As someone who worked at a harbor freight store for a number of years, I can tell you that the lifetime warranty is EXACTLY that. No questions asked. They won't scrutinize the tool. They won't keep track as to how many you return. They don't care. They want you to tell your friends how badly you beat up a tool and HFT just took it back and gave you another one. That's how they do it.
Great job Mark. Fortunately for me I was in the right place at the right time and went to Lowe’s on the same day that they were replacing the old style of BESSEY parallel clamps with the new ones. I spoke with the department manager who was doing the restocking and she asked me what I thought that the clearance price should be and if $9.99 was a good price for the 24” model? I said “Yup!”, and she marked all of them down accordingly, including the 50” ones for $19.99. I bought every one and have enjoyed using them for many years!
Mark- That was one of the best tool review videos I think I've ever seen. Realistic use cases, consideration of actual cost/benefits and an overall thoroughness made this excellent. Thanks.
@Harpo Marx Don't forget it's entertaining, too! (So you want to keep watching it even if you, somehow, don't care about parallel clamps). Hey, watsamatterwich you!
Thanks so much Marc. This is exactly the video I’ve been waiting for. I bought 4x 48”ers and 2x 24”ers a month ago and they’ve been great. Tired of watching people make videos saying they “aren’t square”. We all appreciate your time and input. Well maybe not all of us, but pretty much all of us.
Why would they need to be square anyway? I'm not even sure what that is meant to mean :-D Clamps delivery force through a contact area and squarity (this is my word for exclusive use by me) isn't necessary.
So true dat. I've seen several reviewers comparing parallel clamps who compare the out of tension square and I immediately clicked away because they highlighted their amateurishness and irrelevance.
Probably the most thorough parallel clamp forensic on UA-cam. I bought two 24” Bremens, one of which experienced the same gripping issue that was covered in the video. This happened after around 3 overnight glue ups. The good news is that Harbor Freight replaced the defective clamp, no questions. I have same issue with a Bora clamp (1 of 8) but haven’t yet been in touch with the company. I think the Bremen clamp is an excellent value, especially given the HF return/replacement policy. THANKS FOR A FANTASTIC REVIEW.
Good review Mark. I'm a Bessey user but what I actually found most interesting was that when you disassembled the clamp what you were left with was basically an F style clamp. So basically the parallel clamp was an F style with a few added relatively inexpensive parts which makes me think that the margins on parallel clamps are much better than the simpler styles.
This is exactly on point. The only thing parallel clamps bring to the game is built-in cauls and convenience of standing in place or off the workpiece.
With F-style clamps, at least the cheaper ones, you also have to sometimes help it bite the bar and actually clamp. Since you can't do this with parallel clamps (due to the clamp body), perhaps they do need a higher-quality bar and clamp to function properly.
This is so good. I love how I walked away from this feeling like I have a solid grasp on the pros and cons of this clamp and I don't feel at any point like I'm being sold on this or any brand. I wish all tool reviews were this thorough and unbiased.
Thank you for this! Long term test reviews don't get nearly the love they deserve. They're every bit as valuable as head-to-head comparisons, if not more, especially when it comes to budget tools. A lot of HF tools are good enough for casual/diy/hobby/beginner use...and a lot are just not. It's super helpful to know which is which beforehand. And i really appreciate when professionals like you, with every justification to focus on what matters to you, make the effort to continue looking at things from other perspectives.
Thank you for your well thought out and rational reviews. I especially appreciate your matter-of-fact presentation style without flopping across a workbench or other ridiculous theatrics!
I think my biggest takeaway from this is that parallel clamps looks like F style clamps with nice looking trim pieces! I’m not sure what I expected to be honest as I’ve never really thought about it
Do you even know how many "we'll check back later" videos that actually NEVER do so that are out there? Man, this is the very best long-term review I've seen yet! That includes everything from "how did my tree trimming work out with my apple harvest" to "we'll see what the sourdough starter looks like a week from now," and all sorts of other "we'll check in later" videos. IMO this was an excellent review, being as fair as possible to both high-end and low-end products, and I've made my decision based on this. Sorry it's late... but I had to tell you because you asked LOL! I'll be going HF mostly because the amount of parallel clamping I need is very low compared to many others. Thanks again!
Great test and review! Thank you for sticking with it over time. Regarding Harbor Freight, I borrowed an old 60 lbs jackhammer to dig a trench through rocky soil. I had to use a generator, which I also borrowed. I discovered the generator was sub-par when the jackhammer motor failed. Oops. The jackhammer was a cheap chinese model, already aged and worn by the time I borrowed it. I tried to replace it with a used one but I couldn't find one. So I asked the owner where he bought it and figured I would buy him a new one. He said he bought it at Harbor Freight, so I called Harbor Freight to ask if they had any. They said the one I had was covered by a lifetime warranty and I could get a new one for free, even though I didn't have a receipt! This was about 12 years ago, so I'm not sure if they are more picky now....
That was great. Felt complete and loved you did it over multiple months. Cudos on being thorough and patient. I've rarely seems someone do a review over time like that
Harbor Freight appears to be attempting to take the place of Craftsman tools with their guaranteed product lines. Like Craftsman of old they're seldom the best tools available, but with most competition made in China as well they'll be the best solution for hobbyists and even professionals willing to price in the replacement legwork. Thanks for the review Marc, looks like these are worth giving a chance in the endless quest to own an infinite number of clamps...
The low price makes it worth a try. I got a 4 1/2” angle grinder there for $15 for a single project and now just use it for sharpening my mower blades. I figure if it lasts a year I only spent $15.00
The reality is that we never should be using clamping force near the max. If that’s necessary to hold boards that are not straight, you really need to fix the problem you have with making straight edges. Clamps are supposed to hold the boards just enough to hold them closely together when glued. They are NOT supposed to be used to straighten the boards out. If you do, then your work will be under a lot of stress, and can come apart, or warp. The problem with parallel clamps is that if they don’t work perfectly, it’s as though they don’t work at all (as intended). You covered this very well.
I think the driving difference between the Breman and Bessey is that on the latter, the "grub" screw is hardened, so it doesn't "smooth out" like the Breman (or even its own cast material would). This probably allows even its bar teeth to be soft, as it will just recut them. It'd be interesting to test the hardness of both brands' bars, clamp castings, and while you're at it, maybe even the screw (but that will definitely be very hard). I think that measurement would yield a much more detailed hypothesis on the differences. Great video - and excellent findings!
Mark, I love your reviews. Not only do you get to the bottom of how the tool works, but I crack up a half a dozen times. I have a dozen Bessy parallel clamps that I've had for almost 30 years and they collect dust. Not a fan of parallel clamps...but I know people love them. It's still fun to watch a well crafted review of a new tool. Keep it up man! Thanks!
Just bought 2 48" Bremens from HF yesterday, haven't even had a chance to take them on a test drive yet, but I'll be sure to save the receipt just in case. Thanks for taking the time to do a full review
I've been on the fence about picking these up as my first set of parallel clamps. I appreciate how you break it down, this is just the info I was looking for and has convinced me to pull the trigger on buying these. Thanks!
Harbor Freight’s return policy truly depends on store-specific policies. I was a store manager for them for several years until recently (am now a carpenter), but even I was turned down at other locations for warranty replacements. Overall, they don’t care about how the damage happened, so that’s a plus. Good luck to everyone using the Bremen brand. Clamps seem just fine
Thanks for a very informative comparison and review. I recently decided to splurge and treat myself to some parallel clamps after having used "pony" brand bar clamps on galvanized steel pipes, for about the last 30 years. I did look at the Bremen clamps from Harbour Freight and watched one review of them. But ultimately I decided to treat myself to four of the Bessey K-Body parallel clamps instead. I opted for the 31-inch size mostly because I was not sure 24 inches would be enough for some future projects, but also because I found a great price on the 31-inch Bessey at Home Depot online, with free next day Fed-X delivery. Most everyone charges about $60 for the 24 inch Bessey, but the 31-inch size was only $52.45. It's not stocked in the local stores and is only available online. Watching your review just now confirms at least in my mind, that I made a good choice. I'm not knocking the Bremen because it's a great price and may have worked just fine, but I feel a lot better about the long term reliability of the Bessey. The older I get, the more valuable my time is, and I don't like the thought of possibly having to return something that proves to be defective. Thanks again for a very thorough review.
I have the Bremens and Besseys. I bought 5 of the Bremens and wondered how they grip the bar. Now I know! 2 just failed because of slipping after mild hobby use for a few months. HF refunded my money (without question) because they had no more stock on hand.
Glad I came across this review. I bought 2 of the 48" clamps a few months back, and are holding up fairly well. I'm very much in the "hobbyist" category, so these clamps are just right.
This is a great review! I know at the time it probably doesn't feel worth it to spends months messing with some clamps for one 20 minute video, but your efforts are so incredibly appreciated. I'd love to see teardowns on some of the other parallel clamps, especially cheaper ones like Rockler or Jorgenson, to see how their designs compare to the Bremen or the Bessey. It'd be nice to see where the price:performace ratio sweet spot is for a clamp that costs just enough that there's not a 25% chance you need to go to the store to exchange it. I don't know if even the good ones are actually hardened and are in the right range for it to work, but maybe something like hardness testing files could be used to check the bars and the head to see if they're too soft? Finding some way of testing hardness might let you get the same answers without doing a long term test.
