Poll and questions on parallel clamps-K body style

What parallel (K-body style) clamp do you like best?

  • Irwin Quick-Grip parallel jaw

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Jorgensen Cabinet Master

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Stanley-Bailey parallel clamp

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Woodcraft parallel clamp

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    18
  • Poll closed .

Jim O'Dell

Member
Messages
2,783
Location
Between Aledo and Fort Worth, TX
OK, I'm seriously contemplating using some of my money saved for a cabinet saw to get started in the world of cabinet clamps. I want 2 sizes, but not the normal 24 and 40 inch units that the kits come with. My preference is the 31 and 50" units, but in researching prices, Frozen Warrior shows the best prices in the last 90 days on the Jet clamps being for the 40 and 60" models. On the larger size, by almost 17.00 a pair better price. !! (83.07 for the 40" and 66.30 for the 60", both prices for 2 clamps)
Also in my research, it looks like the Jet's get the overall nod for most features/quality for the money, with the Bessey's a close second. Has the introduction of the Revo closed that gap or made them switch placements? How do the other clamps stack up in comparison?
With the poll, show which one you like best. Please answer with why you like it. Pros and cons on the brands you have personally used would be most helpful. If you've used many of them, if you could rank the ones you've used in a post here, that would also be helpful. The Stanley/Bailey at Big Lots could still be a good clamp for the money they have them at, but not as good of a clamp as the others. But the why is what I'm looking for help with. Feel free to list other brands I don't have listed. I know there is one brand that the pros really like, but it is way out of my league! :wave::rofl:
As always, thanks in advance!! Jim
 
the bessys were what i started with do to peer pressure years ago, i have some of the jorgys, bar clamps but they are in a class all by them selfs.. in my opinion the "revo" didnt help there ratings,, just my opinion.. have used the jorgy K's and dont like there grips.. i have a good grip as of now, and the larger handle on the jorgys dont fit me well.. dont know about the others havnt been there.. but i can say that the packages of 24 & 40 from bessy got me started but i soon realized that 40"s were to short.. you reach for one and invariblly its to short..where the fifty's will get it..
 
Jim,

Thanks for posting this! I'm very interested, cuz it looks like a couple of these kinds of clamps may be my christmas present. Looking forward to hearing the opinions... ;)

Since you've been doing the research, do you have links for these kinds of things?

Thanks,

Bill
 
I didn't vote because the K-Bodies are the only ones I've used. I have 16 of them - four each in 12", 24", 30", and 40".

I also have the Bessey Uniclamps - 'mini K-bodies' - four each in 6", 12", and 18". I like them for smaller projects. They work just like, and just as well as, the K-bodies.
 
Bill, happy to share.

But first......I found something after I did the poll. Four (4) Bessey 40' K-Bodys for 109.99, free shipping, and a 10.00 off 100.00 or more purchase (code 1351), brought the total for 4-40" Bessey (old style) to...drum roll.... 99.99!! Wish they had the 50 or 60" models on sale for similar price. They do have a package of 4-24" for 89.99, and a code (1350) for 5.00 off 50.00. Not a bad deal, but not as good as the 40" units. Wish I had a few more bucks available, and I'd get 4 more of these.
Links.

Frozen Warrior
31" Amazon Jet 31" 2 pk
40" Amazon Jet 50" 2 pk
50" Amazon Jet 60" 2 pk
60" Amazon Jet 40" 2 pk
These show the 90 day price history and sales rankings. Also shows all time low price on the left side. And links back to Amazon. I also have each of these in my Amazon cart so it is very easy to look at it, and see what the prices are as the cart updates prices every time you load it. That way it is easy for me to take a quick glance while I'm at work.

International tools
Int tools Jet clamps

E-bay seller
JET 70431-2 31" Parallel Clamp 2 Pack *NEW* - eBay (item 400011356165 end time Dec-22-08 09:03:17 PST) (I Don't know anything about this guy.)

Woodcraft
http://www.woodcraft.com/product.aspx?ProductID=03W66P&FamilyID=315&weeklyspecial=true
Remember to use the code 1350 5.00 off 50, or code 1351 10.00 off 100.00 in the coupon box to the left during check out. It didn't take it at first, and I had to back up and re-enter it. I only knew of the 1350 code, and it took 5.00 off, but had a message in red that said to use 1351 for the 10.00 off 100.00!! I thought that was nice.

If you've never used Frozen Warrior, you can take the ASIN code off of any product on Amazon's site and plug into FW, and you can get this information. Amazon has lots of clamps listed, including the Jorgensons and Stanley-Bailey (though Big Lots has much better pricing on the Stanleys if there are any left!!) You can track anything, not just tools. But it only updates once per day, about 5:00 pm. So I use it for price history mainly, to see what a good price is on something. Jim.
 
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I have the following: 4-24in, 2-40in, and 2-50in k-bodies. They are the only parallel clamps that I have. I have several other Jorgy bar clamps, and some small Irwin quick grips.

For me, the only down side to k-bodies is if you get glue on the bar, it is hard to get off. I wish I had a few more 24in'er and at least 2-12in'ers.

The Jet clamps have gotten good ratings, and I haven't heard a bad word about them. They have a bigger face than the K-Body and a quick release trigger.

I have seen the new Revo's and I don't really see what the big deal is. Their face is bigger than the K-body face is, and they have more clamping pressure, but that is about it.

The Woodcraft clamps were made by Bessey. They are pretty much the same as the K-body's. However they have a plastic handle instead of the wooden one.
 
