Woodworking Clamps: Which Brand Is Best?
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- čas přidán 3. 06. 2024
- I took ten months to test the Pony Jorgensen F style Bar Clamp against the tried and true Bessey clutch style bar clamp. These are competing woodworking clamps in the same category. They are the medium to heavy duty clamp with cast iron clamping heads and steel bars. Both Pony Jorgensen and Bessey offer these from 6” to 36” in clamp length. The clamping force on both are comparable. All in all, both of these brands are making tremendous woodworking and workshop clamps. But there has to be a winner when doing a woodworking clamp shootout, right? After ten months of use, in every single setting I can think of, I can finally give a tool review on which woodworking clamp I would buy if I was purchasing clamps to outfit my workshop. Hopefully this review video helps to answer your questions, and regardless of the brand you choose, I’m sure you’ll build some amazing woodworking projects with them.
The woodworking clamps shown in the video are the Bessey GSCC+K bar clamp and the Pony Jorgensen 3706-HD bar clamp.
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--⏱️Timestamps⏱️--
0:00 Bessey vs Jorgensen Clamps
0:16 Bessey Woodworking Clamps
0:47 Pony Jorgensen Clamps
1:09 Clamp Measurements & Construction
3:39 Woodworking Clamp Sizes
4:12 Clamp Reviews
4:37 Bessey & Joregensen are Made in…
5:46 Cost of Woodworking Clamps
6:29 Workshop Clamping Performance
7:48 Which Clamp Brand Do You Choose?
•• About NewtonMakes••
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Here’s a list of tools and materials that I used to make this project. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
•• Tools & Materials ••
My Amazon Store: www.amazon.com/shop/newtonmakes
Bessey Bar Clamp: amzn.to/3CLthY3
Pony Jorgensen Bar Clamp: amzn.to/3Nt0SLq
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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.
I'm going to save this comment. So awesome!
Your comment is GOLD! I hope everyone reads this. Thanks for the great idea.
Nuggets of gold like this are 1 of many reasons I nearly always read through the comment section. Thanks
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 do appreciate the review! Glad to see a CZcamsr 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 CZcamsrs make them. They aren't fun to me though. I want to build something!
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!
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 try to follow this advice too
Excellent comparison, Billy! Thanks a bunch! 😊
Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊
Thanks!
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)
Great video thanks for sharing I’ve thought about buying some of these
They are alluring. Maybe the ones I got were busted, but I did buy them at separate times.
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.
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.
Im with David at make something in this one. Harbor freight for $3 and lifetime warranty no questions asked is perfectly fine with me
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.
ah good to know
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.
I have lots of both in my shop and have had for years. They both work and I have never had a failure.
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.
So far it seems like my experience was the minority, which great! I don't want people to have their clamps slipping.
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.
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.
Dang that's a lot of reach. Menards has some sneaky good deals they don't get mentioned enough. I'm gonna have to check these out thanks!
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.
I also have Jorgensen and have never had them loosen on me. I really like them
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.
@@NewtonMakes I wonder if you got one from a bad batch. My clamps are all the smaller ones though, not the deep reach.
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.
I have been meaning to tape my Besseys with the slick wooden handles.
Go for the hockey tape. It has a slight tackiness to the grip that works great. Try it out, and you'll see the difference.
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.
Just a small piece of double sided tape on the metal part of the jaw and the pad will be very secure.
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.
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.
Excellent review, liked the wee nod to your cousins on the other side of the Atlantic, too.😊
I lived in the UK so I'm required to do shoutouts haha
@@NewtonMakes, that's awesome. Where did you live?
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; 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. 🙂
Ill know soon i own lots of bessey and just order a full set of Jorgensen in each category 4 of each to start so probably 30 clamos total
I like Bessey clamps. I also like orange. War Eagle
Oh my! At least you aren't Bama!
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
Just measured them with calipers and they are identical diameters!
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.
I haven't experienced that yet with Pony, but the pads come off my Bessey clamps from time to time.
Good to know the vessel clamps do the same thing. Maybe I shouldn't wrench them down as much 🤔
they work fine. their performance is as good or better than Bessey. I dislike the wood handles on the Bessey small clamps.
Bessel has a cheaper model with wood handles and a higher end model (like Billy shows) with the better grip handles.
@@jamesbrunk9817 maybe that should have been noted in the video.
I don't like the wood handles on the smaller ones either, but I tried to stick with comparing the two clamps in the same category.
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!
That's a solid idea that I'll have to try. I didn't grease them up but no telling what happened at the factory.
@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?
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 use the Harbor Freight clamps. Not those new ones either.
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.
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
I'm very jealous and will be picking up some game tickets for this season soon. I'm not originally from Michigan. I was raised in SEC country.
@@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
Interesting, I have both brands and have never had a Pony loosen like that, and here in Australia, the Pony’s cost less than the Besseys
Glad there's a price difference for you guys. I wish there was here. I don't know all of mine come loose. It's strange.
Brand new they are not always easy to open unless you hold them a certain way like they're always too tight even using dry lube.
If the price of two is identical, I would go Bessey. But if Jorgensen is cheaper, I would take it.
Totally understand that!
about the only thing Lowes sells that is useful are the Jorgensen clamps.
"450..53 kilos. Again a ton of force.." Erm... No. A (metric) ton would be 1000 kilogram (kilos).
"450kg, a tonne of force!" Well, half a tonne😅
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!
which one is made in china?
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!!!
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.