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21 of 21 found the following review helpful:
Excellent clamping- "feet" are the best featureFeb 10, 2003
By Chas in Austin
"Woodworking Dad"
I have a few Bessey K-body clamps, which until I got 8 of these Jorgensens, were the first thing I would grab. The Cabinet Masters have the advantage of that nifty "foot" at the bar end, which match the opposite fixed clamp end in depth. This makes the Cabinet Masters superior, in my opinion. I just lay the Clamp Masters on the floor, place my (usually large and cumbersome) pieces on top of the bars, slip in some scraps/cork/cauls between the pieces and the clamping surfaces, then slide the clamp towards the edge. The feet allow this to slide smoothly. With the Besseys, I have to physically lift the bar ends (and the entire weight of the assembly) in order to move the clamp mechanism. Not fun. Yes, Bessey sells a $25 "foot," which is probalby very useful. But, this is not as useful as a built-in clamp that you won't "misplace" and "do without."The only annoyance was one clamp that became "jammed" when the slider slid all the way down, touching the fixed clamp surface. Because the knob was turned "fully loose," I could not loosen it to retract the clamp. The locking cam was basically stuck shut. I had to flip the clamp over and drop the bar end onto a 2x4 several times before it unclenched. I guess the warning is don't turn the clamping screws fully CCW or else this might happen the clamp slides shut unexpectedly. The clamp works fine still, so no harm done. I'm buying more of these, as my last project required the use of every single 48" clamp I had! You can never have too many clamps!
11 of 11 found the following review helpful:
 Best K-body clamp madeMay 16, 2004
By EMS Pilot
I bought a set of 4 ((2) 48" and (2) 24") Jorgensen K-body clamps to do cabinet doors. I compared side by side with the Bessey k-bodies and these came out ahead far enough to make my choice for me. (1) larger face area to spread the load, (2) beefier I-beam between the clamp faces to withstand more torque and pressure, (3) a removable "foot" at the end that keeps the clamp level and allows the adjustable face to slide without lifting the clamped object AND lets you take the adjustable face off and reverse it for a spreader function, (4)The price was comparable, and (5) they matched the rest of my Jorgensen F-body clamps (of which I have a bunch) so my collection stays color coordinated :-) The two draw backs I would mention are (1) they are heavy and bulky so will not always be the first you reach for on simple clamping tasks (just the ones you want really square and solid) and (2) if you back the hand screw all the way out, then slam the jaw home, it will jam shut and you may have to get a screw driver and pry the locking pawl back a bit to get the jaw to release. Not much more than an annoyance but usually happens when you are trying to clamp one handed and are holding your work with the other. This usually results in some severe mumbling while you lay everything down, unstick the clamp, then try to set it all up again (still one handed). Over all they are more than worth it and I intend to purchase more as my budget allows!
10 of 13 found the following review helpful:
Metal parts are cast metal, not very strong.Aug 09, 2003
By Joseph Massimino
"Gadgeteer"
I bought two of the 48" model clamps and had one snap in a way to make the clamp useless. The part that snapped was inside the clamp side, it was made of a cast metal of some sort. It actually broke into two, plus two small fragments of metal that I found sitting on the ground under it. The clamp was holding Ok, but then I heard a pop, and found that the clamp had given up. I will be curious about the warranty on this clamp. I noticed that the adds here in Tool Crib don't mention a warranty, so I will have to get in touch with the manufacture to see if there is one.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Design is good; QC could be betterJul 13, 2006
By T.K.
"Tom"
I bought 2 of these 48" Cabinet Masters through Amazon for $23.97 each. At that price, they were a steal. However, one of the clamps arrived with the jaws jammed together. This problem, it seems, has been widely reported. I cannot understand why it has not been addressed, now that the clamp has been out as long as it has (unless the sale priced units I bought were from old inventory). It was easy enough to unjam them with a screwdriver but I would not want to have to do that while glue is setting up. So, I'd hesitate to buy more of these at full price (& maybe would consider the new Jet alternative, which has some innovative features.)
Top Rated by Fine WoodworkingDec 14, 2009
By Tommy Says
"The Salsa Workshop"
These clamps are fantastic! And they are made in America. These are great clamps - I just added several more to my growing collection. I might also point out that they were given the "Top Rating" in the recent Fine Woodworking Mag. review. Also please note that the problem noted in one of the Amazon Reviews about a metal problem - was corrected once found and all new clamps do not have this issue. By the way, I think anyone that has a problem with the older version can get service from the mfr. even if out side the warranty. Now back to the shop.
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