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by Peter Brett - April 2006
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Bessey Means Better "In English"!
You might well ask what sets the Bessey range apart from others. The cynics will say it’s the price. True enough, Bessey clamping products are more expensive than most, but those who appreciate quality will never regret the investment. Reading through the catalogue and talking to Bessey representatives, it is clear that everyone has taken on board the Bessey message that quality counts. It is quality that sets Bessey apart from most of the other products on the market.
At the Bessey factory in Germany, the quality of materials, manufacturing processes, testing and development are all stringently controlled. To the business managers and accountants out there, this is no doubt a disastrous way to run a clamps business, but when I talk to demanding craft professionals, Bessey clamps are the ones that they aspire to, even if they don’t own any.
For this review I was asked to look at a representative of two ranges of lever clamps, the ratchet operated GH Range and the KLIKlamp Range. What they have in common is a ratchet system that allows the user to apply a little or a lot of clamping force via an easy to operate lever, and then to just as easily release the pressure by clicking the release lever. It really is that simple, and it works well.
The GH Lever clamp range starts with the G12H at 120mm long and ends with the G100H which is 1 metre long and weighs 4.06 Kgs! All of these are made in the same way. If you can imagine a standard F clamp, the top of the F and the bar down which the sliding arm slides is forged in one piece and then tempered. The angle is bent to a little over the 90 degrees so that when clamping force is applied it springs back ever so slightly to the 90 degrees. The middle part of the F, the sliding arm, which holds the ratchet mechanism and the pressure plate is similarly forged and tempered and gives nothing away when clamped to its maximum force of an incredible 8,000 Newtons. In order to apply this pressure, the ratchet handle is made from an alloy casting that is beautifully, but simply shaped to fit the hand. Try as I might, I never actually managed to apply the full pressure to the clamp. I rather suspect that Popeye- type strength is needed to do that, and the applications where it is needed are a bit beyond what I would use! Bessey claims that the GH clamp series will resist vibration in use and when I tried the usual tactics of clamping a thick metal plate to a bench and then hammering all around it to see if I could loosen the clamp I failed miserably. Once set in place firmly, the workpiece stays clamped, and if it does move it is most likely to be the way that the user has applied the clamp, rather than the clamp’s fault.
Apart from the sheer clamping strength and quality of the GH series, what I really liked was the quick and easy way the clamp can be adjusted and then the way a mountain of clamping pressure can be applied. All the twisting and winding associated with screw clamps is avoided. For speed of use and security of clamping, the GH series is either the best or up there amongst the best.
The KLIKlamp series uses the same sort of technology for applying the clamping pressure. A cam operated ratchet lever, but sort of scaled down in terms of strength and weight is the option with the KLIKlamp. I can identify with this. Most of my work is with wood, so I don’t need the sort of bruising pressure that the GH series can apply. On the other hand, when I do use standard F-clamps I always get fed up with the way in which they can twist and come undone at the slightest provocation. The KLIKlamp seems to be immune to this. Once the pressure is applied it tends to stay in place very well, and like the GH series, the clamping force can be applied quickly, easily and accurately. With a bit of practice, you can almost use the KLIKlamp one-handed.
What makes the difference? Well first of all the two arms of the F-clamp are made in magnesium, as you know this is a light and extremely strong metal. These two arms are beautifully finished and surface coated. The sliding bar is of course the familiar Bessey steel, with serrations on front and back edges to ensure good “grab”&Mac226; from the sliding arm. The real magic is the scaled down VIBRAFIX ratchet mechanism. This does work a treat. My proof? I once watched a group of potential buyers at the Bessey stand at a show. Each one held a KLIKlamp and they simply could not stop doing the “slide” and ratchet&Mac226; movement while they were talking. It simply is a pleasure to use. Bessey quality is much in evidence in the handle and ratchet mechanism.
Simple plastic won’t do, it is fibreglass reinforced polyamide. The fixed arm normally has a non-marking plastic cover on it, but slide it off and there are two crossed v-grooves that make it easy to grip tubes and edges if necessary. The “floating”&Mac226; action of the lower pressure pad adjusts itself to uneven surfaces.
Unlike the GH series I was able to apply full pressure on the KLIKlamp. This is normally about 1,200 Newtons, enough, I would say for the average woodworking application?
KLIKlamps are available in 4 sizes, from 120mm long to 250mm long. With the weight of the 120mm clamp being only 260g and the 250mm clamp being 350g travelling woodworkers now have no excuse not to carry good clamping around with them. At the moment, I regard the KLIKlamp as a hugely valuable addition to any Craftsman’s toolkit.
Not all reviews are as easy as this to write, but having Bessey clamps to try out makes it so. If you can’t afford a set, buy just one or two. My bet is that their quality and ease of use will change your mind about clamps.
Independent Review by Peter Brett
Airstream Communications