Kreg K4 or K5. Which to get? And why?

[Marshall Harrison]

I've been looking at the Kreg pocket-hole jigs and had kind of decided on the K5.

I was in Lowes this morning to pick up some wood and they had the K4 jig for $99 which is the standard price most places. But they had a deal - buy the K4 and get the SK03 Pocket-Hole Screw Kit for free. That combination is normally $129 so if I go this route I can get it for $99 and get my 10% veteran's discount on top of that. Lowes doesn't carry the K5 and it cost $129 for just the jig at most places.

All that leaves me asking which model you guys prefer? I like the front handle on the K5 but I have read about some issues with it not locking down properly. The K5's storage extensions would be nice but they are kid of flimsy and I could build my own extensions out of a 2x4. I won't be doing any large panels so reaching around the piece is not a big issue for me. Some people complain about adjusting the pressure on the K4 as you switch between wood thickness but that doesn't seem like a big issue to me. I also know lots of people have used the K4 and been happy with it. So, I'm leaning towards the K4 to save money and get more bang for the buck. Any real compelling reasons to not jump on this deal?

Thanks.

[Scott Brader]

I have a K4 and, while I don't use it a lot, I have been very happy with it when I have needed it. I don't find adjusting the pressure on the clamp to be a big deal, but maybe I would if I used it a lot more. The K4 holds the pieces effectively and allows me to drill the holes quickly. It's also small enough that the case fits nicely in a lower cabinet in my shop.

Scott

[Marshall Harrison]

I have a K4 and, while I don't use it a lot, I have been very happy with it when I have needed it. I don't find adjusting the pressure on the clamp to be a big deal, but maybe I would if I used it a lot more. The K4 holds the pieces effectively and allows me to drill the holes quickly. It's also small enough that the case fits nicely in a lower cabinet in my shop.

Scott

Thanks Scott. I don't see the clamp as a big issue either. You only need to adjust it if you change the wood thickness and I don't see that varying much within a project as most of the wood used will be the same thickness.

[William Chain]

FWIW, I had a K4 and moved to a K5 because I liked the idea of the clamp mechanism being out front. At the time, I was making a bunch of cabinets so reaching around the ply to get at the clamp was annoying.

I just recently picked up an Armor tool auto-adjusting jig to try out, not sure which one I'll keep just yet between the Armor and the K5.



Thanks Scott. I don't see the clamp as a big issue either. You only need to adjust it if you change the wood thickness and I don't see that varying much within a project as most of the wood used will be the same thickness.

[Marshall Harrison]

FWIW, I had a K4 and moved to a K5 because I liked the idea of the clamp mechanism being out front. At the time, I was making a bunch of cabinets so reaching around the ply to get at the clamp was annoying.

I just recently picked up an Armor tool auto-adjusting jig to try out, not sure which one I'll keep just yet between the Armor and the K5.

I just learned of the Armor version yesterday. I would love to hear your review of it

[Charlie Hinton]

I have the K4.
I have used it to build bookcase style shelves for the shop and it worked beautifully for that.
I have used it a couple times with wider panels and thought the front handle on the K5 would be better for that type of project.
The pressure adjustment on the K4 does not bother me at all.
The standard three hole guide can be used like the one hole guide in many situations.
I mounted mine on a piece of MDF.

The last thing I wanted to use it on was 1/2" Baltic birch and I bought the smaller screw insert, I wouldn't do that again if I had a do over.

In case you didn't already know you can use the veteran discount on Lowe's.com.

403856

[Charlie Hinton]

I think it might just be a toss up on which one to pick.
After the shop shelf project I have used mine very sparingly.
I do recommend having some type of pocket hole jig though, sometimes it's just the most effective way to build something.

[Brian W Evans]

I don't have either one, but I do have the K3, which has the clamp handle toward the user. I like this very much since I only use pocket screws on plywood, which tends to be large.

If I were buying a new jig, I would definitely get the K5 just for this reason.

[Jon Nuckles]

I have the K5. I bought it for doing kitchen cabinet boxes, so the front handle was important to me. I also like the auto adjust, but that is minor. You mentioned problems with the K5 not locking down properly. My handle was sticking, so I contacted Kreg. They immediately sent out a replacement and I haven’t had a problem since. I don’t know if that’s the problem you heard about, but their customer service is great and should be able to address any issue.

[Rich Engelhardt]

I bought a K3 over the K4 - simply because the vast majority of people mentioned how quickly the back mounted handle of the K4 became an issue.

Having said that - Kreg has real problems with the auto adjust system.
I wanted a table mounted Kreg clamp and went through the entire stock of my local Lowes trying to find one that actually worked. No joy...

I was reminded of how much of an irritation my, supposed water saver Kohler toilet has become......I despise that water waster- - it gives new meaning to the derogatory name of "four flusher"...
I honestly don't need or want any more irritation in my life.

There are better products out there than what Kreg makes. Pity - they used to be good. No - strike that - they used to be great!
I wonder what happened to them?

[Jack Lemley]

I moved from the K4 to the K5 a couple of years ago from the front of machine clamping and am glad I did. I have eye'd the Armour but need to see some reviews before I decide if I will stick with the Kreg.

Jack

[Ben Rivel]

K5 all the way. Not a fan of the reach around clamp in the K4.

