Bessy K-Body 50" $39.97 At Home Depot Buy'em and cut them off

[Eric Commarato]

Yes the Bessey Clamps on the left are the ones I bought at HD, they are the newly designed models.

[Terry Kelly]

i have used them and don’t care for them....I have a variety of them Jorgensen,bessey,jet.....I find their slide mechanism isn’t the smoothest.....always last off the rack

[Mel Fulks]

Agree with Terry. First time I used any I had trouble adjusting them smoothly. Fellow worker was unable to explain the procedure. Eventually got better at it ,but when I have to use any I'm always afraid they are not going to work.

[Ted Phillips]

I've never had any complaints with my Besseys - except that I never have enough clamps in general... They always work dependably for me.

[Carlos Alvarez]

I've never used Jet clamps, what makes them SOOOO much better?

I guess one of the top things is that they instantly lock in place rather than sliding around. They have better markings. They have larger faces. They are smooth and quick to adjust then stay where you put them. There's something about their dimensions that makes them more stable when standing on end so you can lay something on them. I'd have to go grab a Bessey and use it to remember all the things it doesn't do as well. Now that I think about it, I don't think I've taken one off the rack in months at least.

EDIT: Should note that my Besseys are many years old, and new ones may be better. I guess I should test drive one in the store.

[Edwin Santos]

EDIT: Should note that my Besseys are many years old, and new ones may be better. I guess I should test drive one in the store.

Hi,
Yes, I think you should. Ignoring the Jet vs. Bessey question, I will say IMO the Bessey Revos are a big improvement over the old style Bessey K bodies. It's all a matter of preference. None of them are "bad", they all clamp.
Edwin

[Vijay Kumar]

The new clamps are on the left in the first two pics. The new clamp handles have the ability to use an Allen wrench to apply more torque to the handle. In the far right pic the new clamp is shown on top.

Thanks Mike that is quite helpful.

[Carlos Alvarez]

Hi,
Yes, I think you should ignoring the Jet vs. Bessey question

Why? The Jets are even older. So are you saying that Bessey has caught up to Jet quality?

[glenn bradley]

I've never used Jet clamps, what makes them SOOOO much better?

Its a personal thing. With many years of using both the Jets are not my go-to's. I do enjoy the longer jaw on occasions that is required. I really dislike the trigger mechanism and find it grabby and hard to hit the "sweet spot" on for free movement. Contrarily, others love the trigger and find Bessey K-bodys and Revos difficult to move smoothly. I assume it is like a pot-holed road; if you know where the pot holes are you can make a smooth drive of it. I've used k-body clamps for so long they are super simple and comfortable for me. Others love their Cabinet Masters, Jets or Yost.

[Carlos Alvarez]

I really dislike the trigger mechanism and find it grabby and hard to hit the "sweet spot" on for free movement.

I've sprayed all my clamps with dry lube. It makes all of them run smoother, especially the Jets. Between that and technique, they just never bind up. The lube also helps reject glue if you get some on the clamps.

[Edwin Santos]

Why? The Jets are even older. So are you saying that Bessey has caught up to Jet quality?

No, I'm just saying the newer Bessey Revos are a big improvement over the old K-Bodies that had the red wooden handles. So if your opinion on the Jet clamp being sooooo much better than the Bessey was based on the old Bessey, check out the new style and you might like it. Or you might just conclude that Jet still rules (for you).

Then again, there is a contingent of people who like the older Besseys better than the newer ones, but I can't for the life of me totally understand why. Occasionally I've had a Bessey Revo that didn't slide smoothly, and hitting the bar with a little Johnson's paste wax resolved it. The dry lube sounds good too but beware of any that contain silicone.
Edwin

[Frank Martin]

No, I'm just saying the newer Bessey Revos are a big improvement over the old K-Bodies that had the red wooden handles. So if your opinion on the Jet clamp being sooooo much better than the Bessey was based on the old Bessey, check out the new style and you might like it. Or you might just conclude that Jet still rules (for you).

Then again, there is a contingent of people who like the older Besseys better than the newer ones, but I can't for the life of me totally understand why. Occasionally I've had a Bessey Revo that didn't slide smoothly, and hitting the bar with a little Johnson's paste wax resolved it. The dry lube sounds good too but beware of any that contain silicone.
Edwin

I too really like the Revo or the K-Body's that had the same handle as the Revos. In fact, I came into decently priced Revos and replaced all my older K-Body's with the red wood handle. In my opinion single biggest improvement is the handle. Revos are also heavier than the older version, which could be the reason why some people still prefer the older version.

[Carlos Alvarez]

Sigh, one more way this site makes me spend money. I'm going to check out the new ones. I'll either buy those or more Jets, and get rid of the old Besseys. I don't need MORE clamps, I need clamps that don't suck.

[Ben Rivel]

Just picked up the two K-Body REVOs that my local HD had in stock and they turned out to be the newer version. Havent messed with them yet but they do seem a tad nicer. Just displeases the OCD a little that all my Bessey K-Body clamps won't match.

[Mike Harkin]

Thanks Mike that is quite helpful.

You're welcome.

Just picked up the two K-Body REVOs that my local HD had in stock and they turned out to be the newer version. Havent messed with them yet but they do seem a tad nicer. Just displeases the OCD a little that all my Bessey K-Body clamps won't match.

You'll just have to buy more, and keep them in separate racks.