I took the buy once cry once approach. I've only bought Bessey clamps. They have worked well every time I've used them. I have no regrets about buying them. Stay awesome.
I do appreciate the review! Glad to see a RU-vidr review a tool THEY purchased. I subscribe to several woodworking channels however of late, no one does woodworking, just tool reviews. Thanks for continuing to put out woodworking videos!
Project videos will always be my priority. Review videos generally get the most views, which is why RU-vidrs make them. They aren't fun to me though. I want to build something!
Meters are also used on your side of the pond, my friend! Look North! Yeah, where all the smoke comes from! Thank you for all your videos! Always learning something with you!
Yep and I immediately caught that when editing haha! I forgot to give you guys a text shout out on the screen. I love my Canadian peeps! Oh, and Canada is also south of me too! Detroit is weird.
I've been woodworking for 30+ years and could not get these Jorgensen 36" clamps to hold. Thank you for this video as it confirmed that it wasn't my technique but the actual tool. I'll stick with the Bessey clamps. Thanks!
Whenever I have a clamp that slips, I do 3 swipes with a triangular file in each groove on the bar. Never slips again. I do believe it's a quality control thing.
Nope!!! The slipping has nothing to do with good or bad quality control. It's a matter of right tool for the right purpose or application. Both clamps are not made for dynamic demands, only static ones.
I have a few of the Jorgensen clamps like the one in this video. I have also had issues with them not staying put. It’s almost like the black screw threads are greased up.
I appreciate how you gave an honest review, and that it wasn't just gushing. It seems like most reviews I watch never go into depth, and just talk about the features and how great the product is. I have a few Bessey clamps, and not staying upright (07:25) is an issue I wish Bessey would fix and redesign (so the Jorgensen clamps win out here), but the clamps not staying tight and loosening with vibration is an issue (so Bessey win out here)
As Newton mentioned in passing, Jorgensen went bust several years ago. The brand name is now owned by the Chinese company Hangzhou GreatStar Industrial Ltd. This isn't a bad thing in itself but it does mean that the US made clamps that you've owned for years are probably not the same as the Chinese made clamps being reviewed.
Interesting. I bought 12 Jorgensen's @$12/each because they are 50% cheaper in Canada than the Besseys @$14/each. My complaint about the Jorgensen's is that the quality control is lacking. Different clamps have different angles on the screw which puts the screw pad at a steeper angle when clamping which causes the work piece to move when gluing things up.
I have the medium duty Jorgensen clamps. I have had no problems with them. It could be the threads on the heavy duty version may be causing the problem. Also, It could be slipping because too much clamping force was applied.
I have both brands as well. I like the Pony grip better, however, my issue with mine are that the pads keep falling off when I unclamp them or pull them off the rack and I have to hunt for them. Have never, so far, had the pad come off on the Bessey.
I have a number of Bessey and Jorgensen clamps that are several years old. I really can't tell the difference in performance day-to-day and have never had the loosening issue with the Jorgensens. Maybe that's because they are older models and the newer version isn't as robust. I do reach for the Jorgensens first mainly because of the superior grip on the handle. Taking a hint from Rob Cosman I taped the handles of my Besseys with lacrosse tape (since Rob's recommended hockey tape is not available in stores down here in the South) and that has helped a lot to make up the difference.
Nice review. I’ve had good luck with the Menards store brand (Masterforce) clamps. They have a 4.75” reach. 1000 lb clamping force. They are clutchless, like the bigger Bessey clamps. Best of all they are about half the price of the Jorgensen. $12 for a 12” clamp, $14 for a 24” clamp, $16 for a 36” clamp.
I use Jorgensen almost exclusively and they have never failed me. I've never experienced them loosening during a glue up. Maybe I got lucky with mine. Interesting.
Because I thought I was crazy, I've tightened mine down to the point of almost denting the wood, and then used them. I've had them loosen up and fall off the bench. It's unreal. But I'm rooting for people to have your experience, not mine.
I understand about the same day out of the box review JKM did a review on CTM forstner bits so I bought a set and was really disappointed as they hardly cut at all. Thank you for doing your do diligence for this review.
There's something to be said for initial observations. But it's important to also say that we truly don't know how they will perform until we use them.
I bought a pack of 5 Jorgensen clamps from Lowe's when they were running a sale. Four of the five work great, but I had the exact problem you described with the last one. For me, it doesn't even take vibrations - as soon as I let off the handle, the clamp starts to unscrew and loosen.