[Kelly Rollins]

Have you looked at the Porter Cable pocket hole jig? I upgraded to it over the K5, and love it. Auto adjusts to thickness, extremely high quality build. I love it. https://www.amazon.com/PORTER-CABLE-560-QUIKJIG-Pocket-Hole-Joinery/dp/B004ADJQTO/ref=sr_1_2?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1550631825&sr=1-2&keywords=porter+cable+pocket+hole+jig

[Ben Rivel]

Have you looked at the Porter Cable pocket hole jig? I upgraded to it over the K5, and love it. Auto adjusts to thickness, extremely high quality build. I love it. https://www.amazon.com/PORTER-CABLE-560-QUIKJIG-Pocket-Hole-Joinery/dp/B004ADJQTO/ref=sr_1_2?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1550631825&sr=1-2&keywords=porter+cable+pocket+hole+jig
Decent review/comparison of the K5 and Porter-Cable here: LINK (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXxMEiz-gYw)

Think I might be picking up one of those Porter Cables...

[Marshall Harrison]

I've decided to go with the K5. I already have one of the screw kits and there are some size/type screws in it that I will rarely use. It seems a better solution to get the front loading K5 and then get larger size boxed of the size screw that will be most common for my usage. Free isn't always good.

Thanks everyone for your help.

[William Chain]

I've now used the K5 and the Armor version on 3/4 BB, and on 2x4's for a quick frame.

Pro's on the K5 - once set up, it's very easy to use. It has the wings that are the same height as the jig, and they double as storage bins for the various bits and pieces. Screws from Kreg are at the borgs. The locking lever is out front, and the dust collection apparatus is fine (I use the Rockler hose kit, and I insert the smallest fitting into the K5 port, works fine).

Con's on the K5 - the block height is determined by a set screw into preset holes on the block. So, undersized ply can sometimes end up with a slightly protruding screw even when you've done everything right (particularly vulnerable to this if you use a impact driver to drive the screw home). If the adjustment were finer, I believe this issue would disappear. Sometimes I have to mess with the clamp to make sure the pressure is consistent as the project goes - not a huge deal, as I check every tenth drilled hole or so. The bonus clamp that usually comes with all these K4/K5 kits that is supposed to be used to hold stuff down or together, whatever - the autoadjust vise grip type clamp - I have had three, and all three have had issues as they get used. Initially they're fine, and they become fiddly over time. I may or may not be alone in that assessment.

Pro's on the Armor - the auto-adjust of the block and clamp to the size of the piece, and the corresponding auto-adjust on the bit collar is nifty. The clamping system can be fiddled with for tension, etc, and I've messed with that a little, but so far the fully automatic settings have been good enough. The block then gives you a readout on a color-coded scale for what screw to employ. Armor has a variety, with an assortment of threads and lengths. The color coding is convenient, and while better for the new user, I found it told me what I already knew. But, for a new user, this is nifty. I will say that the screws are not quite as widely available yet, but I've been using the Kreg equivalent and those work fine. Dust collection is also good on the Armor, and I'm using the same fitting and setup as the K5. Repeated holes on the Armor did not seem to loosen the tension on the autoclamps as I used it, but my K5 does have more miles on it, so we'll see. The Armor also came with a face clamp (vise grip style) like the Kreg kit, which I got for buying the kit when first announced. Not sure if you get that with the order now. I will say that I had zero protruding screws on 3/4 BB that was undersized. I do not know if that was just blind luck, or if the finer movement of the block with no predetermined hole stops like the Kreg successfully compensated for sizes.

Con's on the Armor - The K5 is available at local WW stores (though not at the borgs), the Armor I ordered online (I haven't seen it locally yet, but it may well end up on the shelves for all I know). If you're ordering online in any case, no big deal. There are no wings on the Armor. A standard 2x4 will be the right height, and I'm OCD so I milled up pieces to fit exactly. They work fine, but they do not store anything like the Kreg. I kept both jigs bolted down to an MDF panel that I wheel away on a cart or hang on the wall for storage, so the underside storage on the Armor intended for the drill bit and square head driver bit are useless at least for me. The Armor screws, while of high quality, are not widely available locally like the Kreg offerings, but that may change. After I burned through the samples they provided, I've been using the Kreg equivalents. They seem interchangable anyway.

Sorry I do not have pictures to go along with this review, but I hope it is at least a little useful for you. My final verdict - still don't know for sure which to keep, but I'm actually leaning toward the Armor. The lack of protruding screws on the undersized ply, and extreme ease of use may carry the day and compensate for the lack of storage in my shop-built wings. I shouldn't complain about the wings, they took me 5 min to make and screw down. It's just nice to always know where all the bits and pieces are with the K5 when I store it.


I just learned of the Armor version yesterday. I would love to hear your review of it

[Patrick Irish]

I went with the Porter Cable jig after my research. You can lay it on the side and use it. Picture a 4x8 sheet on the ground, you can slide this under it and make some holes, then stand the sheet up and screw it down into whatever you were building. Like this picture shows. The base is also the same height of a 2x4 which helps in supporting pieces.

https://i1.wp.com/sawdustgirl.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Pocket-Hole-Jig-3796.jpg?resize=640%2C427&ssl=1

[Marshall Harrison]

Picked up the K5 today at my local Woodcraft. I also got to see the Adaptive Cutting System which I will hopefully add to my shop later this year.

I cut the wood for a small end table last week and its been sitting in my garage waiting for the K5. I did a simple farmhouse style shoe rack using the R3 and that was a pain in the A. So I decide to wait for a more efficient method of cutting the pocket holes for the table. Now I have it.

Thanks for all the feedback.