Bessey Clamps VS Jorgensen Clamps

Click image to go to Home Depot website page for these Bessey Clamps

Bessey F-clamps are made in Germany. These clamps are for those who prefer or don't mind:

1) larger jaws than the Jorgensen F-clamp.

2) A wooden handle that provides very little-to-no grip for getting good clamping pressure

3) A Home Depot-carried product.

4) If you have a tendency to 'wrench' things down so they are almost impossible to come apart again, get these.

If you do get these, get the 4 pack, it is cheaper in the long run. F-clamps, in general, are great in the 6" and 12" lengths; anything smaller or larger is a waste of money. If you need something longer than 12", get either a parrelell clamp or a pipe clamp as they will hold up better over time and will have a more sturdy clamping pressure over a longer distance. I don't recommend getting quick clamps that are longer than 12" because they only have 'so-much' clamping pressure (Pipe clamps are better and cheaper too).

Pros	Cons
Large jaws	The Cast iron jaws tend to crack if too much clamping pressure is applied
Heavy-duty metal bar	Wooden handle is not very grippy
Not as easy to bend the bar with overloading on clamping pressure	Clamping pressure not as strong as Jorgensen due to the lack of grip on the handle
	​Some Bessey F-clamps need filing of the slots in the bar for the movable jaw to catch.
	Loose screw action, sloppy

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Click image to go to Lowe's website for the Jorgensen F-clamp 4 pack

Jorgensen clamps are made in the USA with domestic and foreign materials. Nevertheless, these are fantastic! I have more Jorgensen than Bessey F-clamps. Sold at Lowe's, but not Home Depot. Both of these brands can be found on the websites Amazon and Rockler. Bessey can be found at Woodcraft.com, but Jorgensen is not on Woodcraft's website.

Pros	Cons
Handle grip!!!	Pads come off easily
Realiable	Jaws are smaller compared to Bessey
Steel jaws all the way	Metal bar has a tendency to bend if too much pressure is applied while clamping
Better quality than Bessey	A little bit narrower bar compared to Bessey
Tighter tolerance for screw action

In summary, Jorgensen does have the better F-clamp. If you want good grip, get Jorgensen. If you have a local Lowe's, get Jorgensen (my local Lowe's is closer to me than Home Depot, but that is not a factor in why I chose Jorgensen over Bessey). If you want a reliable F-clamp, get Jorgensen. If the jaw size is not an issue for you, get Jorgensen. Be on the lookout for sales too! Bessey has more F-clamps that need additional filing to get the movable jaw to catch, whereas Jorgensen doesn't need that treatment as often as the Bessey ones need it.