Bess and I

[jlk40]

They say, "You can never have enough clamps." This is true, on on that merit alone I am appreciative toward Marc and the folks at Bessey, including Danette. Their "sample size" for review is incredibly generous, and many of them will make it into my workshop as regulars. So kudos to Bessey on generosity, and for the opportunity for feedback.

I guess this is where the good news may begin to wane.....and here goes:

Open and Closing

I find Bessey Clamps hard to open and close, especially the Jr. and UniKlamp ones. In fact, with the K Body Revo Jr. 24, of which we were given two, I still can't get one open. Do you pull the handle slightly up? down? otherwise? Admittedly, it is much easier on the larger models (e.g. KBody Revo 24 and 36)

How important is this? Every woodworker knows that out of all steps in the process in our craft, glue-ups are among the most important. One that glue pours, tick, tick tick. At that moment, no one wants to start playing with their clamps. In fact, that is where curses were born.

Rail Protectors

There are pictures of them on the tags. There are explanations for what they are supposed to do as well. But rail protectors...really? I have never used them, and they will most likely get tossed. In their place, I would much rather see two things, (1) End caps that have set screws that can adjust along the rail just like the JETs have. These keep teh bars parallel and even to your table. (2) Also like JET, a ruler on the bar that indicates inches. Both are more helpful for reference and keeping things level than more plastic that I will hardly ever used, irrespective of name.

In fact, if you really want to "protect" those rails, you may want to suggest on the tags to apply some paste wax on them before use, or apply blue tape over the area of the glue joint. That's helpful...."rail protectors"....eh.

Does Size Matter

This is a point made by other testers: size matters. The larger clamps have better handles, are easier to open and close as well as feel sturdy. The handles on the smaller ones, especially the Uniklamps, just feel cheap. The larger ones also came with an extra plastic jaw plate which is a nice addition.

Conclusion

For a mid priced set of clamps they are acceptable. The larger ones are far better than the Jr. ones. They are certainly better, let's say, than speed claps like Irwin, and exhibit the stability and pressure necessary. However, if one wants to work with wood for the long haul, for a bit more money, clamps like JET (and maybe Jorgensen) offer ease of open and close, measurements on the bar, and adjustable rail clips that make them worth the extra money.

[jlk40]

I tried again to open the smaller clamps (JR and UniKlamps) since it is less humid today.

Still could not get the K Body-24 one open. I would be happy to mail the set back and try a different set if Bessey would like, but at the moment, they are not useable.

Two more thoughts: Perhaps if there were optional bench dog accessories, it might help stabalize matters...at least for working on a work bench.

Also, there must be some word on how to release / open all clamps....lift, push down, unscrew.....something that tells me, a dense woodworker, what you intend.

[bbast]

Jeff,

I have had the same problem with the Jr. I found if I removed the sliding pads then the clamps would release by moving the handles. The only time this problem occurred for me was when I left the clamps resting on their heads with the bar pointed up, when they were hanging in my clamp rack I did not have the problem. Agree this is a pain in the a$$.

[jlk40]

Good news / bad news.

First, Danette and Bessey were very generous in sending me another JR. Revo 24" clamp because I was not able to open one in the original shipment.

That was very nice.

Second, I will share a confession: When I received the second one (actually the third), I could not open it either, however, I was too embarrassed to say anything to my buddy Danette. It was only after I read Brian's post about taking off the plastic base plates of the jaw that I was able to open the clamp.

Thank you Brian.

That leads me to three, which I will pose as a question: Would you buy - let's say - a car which, to turn on the engine, you would intially need to wiggle the siide view mirrors?

Answer: who the hell knows. Maybe, if you thought after that intial step it was worth it all, then yes. But the problem Bessey needs to think through is how many people will not know Brian's trick, be unable to open the clamp(s), and just return it.

Remember, you never get a second chance to make a first impression.

[jlk40]

Quick comment: Using the UniKlamps to keep stock in place while I chisel out some mortises. They are surprisingly strong.

[jlk40]

This Morning

Brought UniKlamp 24" to a repair job I had this morning.

Handed it, without coment, to a local handy man to seure on work piece. Watched him struggle to open and close before he said, "let me get my clamp from the shop."

Again, once it is secured, it is absolutely strong /firm etc. But if this guy's reaction is any indication......