Bessey KREV vs Woodpecker Semble HD parallel clamps?

[Woody Knotsensplintahs]

Hi,
Does anyone have firsthand insights and opinions comparing Bessey KREV vs Woodpecker Semble HD parallel clamps?

Thank you!

 

[mkasdin]

They both look good. Bessey had been making the Revos for a long time. WP is new to the clamping game? I’m sure it’s good, they spend a lot of time knocking off products and making improvements. I’m pretty sure if the owner didn’t think he could make a better clamp he wouldn’t put the product out. WP puts a lot of time into product development they have good customer service and attention to details.  I would buy one of each and test them out before you buy a dozen.

Take a look at the Bessey pipe clamps 1/2” or 3-4 they are very versatile for glue ups and construction. Also for WW look at the Dubuque bar clamps, they are made in The USA. Harbor Freight clamps are ok too for the money if you are starting out or want something you can abuse and toss.

 

[smorgasbord]

I this presentation somewhat annoying, but he does compare different brands, including the 2 you're interested in:


That said, Harbor Freight is having one of their parking lot sales right now. If you can get to a store in person, "All clamps are 30% off"

 

[squall_line]

To my knowledge, the Woodpecker clamps are just white-labeled products, not products that they make in-house with their own unique design and improvements.  Every product image I've seen looks like the PowerTec clamps that are available on Amazon.

 

[Woody Knotsensplintahs]

Hi,
I tried to delete my original post because I realized the answers would probably only be available as opinions rather than quantifiable facts.

Here's some info I found in the interim:

https://www.ehoma.com/products.php?func=p_detail&p_id=101&pc_parent=18

This looks like the item Woodpecker is selling as the "Semble".

Thank you.

 

[jeffinsgf]

The Woodpeckers "Semble" are indeed, Ehoma. Having used them for a couple years now, I'll pass along a couple things I've found. Keep in mind, I work for Woodpeckers, so my viewpoint is not completely objective, but I've used every Bessey parallel jaw clamp design that has ever been sold in the U.S.

Both clamps are supposed to slide closed when you push the handle in and slide open when you pull the handle out. In "neutral" the theory is they won't slip either way. I find this action more reliable on the Semble than on Bessey. Don't know why.

As a person who has lived through several trips around the sun, I really like the swivel handle of the Semble. I can put more squeeze on with less hand strength and I feel I have more control over the pressure when the handle is folded out.

The jaw caps are captured on the Semble and won't slide off like the Besseys.

I would give a very slight edge to the Bessey in terms of "beef". Elements of the clamping head seem just a little bit heavier.

As shown in a Deep Dive video I did when we first released the Sembles, it seems to me the parallelism of the jaw goes slightly in favor of Semble.

In my home shop, with a rack that has some of each, I reach for the Sembles first, my old original all-red K-body Besseys second and the Revos third.

 

[Packard]

The reason none of the bar clamps start out square, is that the manufacturer is acknowledging that the bar will bow under pressure and the jaws will be square at some point in the squeeze process.

They all seem to include knobs that are difficult to turn under pressure, probably intentionally so that the user does not break something. 

I do like the Bessey 3/4” pipe clamps. 

They have feet to allow them to stand on their own and a crank that can generate a lot of pressure.

They are sold by Amazon and others.  But if you order from Amazon, DO NOT order the black pipe from them too.

Their black pipe is for making decorative (“farm house”) shelves and are very thin walled.  Under pressure from the clamp you can destroy the pipe.

Get the pipe from a local plumbing house and have it threaded to your length, or choose a 3, 4, 5, or 6 foot long one for this purpose.

If anyone had told me when I started woodworking that I would have so many different clamps, I would have told them that they were crazy.

 

[Michael Kellough]

I have some of the light duty Semble parallel jaw clamps and like them. Have not bought the HD version because I have plenty of Bessey’s.

About the angle of the fixed jaw on my Bessey clamps, I’ve noticed a lot of variation. As Packard says, the bar will flex when the screw is tightened. If there was logic applied to the manufacture then the longer the bar the more the fixed jaw would lean towards the bar. I haven’t noticed a pattern like that.

On the other hand, the more the fixed jaw leans forward the more it becomes a lever that will flex the bar even more. Since the sliding jaw is pretty square to the bar I’d rather the fixed jaw also be square. The forward leaning jaws are a nuisance to me. To reduce the problems they cause I stick a half dowel (equal diameter to the clamped stock thickness) between the jaws and the stock. I put the bar right against the stock. This eliminates the lever effect of the leaning jaw and the bar bends less.

 

[Packard]

Hi,
Does anyone have firsthand insights and opinions comparing Bessey KREV vs Woodpecker Semble HD parallel clamps?

Thank you!

Guaranteed, Woodpecker is going to have a nicer video—they always seem to.

 

[smorgasbord]

I can also add that Bessey stands behind their products and their "lifetime guarantee."