I am a woodworking enthusiast, not even a hobbyist, and buy my tools based on recommendations like yours. Though, I've been lured many times to end up with higher quality tools like Woodpeckers type tools. I have been saving bucks to gear my garage with some medium size parallel clamps and I thought woodpeckers' Semble would make a good addition, but their pricing is pretty scary. Now, you just gave me a good reason to use my money elsewhere and buy a few of these Harbor Freight clamps man. Thanks. Your videos are very informative and enjoyable. Keep'em coming man, we watch them...
I have an HF return experience that was quite impressive. I use their cheap spring clamps to hold targets for shooting practice...my wife (Annie Oakley she's not) shot two of the spring clamps when we were out shooting one day. On a lark, I decided to see if HF would replace them, thinking that there's no way they would...and I wouldn't blame them. Lo and behold...they did...I even told them what happened, they said it's no problem, go get some new ones. I was both shocked and very impressed.
It's been a couple years since I saw you last time and am happy to say you have succeeded in being one of the best reviewers I have ever seen. Very informative and I surely consider you a professional in what you do. Your wood working is great and these little videos are also very nicely done and helpful, Thank you for your time.
I highly appreciate the professional and well rounded review! So many people on youtube and other places seem to get offended when one thing doesnt work exactly how they expect. "How dare they make this like this!" You can almost hear them saying. Thanks for the realism with zero snobbery! I have tons of the HF F-style clamps and I think 4 or 5 of them have broken to a degree, but out of 100 or so that's not bad. I will get them replaced and life is good!
I did cabinet construction and better woodwork for years, and always used Bessey clamps, (you're correct, the Allen screw does provide a new 'bite' on the bar. just need to drive it through, not back it out because the messed up threads on the screw can easily mess up threads on the way out ) I have retired, and currently use Irwin clamps more often, simply because I don't use them as much anymore. It's the difference between a hobby and making a living, If I use something maybe once a month, instead of 3 to 4 times a week, I really don't need a top of the line product. That being said, I purchased many of my Bessey clamps before I was married, and we are celebrating our 35th anniversary and they are still going strong. (Giving me fewer headaches than my marriage has)
Thanks for taking the time to do a thorough and fair review, Marc! Even as a hobbyist, I would be hesitant to bring a tool into my shop that I know is a ticking time bomb, though. At this point in my life, I'm ok spending a bit more to get something that I can put my trust in, even if it isn't the top-of-the line product.
I wouldn’t say it is a ticking time bomb. And really, if one is to break, do we really only have enough clamps as we need? We have more…. And at this price you can buy a spare t leave off on the side if one fails. I have their Pittsburgh squeeze clamps, and they are great. In fact they work better than my Dewalt clamps. I paid under $10 for the squeeze clamps.
You just raised the bar on tool reviews because taking that clamp apart was awesome. I'd likely pay a bit more for a Rockler based on this content, so thank you. I've been using the HF gray/black F-style clamps and admit they work perfectly well, so there's my $.02... my rule of thumb for anything from HF is to avoid buying anything with a motor... the HF tarp I have has kept going like a champ for years.
The issue is that the metal used on the bremen clamps is too soft. With lower cost, lower quality control and lower quality materials, this is the result. Bessey uses hardened steel bars, and the set screws are hardened as well. FYI, they use that same set screw design on their tradesman clamps. I've been using a bunch of those for over 10 years with no failures. Clamps are a buy once cry once purchase for me. I've been burned on harbor freight standard bar clamps (the handles kept popping off until I epoxied them in place). The only clamps I buy now are usually bessey parallels, tradesmans and ratcheting lever clamps, and dubuque aluminum bar clamps.
This is kinda where I got to, as well. It may be that the set screw is rated higher up the hardness scale than the bar, such that it can cut into the bar and make its own ‘track’ as the serrations on the bar wear over time.
This has been my experience with all harbor freight clamps. I have some that have been in use for 15 years and still working great, and a few have failed. Even as a professional, I think the cost is certainly worth it. However there is an obvious quality risk associated with their products. Great and thorough review!!
new review. very honest and complete. I purchased 4 F clamps from HF a few years ago. After a couple months I had 1 clamp fail exactly like the one you experienced. Heck after you disassembled the HF parallel clamp it looked just like an F clamp. For my money I am going to check out the Rockler. thanks!
Thanks for being on the leading edge of testing these. Other reviewers just do the preliminary testing, call it good and recommend them. I've been sceptical and unwilling to throw down cash on these. No way Jose will I be buying Bremen. Ima stick wit Bessey.
I'm betting that the two piece "shoe" on the Bessy is so that the serrated piece can be made from a hardened material. Not for replacement. I'm also betting that you will find something similar on the other high end brands. Without the hardened steel you will eventually flatten those serrations especially if you are using a lot of clamping pressure. I really don't think the quality of the bar is an issue. My 2 cents worth.
Wow! I just subscribed. This is one of the most thorough tool reviews I've seen, and I look forward to your other videos. I am watching this as I just purchased a few of the Bremen Parallel Clamps to add some heavier duty clamps to my clamp mix, and I just can't afford going nearly $100 per clamp on the Bessey, but I could a bit over $100 for four clamps using my Harbor Freight ITC coupon discount when these were down at $27.95 per clamp. You can see the math made me do it. However, when I bought these I couldn't figure how to open the clamp - came across that spring though - which clued me in to what you showed, the handle up release, brilliant. Thanks. I learned way more than I planned to on your video, and loved the danger demo on some of these clamps. Did not know clamps could be used as guillotines. :)
Great test video. Very thorough. I actually saw a test of these clamps that was a quick review, I don’t even recall him clamping them down, but he did something like a 6’ drop test and as I recall, these clamps held up great and surprisingly, a couple of the expensive clamps broke, well the plastic covers broke. I liked that you pointed out the thread design as I never paid much attention to that when buying clamps! I’ve owned the HF f style clamps for years, and other than the round protective caps coming off, they’ve been great. You just have to add a dab of CA glue under the plastic protector caps or once they come off, they’ll continue to come off. Next time I’m at HF, I’m going to pick up a few of these parallel clamps as I’m not a heavy user of them at all. Well, I don’t own any parallel clamps, but for what I do, I won’t be a heavy user of them. Thanks again for the great review!
I've had the Bremen clamps for over a year,only has one fail and it was like that from the factory. I absolutely love these clamps for both function and price.
I can honestly say that I have 2 Harbor Freight stores within a 20 minute drive of my front porch and I have literally NEVER seen those clamps at either store, they sell out so fast.
The 48 in. Bremen clamps were just on sale for $32.99, had to get a pair to add to the parallel clamp collection, haha! Love your scietific approach to woodworking Marc and always enjoy your videos!
For the Harbor Freight lifetime guarantee, they take your info so that when they look at the returned product, they can see if it was actually broken or if it was a "rental" (buy it, use it once, return it). I've never had them give me any resistance on returning actually bad products, but I know two people who were cheap and tried the rental thing when doing projects and they were bared from returns after that. The other thing about HF items, like these clamps, is that even if you are a pro, if you can get 10, ore even just 5 projects out of them you likely have paid for them and made some money to put towards better tools. Sometimes you have to spend money to make money, and you have to buy the best you can now, so you can afford to buy better tomorrow. I've had four of these clamps for a year and have not had any problems with them myself.
I was actually out of Harbor freight you're closing time when someone return something. Manager did the exchange, sent the customer on their way, called over an employee handed them the item, told him to break it to make it completely unusable and throw it in the dumpster. Nosey and curious as I am I asked why they did that and was told it's their policy....I suppose I get that but I figure that if your dumpster diving, you might be in more need than most so who cares if someone takes your trash? Likely it's because they don't want someone grabbing stuff and returning the same tool again since they don't require a receipt. Anyway...Back to my point. From what I experienced, they don't do any sort of investigation. They just exchange stuff, toss the broken stuff out and move on. My guess is they gather the exchange information to determine if they're making her losing money. If they're losing money they'll either rise the price or tweak the design.
@@genesishep They also destroy it so that someone can't take the broken or malfunctioning item, use it, get hurt, the sue the store. It's a liability issue. At least at my local store, they take it to the back and to a quick investigation/examination before disposing of it in pieces.
@@genesishep I work in retail, although not at Harbor Freight. What you saw is called DIF - "Destroy In Field"- and is standard practice in the industry . Large retailers have agreements with manufacturers to take in defective items from customers, charge the manufacturer the wholesale price for it, then destroy it so it can't be used. It's actually cheaper than having the product shipped back to them. We usually paint ours as well so they can't be fished out of the dumpster and returned again, although every once in a while some bozo tries it anyway. There are strict rules in place against NOT destroying items or employees taking them home. In my company, if you get caught doing that you will be fired.
