Customer Reviews

Bessey K3.524 K-Body 24-Inch Parallel Jaw Bar Clamp

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As an owner of nearly 100 clamps, I can accurately state that the Bessey K Body clamps are the best the clamping world has to offer. Yes, they are expensive, but well worth the cost. Once you own a few of these, you will wish you never purchased any other bar clamps.

As a home woodworker I have always chafed at the price of high quality clamps such as these because I was under the delusion that something this expensive should either have a motor on it or be a tool pretty enough to show off in a display case when not in use. Thus, I have a considerable collection of pipe clamps, cheap/thin bar clamps, and all sorts of fad clamping products. Recently, when Bessey finally decided to lower their prices I took the plunge (we probably have the new Jet clamps to thank for that).

As for these clamps, they are absolutely a joy to use. The clamp faces are wonderfully non-marring and resistant to glue sticking. They also will stand up by themselves and don't easily rack and fall over as I slide boards across them. Once a panel is in the clamps, the whole piece can be stood on the end of the clamps in a corner while the glue dries.

And beyond all of these features lies the best of all - clamp jaw parallelism. You can always rest easy knowing that these clamps are not bowing the panel or whatever it is that you are clamping, because the jaws always always stay parallel to each other.

I cannot say that I am yet ready to sink hundreds of dollars into new clamps, nor will I throw away my trusty Pony pipe clamps, but my starter set of these Besseys will get A LOT of use around my shop in the years to come. I highly recommend that you try these for yourself!

For making square pieces (doors, frame panels, boxes, etc) these clamps are the best. The jaw faces stay parallel to each other, which helps keep everything lined-up and the plastic does not mar the wood.

Any wood glue that squeezes out of the joints does not stick to the plastic nor the metal.

These clamps will stand on the floor on their back without any other support. You can also clamp up panels and stand them up and the clamps are stable that way too!

They are a few dollars more, but definitely worth it. They are heavy, so get some small ones too.

K-Body clamps are simply the best cabinet clamps around

Great clamp, the jaws stay nice a parrallel when you apply pressure on them. They also have the ability to apply a large amount of force if you need them to. A very good addition to any workshop.

Few things in woodworking are as important as clamping, if you make a mistake at this stage then everything you have done up until that time was a complete waste. These are the best clamps out there that I know of. They are a little bit more expensive but based on how important clamping is its worth every penny. If you are starting out in woodworking don't look any further and don't waste your money like I did when I first started by buying cheap clamps and then having the glue up stage ruining the project.

If you are buying 40' or 24's you might want to consider buying the Bessey cabinet door clamp kit. The price for the qty of 2- 24 inch clamps, and the qty of 2-40 inch clamps go for less money in the kit, than they do individually, and you get the supports that hold up the clamps for free-no extra charge. Since clamp buying is a hobby with these, you may want to load up that way instead. These Bessey clamps take top honors in strength, weight, and ease of use. Definitely a top quality product. Every show including Norm, Woodworks, etc. all sport Bessey clamps. They are the best! Now let's get into the Nitty Gritty.
Even though I like these best out of all of the bar clamps, there is a limitation in bar clamps, in that the bar will bend when under pressure. Under normal gluing pressure, which is slight enough to mate the two surfaces firmly, but not enough so as to squeeze the glue out, their isn't a problem. Even if you need to exert more pressure to mate the surfaces, your final pressure should be slight. Why am I concerned about this? Well I first bought these clamps thinking they would create a perfectly flat bed to lay your project in. If you are using the longer version, this becomes especially apparent. When under more pressure, the bar of the clamp is no longer straight. They all do that, it is inherent in the design of a bar clamp. An I beam shape would solve it, but is impractical, even on a tiny scale.
(...) These Bessey's are hassle free and reliable. The cheap clamps are made with a square tube the clamp rides along. Consequently they take a great deal of pressure without showing any signs of bending. The limitation to them is that they only have a 1 3/4" throat depth, whereas the Bessey's have 3 1/2".
Then I looked at the Jorgensen's. They have their Cabinet Master Parallel steel line, which is aimed at competing with the Bessey K-Clamps. They have a wider face on them, so you can lay a clamp on its side, and get a longer clamping surface. With the Bessey's that is possible, albeit a slightly narrower surface. Myself, I choose to use a couple of inch thick straight oak piece as a wedge, giving me all the clamping surface I need.
I like Jorgensen clamps, I have several sets of their bar clamps, and their lighter standard clamps as well. All in all, the Bessey's are made out of more steel, and are more heavy duty. The Jorgensen's you have a third bracket-clip that enables you to convert it into a spreader, and acts as a support, to prevent it from tipping, when using the clamp for a far smaller piece of material than the clamp was designed for. A great idea, but the Bessey's can easily solve the tilting problem, with a small piece of stock to support them. Better yet, having the proper size clamp eliminates the problem altogether. Pertaining to the spreader capacity, that is great, but I do have several of the Tru-Grip quick clamps, which have the spreader capability, which I rarely if ever have to use.
I guess I am getting wordy. Bessey's rock. They are stronger, (heard a crunching sound when I tightened one up against the edge of some fresh glued melamine, so go gently) heavier duty, precise (unless you over tighten and temporarily warp the bar, which causes a miniscule off angle. I know I am getting critical here.) And they look cool sitting on the rack.
(...) Put the first project together using this system, then I came to the glue up, and the cheap clamps did not do the job. All that perfection, so easily, and while under the gun of set up time, the clamps failed me, and I have a less than perfect edge. The dry fitted pieces fitted perfectly. Now I have to go back with a sander, and true up the pieces. That is what drove me to buy a bunch of these Bessey clamps. Smooth, easy mechanicals, great surface area that is flat, and if you get the knack of clamping them at the right pressure, they create a flat platform on the base of your project. All in all definitely 5 stars, I know I will be adding more to the collection. Highly recommended. Bite the bullet, and start or add onto your collection. They are worth it.

I use this size clamp more than any other length available. Bessey makes a fine product. These clamps are durable, rigid, and provide even clamping pressure. I have use some other brands of parallel clamp that do not function as well.

If you are looking at Bessey K-Bodys, you already know how good a quality of clamp these are. I've been using the four I purchased for about a month now and have experience absolutely no issues. These 24's are perfect for edge gluing and I've made some pretty nice raised panel blanks using them.

Amazon can do a better job packaging the clamps for shipping, but that is an Amazon issue, not a Bessey Issue.

These clamps are way beyond any other clamp I've used. Amazon has some difficulty shipping clamps, but they honor the order and follow through to ensure that you get what you pay for. I will always own a good supply of Bessey's.