I purchased some K-Body clamps very early on in my woodworking career - the early 1990s. I used and abused them, using a wrench on the handle ferrule to get some high clamping pressure (don't ask). Anyway, I damaged some of the clamps. I found Bessey's online site, submitted my photos. A day or so later I got an email asking for photos from a different angle, which I complied. A couple days later I got a notice that new replacement clamps were being shipped out to me. Pretty sweet after more than 30 years.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

I have used Besseys for more than 20 years, going back to the days of the smaller head (without the sliding caps) and the wooden handles. You could see the progression in my collection. I had a few of the earlier ones, that had the plastic handles, right before the change to the current model.
I liked to older ones for the smoothness. The black plastic caps seem to add some drag to sliding them, but I do like that feature. The faces are quite a bit bigger, so less likely to mar surfaces. You also get that ridge around the edge (after removing the cap) for holding the tilting adapter things. Those are very handy.
The latest version have a 6mm hex fitting in the end of the handle. That is especially nice if you have several of them very close together. You don't have to get your hand in there.
The Besseys are great, but they are heavy, especially the big ones. Over 60" it really matters.

I got a pair of the JR size Besseys, and don't really like them, so it might be time to try a few of the Semble, in the smaller sizes, since I don't always need the super heavy units.

 

[mkasdin]

The Woodpeckers "Semble" are indeed, Ehoma. Having used them for a couple years now, I'll pass along a couple things I've found. Keep in mind, I work for Woodpeckers, so my viewpoint is not completely objective, but I've used every Bessey parallel jaw clamp design that has ever been sold in the U.S.

Both clamps are supposed to slide closed when you push the handle in and slide open when you pull the handle out. In "neutral" the theory is they won't slip either way. I find this action more reliable on the Semble than on Bessey. Don't know why.

As a person who has lived through several trips around the sun, I really like the swivel handle of the Semble. I can put more squeeze on with less hand strength and I feel I have more control over the pressure when the handle is folded out.

The jaw caps are captured on the Semble and won't slide off like the Besseys.

I would give a very slight edge to the Bessey in terms of "beef". Elements of the clamping head seem just a little bit heavier.

As shown in a Deep Dive video I did when we first released the Sembles, it seems to me the parallelism of the jaw goes slightly in favor of Semble.

In my home shop, with a rack that has some of each, I reach for the Sembles first, my old original all-red K-body Besseys second and the Revos third.

thanks for chiming in!

 

[smorgasbord]

Both clamps are supposed to slide closed when you push the handle in and slide open when you pull the handle out. In "neutral" the theory is they won't slip either way.

I have 3 generations of Bessey K-Bodies, and none of them work that way.

On the OG, all red with wood handles, the jaw is movable whenever the handles are not pushed towards the bar. This means they slip if held vertical and you're not also holding the movable head/handle. Yes, that can be annoying sometimes, but it's also nice that the movable head is easily movable when you want to move it. If you pull the handle away from the bar as far as it'll go, you'll have a hard time moving the movable head due to some wedging friction. Pushing the handle towards the bar engages the grooves and you can then tighten things down.

On the second generation (might be third gen, I'm not sure - I can pull model #s if anyone wants) which for me is red & black plastic handle without the 6mm hex socket, as well as the current generation (3rd?) with the hex socket in the handle, again moving the handle towards the bar is what you do to tighten things down. In the middle position the movable jaw pretty much stays put, but you can move pretty easily most of the time. If you pull the away all the way away from the bar, you can only push the movable jaw towards the fixed jaw, not away from the fixed jaw. Again, I think there's some kind of wedging friction happening.

I haven't tried the Sembles.

 

[alltracman78]

I've only used the Bessey K body REVO clamps, so I can't speak for the others.

Personally I like the fact the protective clamp face is removeable. I don't just use for regular woodworking, they're great for pulling construction and large timber joints together too. This way if I mar the face at all the cover will still protect a nice finish from any unevenness.

The handle has a 6?mm female allen head, stick an allen wrench in there and you can turn it tighter than your hands can with the handle. There's an actual torque spec they give you with the clamp, I've used a torque wrench with an allen socket to see how tight it can actually go; it's pretty tight. 10 ft/lbs?

They also have lots of attachments available. There are extenders that join 2 clamps together to make a longer clamp, angled heads that you can tighten non square faces with, stands to hold the clamps upright and at 90* corners. Maybe more stuff too.
I don't know how much, if any, the other types have available, or what would interchange.

*I will say the moveable head can be frustrating at times to get to "seat" on the bar as close as possible to the work piece, and it would be nice to have a longer threaded rod for tightening. I think that is somewhat related to my using the clamps to pull larger things together and not necessarily an issue with regular glue up clamping and so to some extent the nature of the beast.*

 

[lilb93]

I've used both and prefer the Besseys. They feel smoother and more reliable.