Jet or Irwin parallel clamp better than Bessey?

[Bob Genovesi]

I'm really amazed that I haven't even heard of these.

I must have close to 20 Bessy clamps. I bought them in sets of 2 or 4 varying their lengths. They work very well and I rely on them for their accuracy and parallelism.

I just Googled them and took a look, I might have to bet a couple and give them a try.

Thanks for the information.

[Will Blick]

> If you cant bring your joints together with the Jets, you did something wrong.


Agreed.... the differences are small, but then again, when you are choosing between products that are so well made, you are down to fine details. Its nice that we have such great options for clamps.

The Jet clamps really benefit from adding some oil to their threads, as they seem to be the only clamp that comes dry from the factory. I increased clamp pressure 300 lbs by adding oil to all my Jets. My Besseys remained unchanged, as they were all well lubricated at the factory.

I will have to test the Bessey extenders with the jets, I think the two bar profiles are different enough whereas you will not achieve a great fit using the Xtenders on the Jets....of course, you can get it to fit as the link you provided demonstrates.

To the OP.... I would say the Jets have the most features of any of the parallel clamps... dog use, scales, finger QR, deepest jaws, nice grip (not equal to the Stanley and probably the new Besseys as they are rubber)....and if the Xtenders work, well, its a slam dunk :-). But, when those features are not that important, the much lower weight of the Bessys sure is nice!

[glenn bradley]

The Jets have some nice features and are a quality clamp but the weight of the Bessys is a deciding factor for me. It is all a matter of personal preference and methods of work when you are comparing quality products. Having worked with the Bessys for awhile the sliding mechanism is a non-issue for me but the finger trigger on the Jets is well designed / made. It comes down to what is important to you. I don't think there is a best or better classification here.

[Greg Pavlov]

The Jets have some nice features and are a quality clamp but the weight of the Bessys is a deciding factor for me......

Same here: I tend to use the Bessys when I need shorter clamps. They're lighter, and I like the smaller overall size of the heads, they're easier to position. I have several longer Jets, and I tend to use them over the Bessys when I need longer ones.

[Jerry Olexa]

All good valid points above. I have Bessys, Jorgies and Jets. The Jets are heavier but the trigger mechanism is a treat compared to my old Bessys. Overall, I give a slight edge to the Jets. They also work very well being compatible with my bench holes/setup when doing larger panels, etc

[Dixon Peer]

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

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Why do they call them a "Parallel Clamp" When they are not?

This is a parallel clamp. It can be wood or metal it's got two screws each with a right and left hand thread that allow the user to adjust the clamp so the pressure is dead parallel.

Parallel Clamp.jpg

anything else using that descriptor is falsely named.

Call me a clamp snob or a purist or whatever.

[Gary Keedwell]

Why do they call them a "Parallel Clamp" When they are not?

This is a parallel clamp. It can be wood or metal it's got two screws each with a right and left hand thread that allow the user to adjust the clamp so the pressure is dead parallel.

Parallel Clamp.jpg

anything else using that descriptor is falsely named.

Call me a clamp snob or a purist or whatever.

Whatever.......

[jonathan snyder]

The jets are also on Sale through the end of the month. Click on the flyer cover to download the PDF sale catalog. I just ordered a few through my local distributor.

Jonathan

[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.

[Lee Hingle]

I have Bessey's, Jet's, and Gross Stabil's - I can't comment on the Stanley or Jorgensen clamps.

I think hands down the Gross Stabil's are best - but they are hard to find and expensive if you can find them.

The major problem I have with the Jet's (beside the weight) is that the heads are canted in slightly (1 degree to 3 degrees based on the length). Jet did this to allow the heads to become parallel under full clamping pressure (when the bar is bowed). However, I find that when clamping a face frame, that the plastic heads will actually dent the wood slightly.

I traded my 4 Jet's to a fellow woodworker for Bessey's.

Just my $.02

[Gary Muto]

I already had Bessey's and Jorgies when I bought my first Jets. I like them all, but if I was starting without any, I'd probably buy the Jets. I really like the bench dog attachment.

[Tim Malyszko]

I have both Jets and Besseys and started to buy the Jets exclusively since about April. I find myself always reaching for the Jets mainly because of the way they lock in place, so I stopped buying Besseys. I cannot tell you the number of fingers I've smashed using Besseys.

Every once in a while, Rockler has a tremendous deal on the Jet Cabinet Sets and Pairs of Clamps. Over the summer I picked up 2 sets of the Jet Cabinet Clamps and received a $50 gift card for around $200, which came out to less than $25/clamp. In addition, I've purchased 2 50" and 2 24" clamps there before for $50 on special. They are ususally in-store only deals, so if you have a Rockler near you, keep your eyes open.

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, Rockler also had the Irwin Clamps on sale, but I did not buy any even though they were a great deal.

[Brian Dormer]

I have Jet and love 'em.

[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.