731 woodworks posted a video 2 days ago on his channel comparing 8 different brands of parallel clamps including Bessey, Jet, Jorgenson, Bora and these Bremens, along with a few others. The Bremens, by the end, were the top rated along with the Besseys. Between the 2 he chose Bremens as well, over the Bessey, as best value. Its good to see that opinion upheld by others in the business. Great review! Thank you.
I actually shot and edited this video last Friday. I ran out of time to get it posted and had to work my real job Sat, Sun, and Mon. I seen his video. I agreed with 95% of what he said. I almost re-edited my video after watching his to point out a couple of things but didn't. For me they clamp exactly the same but it is much easier to use the Bremen than the Bessey.
I currently have 10 Bessey and 6 Bremen. I can use either but ever since I got them the Bremen are the ones I grab first and only use the Bessey when I run out of the Bremen. I have been thinking of putting my Bessey ones up on Market place to sell for the price of the Bremen. That way I can have all of the better clamps.
Great video.! You are the first person I’ve seen to actually show what’s underneath the plastic. The Bremen look so much better. I think HF is really stepping their game up.
I had a lot more footage of the inside of the clamps. The thumbnail was of the clamps apart. It was not getting many views so I changed it and got 4x the views in a week than I did in a month. Harbor frieght buys from the same overseas manufacturers as major brands. It has been shown on several items having the same mold marks as Snap-on, Matco and other top brands. I have only been using them for a month but so far the Bremen have held up very well. I like them because they are so much easier to slide close than the Bessey clamps. I never use the allen wrench to tighten them so I am getting the same clamping force.
Yeah, I watches your videos last night. Some of the best videos I have seen in awhile. A person can actually build them. Most videos don't give all the info and measurements to actually build it. I subscribed. How much do you charge for the basket holders?
@@ShopRamblings Is there a fix for when the Bessey screw mechanism comes out of the ball end part? If you made a video showing how to fix it, I'm thinking some Bessey owners would watch it.
@JasonPeltier The hole the ball head snaps into just doesn't hold secure enough. If you unscrew the handle too far, it will pop out. If you line it up, you can tighten the clamp, and it will pop back in. If you don't line it up, it will bend over the edge of the socket and never go back in.
Thanks so much for taking the housing off each clamp and giving an in depth side by side. I’m looking to buy my first parallel clamps and this confirms I’ll be grabbing a handful of Bremens.
One of my 24" Besseys just started giving me problems like what you mentioned at the end of this video. In my research for a fix, I finally came across this video. You've convinced me to go to HF instead of HD for my next parallel clamps. Thanks for the video!
GREAT INFORMATION!!! I wish I had watched this before I purchased an assortment of Bessey clamps. Keep up with the great informational videos they are greatly appreciated!!
Yes sir - I agree. I think Bremen is gunna set the house a-fire! By the way - I really appreciate the fact you took the clamps apart, your honesty. Good on yuh!👍👍
I had a lot more I wanted to put in about the clamps construction but I don't think the average viewer is as interested as I am in the engineering. I haven't thrown out by Bessey but they get a lot less use now. I am heading out to the shop now. Everything that was left glued overnight is in Bremen clamps. It has been over a month and Bessey still has not responded to my warranty claim. The only problem I have found with the Bremen so far is they sell out almost as fast as they get restocked. Apparently a lot of people like them.
Great comparison. Thank you for your time doing it. Have you tried if any of the Bessey accessories work on the Bremen?. The accessories I have in mind are 1) "Pivot Jaws" which allow you to clamp items that are not parallel, 2) "Extender" which allows you to connect two clamps when longer spams are needed 3) "Rail & Stile Jig blocks" which allow you to set clamps perpendicular to each other.? Thanks in advance for your response.
I have the rail and stile blocks. They work. I just ordered a set of pivot jaws and an extender. I will try to check them out and post a video when they come in. I went by HF yesterday and bought all the Bermen clamps they had in stock. The biggest problem with the Bremen clamps is at the price they are selling for they are going to keep getting sold out.
I have two Bessey K clamps and have constant trouble getting the movable jaw to slide on the bar. I bought the Bremen and Irwin parallel clamps and have no trouble with them. For the money, I’m watching for sales on Bremen and Irwin clamps.
I would sat the the Bessey are a little higher quality. When I called they started denying the warranty before I told them what was wrong. When I ask if I could tell them what was wrong to see if they would cover it they said to go on the website and submit it. I did and still have not received a response. I don't mind paying more for a quality product but not if the company will not stand behind it.
