If you are a fan of the F Clamps, you may get swayed by this advertisement, (having to reach around) like I did... however, it took Crowie's email out of the blue, to convince me... which I don't regret.
These are one of the most handy clamps if you are working up close against a vertical surface (side of box/bench) as the tightening handle is away from the surface to permit easy operation, and a protruding handle gets in the way of close up operations. I have 4 sets of 3 different sizes (150mm, 350mm and 600mm),
for smaller projects. They come with a quick thumb operated release lever,
For some reason, the meme of "righty tighty, lefty loosey" always failed me when operating these clamps. When I haven't used them for a while, my immediate reaction has always been the opposite, so I have dymo'd the direction onto each clamp.
One of the common criticisms by many reviewers have been nylon/plastic gears... however, rightly or wrongly, I've never tightened shit out of glue ups and have not had any visible failures... they are strong enough to apply, what I consider, sufficient pressure.
When compared with say a "standard" Irwin Quick-Grip (not the xtreme) they seem to present similarly (in application),
except the extreme shekel difference. So if cost is a prime consideration, don't ever go down this path. However, if working in a restricted space and you like your convenience (like I do) and don't want to waste time devising workarounds and prefer the lower profile, a couple of these lower profiles can be beneficial for those special projects...
While one may eventually have enough clamps (he ducks in case of lightning from the Wood gods)... you can never have enough variety.
I have none of these. The other Bessey gear clamp kinda put me off of Bessey clamps except the good old square headed bar clamps.
I have several of these, and while I like the concept these are junk next to the Jorgies I popped in your caulking gun clamp.
My Bessey gear clams are these. I see Bessey calls these a Klikclamp, anyhow junk compared to what Jorgy calls a gear clamp.These cost way more than the Jorgies too. There should be gubmit protections from makers who practice, clamp gouging. :-((((
Unfortunately GW, one can only buy what is available in Aussie land...
I've always admire Jorgies, however, I want my clamps today and not wait 1 month for international shipping... and the Yankelland shipping costs make Bessey sound cheap.
If your first cut is too short... Take the second cut from the longer end... LBD
This is a clamp that I might actually buy someday. They provide a unique benefit. Plastic gears are quite capable of being an excellent solution - as long as they designed properly. That means an appropriate plastic and geometry to go with it.
Plastic gears are complaints by butch woodies. I've never had issues with them, however, I never white knuckle my clamps... except when I try to pocket-hole melamine.
If your first cut is too short... Take the second cut from the longer end... LBD
LBD - In a moment of misguided expectation, I bought 4 of these. I despise them with a passion. They seem to be a mediocre solution looking for a problem to solve. When you try to tighten them everything goes to hell and you wind up having to re-position everything and start over. They don't seem to hold well or provide a very tight clamp either. Twisting the handle isn't a natural approach. You wind up fiddling with everything and still use a different clamp. I don't like them so much that they went in the trash bin, but they hang directly over it so the trip won't be too far or take much thought.
I think some development engineer had a few too many shots of espresso one morning and thought they were a good idea. IMO - they aren't
