Jet or Irwin parallel clamp better than Bessey?

[Lance Norris]

Bessey's.... K bodies have one other advantage, they can be joined together with a K Body Extender ($13), to increase the length of the clamp. Unless you only use one size clamp, this greatly increases the range of clamping options you have... joining two 48" clamps will get ya an 8ft clamp! If you can utilize this jointing feature of the K bodies, they are the best choice IMO.

The Jet parallel clamp works with the Bessey K-Body Extender. Here are links to two threads I started. I only have Jet parallel clamps, but have used most of the other brands. I think that the Jet is by far the best clamp. Some of the other clamps may have more clamping pressure, but the Jets have more than enough clamping power for any glue up. If you cant bring your joints together with the Jets, you did something wrong.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=67765
http://www.forums.woodnet.net/ubbthr...v=#Post3320241

[Dixon Peer]

Too bad Bessey bought Gross Stabil and took them off the market, because they were, in my opinion, far superior.

[Lee Hingle]

Too bad Bessey bought Gross Stabil and took them off the market, because they were, in my opinion, far superior.

Truer words were never spoken! I wondered what happened to them - I hadn't realized Bessey bought them out.

[Jules Dominguez]

I bought a large number of Besseys about a year or so ago when they were on sale, mostly based on the raves I had read on this website about them. The Besseys are sturdy and do a good job. I've never felt that I couldn't get adequate clamping pressure with them, and they hold things square. So they work and will do the job.
They can also be a major pain in the butt to use when the handles are not in a convenient position for tightening. If I were buying now, I'd get the Jets.