HF’s F-style clamps are a great investment, too. They will eventually break, and the handle grip might break loose (nothing a little epoxy won’t fix), and the longer bars flex a bit, but they work great for dozens of glueups. At 4-8 bucks a pop, you can’t beat it.
Hey Marc - It's worthwhile noting that pressure is not the same as force. I know that we tend to use these terms interchangeably, however there is an important reason to make the distinction. Pressure is the acting of a force per a unit of area. 1000lbs of force through a 2" x 2" pad is 250PSI of pressure....exactly why we use cauls to distribute clamping force for less concentrated and more even application. That "1000lbs of force" distributed over a 2" x 5" glue surface area drops final pressure to a mere 100PSI, which is about the bare minimum for a cosmetically-clear glueline with PVAc in hardwoods, ideally double that. Soon that layup of 100" of 2" thick wood lamination needs these clamps at least every 5" (>20 clamps) to dial in adequate clamping pressure through the joints. By this point for practicality, we're talking heavy I-beam clamps with the rear pad retained by a steel pin, which are usually rated in the order of 2500lbs, plus a nice caul either face to create good overlapping triangles of distribution. The numbers these manufacturers throw around about their clamps are pretty meaningless until you run them and see what they mean in the real world, even then the type of clamp may not function at these values without there being things like scarring on the bar and losses through bar bending, etc. I'm certain that you're 100% aware of this, but thought it useful to voice for those that may not be, especially since those numbers seem more to function as a comparative sales tactic than a specification. For reference, industrial manufacturing woodworker in marine and architecture where these aspects are handled more like engineering than woodworking..
Excellent review. I bought some of the Bremen parallel clamps a few months ago. I’ve used them a half dozen times. They’re the only parallel clamps I’ve ever used. I love them. But I don’t have a good comparison perspective.
Good video, fair assessment. I avoided Harbor Freight tools for a long time. When placing a paver path around a swimming pool I had the option of renting one or buying a tile cutter from HF for the same price. The tile cutter required me to make two passes on the pavers, but I got the job done and then lent the saw to my son in law who tiled his bathroom. Still have it, so I think money well spent. HF can surprise you now and again
Very interesting and useful video. Thanks. The low price of these clamps would not be sufficient for me to give up my Jet parallel clamps. I purchased my Jet clamps at least 10 years ago. I love the clutch design of the Jet clamps. I cover my Jet bars with masking tape to prevent glue getting on the bar. Dave.
This is just meant as a comment on a thought I have watching woodworking videos... I see a crap ton of money in clamps on the wall. I sometimes look in my shop and see dollars hanging everywhere. Hobbies are expensive, I guess. Great video, great review, as usual. I've been watching you since neither of us had gray hair. Keep up the good work. Hope you are liking mid-west living.
Love the long term use review. I wish more people did this for their reviews. I'm also a fan of the HF f-style clamps. Super cheap and decent enough quality for my needs. I always pick up a couple whenever I'm in the store. And I like the grips better than my Irwin f-style clamps. I don't need parallel clamps nearly as often, but I'll keep this in mind when I do. Thanks for sharing!
I have had another colour version of the Bremen sold in the UK. If they are not made in the same factory then next door and they are very good. I can tighten them up so tight I can crush timber. I got these about four years ago and I have no problems. No issues at all
I've been using both the I beam clamps and the parallel clamps from Bessey. About 40 of the I beam clamps, been going strong for about 4 years, no issues, I have 8 of the parallel clamps, inside of the movable head the casting (where the set screw is) has cracked and rendered the clamps useless. The 6 of the 8 parallel clamps have failed, and all are under 12 months old. Side note, you are correct about the set screw on the Bessey parallel clamp. It is a wear item, and it can be rotated to expose fresh threads to engage the bar.
Not tested here but… I got a deal on Prime Day for four Powertek 48-inch parallel clamps at a price of $35/each last year or the year before, and they’ve quickly become my go-to for parallel clamps. They’re much lighter weight than my Bessie’s-I have several K body and. The juniors.-which I only pull out at this point when I’ve run out of Powertec to use. And I do a veritable sh^t ton of glue-ups. No joke.
I've been an H-F clamp user for >10 yrs and have had a few F-style and Ratcheting bar (quick clamp) clamp failures and a dodgy bar clamp failure. H-F gave me replacements every time. No questions, no issues. They even replaced a standing drill press when the spring to retract the spindle broke (not a replaceable part) and a pancake air compressor when the internal flap valve (another non replaceable part) broke. They do stand behind their warranties. Yea, quality is NOT always the highest, but for the price + warranty, they fit my budget and work/project demands. The original H-F clamps, and other products, under the Pittsburgh name were/are bottom shelf products & quality. The newer brand names: Bremen, Bauer, Warrior, Hercules, etc. are MUCH better and definitely more worth the money paid. I've had my share of issues with H-F and there are lots of stuff I would not touch with a 10 ft pole, but they are improving. I consider H-F to be about where Grizzly was 25-30 years ago - and lots of people rave about Grizzly now.
Harbor freight clamps are probably the best value purchase out there. I haven't gotten any of their parrallel clamps yet but own a ton of their f style clamps. The bars will bend if you put a ton of force on them but like you said, if you are putting that much force on the project you probably should rework your jointery. It would probably be worth having a few higher quality clamps for small projects and then just a bunch of harbor freight clamps for when you are doing larger projects. :)
I think the sentiment of this is a great low cost option for hobbyist describes most of what HF sells and their return policy is great, like the old Craftsman's hand tool policy. In the cases of having the HF version or nothing at all it's nice that HF is available. As someone with a older teen who is getting into making stuff and working on his truck who isn't very gentle and sometimes absent minded with my tools, being able to get 2 decent (Bauer) angle grinders for the same price as a DeWalt makes a lot of sense. I think with the proliferation of ultra cheep import tools on Amazon the quality of stuff at HF has improved, their Quinn and Doyle lines are solid tools at 1/2 the cost. As always when shopping at HF, simpler the better and if it's suppose to be sharp it wont stay that way.
Thanks for the detailed review. As a hobbies, I would only have a limited number of a certain clamp and buy more as my projects required. With that said, having one go down in the middle of a glue up without a replacement could ruin a project. This is why I think spending a little extra for a more proven clamp is well worth it.
Hey WW, greatly appreciate your time in testing the product as completely as possible. Seriously. Greatly appreciate you taking the time to be accurate and fair. One question / concern - Would there be an issue if a clamp went from 400 lbs pressure to 350 lbs pressure over night? Would you be able to notice something like that when removing the clamp? Based on the construction of the HF clamps, that seems like a possibility. Would that significantly impact the strength / longevity of a glue? My point is, maybe find a way to measure pressure retention...? Before giving the clamp a moderate thumbs up...? Asked in ignorance. Mike
Probably not a realistic concern. The clamps are really only needed for the first 4-6 hours of glue up. After that, removing them or keeping them on makes very little difference to the strength of the joint. Based on that, I would guess that a slow decline in pressure over an 8-12 hour window would have little impact. Now if it slips quickly at the beginning, different story… Check out this video testing exactly this scenario: ua-cam.com/video/bNAUsngRTsA/v-deo.htmlsi=AYXkbou-Aob7ITn8
Good review. Thorough and fair. I agree but it’s not that the metal is inferior, it’s just a mild steel that might be better suited for other things. When you compare the price to other clamps and add the fact that your torture test isn’t what others will be doing you’re left with a good deal with an easy replacement should that happen. I applaud your dedication and how much you put into the test.
I bought 4 got them home and found 2 wouldn't tighten so went back exchanged and so far they have worked fine. I'm a hobby wood worker and they are ok for what I do.
Generally speaking, this completely matches my experience with HF. Great prices, and "good 'nuff" quality for many things. Rule of thumb - where you need the best, go ahead and pay for the best... where you don't, HF usually has you covered. And HF does have some surprisingly solid stuff too (e.g. I have a corded right angle drill that I abuse the crap out of sanding bowls on the lathe... it still works great after hours of mistreatment). I've been a woodturner for years, and while I'd love to have a Laguna or Powermatic, I'm actually on my second HF 12x34" unit (I gave up on the first after the motor start capacitor blew). It's definitely rough around the edges and has some major drawbacks (what a crappy toolrest banjo)... but until the day I have the spare cash for a much nicer unit, I can get what I want to done just fine for a shockingly low price -- low enough that if it does die, it's not a catastrophe to just replace it.
I have thoroughly enjoyed the "medium" level Harbor Freight stuff as a beginner decently cheap.. and lifetime warranty with no questions I haven't had anything break yet (including the stuff I use for car repairs) and they're a steal when you realize some of their stuff is made in the same factory as the name brand stuff (just with worse quality control it seems) I sanded my entire project of hickory using the HF Bauer $20 sander and when I thought it would break it's still going strong even after dropping it a couple of times by accident!
Yup, scared the heck out of me the first time I flipped that Jorgensen over and it went crashing down on me. It was my first time using a parallel clamp and until this video, I didn't know that some of them don't do that! Thanks Marc!
Here's a tip for you that I use for battery packs: put a number on each one of your clamps. That way, if you have occasional issues with one, you can mentally keep track of which number might be going bad. If you notice the same one slipping or having problems a few times you can take it out of service.
