Is there much difference between Bessey/Jorgenson clamps?

[Greg Urwiller]

I want to buy some parallel clamps since all I have is some pipe clamps now. The only stores we have here are HD and Menards, and both carry the Jorgensons. Stores 2+ hrs away carry the Besseys. But they're $10-15 higher per clamp. What's the difference in the two brands? Doesn't seem to be much, if any, just glancing at them. Greg

[Van Huskey]

I want to buy some parallel clamps since all I have is some pipe clamps now. The only stores we have here are HD and Menards, and both carry the Jorgensons. Stores 2+ hrs away carry the Besseys. But they're $10-15 higher per clamp. What's the difference in the two brands? Doesn't seem to be much, if any, just glancing at them. Greg


There is not a lot of difference between the three top brands in my opinion, though I rate the top three:

1. Jet
2. Jorgensen
3. Bessey

If the price is significantly cheaper for Jorgys or Bessey I will get them but still prefer the Jets, in your situation if Jet is not an option I would get the Jorgensens even at the same price as Besseys.

[Wayne Hendrix]

Fine Woodworking rated the Jorgensen and the Jet as the best parallel clamps in a test.

[Lance Norris]

I have all Jets, but as far as the job they will do, they are equal in my opinion. The Jets offer some nice features, but they all will do an excellent job. What no one ever seems to mention in threads about clamps is whatever you buy, stick with one brand. Dont mix and match. You will end up with clamps of different sizes that wont mix well when doing glueups.

[Dave Lehnert]

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=140153&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1264799964I use a mix of clamps with no problems.

[michael craigdallie]

the most important thing to take into consideration is that the bessey are red and the jorgensons are orange....so it really comes down to what colour palettes you have used to decorate your shop. (i have bessey because they go better with the throw rug!)

M
:D

[brett gallmeyer]

menards puts the jorgensons on sale ever few months. i take there flyer into hd and get an aditional 10% off...

[Paul McGaha]

I mainly use Jorgensons (2 ft, 3 ft, 4 ft) and like them ok. I have some 6 ft and 8 ft Besseys and I like them also.

I agree with Lance though and that I think it would probably be best to pick one manufacturer and buy their clamps routinely. It took me several years and different buys to come up with the quantity of clamps that I have now.

When doing a glue up I prefer to have the same type of clamps under the piece and that lends itself to buying from one manufacturer.

Just my $.02.

PHM

[Nathan Allen]

Functionally identical, heck the Bessey clamp extenders even work on the Jorgensens.

I'll also throw in the Wood River as a comparable brand. Green if the other three colors offend you.

[Van Huskey]

Functionally identical, heck the Bessey clamp extenders even work on the Jorgensens.

I'll also throw in the Wood River as a comparable brand. Green if the other three colors offend you.


FWIW Fine Woodworking did find relatively significant imperical differences between the brands. Deflection, clamping pressure etc were very different from brand to brand.

[Callan Campbell]

One of the main differences not really stressed here is how the handles of the clamps fit your hand. Do you like the clamp in this dept, esp when you're really tightening down during a large glue-up. Some people swear by the newer Bessey style clamps, and others prefer the smooth handles of the Jorgensens. Before buying your sets, try them out if at all possible so you really know what you're buying. I own a fair amount of both Bessey and the Jorgensens, but would have like to have seen the Jet models when I was in the buying mode. I could never find them except in a catalog, even though other people were buying them at Home Depots in their area[ I think it was HD:confused:]

[Dan Karachio]

FWW had a big review a while back and I think the Jorgy and Besseys both ranked tops. The Bessy's, I think, scored a little lower because the guy dropped one and it cracked (how is that for a scientific review - did he drop them all? No!). I personally have stocked up the Jorgensen's and I love them. I get Home Depot Gift Certificates from my family all the time (they mean well), so I use them for clamps every time. They really do make a huge difference in panel glue ups - always flat.

