Jet® Parallel Clamps

I have a friend who swears by Bessey Clamps but has on occasion broken the Plastic Jaws by tightening them too tightly and I have also seen a Magazine Parallel Clamp Shootout Review (Won by Jet) showing the same occurrence. That and hearing that the Bessey's arrive with broken plastic parts quite often led me to purchase the Jet Parallel Clamps and I haven't regretted it one bit. They arrived very well packaged with no damage at all and on more than one occasion I've had a clamp fall off of the bench striking the hard concrete floor and still not receive any damage to the clamp, they are just Rock Solid. I did however purchase the black plastic pads that the Bessey's have to keep the wood off of the clamp bars and when I installed them found out that the Jet Bars were beefier than the Bessey Bars because they would not snap over the Bar as shown in the Bessey Videos but instead I had to slide them on from the end of the Bar which still left them a little bit open at the bottom but that is not a big deal. The holes in the bottom part of the pads you can slip a Rockler Universal Fence clamp through to keep them upright and prevent them from moving when you are working with large panels. Maybe I should write to Jet and suggest that they include these with the Clamps or make them available as an option although I think including them would be better by making the best clamp even better. As of right now I have 4X12" clamps, 6X24" clamps, 4X31" clamps with 4X40" clamps on their way to me since they have been back ordered. I can see myself getting 4 more 12" clamps and 2-4 more 24" clamps to go along with my large collection of Jorgensen HD Bar Clamps. I've always been told that there are two and possibly three things that you never have enough of in a woodworking shop and they are clamps, chisels and possibly hand planes. Well, I have a very large collection of clamps already that is going to get bigger. I also would like to see Jet offer an 18" Parallel Clamp but even Bessey doesn't offer one yet. Overall though I am very, very happy with my collection of HD Jet Parallel Clamps, bench dogs and framing blocks and believe that they will give me excellent service for many years to come. I highly recommend them even though Bessey has tried to equal them with their most recent offerings but still haven't overcome the breakage problems or the non-locking sliding clamp heads that pinch so many fingers that woodworkers complain about.

Purchased 4 clamps a few years ago from Rockler and although expensive, the clamps have served well and have been consistent. I use mine on heavy stock items and find the handles comfortable and easy to grip. The clamping heads are, perpendicular to the bar and the base provides stability for easy setup. These are some of their finest features and make them far better than pole clamps. If someone is breaking the resin clamp heads, they are simply applying too much pressure. Gluing requires pressure, but too much will drive the glue out and eventually you'll have a separation at the joint.

Must have purchased close to 60 over the last 7-8 years. Costly but we'll worth it.

The price stings a bit, but I think they are great. A "lifetime purchase" from what I can see.

I needed a clamp, or set of clamps, to hold a 2x4 plus scrap wood on the sides up off he table so I could do some routing. I bought three short Jet clamps, two to hold the 2x4 in the immediate area and one to hold the far end at the same level. The Jet clamps worked perfectly. What I like about Jet clamps is that their head hangs onto their steel stem rather than letting it slide freely as some other brands do.

Jet clamps and their holding/fastening system are excellent holding work squarely and securely. Clamps are easy to set, secure and adjust

I been using pipe type clamps for years, but I love these clamps.
They are pricey, but will last for many years .

Works very well. Rockler customer service is great. No complaints.

As far as parallel bar clamps go these are the absolute best. I prefer the old jorgenson I beam clamps, but sometimes these are just the right clamp to use.. That being said I'm a bit suspicious that the quality has slid down a bit as of late ... I recently ordered another 4 of these and two arrived with the handles sheared clean off! Rockler promptly sentreplacement, but I'm still waiting on the other.

These clamps are so good, let me tell you they can't be beat. On top of the great clamping they were on sale at half price. Can hardly wait till the next sale. Make America Great Again!