Bessey? How do you talk yourself into it?

[Anonymous]

How do you talk yourself into it?

I have been looking at Bessey K clamps and found the cheapest price at Xpress (thanks Neil).

I put 4 in the virtual basket, looked at the total and it is £124.24 :shock: :shock: This is for 4 clamps - they only need to hold wood together whilst the glue dries :roll:

I then checked on steel 'T' section sash cramps of same length in my local shop and they are £39.98 for the 4 (no P&P either). I already have 2 and they are pretty good.

How do people pay an extra £80 when I really can't see any real advantage with the Besseys as the cheapies will clamp harder (if needed), will flex less (much more steel in the main length and 'T' section=rigidity) and the clamping faces will remain perpendicular to the main bar.

I really was going to buy K Bodies, but now........

So, why buy K bodies? - I won't be purchasing until the end of the week.

 

[Argee]

How do you talk yourself into it?

You try a pair - then there's no going back.

How do people pay an extra £80 when I really can't see any real advantage with the Besseys as the cheapies will clamp harder (if needed), will flex less (much more steel in the main length and 'T' section=rigidity) and the clamping faces will remain perpendicular to the main bar.

I can't imagine wanting or needing to clamp harder than my K-Bodies do. No messing about with pins, just slide the handle, then turn. When you've clamped a panel, door, whatever, you can then stand it vertically on the clamps, as the fixed ends act as feet.

They're not compulsory, you don't have to have them, they don't improve your woodworking (although they do improve assembly) and I wouldn't use anything else. I've also got a pair of each of the 18" and 24" Bessey DuoKlamps. These make all other one-handed clamps look primitive.

Can you tell I like them yet?

Ray.

 

[engineer one]

wot size besseys are you buying at that price ??? you need to give us a better idea for comparison.

i find that for me, the besseys are easier to stand up. and easier to tighten to a decent pressure, plus once done, you can move the piece and stand it up so you have space on the workbench.

check out a couple more people for prices. jaycee in northolt i know are good at this time for some sizes.

i think it is the base stability and flat rod make the bessey the way to go for me, but each to his own. i think you will be surprised by how useful they are, and how much you want more.

paul :wink:

 

[Chris Knight]

Wot Ray said really.

For me glue-ups are the worst part of woodworking and I need all the help I can get. IMHO, K bodies are without peer for this task.

 

[Scott]

You try a pair - then there's no going back.

In a nutshell really! They're in a different class!

 

[Alf]

Bessey's may have advantages (I admit I've never even got to the virtual basket stage with them before deciding I was insane) but being easier to stand up and getting the project out of the way aren't really justification for the price. Viz and viz.

Cheers, Alf

 

[LyNx]

i bought the uni-clamps alot cheaper and i will never need the k-body clamps. I think it's a label, gotta have

 

[Gill]

How do you talk yourself into it?

You try a pair - then there's no going back.

Couldn't have put it better myself, Ray .

Gill

 

[Anonymous]

Sorry guys, "try a pair" just doesn't cut it as that means buying a pair first to discover if they're worth buying - ever read catch 22? :lol: :wink:

Engineer One
1250mm. The price I gave is the best I have seen when VAT is included.

So, the advantages are that I can stand them up (I like that a lot) and 'one handed clamping' - same as my sash cramp then, one to hold the cramp and one to tighten it.

Don't want to appear negative here, I quite fancied some K bodies and was on the verge of ordering when I thought 'I wonder how much those sash cramps are?'

By the way, nice clamps there Alf, 'specially with two sets of boards in

 

[Philly]

Hmm.... :-s
Tony, it's one of those "until you try one you don't get the hype" situations. They ARE expensive (but very well made and will last forever), are simple to use, clamp up square (regardless of pressure applied) and make you feel glad you bought them every single time you use them.
I have a large number of various types of clamps (after all, you can never have too many clamps :lol: ) but always long for more K's.
It's like the Lie-Nielsen thing. Yes, they are expensive but beautifully made and with superb performance.
Can you live without them?? Of course.....but do you want to after you try your first pair? :wink:
Hope this helps,
Philly

 

[Tarkin]

I don't have K-body's, but I do have the GRZ20's (You know, the parallel jaw mole grips that his Normnes' has) (£29.99 at D&M btw, which is £15 cheaper than anywhere else) and they are amazing. They are a hundred fold better than any spring or rachet clamp, and for holding work down in jigs and such they are unbeatable.