[Van Huskey]

FWW had a big review a while back and I think the Jorgy and Besseys both ranked tops. The Bessy's, I think, scored a little lower because the guy dropped one and it cracked (how is that for a scientific review - did he drop them all? No!). I personally have stocked up the Jorgensen's and I love them. I get Home Depot Gift Certificates from my family all the time (they mean well), so I use them for clamps every time. They really do make a huge difference in panel glue ups - always flat.


You are correct it was FWW that picked the Bessey/Jorgy as the best, Wood magazine picked the Jet as the best. So obviously YMMV.

I think you are incorrect about the tester not dropping the all, I recall a picture of him setting up the test where he used a board to push each one of them off. However, without a large enough number of drops for each clamp the results of that were merely anecdotal.

[Justin Chen]

I have some Bessey's and Jets. I find the Jets a lot easier to set during my glue-ups due to the button/trigger on the handle. Now I'm waiting for Rockler to go 2 for 1 sale again.

[glenn bradley]

Fine Woodworking rated the Jorgensen and the Jet as the best parallel clamps in a test.

But, the Jorgies passed the drop test :) I have a bunch of Besseys. Jets and Jorgies are fine as well. The imitators start a downhill curve that runs fast. If you don't want to pay for a parallel clamp that stays parallel, don't waste your money, use F-style clamps.

I have mixed confidence in FWW reviews but, the many members here who use Jets, Jorgies and Besseys all seem to be happy. I also have some Stanley's (those black and yellow monsters) which work OK for the $8 I paid for them. They flex a lot and are as heavy as an Irwin . . . for $8 though, I'm OK with a few.

[Lance Norris]

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=140153&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1264799964 I use a mix of clamps with no problems.

You certainly cant do that with pipe clamps. The difference in heigth of the feet is substantial between my Jorgies, Irwin, and HF brand pipe clamps.

[Lance Norris]

Functionally identical, heck the Bessey clamp extenders even work on the Jorgensens.



The Bessey extender works on the Jet parallels as well.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=67765

[Dan Karachio]

Oh, I think FWW also rated the Jorgensens best on reduced hand chafing during tightening, thermal stability in cold shops, color fastness of plastic parts in direct sunlight and the most consistent crystalline structure of the metal alloys using their new electron beam microscope. Thank the lord there is a magazine out there that gives us the product information we need!

[Greg Urwiller]

As luck would have it, Menards has their clamps on sale starting today! Pretty significant savings I think. Picked up 4 36" clamps for $25 ea., that's $10 off. I'll probably go pick up 4 of the 24" too. They're $20. After I posted this originally, I looked at the Jet clamps. One thing I REALLY like about them is the 1" markings on them. Looks like that would be handy to have the reference marks for quick sizing. Might have to get out the electric scribe some evening and go to work! By the way, does HD always price match -10% on items like this? They have the Jorgys too, and they're just a few blocks away. 4 24" AND 4 48"....hmmm. Greg

[Justin Dreier]

Have good experience with Jorgies, Jet's and Bessey. I have tried them all. My set was nearly full with Bessey's when they changed the design. I tried the Jet's and the Jorgies and the new Bessey's.

If I was starting out a new set, the Jet's would be my preference. I like staying with the same clamp for convenience and comfort so I wen't with the old style Bessey's to round out my set. I really like the old style Bessey with the Rockler handle pad added on.

[glenn bradley]

However, without a large enough number of drops for each clamp the results of that were merely anecdotal.

Just for clarity, each clamp was dropped the same number of times. I do agree though that the results are non-conclusive. One of the clones heads shattered, the Jet's handle broke but, if they ran the same test again, the result could be different; too many variables. Hardly a deal breaker :).