Thank you for sharing this review of the HF parallel clamps. Everyone have a wonderful day. Also stay warm, safe, happy and healthy. From Henrico County Virginia
I recently purchased 4 of these clamps to test out on an antique bookshelf I am repairing. I used them to reglue several panels, and to clamp the entire assembly together when the panels were whole again. That one project with perhaps 6-7 glue ups was enough to put flat spots on all 4 bars. I decided that was unacceptable, and returned them. Two 50" Besseys cost me a little less than the 4 Bremen clamps(2x24", 2x48"). It hurt, but I know they will last me a lifetime. I love HF's new quality products, but I don't feel I can trust them to still be making any item in a few years when it's time for replacement. It's unclear how their "lifetime warranty" will work with items they no longer make, but I dont want to be the one to find out. You had 1 out of 4 fail when this was a new product. I had 4 out of 4 fail today. It doesn't speak volumes for their QC. Food for thought to those considering these today. Watch your bars for flat spots.
🙌🔩 Thank you, Marc, for delivering the video we've all been eagerly waiting for! I recently purchased the same clamps and they have exceeded my expectations. It's frustrating to hear people claim they aren't square when they work flawlessly. Your time and expertise are greatly appreciated by the majority of us. Keep up the fantastic work! Looking forward to more insightful content! 🎥🛠👍
There’s another issue at hand with a “25% failure rate” if the clamp dies mid glue up and was your last one. You may lose an entire project to a bad clamp. So if these do have some failures. Keep extras. And if they’re anything like the F style clamps. The failure rate is around 10% in my estimation
Thanks Marc, I have some of these parallel clamps and they are super cheap and work great. You can never have too many clamps and at these price points you will save a lot of money.
Thanks for the video...Very informative. I have been using similar clamps with cutting board glue ups and I started rubbing past wax on the bar for easy glue removal.
Thanks for that review! I bought 4 of those clamps for some heavy oak boards I am gluing up into pantry shelving and have been extremely happy with the results so far (about 7 glue-ups). Sadly, the issue with what is being speculated as variation in metalurgy is not surprising, given the seller. That said, I have frequently reccomended these to friends, with the caveat of wait for them to go on sale (even at HF price, these are expensive for a woodworker's need of so many clamps). The one thing I would like to point out regarding their warranty (which I have only taken advantage of on a single torque wrench), is the exchange will only work IF they still have them in stock. Now, HF has been reinventing their product line and branding over the past few years, phasing out old brands and bringing in new labels. Could this specific item become obsolete in three years, no longer available for warranty exchange? Dunno. Secondly, these are generally hard to find in-stock at my local HF store. And if they are on sale, you better hit the store the day their truck arrives. So, if one breaks on me, I might have to drive to a different HF branch an hour away if I need a same-day replacement. Still, doomsday musing asside, they feel confident in my hands when I'm trying to get my boards pulled in, whereas several other bar clamps scoff (let's say my boards might have warped between planing and my post-surgical lifting restrictions before I could glue them).
I've never seen such a thorough review. Great job. I was looking at these clamps the other day. I'm just a hobbyist but just knowing of this flaw would bother me.
TBH I haven't used parallel clamps until very recently and I didn't like them. They were Bessy and I had to glue up a project quickly with epoxy ( yes I know not the professional way but this project required it) I quickly found that I couldn't adjust the clamp ( to ensure a flush face ) quickly enough ( as I could with a Quick clamp or even a bar clamp) I nearly screwed up the project. I vowed never to use them again and go back to my bar clamps. After seeing your video I now realize that Jet offer the 'trigger' with their clamps, which probably would save me in another tricky glue up. SO although I probably will never buy any of the HF parallel clamps I may buy a few of Jet's. So thank you for inadvertently introducing their clamps to me.
So the serrated edge on a parallel clamp of a bessey is there because they don't use the same style of clamp as jorgensen does. On a jorgensen the clamp mechanism is similar to their bar/f-clamps in which they have a multi-disc clutch. On a bessey (at least the one I own) they use what looks like a threaded rod embedded in the metal shaft that holds the handle and as you tighten the handle to clamp down the threaded rod engages the grooves (it may be the same clutchless system that they use in the bessey f-clamps but I don't know). It seems that the grooves on the bessey help with the threaded rod gaining grip where as the clutch system on the jorgensen doesn't seem to need it. I know bessey says their clamps are rated for 1700lbs but mine broke well below that, it actually broke the metal around the set screw not the set screw itself, but they did send me a replacement, multiple months/follow ups later... The clutch system in the jorgensen also means the issue you had with that clamp slipping won't happen, so yeah smooth bars with a clutch are going to be a lot better as they don't rely on serrations or threaded inserts... I'll stick to jorgensen and just not put my hand in the way of the clamp.
I just returned a 7 year old rubber mallet that dried out, just gave me a new one. Have returned the cheap o F clamps to them after abusing hem, same thing, just give me a new one , no questions asked. Returns are not a problem.😊
I've got 4 24" pair of these, in addition to 4 24" pairs or Jorgenson, all of which I've had for about 6 months now. I've used them for 8-10 projects, including a few panel glue ups, some rail and stile raised panel cabinet doors, several cutting board glue ups as well as some random one off clamps up. I always reach for the Bremens before the Jorgensons. As a hobbyist working towards building a business over time, I definately plan on purchasing more of these.
That’s very interesting that you prefer the bremans. We have jorgensen and Bessie at work and I always prefer the jorgensen because of the smooth gradual clamping force
Very thorough. I have a love-hate relationship with HF (an air tool failed first time use, of course after the 90 day mark). I do like their Pittsburgh line which have a lifetime warranty. Starting to switch to pipe clamps, bought a 3/4. Now to get a pipe.
For what it’s worth, I’ve returned many failed tools to HF over the years. Including one tool that failed several times. I don’t think there’s a hard limit like you suggest. A couple notable thing things on the warranty: Firstly, it’s not a tool for tool replacement. You get a store credit of the current on the shelf price. You can upgrade the tool and pay the difference. Secondly, it doesn’t cover damage to what you’re working on. That’s likely why they’re having you sign for the replacement. Now if there’s a lawsuit regarding the tool they can likely claim you’ve already been made whole, and you agreed it.
Great review Marc. I've seen these in my local HF and opted not to get them, but after your review I think I'll give them a shot. It seems like you can't really go wrong for the price. By the way, I like your Pork Roll shirt. Used to live in New Jersey and it was all over the place. Now I'm in Connecticut and almost no one carries it. But I miss my Pork Roll!
Ive bought harbor freight clamps of varying variety for 25 years. Over that time I've had to replace 14. 13 of those were used for years before breaking. Still dont have an issue returning anything. They write it off and legitimately dont care how many times a person returns something under warranty
A good fair review. I also believe that this slipping issue would be greatly accelerated with one project that was tough to get a good hold on and excessive pressure applied would cause it to fail quickly. Things of Chinese steel are often not a deal.
I've had a couple of HF's Pittsburgh brand hand tools fail and had the exact same return experience "Go get one off the shelf... Scan... Scan... Have a nice day". I buy power tools from them for a single use and am excited if it lasts longer, but they have significantly upped their game on hand tools. I've even seen pro auto mechanics rate their toolboxes against Snap-On, Matco & others and say that they're 95% as good for < 50% of the price. Hard to argue with that!
I have two of the Bremen clamps. Mine do, in fact, slam closed, and the other day I was breaking down a glue session after the glue set up and I pulled all the clamps off - including my two Bremens. I unwound the handles and pulled both clamps off, and accidentally leaned them the wrong way, and whammo - slam closed with no ability to unwind the handle any more. So... word of caution - check those clamps for slamming closed, and never unwind your handle all the way. That was a royal pain to get to the point where I could release the sliders.
As someone who worked at a harbor freight store for a number of years, I can tell you that the lifetime warranty is EXACTLY that. No questions asked. They won't scrutinize the tool. They won't keep track as to how many you return. They don't care. They want you to tell your friends how badly you beat up a tool and HFT just took it back and gave you another one. That's how they do it.
Great job Mark. Fortunately for me I was in the right place at the right time and went to Lowe’s on the same day that they were replacing the old style of BESSEY parallel clamps with the new ones. I spoke with the department manager who was doing the restocking and she asked me what I thought that the clearance price should be and if $9.99 was a good price for the 24” model? I said “Yup!”, and she marked all of them down accordingly, including the 50” ones for $19.99. I bought every one and have enjoyed using them for many years!
Mark- That was one of the best tool review videos I think I've ever seen. Realistic use cases, consideration of actual cost/benefits and an overall thoroughness made this excellent. Thanks.
u need to see more vids then there harp.
@Harpo Marx Don't forget it's entertaining, too! (So you want to keep watching it even if you, somehow, don't care about parallel clamps).
Hey, watsamatterwich you!
Thanks so much Marc. This is exactly the video I’ve been waiting for. I bought 4x 48”ers and 2x 24”ers a month ago and they’ve been great. Tired of watching people make videos saying they “aren’t square”. We all appreciate your time and input. Well maybe not all of us, but pretty much all of us.