I seem to remember that, on the NYW website, they are featured in the "you must have these" section, allong with his Lamello biscuit glue thingie, of course, the very fact that they feature there may well put some people off having them.... :lol:

 

[Anonymous]

OK, OK :lol:

Who lives near me, has some K bodies and would like a visit and a chat?

 

[johnjin]

Hi Tony
I've got to agree with you on this one. As much as I like the look of the
Besseys I feel they are way over priced. A half decent sash cramp will do the job as far as I am concerned. It might not look as pretty but it will hold the wood together while the glue dries. I've got two hands and seem to manage quite well with them. When I win the lotto I expect I will want the besseys but until then I think there are better things to spend my money on.

All the best
John

 

[Barry Burgess]

I went down the same route - not wanting to buy the Bessey because of the price. I was stuck at the show at Harrogate for two days as the wife was doing a fabric course. On the second day I got bored and bought 2 K100 for £52. What a difference compared to the cheapies - I would like at least one more K100 for glue ups. - also bought a Duoklamp much later - great one handed.
I had to built a stand on casters to store all my clamps mainly the cheapies with the three RR of clamps.

 

[Bean]

Mmm I think Tony has a point here, I have a collection of cheapie clamps, I tighten them with one hand and I stand the panel up on the floor in them, so now where is the advantage of Besseys???

Is it another one of those "its expensive so I must buy it, and now that I have I must justify it" Things ??

I used to do those when I cycled to justify the expensive handle bars that were the same as my last pair, but 3g lighter.

Bean

 

[Shadowfax]

Tony
The Besseys are expensive. There is no getting away from that. But, in use they are superb. They are:
1. Easy to adjust to length, whether you have 300mm to take up or 3mm - Just slide and tighten.
2. Solid and stay square and they do not bend.
3. Easier to reposition than other clamps because of 1. and 2.
4. Virtually unbreakable in normal use.
5. Easy to stand on their backs on the bench while you position the workpieces on top of them. No need to leave the handles overhanging the bench so you can tighten up.

In short, they are excellent but until you have tried them you will still be asking yourself if they cost too much. Of course they do but they are a joy to use and you will soon convince yourself that they were worth it!
I seriously dislike my other clamps now.

Cheers,

SF

 

[tim]

I have to say that I am with teh Bessey crowd. I have (from way back) 4 big sash cramps that now just gather dust - too heavy, the pins kept coming out when moving them about, crushing my fingers and they leave rust marks if there's water in the glue.

They are expensive but I also believe that they are value for money. Like Chris, I find glue ups stressful enough without wondering whether the clamps are up to the job. The lightweight Besseys on the other hand aren't any better IMO than a lot of other, less expensive clamps out there.

I try to take the pain away by adding one or two to each order from APTC or wherever. In fact got a couple arriving tomorrow...

Cheers

Tim

 

[ProShop]

Hmmm, I'm with Tony on this one.
I have a workshop full of sash cramps from various makers of all sizes collected over many years and have no problems with them and the've had some serious use.
I tried some Bessey's out a while back at another workshop I was working at and whilst they look & feel good they didn't honestly work any better than my sash cramps, sorry but they didn't.

IMHO Tony, save your money for something else or buy even more sash cramps

__________________________

Alf
I like the look of those cramps

 

[Argee]

Bessey's may have advantages (I admit I've never even got to the virtual basket stage with them before deciding I was insane) but being easier to stand up and getting the project out of the way aren't really justification for the price.

I wasn't trying to justify the price, just pointing out what I believe to be advantages - not exclusive features, just advantages.

I think it's a label, gotta have

Is it another one of those "its expensive so I must buy it, and now that I have I must justify it" Things ??

Well, thanks for that - I post an honest opinion in what I thought was the spirit of this forum and get insulted for my trouble.

Sorry guys, "try a pair" just doesn't cut it as that means buying a pair first to discover if they're worth buying - ever read catch 22?

Yes, I've read it - couldn't see what all the fuss was about. Didn't buy it, though, in order to try it - I borrowed it.

I've got two hands and seem to manage quite well with them.

I'm glad that you do, but if you read the post, you'll see that the "one-handed" reference is to DuoKlamps, not K-Body.

Ray.

 

[Anonymous]

]Is it another one of those "its expensive so I must buy it, and now that I have I must justify it" Things ??

Well, thanks for that - I post an honest opinion in what I thought was the spirit of this forum and get insulted for my trouble.

Easy there Argee, I see no insult, just a gentle tease I more or less asked the same question by starting this thread