[michael case]

The FWW tool review was in # 209 by Tim Albers. I found this too be a very poorly conducted test. Albers actually rates Jet clamps over Besseys. He has got to be kidding! One of his claims I found to be completely false. Albers claims he was "regularly annoyed" because the Bessey pads kept slipping off. I don't know what he is talking about. They have never slipped (never) in the all the times I've used them. I also noticed that he kept the top expander pads on. If these were he pads that annoyed then he is a bit inexperienced. No one who is familiar with these clamps leaves these on unless using the clamp as expanders. Oh by the way, the Bessey Revos work as expanders did he mention that?? Does he even realize it?? The clamping pads on the other hand stay on and preserve both the wood from marks and the jaws from wear and they never slip. Another thing about this review that bothered me was that a FWW editor Tom Begnal found that a strong hand could get the Bessy Revo to exert 1000 pressure and that the average person could get 800 pounds pressure from this clamp. These figures far exceed the the 650 pounds Albers assigns it.
Beyond the patently false observations and contradicted observations this tool test gets really silly because so much of its focus is on nonsense. The heart of the matter fails to be given the proper weight while virtually irrelevant qualities get emphasized. Albers mentions in passing that the Bessey Revo "did especially well staying dead square". Hello Mr. Albers - This is the very reason you want parallel clamps. The most important feature is their ability to stay parallel. With parallel clamps that stay parallel you don't have to worry about squaring your case work - the parallel clamps do this for you. This most important fact - that the Bessey Revos are the only parallel clamps that stay truly parallel - does not seem to seems to weigh much in the Albers' balance. Instead he emphasizes irrelevant observations about smashing clamps. I do not care how they fare if you throw them off a roof. I care how they work in my shop. You don't buy parallel clamps to smash them you buy them to stay parallel and enhance the accuracy and ease of your work. The Besseys do this by staying dead parallel while other clamps Albers rate higher will not. In the end, I found this to be one of the most poorly conducted tools test I've seen in FWW. Albers is contradicted by his own editors in regards the critical feature of pressure. His observation about the slipping pads is something I've never seen even once on any of the dozens of these clamps I own in all the times I've used them. And Finally Albers emphasizes nonsense and misses the whole point of what is the most important quality in a parallel clamp i.e. the ability to stay parallel.

[Harvey Melvin Richards]

I have both Jorgensons and Besseys. My Besseys work better on long jobs while the Jorgensons are better on shorter work. This is probably due to the fact that the Bessys are longer than the Jorgensons.

The Jorgensons have a larger diameter clamp handle which I prefer.

[Jerome Hanby]

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=140153&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1264799964I use a mix of clamps with no problems.
Wish I could have found some of those Stanleys when Big Lots had them. I've heard good things about them and those were some sweet prices...

[Todd Hyman]

Wish I could have found some of those Stanleys when Big Lots had them. I've heard good things about them and those were some sweet prices...

That was some good pricing on those Stanley clamps. I was scambling to get as many as I could find at Big Lots. They also had some good pricing on the F-style clamps as well.

[Van Huskey]

Albers actually rates Jet clamps over Besseys. He has got to be kidding! .


A lot of people agree with his conclusion even if they don't agree with his methods.

[Frank Drew]

I've only used, and owned, Besseys, and never found anything I didn't like about them; I've never heard any negative reports about Jet parallel clamps, either. I wasn't aware that Jorgensen made parallel clamps.

But IMO any good parallel clamp is a major improvement over other styles of clamps, and I've used them all; they're particularly better than Pony pipe clamps, although the latter are inexpensive and do have their uses.

[John Nesmith]

I have Bessy's, Stanley's, and Scott Phillips branded Gross Stabil's. I like the Bessy's the least of those 3.

[Neil Brooks]

A lot of people agree with his conclusion even if they don't agree with his methods.

Like me.

I've got a number of Besseys, and like them fine. After the FWW article, I bought a set of four of the Jets.

Yeah: like THEM fine, too !

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_WVVYjLCNo2w/S9jd-tOPlQI/AAAAAAAAA_A/zWey1po7n98/s512/P1040760.JPG

[Jacob Mac]

I have Jet, Stanley's, and one Jorgy. I like the Jet the best. But not so much that I reach for one over the other. Whatever is closest gets used.

[Bob Falk]

Jorgensens.....the Besseys seem to ratchet better (I have the old style Jorensens), but I don't like the little ridges on the Bessey bars...they fill with glue and the clamps don't catch right. Bob

[Ben Martin]

menards puts the jorgensons on sale ever few months. i take there flyer into hd and get an aditional 10% off...