@@ShopRamblings Yeah, for a higher price, I expect warranty service to be prompt and easy. I'd try tweeting at bessey to see if that gets the gears turning.
I have so many clamps I don't need them. It has been messed up for months. I had gotten the Bremen to try and I had just got in another set of the 60" clamps. I noticed on the tag it had lifetime warranty so I thought I would give them a call and see how their warranty was for the video. I could post it on their page and may get some results but a person should not have to do that. It seems to me with German company's they will go above and beyond with their warranty and customer service like Festool or Mercedes. Then others are the the complete opposite. I will just say I have close to $1000 in Bessey clamps. I just did a glue up this morning. All my Bessey clamps are still on the wall. They only get used if I run out of the Bremen.
It was the most interesting to me. There are 3 main differences. The Bremen have the spring, so you don't have to lift the handle to slide the clamp closed. Bremen has a cast block where Bessey has the steel plates. The Bessey has steel inserts that grab the bar.
Thanks for helping me pick between these 2. I think the Bessey Vario design with the sliding head would be useful sometimes, but seems kinda gimmicky and not worth the extra cost. The other brand I was considering was Jorgensen, but their parallel clamps didn't rate very highly.
I have been using them for a while now. The only negative I have found is if you stand them up on the head, it will slide down. If they were the same price, I would get the Bremen. Bessey is not a bad clamp. If they were cheaper than the Bremen, I would buy them.
Shame on bessey for the small print limited lifetime warranty. I’ll remember that forever. Thankfully I’m just getting started and haven’t purchased any bessey clamps. Thank you for providing this info.
I have no problem buying a tool without a warranty. My issue is that they try to be sneaky and write the word limited smaller than the L in Lifetime. Then, when I called to ask about warranting the clamp, they started with how it is only a "limited" warranty. They were ending the call, and I asked how they knew that it is not covered under warranty when I had not told them what was wrong. They told me to summit it online. I did and never heard back from them. I paid too much to throw away the clamps I already have, but I will never buy another one of theirs. With both brands hanging in the same rack, I still grab the Bessey clamps last. Not because of the warranty but because the Bremen are easier to clamp with.
I have been using these clamps for a while now. I had some of the Bremen stop working. Harbor Frieght stands behind their warranty. It takes 5 minutes to swap them out. If you use them a lot they will wear out. I still prefer them over the Bessey one. The only good thing about the Bessey clamps is that they come in more sizes.
Same here. I have cut a live wire twice and HF gave me a new set of cutters both times. That was my fault and they still took care of me. Besseys are defective but they invoke the limited part of their warranty before they even know what's wrong
@@ShopRamblings I’ve been debating on what parallel clamps to go with and bessey was at top of list. But As soon as you said “limited” before even knowing more. That made my mind up to never use bessey. HF might not be the greatest nor highly thought of in the woodworking world, but for the cost and ZERO Hassle exchange policy makes them the best!
Next time you are at a store go look at the tag on Bessey clamps. The word "limited" is smaller than the "L" in Lifetime. I would say in everyday clamping they are equal. Bessey does have where you can use a wrench and get a little more clamping pressure. How many videos have you seen people use the red clamp and how many times have you seen them use a wrench to get that extra pressure. Then the Bremen are easier to use because they will slide closed without having the lift and tilt the handle back. If you ruled out price and warranty that would be the deciding factor because everything else is the same. But when you figure in paying almost twice as much and them not standing behind their product it make the choice for me simple.
Not to mention Bremen have life time warranty...my buddy tested them for 6 months 4 of them, one failed he returned no questions got a new one...their just fine in my book...he took it apart to then reassemble to return it...for the money I say Bremen all the way....
The Bessey does have a hardened insert where the clamp binds against the bar. That spot can get worn down on the Bremen. But like you said, they will swap them out with no issue. The same can't be said for Bessey.
Bessey's cheesy "Limited" print is bad business. I have always thought Bessey's were over priced. I have the Jorgensen version of these and they are hefty, well built and have served me well for over 30 years.
I thought high price equaled high quality and service. I was wrong. They should atlest wait to hear what the issue is before denying the warranty. I think I only have ten, but they will be the only ten I ever buy from them.
I had Besseys but had a problem with many of them getting stuck and very difficult to move the head back. Then switched to Jorgensen clamps and they are lightyears more reliable and smoother than the Besseys. Saw the Bremens for the first time the other day so now curious how they work compared to the others.