Why would they need to be square anyway? I'm not even sure what that is meant to mean :-D Clamps delivery force through a contact area and squarity (this is my word for exclusive use by me) isn't necessary.
So true dat. I've seen several reviewers comparing parallel clamps who compare the out of tension square and I immediately clicked away because they highlighted their amateurishness and irrelevance.
"Grip is a very personal choice any way..." ~ Marc Spagnuolo, 2023
As I get older, the ability to use an allen key on the end of the Bessey clamp is becoming more and more my feature of choice
Marc with a C!!
Sooo personal
"Let's take a closer look at the head on this thing" - Mark Spagnuolo, 2023
9😅❤@@rootvalue
Probably the most thorough parallel clamp forensic on UA-cam. I bought two 24” Bremens, one of which experienced the same gripping issue that was covered in the video. This happened after around 3 overnight glue ups. The good news is that Harbor Freight replaced the defective clamp, no questions. I have same issue with a Bora clamp (1 of 8) but haven’t yet been in touch with the company. I think the Bremen clamp is an excellent value, especially given the HF return/replacement policy. THANKS FOR A FANTASTIC REVIEW.
Good review Mark. I'm a Bessey user but what I actually found most interesting was that when you disassembled the clamp what you were left with was basically an F style clamp. So basically the parallel clamp was an F style with a few added relatively inexpensive parts which makes me think that the margins on parallel clamps are much better than the simpler styles.
This is exactly on point. The only thing parallel clamps bring to the game is built-in cauls and convenience of standing in place or off the workpiece.
With F-style clamps, at least the cheaper ones, you also have to sometimes help it bite the bar and actually clamp.
Since you can't do this with parallel clamps (due to the clamp body), perhaps they do need a higher-quality bar and clamp to function properly.
This is so good. I love how I walked away from this feeling like I have a solid grasp on the pros and cons of this clamp and I don't feel at any point like I'm being sold on this or any brand. I wish all tool reviews were this thorough and unbiased.
Thank you for this! Long term test reviews don't get nearly the love they deserve. They're every bit as valuable as head-to-head comparisons, if not more, especially when it comes to budget tools. A lot of HF tools are good enough for casual/diy/hobby/beginner use...and a lot are just not. It's super helpful to know which is which beforehand. And i really appreciate when professionals like you, with every justification to focus on what matters to you, make the effort to continue looking at things from other perspectives.
Thank you for your well thought out and rational reviews. I especially appreciate your matter-of-fact presentation style without flopping across a workbench or other ridiculous theatrics!
I think my biggest takeaway from this is that parallel clamps looks like F style clamps with nice looking trim pieces!
I’m not sure what I expected to be honest as I’ve never really thought about it
Do you even know how many "we'll check back later" videos that actually NEVER do so that are out there? Man, this is the very best long-term review I've seen yet! That includes everything from "how did my tree trimming work out with my apple harvest" to "we'll see what the sourdough starter looks like a week from now," and all sorts of other "we'll check in later" videos. IMO this was an excellent review, being as fair as possible to both high-end and low-end products, and I've made my decision based on this. Sorry it's late... but I had to tell you because you asked LOL! I'll be going HF mostly because the amount of parallel clamping I need is very low compared to many others. Thanks again!
Great test and review! Thank you for sticking with it over time.
Regarding Harbor Freight, I borrowed an old 60 lbs jackhammer to dig a trench through rocky soil. I had to use a generator, which I also borrowed. I discovered the generator was sub-par when the jackhammer motor failed. Oops. The jackhammer was a cheap chinese model, already aged and worn by the time I borrowed it. I tried to replace it with a used one but I couldn't find one. So I asked the owner where he bought it and figured I would buy him a new one. He said he bought it at Harbor Freight, so I called Harbor Freight to ask if they had any. They said the one I had was covered by a lifetime warranty and I could get a new one for free, even though I didn't have a receipt! This was about 12 years ago, so I'm not sure if they are more picky now....
That was great. Felt complete and loved you did it over multiple months. Cudos on being thorough and patient. I've rarely seems someone do a review over time like that
Harbor Freight appears to be attempting to take the place of Craftsman tools with their guaranteed product lines. Like Craftsman of old they're seldom the best tools available, but with most competition made in China as well they'll be the best solution for hobbyists and even professionals willing to price in the replacement legwork.
Thanks for the review Marc, looks like these are worth giving a chance in the endless quest to own an infinite number of clamps...
The low price makes it worth a try. I got a 4 1/2” angle grinder there for $15 for a single project and now just use it for sharpening my mower blades.
I figure if it lasts a year I only spent $15.00
@@CrazyManwich I'm on year 12 of my harbor freight grinder...and I put it through hell... certainly feel like I got my money's worth.
The reality is that we never should be using clamping force near the max. If that’s necessary to hold boards that are not straight, you really need to fix the problem you have with making straight edges. Clamps are supposed to hold the boards just enough to hold them closely together when glued. They are NOT supposed to be used to straighten the boards out. If you do, then your work will be under a lot of stress, and can come apart, or warp.
The problem with parallel clamps is that if they don’t work perfectly, it’s as though they don’t work at all (as intended).
You covered this very well.
I think the driving difference between the Breman and Bessey is that on the latter, the "grub" screw is hardened, so it doesn't "smooth out" like the Breman (or even its own cast material would). This probably allows even its bar teeth to be soft, as it will just recut them.
It'd be interesting to test the hardness of both brands' bars, clamp castings, and while you're at it, maybe even the screw (but that will definitely be very hard). I think that measurement would yield a much more detailed hypothesis on the differences.
Great video - and excellent findings!
Mark, I love your reviews. Not only do you get to the bottom of how the tool works, but I crack up a half a dozen times. I have a dozen Bessy parallel clamps that I've had for almost 30 years and they collect dust. Not a fan of parallel clamps...but I know people love them. It's still fun to watch a well crafted review of a new tool. Keep it up man! Thanks!
Just bought 2 48" Bremens from HF yesterday, haven't even had a chance to take them on a test drive yet, but I'll be sure to save the receipt just in case. Thanks for taking the time to do a full review
I've been on the fence about picking these up as my first set of parallel clamps. I appreciate how you break it down, this is just the info I was looking for and has convinced me to pull the trigger on buying these. Thanks!
Harbor Freight’s return policy truly depends on store-specific policies. I was a store manager for them for several years until recently (am now a carpenter), but even I was turned down at other locations for warranty replacements. Overall, they don’t care about how the damage happened, so that’s a plus. Good luck to everyone using the Bremen brand. Clamps seem just fine
Thanks for a very informative comparison and review.
I recently decided to splurge and treat myself to some parallel clamps after having used "pony" brand bar clamps on galvanized steel pipes, for about the last 30 years. I did look at the Bremen clamps from Harbour Freight and watched one review of them. But ultimately I decided to treat myself to four of the Bessey K-Body parallel clamps instead. I opted for the 31-inch size mostly because I was not sure 24 inches would be enough for some future projects, but also because I found a great price on the 31-inch Bessey at Home Depot online, with free next day Fed-X delivery. Most everyone charges about $60 for the 24 inch Bessey, but the 31-inch size was only $52.45. It's not stocked in the local stores and is only available online.
Watching your review just now confirms at least in my mind, that I made a good choice. I'm not knocking the Bremen because it's a great price and may have worked just fine, but I feel a lot better about the long term reliability of the Bessey. The older I get, the more valuable my time is, and I don't like the thought of possibly having to return something that proves to be defective.
Thanks again for a very thorough review.
I have the Bremens and Besseys. I bought 5 of the Bremens and wondered how they grip the bar. Now I know! 2 just failed because of slipping after mild hobby use for a few months. HF refunded my money (without question) because they had no more stock on hand.
Glad I came across this review. I bought 2 of the 48" clamps a few months back, and are holding up fairly well. I'm very much in the "hobbyist" category, so these clamps are just right.
This is a great review! I know at the time it probably doesn't feel worth it to spends months messing with some clamps for one 20 minute video, but your efforts are so incredibly appreciated. I'd love to see teardowns on some of the other parallel clamps, especially cheaper ones like Rockler or Jorgenson, to see how their designs compare to the Bremen or the Bessey. It'd be nice to see where the price:performace ratio sweet spot is for a clamp that costs just enough that there's not a 25% chance you need to go to the store to exchange it.
I don't know if even the good ones are actually hardened and are in the right range for it to work, but maybe something like hardness testing files could be used to check the bars and the head to see if they're too soft? Finding some way of testing hardness might let you get the same answers without doing a long term test.
I am a woodworking enthusiast, not even a hobbyist, and buy my tools based on recommendations like yours. Though, I've been lured many times to end up with higher quality tools like Woodpeckers type tools. I have been saving bucks to gear my garage with some medium size parallel clamps and I thought woodpeckers' Semble would make a good addition, but their pricing is pretty scary. Now, you just gave me a good reason to use my money elsewhere and buy a few of these Harbor Freight clamps man. Thanks.
