TerryMcK Posted September 21, 2013 Report Share Posted September 21, 2013 Recently I saw the Bessey Uni-Clamps on sale for a reasonable price so bought a set of 4. I have to say these are great for small glue ups as they follow the now standard parallel clamping format and are classed as light duty. The version I bought is the UK 300/80 which in USA/Canada are the 12" x 3 1/8". Clamping force up to 1‚500 N (330 pounds) Parallel jaw faces with extra-large contact surfaces Clamping of various shapes‚ along the whole length of the rail Universally applicable Light and easy-to-handle No need for tools for switching between clamping and spreading The bar is just less than 1/4" thick x 3/4" wide and about 17" in length made of steel with what looks like a galvanised or plated coating. The head comprises an aluminium casting which grips onto the rear of the serrated bar. The clamp screw is an acme thread of 1/2" diameter so applies force without slipping. The casting/screw assembly is covered with a black plastic moulding which is 1 5/16" wide x 3 1/8" high so spreads the load over a wide area. As it is a tough, durable but resilient plastic there is not much likelihood of bruising pre-sanded or finished surfaces when clamping up. In practice I have found them very useful for glueing small, flat panels, small drawers or components inside cabinets that need something different than an F clamp. No doubt they have many other uses and I probably will find things I didn't know about them in due course. Of course as they are made by Bessey the quality of them is very good. They are manufactured in different lengths from 160mm to 600mm (just over 6" to about 24") all with a 3 - 1/8" throat. I think I will buy some more of these as they are very useful. How often have you got your full size parallel clamps out to clamp a couple of small boards together resulting in not being able to see the wood for the clamps? Well recommended for weekend warriors. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryMcK Posted September 21, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 21, 2013 I entered this post while in the shop. I've just updated it with some extra details/description about the clamps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkirby Posted September 21, 2013 Report Share Posted September 21, 2013 I need to get me a few of these and there bigger brothers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted September 21, 2013 Report Share Posted September 21, 2013 I have a couple of these and I was not impressed. Either not enough clamping pressure or it slipped. The K body REVO is heavier and $$ but it works very well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChetlovesMer Posted September 22, 2013 Report Share Posted September 22, 2013 Steve, I have a couple as well. I'm not even sure where I got them. They seem fine as long as you remember "light duty" and "small projects". I often call on them to hold together a small box or something like that. However, I will also agree that I love the K-Body Revos. I have about 30 of them and love them. They are far in a way my "Go-to" clamps. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gee-dub Posted March 29, 2016 Report Share Posted March 29, 2016 These get more use than all my other clamps combined. They are light panel clamps so they are no replacement for pipe clamps or K-Body clamps and the like. Much of my work does not involve crushing strength requirements and these fit the bill perfectly. They also do not have all the problems that f-style clamps present. Thanks for the review and making others aware of these handy little guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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