Hi there, My first post, so go easy please. A large local company here in Oz is about to distribute the Pony Jorgensen range of clamps – the first to do so I believe. I’ve heard good things about their US-made clamps across the range of clamps, but some questions raised about the quality/performance of their clamps made elsewhere (China?). Grateful for any comments from anybody who has used either or both?
Howpen
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I can't comment on the place of manufacture. I have quite a few I-Beam type as well as the smaller bar clamps. They are all of good quality and work well. The I beam type in my opinion are second to none for gluing up panels and useful in assembly as well.
If the new ones are the same quality as the old I would not hesitate to recommend.
Thanks 27B_6. Yes, I find I beam usually the best solution.
I purchased some of the f style clamps and had to send them back as the jaws were not parallel and they are not the same quality as the earlier American made ones IMHO. As far as I-beam clamps go, if you are interested in those, I purchased the Bessey IBeam ones and I really like those and feel the quality is quite good. I purchased them through Lee Valley, not sure if that is an option for you. Good luck!
Thanks MuskokaLayne.
Yes, it's pretty much what I had heard from other posts in other another forum. Closest Timbecon location to me is Melbourne (I'm in Brisbane 3-4 days drive away) so will probably wait until I travel to Melbourne next (?) and eyeball them to decide.
I’ve been using the Jorgensen Cabinet Master clamps (parallel-bar style) for a few months now and have been pleased with them. They are particularly easy to adjust thanks to a solid tightening mechanism. Also have the comparable clamps made by Jet and Bessey, as well as a vintage set of Gross Stabil signature Scott Phillips, and they all work acceptably. One brand or the other can often be found on sale at a given time, and that guides my purchasing decision. (Photo - Loved getting the clamp but hated the packaging.)
Thanks user-7737453. I have some Bessey and Jet parallel clamps too. Like you say, I will wait to see the price point that Timbecon set for the Jorgensens before committing.
Question. I just saw that the new Jorgensen bar clamp have three pressure options - which option compares similarly to the old standard 37 series? Mine are 30 yrs old - don't remember Jorgensen ever offering a clamp pressure option back then.
Would probably go for the top clamping pressure as most of our native species are hardwoods and right up there on the Janka scale!
No experience or knowledge with anything but older Jorgensen stuff.
If they keep tabs on QC, the may have a good product out of China or whereever.
That's up to the company. If someone's just bought the name, you can probably forget it. That's what happened to Stanley, Black and Decker and Craftsman.
Late to the party and off topic, but I feel compelled to correct some misinformation regarding Stanley/Black & Decker. You imply that they were sold to a third party which is not the case Stanley and Black & Decker merged in 2010 to become the largest American tool company. They have position their many different brands to serve different market segments but they have also introduced or reintroduced many higher quality products since the merger, think Sweetheart Chisels. The DeWalt brand has become an industry leader for professional quality tools after years of all but dissappearing from the market. Yes the Black & Decker brand has been positioned to compete with lower cost imported tools but as a company they have done a very good job of keeping American tool manufacturing viable The recent acquisition of the Craftsman brand only cements their commitment to keeping iconic brands American, unlike Milwaukee which is truly owned by a Chinese corporation. They are also committed to bringing more Craftsman production back home including the mechanic tools, which IMO are the only credible Craftsman tools their Woodworking tools are purely homeowner quality and have been for decades.
A manufacturer in China purchased the rights to market tools under the Jorgensen and Pony brands. Quality does not appear to be the same as the old US made ones. I bought four parallel jaw clamps to check out and found the steel to be very soft and the metal jaw parts had a lot of side to side play. There were no ridges on the bar like you see on the Bessey or Jet, but the clamping action dug into the bar making random ridges. Seems like over time you will have gouged out various spots more than others leading to slippage. I sent them back and will stick with Bessey and Jet.
I bought a six pack of 6 inch Jorgensen F clamps from Rockler, at a pretty good holiday deal/price, soon after they were "re-introduced", made in China. I have several older Jorgensen US made and newer Bessey of same size. The new Jorgensen definitely not the same quality and not same level as Bessey, but I paid less. Of the six, five work just as expected....one has an issue at about the 4 inch mark with binding on the bar which makes it a little annoying to use, (so it has a piece of tape to mark it so it's the last one picked). I do like the plastic handles which seem stout and easier on hands than the Besseys. I would say for what I paid they are OK and at least if not better than alternatives costing similar to what I paid (which was less than I've ever seen Bessey's on sale for). Since they are the 6 inch size vs. say 18 or 24 inch F style, perhaps quality doesn't have to be as good to still provide ok performance in terms of square alignment/twist, etc. It said lifetime guarantee on package and provided contact information. However, I emailed them about replacing the one clamp that sticks and never heard back which was a bit disappointing although net/net I still don't regret taking advantage of the sale deal.
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