Jim I have mostly pipe clamps and wish to purchase some of these clamps so thanks for the Poll. Just something that I found in my research. I watched one of the "woodwisperer podcasts" the other day and saw that he had a style of clamp that had a quick release lever below the handle. I really liked the way he was able to slide the clamp head up to the wood with easy using this quick release. I discovered after much more detective work that these were the Jet type. So for me when I buy I will be looking to get Jets at this point. I dont think I will be persuaded by price since I have been burnt too many times with junky clamps. Not to say that the other brands are junk, just that I will only be buying once and I expect many years of service from them and I dont want the frustration any more.
 
I have both bessies and jorgies, both do what they are intended to to, Clamp in parrallel. The big difference to me anyway is the weight. Bessies are about half the weight of jorgies making it easier for me to handle. Bessies also have, for lack of a better word. teeth on the bar and jorgies are smooth, does that make bessies clamp better :dunno:, dont know, just thought I would add that difference. Jim has given some web sights with pricing which is cool for compairison. The woodcraft 24" are a real good price, even that you are not looking at 24" versions.

Tom
 
Jim,

I have Bessey K bodies because some years ago, one of the Borgs was selling them off at fantastic prices, so I made a decision to grab as many as I could. I have 16 of the 24", 4 of the 31", 4 of the 40" and 4 of the 50". If I was buying today, I would lean toward the Jet and I would probably buy less of the 24" and more of the 31". I also would not buy any 40",but would get more of the 50" or maybe even some 60".

Like anything, the size of clamps you need depend on what type of woodworking you will be doing. For qlue-up of solid wood panels, I find the 24" and 31" work best. For clamping large boxes and carcases the larger sizes are best (in conjunction with a few 24's or 31's).

Probably the two sizes that would cover you for all would be just the 31" and either the 50" or 60". Just my opinion.

Clamps 1.jpg

Oh, the missing clamps are busy on a glue-up!
 
Jim,

I can't yet give an opinion for the poll as I just aquired my first K-body Bessy's. Have not started the project they were purchased for.

I do see that these are made pretty well. The ones I got are between the original K-bodies and the new Revo's. Mine have the Revo grips but not the black plastic faces. I only bought 24" but that will do most all of what I intend to build.

I also have an assortment of Jorgy Pony clamps, some one hand imports, some Irwin one handers, a few red Bessy bar clamps and a few Jorgy 3/4" pipe clamps.

I'll be interested to see everyone's opinions on this.

Aloha, Tony
 
I voted K-body. I like the lighter weight and have never had a problem with them. The Jorgie's and Irwin's are beefy but heavy. The Jets have some cool features but are heavier as well. I did pick up a couple pair of the Big Lots Stanley parallel clamps. They also are heavier and don't lay on their backs well but, for $10, they work fine.

The new K-body Revos served me well by causing the local stores to blow out the old style K-body clamps . . . thanks! I was always reaching for just one more 24" so when they were clearanced, I solved that issue ;-)
 
Doggone,

Now I have gotten more interested in these clamps, LOL.

I looked into the Jet clamps. The features Rob and Bill told about are good to have. Now I wish I had researched them further before I bought my Bessy's. Guess we live and learn.

I did check Amazon's pricing on the Jets and found something interesting. I priced Jet 24", 31" and 50".

I found that the 31's are $43.00 ea, $86,00 for a 2 pack. No special bargain there.

The 24"s are $29.00 ea. and $77.50 for a 2 pack ($19.50 more when you buy a 2 pack ($9.75 more each) than buying two individual clamps). :(

The same case is for the 50". They are $37.00 ea. and $101.50 for a 2 pack
($27.50 more for a 2 pack ($13.75 more each) than buying two individual clamps). :eek:

What's up with that? :dunno::dunno::dunno: I thought if you bought more of one item in a pack it would be cheaper, not more for each one. Am I missing something here? I would guess it is going to be buy the single clamps in multiples for me.

Anyone else notice this? :huh:

Aloha, Tony
 
Tony, if you look a little closer, the singles are not shipped by Amazon, and therefore don't have the free shipping. Add the shipping in and they are higher. I saw that too and wondered at first. But I've gotten where I always look at the bottom line price with shipping to be clear on the cost. Jim.
 
Tony, I guess to be fair after looking at them a little more, the 50" and 60" do turn out to be slightly better price-wise from Timberline. Shipping on the 60" units is 11.82 each, so that makes them 93.64 for 2 shipped as opposed to Amazon's 99.11 with free shipping for the 2 pack. Now, the 2 packs that Amazon sells were down to 66.30 for the 2 pack last Sept. 28th. Unclear if free shipping was involved with that or not. I have emailed Timberline to see if the shipping could be combined for a lower shipping price if a quantity of 4 was ordered. Just to see what it might be. I'm hoping around or after Christmas Amazon will drop their prices again. I've got them in my cart to be able to see what is happening at a quick glance. :type: Jim.
 
I got a good supply of Besseys during the blowout sale in Spring/Summer of '06. I have used them for several box projects and will use them more for some cabinets I'll be building when we finally get our new house.

I haven't used any other type, so I can't comment on others.
 
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I'm still looking right now, but on Amazon sold by Timberline they are 35 bucks each, plus 11.82 shipping. Amazon's price for 2 packs of the Revos are at 109.99 with free shipping. Jet 2 packs, 60", are 98.67 with free shipping. I have an email out to them right now to see if they will consolidate shipping for qty of 4. I'll post what they say when I get a response. Jim.
 
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