Jorgenson -VS_ Bessey

[onedash]

Anyone have both? Which do you prefer?
I have 6 Jorgensons and love em.
I think they have longer jaws then the Besseys and are usually a little cheaper.
Any advantage to Beeseys?

[drumpriest]

Don't forget that Jet also makes parallel jaw clamps. I have Bessey clamps, because I got them on a killer sale. Honestly I think that any of the 3 would be great to have.

[LCHIEN]

Anyone have both? Which do you prefer?
I have 6 Jorgensons and love em.
I think they have longer jaws then the Besseys and are usually a little cheaper.
Any advantage to Beeseys?

I got both Besseys and Jorgy's in the 2005 sale; amazon ran out of Jorgies so they asked if I would accept Bessey K-bodies for the same price.

So I like them both; the Cabinet Masters seem a little more substantial than the K-Bodies I think they both do the job well.

[mater]

I have both types and both are quality made clamps. I have no preference over either.

[LarryG]

When I started buying my K-Bodys, I read several buyer reviews that suggested a QC problem with the Jorgensen Cabinet Masters. That must have been with an early production run and has apparently now been corrected, judging by more recent reviews.

Because of this I went with K-Bodys but if I was starting over, I'd get whichever brand was cheapest. As Keith and Loring and Ken say, I think any/all of these will work fine. Don't forget the Gross Stabils, too. Some people like those best of all because they have replacable jaws, in case one gets broken (the new JET clamps may do this, too, can't remember).

[jnesmith]

I have no Jorgies. I have Bessies and Gross Stabils. Between those 2, I prefer the GS's. They are just as beefy, if not more so, and are easier to use in my opinion.

I've read several reviews of the new Jet's, and they appear to be the new standard.

[Holbren]

So I like them both; the Cabinet Masters seem a little more substantial than the K-Bodies I think they both do the job well.

I have both and agree with Loring.

If I were to buy today and prices were equal, I would buy the JET's hands down.

[meika123]

I have both, and IMO the only advantage the Bessey's have over the Jorgensen's is the flat back so you can set the clamps upright and put the stock into them. Also, Bessey claims to clamp up dead-on square every time. I have my doubts. But quite frankly, I like the Jorgensen Cabinet Masters just as much.

I recently bought the remaining stock of Columbian clamps from my local Lowes store. good weight, very solid construction. I like them a lot. Never tried the Gross Stabil's but have looked at them several times at my local Woodworkers Shop. Very nice, very heavy duty clamp. But way too much money for me. JMHO.

Dave in NC

[Tom Miller]

...the only advantage the Bessey's have over the Jorgensen's is the flat back so you can set the clamps upright and put the stock into them....

Dave, I wonder if you're thinking of a different type of Jorgy than the Cabinet Master. The CM's also have a flat back, and with a wider jaw they tend to stand up a little better.

I have CM's and Besseys. For some projects, the Besseys get the nod just because they're a little lighter, and thus a little more manageable. The CM's get the nod when I really want to register a flat face to get a square clamp up; the wider jaw helps here.

Also, I turn to my Jorgies (or Besseys) when I run out of Besseys (or Jorgies).

I think all of these K-bodies were purchased at ~40% off. Otherwise, they're too rich for my blood.

Regards,
Tom

[meika123]

Maybe I'm wrong. I thought mine were Cabinet Masters. I bought them at Sears some time ago, and if they're not the top of the line, I'm sure I'd be impressed with the CM's. These clamps I have are very impressive. Very heavy, solid, with a beam size of approx. 1 1/8"--probably 1/4" thick. All I know for sure is, they cost like #%$&.

Dave in NC

[onedash]

CM's

Here they are.

[meika123]

I definately stand corrected. These are not the ones I have. But I really do like mine.

Dave in NC