Your videos are very informative and enjoyable. Keep'em coming man, we watch them...
I have an HF return experience that was quite impressive. I use their cheap spring clamps to hold targets for shooting practice...my wife (Annie Oakley she's not) shot two of the spring clamps when we were out shooting one day. On a lark, I decided to see if HF would replace them, thinking that there's no way they would...and I wouldn't blame them. Lo and behold...they did...I even told them what happened, they said it's no problem, go get some new ones.
I was both shocked and very impressed.
It's been a couple years since I saw you last time and am happy to say you have succeeded in being one of the best reviewers I have ever seen. Very informative and I surely consider you a professional in what you do. Your wood working is great and these little videos are also very nicely done and helpful, Thank you for your time.
I appreciate it
I highly appreciate the professional and well rounded review! So many people on youtube and other places seem to get offended when one thing doesnt work exactly how they expect. "How dare they make this like this!" You can almost hear them saying. Thanks for the realism with zero snobbery!
I have tons of the HF F-style clamps and I think 4 or 5 of them have broken to a degree, but out of 100 or so that's not bad. I will get them replaced and life is good!
I did cabinet construction and better woodwork for years, and always used Bessey clamps, (you're correct, the Allen screw does provide a new 'bite' on the bar. just need to drive it through, not back it out because the messed up threads on the screw can easily mess up threads on the way out )
I have retired, and currently use Irwin clamps more often, simply because I don't use them as much anymore. It's the difference between a hobby and making a living,
If I use something maybe once a month, instead of 3 to 4 times a week, I really don't need a top of the line product.
That being said, I purchased many of my Bessey clamps before I was married, and we are celebrating our 35th anniversary and they are still going strong. (Giving me fewer headaches than my marriage has)
Thanks for taking the time to do a thorough and fair review, Marc! Even as a hobbyist, I would be hesitant to bring a tool into my shop that I know is a ticking time bomb, though. At this point in my life, I'm ok spending a bit more to get something that I can put my trust in, even if it isn't the top-of-the line product.
One failure does not equal a ticking time bomb
I wouldn’t say it is a ticking time bomb. And really, if one is to break, do we really only have enough clamps as we need? We have more…. And at this price you can buy a spare t leave off on the side if one fails. I have their Pittsburgh squeeze clamps, and they are great. In fact they work better than my Dewalt clamps. I paid under $10 for the squeeze clamps.
@@Taylexwow No, but in my opinion, that mechanism does to me. To each their own, but I'd rather spend a few more $ on a clamp w/ a more robust system.
You just raised the bar on tool reviews because taking that clamp apart was awesome. I'd likely pay a bit more for a Rockler based on this content, so thank you.
I've been using the HF gray/black F-style clamps and admit they work perfectly well, so there's my $.02... my rule of thumb for anything from HF is to avoid buying anything with a motor... the HF tarp I have has kept going like a champ for years.
The issue is that the metal used on the bremen clamps is too soft. With lower cost, lower quality control and lower quality materials, this is the result. Bessey uses hardened steel bars, and the set screws are hardened as well. FYI, they use that same set screw design on their tradesman clamps. I've been using a bunch of those for over 10 years with no failures. Clamps are a buy once cry once purchase for me. I've been burned on harbor freight standard bar clamps (the handles kept popping off until I epoxied them in place). The only clamps I buy now are usually bessey parallels, tradesmans and ratcheting lever clamps, and dubuque aluminum bar clamps.
This is kinda where I got to, as well. It may be that the set screw is rated higher up the hardness scale than the bar, such that it can cut into the bar and make its own ‘track’ as the serrations on the bar wear over time.
This has been my experience with all harbor freight clamps. I have some that have been in use for 15 years and still working great, and a few have failed. Even as a professional, I think the cost is certainly worth it. However there is an obvious quality risk associated with their products.
Great and thorough review!!
new review. very honest and complete. I purchased 4 F clamps from HF a few years ago. After a couple months I had 1 clamp fail exactly like the one you experienced. Heck after you disassembled the HF parallel clamp it looked just like an F clamp. For my money I am going to check out the Rockler. thanks!
Thanks for being on the leading edge of testing these. Other reviewers just do the preliminary testing, call it good and recommend them. I've been sceptical and unwilling to throw down cash on these. No way Jose will I be buying Bremen.
Ima stick wit Bessey.
Fair, honest review. Exactly what we've come to expect from your channel. Thanks for the time and effort, Marc.
So glad you took us on the complete journey with you, and didn't post the video after less than a week of testing. 0% snobbery displayed.
I'm betting that the two piece "shoe" on the Bessy is so that the serrated piece can be made from a hardened material. Not for replacement. I'm also betting that you will find something similar on the other high end brands. Without the hardened steel you will eventually flatten those serrations especially if you are using a lot of clamping pressure. I really don't think the quality of the bar is an issue. My 2 cents worth.
Wow! I just subscribed. This is one of the most thorough tool reviews I've seen, and I look forward to your other videos. I am watching this as I just purchased a few of the Bremen Parallel Clamps to add some heavier duty clamps to my clamp mix, and I just can't afford going nearly $100 per clamp on the Bessey, but I could a bit over $100 for four clamps using my Harbor Freight ITC coupon discount when these were down at $27.95 per clamp. You can see the math made me do it. However, when I bought these I couldn't figure how to open the clamp - came across that spring though - which clued me in to what you showed, the handle up release, brilliant. Thanks. I learned way more than I planned to on your video, and loved the danger demo on some of these clamps. Did not know clamps could be used as guillotines. :)
Great test video. Very thorough. I actually saw a test of these clamps that was a quick review, I don’t even recall him clamping them down, but he did something like a 6’ drop test and as I recall, these clamps held up great and surprisingly, a couple of the expensive clamps broke, well the plastic covers broke. I liked that you pointed out the thread design as I never paid much attention to that when buying clamps! I’ve owned the HF f style clamps for years, and other than the round protective caps coming off, they’ve been great. You just have to add a dab of CA glue under the plastic protector caps or once they come off, they’ll continue to come off. Next time I’m at HF, I’m going to pick up a few of these parallel clamps as I’m not a heavy user of them at all. Well, I don’t own any parallel clamps, but for what I do, I won’t be a heavy user of them. Thanks again for the great review!
Great review! It's always in the back of my mind whether HF tools are of decent quality, much less high quality. Thanks for clearing that up!
Thanks. Useful for someone like me who doesn't use them really hard or often, but would be grateful to have them around when I do need them.
I've had the Bremen clamps for over a year,only has one fail and it was like that from the factory. I absolutely love these clamps for both function and price.
I can honestly say that I have 2 Harbor Freight stores within a 20 minute drive of my front porch and I have literally NEVER seen those clamps at either store, they sell out so fast.
must be all these other channels buying them up for their videos
The 48 in. Bremen clamps were just on sale for $32.99, had to get a pair to add to the parallel clamp collection, haha! Love your scietific approach to woodworking Marc and always enjoy your videos!
For the Harbor Freight lifetime guarantee, they take your info so that when they look at the returned product, they can see if it was actually broken or if it was a "rental" (buy it, use it once, return it). I've never had them give me any resistance on returning actually bad products, but I know two people who were cheap and tried the rental thing when doing projects and they were bared from returns after that.
The other thing about HF items, like these clamps, is that even if you are a pro, if you can get 10, ore even just 5 projects out of them you likely have paid for them and made some money to put towards better tools. Sometimes you have to spend money to make money, and you have to buy the best you can now, so you can afford to buy better tomorrow. I've had four of these clamps for a year and have not had any problems with them myself.
I was actually out of Harbor freight you're closing time when someone return something. Manager did the exchange, sent the customer on their way, called over an employee handed them the item, told him to break it to make it completely unusable and throw it in the dumpster. Nosey and curious as I am I asked why they did that and was told it's their policy....I suppose I get that but I figure that if your dumpster diving, you might be in more need than most so who cares if someone takes your trash? Likely it's because they don't want someone grabbing stuff and returning the same tool again since they don't require a receipt. Anyway...Back to my point.
From what I experienced, they don't do any sort of investigation. They just exchange stuff, toss the broken stuff out and move on. My guess is they gather the exchange information to determine if they're making her losing money. If they're losing money they'll either rise the price or tweak the design.
@@genesishep They also destroy it so that someone can't take the broken or malfunctioning item, use it, get hurt, the sue the store. It's a liability issue. At least at my local store, they take it to the back and to a quick investigation/examination before disposing of it in pieces.
@@genesishep I work in retail, although not at Harbor Freight. What you saw is called DIF - "Destroy In Field"- and is standard practice in the industry . Large retailers have agreements with manufacturers to take in defective items from customers, charge the manufacturer the wholesale price for it, then destroy it so it can't be used. It's actually cheaper than having the product shipped back to them. We usually paint ours as well so they can't be fished out of the dumpster and returned again, although every once in a while some bozo tries it anyway. There are strict rules in place against NOT destroying items or employees taking them home. In my company, if you get caught doing that you will be fired.