I have both Bessy and Jorgenson. The old made in USA Jorgenson clamps are great. The new Jorgenson clamps suck. The pads pop off when they are under a lot of pressure. They unscrew from vibration from a sander. They get jammed up regularly after un clamping. I’ve been buying the Harbor Freight models. The rice is great and I like the quality.
I like the Pony parallel clamps. The only thing you have to watch out for is because they don't have the little teeth like the Bessey's they will slide down onto your fingers like a guillotine.
The pads on the Bessey clamps come off easily. At least they do on my 10 year old clamps. Bessey has never responded to my requests to buy replacement pads.
I have both; I prefer the besseys though. These days, I want the lightest, most compact tool that will do the job, and throat depth is more important to me than slightly bigger pads. That said, I do prefer the 4" light duty jorgensens over the bessey equivalents. One thing to keep in mind about build quality, the bessey is lighter and smaller yet is rated at a higher clamping force than the jorgensen, so that could be an indication of inferior materials being used in the jorgensen, though it's more likely that the jorgies are just conservatively rated. Jorgensen didn't really close, they were sold to great star international who moved production overseas and kept the brand going. Some products have suffered in quality because of this, but they still have some excellent ones as well. edit: I see you covered this; my bad for commenting before fully watching. Final edit: great presentation and video quality btw, subscribed. 🙂
I just bought 4 of the 6” Bessey clamps with the wood handles. I’m not paying double the price for a rubber handle. They are just fine for my woodworking projects. As I watch some of these woodworking videos, people use way too much force or pressure on the clamps.
The clutch style Bessey is a Jorgensen copy. I have the American made Jorgensens and German made original Bessey's. They both have their advantages and disadvantages depending on the situation. I tend to prefer clutch clamps because they hold their settings. Other than that, they each do what they're designed to do. Squeeze things together. My opinion after years of woodworking is this. Whatever brand or clamp type you have, learn it's strengths and weaknesses and learn how to use them. The knowledge you gain is far superior to the brand name.
Great review, Billy. How do the screw diameters compare between the two clamps? Also, all of my Bessey F-style clamps (which are a lot older) have the sliding clutch rather than the style of clutch you have on yours. Bill
Maybe too much grease/lubricant on the screw? I don't want your clamps to rust, but maybe try wiping them down, or spraying with some non-chlorinated brake cleaner? I had ONE Bessey that was over lubricated and I had it loosen on me many times. I finally figured it out and now it works just fine. I have two Jorgensen clamps like yours, but at least 5 years old, and they work decently. Thanks for another great video/review!
@NewtonMakes for as little effort involved, it might be worth it. I went to the store yesterday and clamped a Jorgensen onto the rack, tapped it about 5 times, and it was loose. I wonder why the new ones (which look almost identical) are doing that?
I have the smaller pony clamps and the biggest issue I have is after clamping something the clamp shoots out of the non marring pads. I think it's something to do with the slick orange paint not grabbing the rubber. It's happened a few times and after the last time the clamp flew across my work bench and hit me! Didn't hurt but was caught off guard by it so I took all of the pads off and never had another mishap. I'm thinking about plasti dipping them so they are non marring again.
Good, surprising review. Keep 'um comin'. How does a person in Michigan become to like orange/white? I'm about 20 minutes from the heart of Big Orange Stadium. JimE
@@NewtonMakes Just the opposite for me. 60 years in Big 10 country(Alpena, MI) and the past 20 in SEC country. My WI Badger granddaughter will start wearing orange/white this fall. Go figure. If ya get near Exit 407/I40 give me a shout and I'll buy lunch. JimE
@undefined40 yeah, Americans tend to use the term "ton" a lot, generally meaning "more than is necessary". I do the same thing without even thinking about it. It's an annoying quirk of language.
It's a matter of right tool for the right purpose or application. Both clamps are not made for dynamic demands, only static ones. The slipping or loosening is the logical consequence of using those clamps for the wrong purpose. This video is nothing more than advertisement and local patriotism!!!
Bessey all the way. I'll take German engineering over anybody's any day. Love their specialty clamps as well. Got the Bessey Band clamp and corner clamp and they are awesome. You can instantly tell when just inspecting a Besssey clamp that the quality is miles above Irwin or Pony/Jorg clamps. Just like their cars!
I was sure you were heading towards the Pony. 😲 The Pony has 2 strikes in my opinion. I don't think I've ever had a screw type clamp come loose, that's very strange. That 1/2" difference on depth is also a negative for me. Thanks for the review.
