attachment.

[Mike Heidrick]

If you could buy the 552 used for $450 or the Foreman in recon for $550, which would you choose?


There are two bits to purchase for the 552 (router bit and a drill bit) vs the one drill bit of the Kreg. The drill bit of the 552 gets changed a lot. Because of that I would purchase the Kreg, plus I like the one motion of the Kreg - just pull the handle (or push in my case) and it engages the clamp and actuates the drill. The 552 has three motions (clamp, pull, push).

I have not heard a DB110 electric foreman but the pneumatic DB55 (one I have) is many time quieter than the 552 due to no router. The DB110 would be MUCH more portable to a jobsite vs the DB55 and its large compressor need. I love the pneumatic air cylinder clamp of the DB55 though. The DB110 has a lever mechanical clamp - not an air clamp. The 552 comes with a destaco style clamp. If I owned it I would change it to an air clamp some way. It's too bad Kreg stopped selling their foot activated air clamp setup.

BUT

I think the 552 does make a smooth, all be it larger entry hole. It is a solid machine. The $100 savings will buy a 5 pack of the drill bits from Castle. A Kreg machine drill bit is $30 (they are different than the ones in the jigs) so YMMV.

I still have my K3 even while owning my foreman. Even though the foreman cuts 99% of my pocket holes, it does not replace the K3 (or other jig) need occasionally.

Chris, if you like pocket holes and cut a lot of them, and if you are at a level where you can justify a CT33, you would love a pocket hole machine. Its crazy nice to use.

BTW, the dust collection on the foreman is not that great IMO. I enclosed the back of mine and I have gravity on my side bringing the dust to the end of the foreman where the dust port is, but out of the box the majority of the chipe will fall through to your benchtop. I have seen people adapt a 552 for dust pickup but you will have to research how that works out of the box.

[Matt Meiser]

It looks like I'll be doing another kitchen this year and doing that many pocket holes with the K2000 was cumbersome, especially on larger panels where I had to reach around the panel. I imagine the front clamp on the K3 would improve things there quite a bit. But still, its clamp, grab the drill, drill the pocket, set down the drill, unclamp, repeat. I am awed by the speed of the Foreman so I ended up ordering a recon Foreman machine off Ebay with 8% cashback.

[Mike Heidrick]

You will not regret it at all. Drilling pockets holes with it in the first couple cabinets will convince you that you made the right decision. Hope you have a nice compressor. Can't wait to see how you mount it!

[Wade Lippman]

I ungraded mainly because I wanted to be able to use the new smaller screws. I have actually used them in several places where I probably couldn't have used pocket screws otherwise.

The front clamp is nice also. (actually I haven't used the dust collector yet; I have to get a fitting to my vacuum:o)

I got a great buy on the K3 and managed to sell my K2000 for a good price, so it didn't wind up being too expensive.

So, yeah, I would do it again.

[Matt Meiser]

UPS brought the Foreman today and I set it up this afternoon. Wow is it fast. I need to figure out where I'm going to put it and some way to collect the chips and then run an airline to near its home but this is going to be a really nice addition to the shop.