HF’s F-style clamps are a great investment, too. They will eventually break, and the handle grip might break loose (nothing a little epoxy won’t fix), and the longer bars flex a bit, but they work great for dozens of glueups. At 4-8 bucks a pop, you can’t beat it.
Hey Marc - It's worthwhile noting that pressure is not the same as force. I know that we tend to use these terms interchangeably, however there is an important reason to make the distinction. Pressure is the acting of a force per a unit of area. 1000lbs of force through a 2" x 2" pad is 250PSI of pressure....exactly why we use cauls to distribute clamping force for less concentrated and more even application. That "1000lbs of force" distributed over a 2" x 5" glue surface area drops final pressure to a mere 100PSI, which is about the bare minimum for a cosmetically-clear glueline with PVAc in hardwoods, ideally double that. Soon that layup of 100" of 2" thick wood lamination needs these clamps at least every 5" (>20 clamps) to dial in adequate clamping pressure through the joints. By this point for practicality, we're talking heavy I-beam clamps with the rear pad retained by a steel pin, which are usually rated in the order of 2500lbs, plus a nice caul either face to create good overlapping triangles of distribution. The numbers these manufacturers throw around about their clamps are pretty meaningless until you run them and see what they mean in the real world, even then the type of clamp may not function at these values without there being things like scarring on the bar and losses through bar bending, etc. I'm certain that you're 100% aware of this, but thought it useful to voice for those that may not be, especially since those numbers seem more to function as a comparative sales tactic than a specification. For reference, industrial manufacturing woodworker in marine and architecture where these aspects are handled more like engineering than woodworking..
Excellent review. I bought some of the Bremen parallel clamps a few months ago. I’ve used them a half dozen times. They’re the only parallel clamps I’ve ever used. I love them. But I don’t have a good comparison perspective.
Good video, fair assessment. I avoided Harbor Freight tools for a long time. When placing a paver path around a swimming pool I had the option of renting one or buying a tile cutter from HF for the same price. The tile cutter required me to make two passes on the pavers, but I got the job done and then lent the saw to my son in law who tiled his bathroom. Still have it, so I think money well spent. HF can surprise you now and again
Very interesting and useful video. Thanks. The low price of these clamps would not be sufficient for me to give up my Jet parallel clamps. I purchased my Jet clamps at least 10 years ago. I love the clutch design of the Jet clamps. I cover my Jet bars with masking tape to prevent glue getting on the bar.
Dave.
This is just meant as a comment on a thought I have watching woodworking videos... I see a crap ton of money in clamps on the wall. I sometimes look in my shop and see dollars hanging everywhere. Hobbies are expensive, I guess.
Great video, great review, as usual. I've been watching you since neither of us had gray hair. Keep up the good work. Hope you are liking mid-west living.
I'm sold! Going to grab 3 of the 48" ones today. Thanks for the solid review!
Love the long term use review. I wish more people did this for their reviews. I'm also a fan of the HF f-style clamps. Super cheap and decent enough quality for my needs. I always pick up a couple whenever I'm in the store. And I like the grips better than my Irwin f-style clamps. I don't need parallel clamps nearly as often, but I'll keep this in mind when I do. Thanks for sharing!
I have had another colour version of the Bremen sold in the UK. If they are not made in the same factory then next door and they are very good. I can tighten them up so tight I can crush timber. I got these about four years ago and I have no problems. No issues at all
I've been using both the I beam clamps and the parallel clamps from Bessey. About 40 of the I beam clamps, been going strong for about 4 years, no issues, I have 8 of the parallel clamps, inside of the movable head the casting (where the set screw is) has cracked and rendered the clamps useless. The 6 of the 8 parallel clamps have failed, and all are under 12 months old. Side note, you are correct about the set screw on the Bessey parallel clamp. It is a wear item, and it can be rotated to expose fresh threads to engage the bar.
Not tested here but…
I got a deal on Prime Day for four Powertek 48-inch parallel clamps at a price of $35/each last year or the year before, and they’ve quickly become my go-to for parallel clamps.
They’re much lighter weight than my Bessie’s-I have several K body and. The juniors.-which I only pull out at this point when I’ve run out of Powertec to use.
And I do a veritable sh^t ton of glue-ups.
No joke.
That was one of the most thorough review and testing I've seen in a long time.
Two thumbs up 👍👍
I've been an H-F clamp user for >10 yrs and have had a few F-style and Ratcheting bar (quick clamp) clamp failures and a dodgy bar clamp failure. H-F gave me replacements every time. No questions, no issues. They even replaced a standing drill press when the spring to retract the spindle broke (not a replaceable part) and a pancake air compressor when the internal flap valve (another non replaceable part) broke. They do stand behind their warranties. Yea, quality is NOT always the highest, but for the price + warranty, they fit my budget and work/project demands. The original H-F clamps, and other products, under the Pittsburgh name were/are bottom shelf products & quality. The newer brand names: Bremen, Bauer, Warrior, Hercules, etc. are MUCH better and definitely more worth the money paid. I've had my share of issues with H-F and there are lots of stuff I would not touch with a 10 ft pole, but they are improving. I consider H-F to be about where Grizzly was 25-30 years ago - and lots of people rave about Grizzly now.
Harbor freight clamps are probably the best value purchase out there. I haven't gotten any of their parrallel clamps yet but own a ton of their f style clamps. The bars will bend if you put a ton of force on them but like you said, if you are putting that much force on the project you probably should rework your jointery. It would probably be worth having a few higher quality clamps for small projects and then just a bunch of harbor freight clamps for when you are doing larger projects. :)
I think the sentiment of this is a great low cost option for hobbyist describes most of what HF sells and their return policy is great, like the old Craftsman's hand tool policy. In the cases of having the HF version or nothing at all it's nice that HF is available. As someone with a older teen who is getting into making stuff and working on his truck who isn't very gentle and sometimes absent minded with my tools, being able to get 2 decent (Bauer) angle grinders for the same price as a DeWalt makes a lot of sense. I think with the proliferation of ultra cheep import tools on Amazon the quality of stuff at HF has improved, their Quinn and Doyle lines are solid tools at 1/2 the cost. As always when shopping at HF, simpler the better and if it's suppose to be sharp it wont stay that way.
Thanks for the detailed review. As a hobbies, I would only have a limited number of a certain clamp and buy more as my projects required. With that said, having one go down in the middle of a glue up without a replacement could ruin a project. This is why I think spending a little extra for a more proven clamp is well worth it.
Hey WW, greatly appreciate your time in testing the product as completely as possible. Seriously. Greatly appreciate you taking the time to be accurate and fair. One question / concern - Would there be an issue if a clamp went from 400 lbs pressure to 350 lbs pressure over night? Would you be able to notice something like that when removing the clamp? Based on the construction of the HF clamps, that seems like a possibility. Would that significantly impact the strength / longevity of a glue? My point is, maybe find a way to measure pressure retention...? Before giving the clamp a moderate thumbs up...? Asked in ignorance.
Mike
Probably not a realistic concern. The clamps are really only needed for the first 4-6 hours of glue up. After that, removing them or keeping them on makes very little difference to the strength of the joint. Based on that, I would guess that a slow decline in pressure over an 8-12 hour window would have little impact. Now if it slips quickly at the beginning, different story…
Check out this video testing exactly this scenario: ua-cam.com/video/bNAUsngRTsA/v-deo.htmlsi=AYXkbou-Aob7ITn8
Good review. Thorough and fair. I agree but it’s not that the metal is inferior, it’s just a mild steel that might be better suited for other things. When you compare the price to other clamps and add the fact that your torture test isn’t what others will be doing you’re left with a good deal with an easy replacement should that happen. I applaud your dedication and how much you put into the test.
I bought 4 got them home and found 2 wouldn't tighten so went back exchanged and so far they have worked fine. I'm a hobby wood worker and they are ok for what I do.
Generally speaking, this completely matches my experience with HF. Great prices, and "good 'nuff" quality for many things. Rule of thumb - where you need the best, go ahead and pay for the best... where you don't, HF usually has you covered. And HF does have some surprisingly solid stuff too (e.g. I have a corded right angle drill that I abuse the crap out of sanding bowls on the lathe... it still works great after hours of mistreatment).
I've been a woodturner for years, and while I'd love to have a Laguna or Powermatic, I'm actually on my second HF 12x34" unit (I gave up on the first after the motor start capacitor blew). It's definitely rough around the edges and has some major drawbacks (what a crappy toolrest banjo)... but until the day I have the spare cash for a much nicer unit, I can get what I want to done just fine for a shockingly low price -- low enough that if it does die, it's not a catastrophe to just replace it.
I have thoroughly enjoyed the "medium" level Harbor Freight stuff as a beginner
decently cheap.. and lifetime warranty with no questions
I haven't had anything break yet (including the stuff I use for car repairs) and they're a steal when you realize some of their stuff is made in the same factory as the name brand stuff (just with worse quality control it seems)
I sanded my entire project of hickory using the HF Bauer $20 sander and when I thought it would break it's still going strong even after dropping it a couple of times by accident!
Yup, scared the heck out of me the first time I flipped that Jorgensen over and it went crashing down on me. It was my first time using a parallel clamp and until this video, I didn't know that some of them don't do that! Thanks Marc!
