Circa 2025 Opinions: Bessey KRE or KRE Vario?

[Woody Knotsensplintah]

HI,
It would be helpful to me if we could confine the discussion to the two product lines offered by Bessey.

I have seen plenty of brand comparison information and always consider those options.

I need some clamps for an 82" glue and screw. Wouldn't you know I have some 79" Bessey TGKs that are just too short.

I figured I could buy some extra parallel clamps in a smaller size and use the Bessey's coupler accessory to combine two of their 50" clamps, for making my 82" assembly.

Then I would also end up with more useful, general-purpose-sized clamps.

So, I am especially curious about the Vario feature.

The Vario feature seems nice, but the clamps are not stocked by many vendors. While searching for a retail outlet with stock, I began to wonder if there was an underlying reason why they are hard to find. The price does not seem to be at such a premium that this could be the reason. The fixed head KRE seems to cost nearly as much.

I have read many opinions based on when the clamps were newly released. People had not used them extensively, but were posting their comments. I am wondering if, in 2025, after several years of experience, users have found that the Vario head feature introduces any downsides that outweigh the potential benefits.

Thank you!

 

[Woody Knotsensplintah]

No one knows? Has anyone tried both and formed an opinion?

I am especially curious about how the early claims that the Vario head would surely wobble have come to be regarded now that some people have had the opportunity to use them for several years.

Thank you.

 

[woodferret]

I think @Crazyraceguy is the only one that's used it....

Thread 'Bessey K-body Revo Vario'

Mar 4, 2023

It doesn't happen very often, but occasionally I exceed the range capacity of my clamps.
The ones I have the most of are the 40" variety. They seem to cover most of the situations.
The next size up is 50" and I only have 4 of them.
This particular job was over 45" and needed more than that. This is the best use case I have seen for the "Vario" type of the K-body. With a longer clamp, you can move the head down the rail, so you don't have to fit yourself between them to tighten them up.
I have had a few people ask me why I have these and what they do differently, this is it. Bessey also...

• Crazyraceguy
• Replies: 0
• Forum: Other Tools & Accessories

It's just rarer I think because it fits that weird need of 'being nice to be able to not have a protruding bar' (i.e. balance bar) for those with smaller shops, but small shops wouldn't be building that many large items - and those of us that do already have the joiners for the standard KRE. There are also many better ways to skin that cat so hence the limited traffic.

 

[Woody Knotsensplintah]

Hi,
I appreciate that you took the time.

I had seen the post you linked to.

I can appreciate what you say about most people's circumstances. I have a small DIY workshop space that shares the garage with a vehicle. I spread out the tools and benches for big projects and shrink them when I am not working with wood. The neighbors say I look like an urban fruit seller, because everything is on wheels and gets rolled around as needed.

My primary concern is whether the Vario head changes angle position due to the capability to slide it on the rail.

 

[bertv]

It is late here and I am watching the Poland-Sweden match, will check my Vario’s tomorrow.

 

[Woody Knotsensplintah]

Thank you Bert

 

[bertv]

I did a quick test with a 100 cm REVO. I clamped a 45 cm-something piece of oak, like this:



With the board in the highest position and maximum torque applied (I have some grip left, I think) there is quite a bit of flex in the pad that can be moved around. Hope it is visible in this picture:



It is around 2 mm. Now the question is whether this is problematic? I don’t think it is. First of all: the cover of the pad has a bit of give - the material is not very hard, so it will even out pressure and not mar the object. Second: the purpose of this type of clamp is not the one that I used in this 'test': it is to clamp carcasses. Which is a quite different application, where one wants the most pressure applied on the joints where glue is applied, which works very well with the 'flex feature'…

I have used my REVO's (4 x 100 and 2 x 150) with no issues at all, even when combined to greater lengths using the adapter. They are not cheap, but every once in a while a special offer with a combination of REVO's and accessories comes around.