I don't know why, but I always thought of Bessey as top of the line. They are good but did not stand behind their warranty for me. In most instances, I find the Bremen better and are the clamp that I use the most.
@@ShopRamblings I thought the same thing but I think like many things, when they switched their manufacturing overseas, they toned down the specs as well. Try the Jorgensons if you ever do get a chance. They have times where they get to $1 or less per inch, which is what I try to look for when I need to buy more. I believe that's close to what the Bremens are at their normal pricing so I'll be getting 4 of them soon to do some glue ups and see how they fare.
I have a rack full of the Harbor Freight bar clamps. With a piece of plywood in the middle they work great. I think i paid around $8 each with a coupon. My other video I clamps 3 cutting boards at one time with them and they came out great. However, parallel clamps and a whole other level. 731 woodworks just did a video comparing almost every brand on the market and the Bremen were the cheapest and came out as one of the best. In my opinion the Bremen work the best. All parallel clamp are expensive but the Breman are the cheapest. It is not often the best functioning is the cheapest. I would expect the price to increase because these are going to fly off the shelf once people start using them.
Curious regarding the cast iron end piece on the Bremens, I have a tendency to drop my parallel clamps on that end on the concrete shop floor or allow the other end of the clamp to slide down and impact the end with my Bessey’s - wonder if that would be an issue with Bremens? I guess with the Lifetime warranty maybe not issue. I’ll definitely need to try the Bremens out. Thanks
Good job thank you sir. Hope you can make a little money back with this video. I’m subscribing to your channel. And you’re helping me save some money as I’m just getting started collecting some parallel clamps ❤
Thanks. The video has been out for about 9 months. I have made $54 off it. Luckily, I don't depend on making money off RU-vid. I just try to share when I find good deals and hope that when I need something, I can find where someone else did the same.
I made the mistake of buying Bessey clamps BEFORE I knew about the Bremen clamps. Big mistake! I'll take the Bremen's over ANY clamp all day. The most irritating thing about the Bessey is when it is closed all the way, not clamping anything, it gets stuck/locked and takes a few minutes to open the clamp. I have come to hate Bessey clamps actually and only use them if I don't have enough Bremens to clamp up something.
Great to see the clamps with the plastic removed. The Wood Whisper did a video on the Bremens(ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-TxJwydzjriw.htmlfeature=shared&t=728 ), and what he found was that while the Bessey uses a hardened grub screw to engage with the bar's serration, the Bremens just have impressions in the softer locking arm. TWW found that over time those impressions would smooth out and then the clamp wouldn't apply enough pressure. Since your video is now a year old, I wonder if you've run into this problem with your Bremens yet?
I have. The only thing is HF will swap them with new ones where my Bessey clamp that broke they denied the warranty before I even told them what was wrong.
I used Bessey's Warranty Page email and it wasn't hard to get replacements on some about 30 year old first-generation Bessey Clamps that had distorted.
I just called yesterday during business hours. It went to voice-mail and the message sound like it was a bother to them that they had to even record a greeting. The first time I called when I said anything about warranty they immediately stopped me to clarify it was a limited warranty before I even told them to issue. I asked if we could see if this is cover as they are not very old, have been well taken care of, and is the only one with this issue out of the many I own. Begrudgingly they said I could submit a warranty claim through their website. I did and included pictures. In over a month I never received a reply. I really don't care if they replace them. I have 40 other clamps. I will not buy another one of their clamps. They were the best parallel clamps on the market. Now it depends on your needs. I find them #1 in 2 out 5 areas and the Bremen #1 in 3 out of 5 for almost half the cost. Then you concider if you have an issue with the Bremen you just walk into HF and swap them for a new pair and Bessey doesn't even care what the issue is before not warranty their product. It is a shame, they still have a great product but there are alway a certain amount of issue and if you don't stand behind your product you can't expect people to pay a premium.
I am not sure I understand the question. Are you referring to me having 1 year experience? I have learned a lot from people with 1 year experience, mostly what not to do but also many fresh ideas or new techniques. I have completely reorganized my shop with French cleats in the last couple of years but I have tools I bought 30+ years ago and was building things with tool out of my Dad's tool box longer than that. So if it looks like I am inexperienced it is not work with tools but in filming. I am inexperienced in videoing and many time I end up with hours of footage try tool show the details of what I am doing, then whennit is cut down to 15 minutes it doesn't make as much sense.