Here's a tip for you that I use for battery packs: put a number on each one of your clamps. That way, if you have occasional issues with one, you can mentally keep track of which number might be going bad. If you notice the same one slipping or having problems a few times you can take it out of service.
Great tip!
Wow. What an in-depth review. It's always hard to tell which Harbor Freight things are surprisingly good or understandably bad.
Thanks!
Marc, this was an awesome review! Thanks Bud, do more of these please!
This is great news. I've used other HT clamps before with near zero problems and the never a problem as I usually buy the extra warranty.
Best review of clamps by an experienced user with practical knowledge. Thank very much.
Thank you for sharing this review of the HF parallel clamps. Everyone have a wonderful day. Also stay warm, safe, happy and healthy. From Henrico County Virginia
They were on sale for 27.99 a few weeks ago. I bought 6 (same price as 2 Besseys) and so far so good.
Glad I watched this. Just ordered a pair of jet parallel clamps for 80. Can’t beat that price!
I recently purchased 4 of these clamps to test out on an antique bookshelf I am repairing. I used them to reglue several panels, and to clamp the entire assembly together when the panels were whole again. That one project with perhaps 6-7 glue ups was enough to put flat spots on all 4 bars. I decided that was unacceptable, and returned them. Two 50" Besseys cost me a little less than the 4 Bremen clamps(2x24", 2x48"). It hurt, but I know they will last me a lifetime. I love HF's new quality products, but I don't feel I can trust them to still be making any item in a few years when it's time for replacement. It's unclear how their "lifetime warranty" will work with items they no longer make, but I dont want to be the one to find out. You had 1 out of 4 fail when this was a new product. I had 4 out of 4 fail today. It doesn't speak volumes for their QC. Food for thought to those considering these today. Watch your bars for flat spots.
🙌🔩 Thank you, Marc, for delivering the video we've all been eagerly waiting for! I recently purchased the same clamps and they have exceeded my expectations. It's frustrating to hear people claim they aren't square when they work flawlessly. Your time and expertise are greatly appreciated by the majority of us. Keep up the fantastic work! Looking forward to more insightful content! 🎥🛠👍
There’s another issue at hand with a “25% failure rate” if the clamp dies mid glue up and was your last one. You may lose an entire project to a bad clamp. So if these do have some failures. Keep extras.
And if they’re anything like the F style clamps. The failure rate is around 10% in my estimation
I agree. A woodworker can never have enough clamps
Thanks Marc, I have some of these parallel clamps and they are super cheap and work great. You can never have too many clamps and at these price points you will save a lot of money.
Thanks for the video...Very informative. I have been using similar clamps with cutting board glue ups and I started rubbing past wax on the bar for easy glue removal.
Thanks for that review! I bought 4 of those clamps for some heavy oak boards I am gluing up into pantry shelving and have been extremely happy with the results so far (about 7 glue-ups). Sadly, the issue with what is being speculated as variation in metalurgy is not surprising, given the seller. That said, I have frequently reccomended these to friends, with the caveat of wait for them to go on sale (even at HF price, these are expensive for a woodworker's need of so many clamps).
The one thing I would like to point out regarding their warranty (which I have only taken advantage of on a single torque wrench), is the exchange will only work IF they still have them in stock. Now, HF has been reinventing their product line and branding over the past few years, phasing out old brands and bringing in new labels. Could this specific item become obsolete in three years, no longer available for warranty exchange? Dunno. Secondly, these are generally hard to find in-stock at my local HF store. And if they are on sale, you better hit the store the day their truck arrives. So, if one breaks on me, I might have to drive to a different HF branch an hour away if I need a same-day replacement.
Still, doomsday musing asside, they feel confident in my hands when I'm trying to get my boards pulled in, whereas several other bar clamps scoff (let's say my boards might have warped between planing and my post-surgical lifting restrictions before I could glue them).
I've never seen such a thorough review. Great job. I was looking at these clamps the other day. I'm just a hobbyist but just knowing of this flaw would bother me.
TBH I haven't used parallel clamps until very recently and I didn't like them. They were Bessy and I had to glue up a project quickly with epoxy ( yes I know not the professional way but this project required it) I quickly found that I couldn't adjust the clamp ( to ensure a flush face ) quickly enough ( as I could with a Quick clamp or even a bar clamp) I nearly screwed up the project. I vowed never to use them again and go back to my bar clamps. After seeing your video I now realize that Jet offer the 'trigger' with their clamps, which probably would save me in another tricky glue up. SO although I probably will never buy any of the HF parallel clamps I may buy a few of Jet's. So thank you for inadvertently introducing their clamps to me.
Thanks for the Ricky Bobby reference. Have not laughed out loud at a woodworking video in a while. Much appreciated.
So the serrated edge on a parallel clamp of a bessey is there because they don't use the same style of clamp as jorgensen does. On a jorgensen the clamp mechanism is similar to their bar/f-clamps in which they have a multi-disc clutch. On a bessey (at least the one I own) they use what looks like a threaded rod embedded in the metal shaft that holds the handle and as you tighten the handle to clamp down the threaded rod engages the grooves (it may be the same clutchless system that they use in the bessey f-clamps but I don't know). It seems that the grooves on the bessey help with the threaded rod gaining grip where as the clutch system on the jorgensen doesn't seem to need it. I know bessey says their clamps are rated for 1700lbs but mine broke well below that, it actually broke the metal around the set screw not the set screw itself, but they did send me a replacement, multiple months/follow ups later...
The clutch system in the jorgensen also means the issue you had with that clamp slipping won't happen, so yeah smooth bars with a clutch are going to be a lot better as they don't rely on serrations or threaded inserts... I'll stick to jorgensen and just not put my hand in the way of the clamp.
I just returned a 7 year old rubber mallet that dried out, just gave me a new one. Have returned the cheap o F clamps to them after abusing hem, same thing, just give me a new one , no questions asked. Returns are not a problem.😊
I've got 4 24" pair of these, in addition to 4 24" pairs or Jorgenson, all of which I've had for about 6 months now. I've used them for 8-10 projects, including a few panel glue ups, some rail and stile raised panel cabinet doors, several cutting board glue ups as well as some random one off clamps up. I always reach for the Bremens before the Jorgensons. As a hobbyist working towards building a business over time, I definately plan on purchasing more of these.
That’s very interesting that you prefer the bremans. We have jorgensen and Bessie at work and I always prefer the jorgensen because of the smooth gradual clamping force
Very thorough. I have a love-hate relationship with HF (an air tool failed first time use, of course after the 90 day mark). I do like their Pittsburgh line which have a lifetime warranty. Starting to switch to pipe clamps, bought a 3/4. Now to get a pipe.
For what it’s worth, I’ve returned many failed tools to HF over the years. Including one tool that failed several times. I don’t think there’s a hard limit like you suggest. A couple notable thing things on the warranty: Firstly, it’s not a tool for tool replacement. You get a store credit of the current on the shelf price. You can upgrade the tool and pay the difference. Secondly, it doesn’t cover damage to what you’re working on. That’s likely why they’re having you sign for the replacement. Now if there’s a lawsuit regarding the tool they can likely claim you’ve already been made whole, and you agreed it.
Great review Marc. I've seen these in my local HF and opted not to get them, but after your review I think I'll give them a shot. It seems like you can't really go wrong for the price. By the way, I like your Pork Roll shirt. Used to live in New Jersey and it was all over the place. Now I'm in Connecticut and almost no one carries it. But I miss my Pork Roll!
Ive bought harbor freight clamps of varying variety for 25 years. Over that time I've had to replace 14. 13 of those were used for years before breaking. Still dont have an issue returning anything. They write it off and legitimately dont care how many times a person returns something under warranty
I'm a hobbyists, thanks for the better title than I had given myself 😂 I think these will be great for my projects.
A good fair review. I also believe that this slipping issue would be greatly accelerated with one project that was tough to get a good hold on and excessive pressure applied would cause it to fail quickly.
Things of Chinese steel are often not a deal.
I just left that same HF. Small world. Love your channel.
Many thanks!! I have always had Bessys but am needing to retool now in retirement and I was considering these clamps due to price. Great review!
I've had a couple of HF's Pittsburgh brand hand tools fail and had the exact same return experience "Go get one off the shelf... Scan... Scan... Have a nice day".
I buy power tools from them for a single use and am excited if it lasts longer, but they have significantly upped their game on hand tools.
I've even seen pro auto mechanics rate their toolboxes against Snap-On, Matco & others and say that they're 95% as good for < 50% of the price. Hard to argue with that!
Thank you for the great information. I really was wondering about the Bremen clamps. Not anymore.
I have two of the Bremen clamps. Mine do, in fact, slam closed, and the other day I was breaking down a glue session after the glue set up and I pulled all the clamps off - including my two Bremens. I unwound the handles and pulled both clamps off, and accidentally leaned them the wrong way, and whammo - slam closed with no ability to unwind the handle any more. So... word of caution - check those clamps for slamming closed, and never unwind your handle all the way. That was a royal pain to get to the point where I could release the sliders.