This is what I do as well, you can get the 24" Jorgys for $17.99 I believe.

[Jesse Wilson]

I type this as I sit in my office staring at a 60" cabinet master clamp lol


I started out with the Cabinet Masters because that's what I remember most about my dad's shop, rows of orange clamps. The one thing I can say about the Jorgensons is that they are the only clamps that I have been able to get locked up when closed all the way. In fact I had 6 of the eight clamps I had ordered arrive that way. Until my dad showed me how to "unstick" them I was quite pissed off. Now it's just an annoyance.

I would rate them in the following order:

Jet
Bessey
Jorgenson

Before I bought the 3 Jet cabinet sets I own I spent some time with the Jet and Bessey side by side at my local Woodcraft. I was already sold on the Bessey over the Jorgensons I already owned just from spending time with them at my local Lowes while shopping for other things. I was really glad I got to see the Jet and Bessey side by side before I started buying too many parallel clamps. The Jets were hands down the best clamps I have handled.

The F&F of the Jet and Bessey are far superior to the Jorgenson with Jet just edging out the Besseys. The Jorgensons seem to always come in with minor F&F issues on their parallel clamps and significant issues on their F clamps.

I prefer the action of the Jet to the Bessey and Jorgenson as well with Jorgenson ending up last because of the problem when clamping them all the way down.

The handles and the Jets are more comfortable and are easier on the hands for prolonged use as well.


Well there is my $.02 regarding parallel clamps...... no refunds sorry.


Jesse

[Phillip Ngan]

I like the sound of the Menards sale on the clamps. Does any know if they sell via mail order, or online. I went onto their site and can't find the product in their online store. Thanks.

[Cliff Furman]

[QUOTE=Nathan Allen;1512177]Functionally identical, heck the Bessey clamp extenders even work on the Jorgensens.

Have you used the Bessey extenders? I heard they don't fit.

[Matt Winterowd]

The clincher for me is that the Bessey clamps are by far the fussiest to make rough adjustments. The Jorgies and the Jet stay in place where you put them prior to screwing down the clamp. On my Besseys the moving head slides up and down the bar (often whacking me in the hand) while I'm moving them around the shop, and even once I have them set down horizontally and start to screw down the clamp, they often slip and have to be readjusted until they bite into the bar. I've never had any issues like that with the other two brands.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

the most important thing to take into consideration is that the bessey are red and the jorgensons are orange....so it really comes down to what colour palettes you have used to decorate your shop. (i have bessey because they go better with the throw rug!)

M
:D

Now THAT is the best reason I've seen on which clamp to buy.

As everyone said for the umpteenth time, they all function well, and you can't go wrong with the Jets, Jorges and Bessys. I have Jets, for the small reason of the inch markings and the lever that keeps the clamp from moving by gravity.

[phil harold]

my Gross Stabil are the best!
but they are the only K-Body style clamps I have

[shane lyall]

Can't say about Jet because I don't own any but I do have several Jorgs and Bessys. Both are good and I use which ever my hand falls on when I reach for the rack. I think the J's get a little tighter but the B's stay a little more flat. You will be pleased with either. I have more Jorgys because I'm at the orange BORG more than the blue and I usually pick up a clamp every time I'm there. Makes it easy on the checkbook. FWIW, the HF clamps hold ok but they flex and aren't even close to parallel.

[David Prince]

I pretty much always used pipe clamps, but now have a good selection of parallel clamps. I usually clamp up however I need to, but always wondered if it was better to clamp the piece closest to the bar or closest to end of the jaw??? If you have the clamp setting on a table top and load the piece into the clamp, then your work is resting on the bar. If you have your piece laying on a table top and then turn the clamp upside down and clamp down on it, then it is closest to the jaw end. Closer to the jaw end is closer to the turn handle and seems like it would have the greatest pressure at that point if you needed pressure, but I would think this would give you the possibility of racking.