JET 24-Inch Parallel Clamp (70424)

I've worked with Bessey and Jorgensen parallel clamps, and I've looked closely at the Gross Stabil clamps. For me, the Jet parallel clamps eclipse everything else. They're all solid clamps, and they'll all do the job for which they're intended, but the Jet clamps have some nice advantages.The chief advantage is the head lock. To release or lock the heads on the other clamps, you pivot the handle. Sometimes, when you're working with a tough glue-up and gravity is against you, it can be awkward to pivot the handle and turn it to tighten the screw. And when you arrange most parallel clamps vertically, the head almost always slides down, which can be a nuisance or even a nuckle-basher. Those sliding heads are heavy! In any case, when gravity has its way, the head will be at the bottom of the bar, which isn't necessarily where you want it.On the Jet clamps, the head locks in place unless you squeeze a trigger. This means you can pre-set the gap, a task that is made easier by the inch markings on the bar. Then, you position the clamp, the head stays where you put it.Minor advantages of the Jet clamps are the dogs that screw into the stationary jaw and a bracket that clamps to the bar. You can insert these dogs into the 3/4" holes found in most workbenches, thus preventing the clamps from moving or falling over while you're preparing your glue-up.Don't be too deterred by the cost. You can use parallel clamps for nearly all your clamping jobs. They're heavy, but they'll do almost anything a bar or pipe-clamp can do. For awhile, I've been buying one clamp a month. (I use Amazon Prime, which I wouldn't live without, but all these clamps qualify for free ground shipping, so there's no penalty in spreading things out.)

The plastic handle sheared off in the first use. Everything else seemed to be stout, but the clamp is only as good as its weakest part. I was going to pitch it, but will see if I can't fabricate a new handle out of wood.

I have 30+ Jet Parallel-ish clamps that were all purchased during the same sale. They exert a lot of force, for sure, but the jaws don't apply force in a parallel manner which can be problematic if you're not using cauls. Jet's quality control on these clamps is all but non-existent so you never know quite what you're going to get. The handles aren't especially comfortable if your glue-up requires a dozen or more clamps. Some clamps will slide too freely when the quick-release is engaged while others will require a swift knock of the metal bar against the concrete floor. If you can get them on sale, go for it. If not, consider other brands (which, in fairness, are sure to have their own short-comings).

I bought two of these clamps (30") and found them so useful that I bought two more (24 and 40") even though I'm just an amateur basement woodworker. The design is well thought out. The jaws are 1.5" thick so they work well with 2x4's. The jaws are also easy to move, easy to grip, and are powerful and parallel. Their construction is solid and spilled glue doesn't stick to it. The squared edges make it easy to set on a surface. I'm even using them just to hold objects that I'm working on. It may be hard to spend $40 to replace a $5 pipe clamp, but the first time I used them I was glad I did. After all, I do woodworking for the joy of it.

I bought these clamps on a Black Friday special. They are amazing clamps. I have several Bessey, Jorgensen, etc. clamps, and these Jets are a step above all of them. They are much sturdier than the other brands. I love them.The only reason I give this four stars is that they just arrived today -- more than a month after I ordered them. I don't know what happened, but I am aware that when these went on sale for the Black Friday special, people were ordering them left and right, so maybe they got back ordered. If so, that's fine and I don't hold it against them. But in addition to the delay, I don't remember receiving any kind of communication or anything advising me of a delay. So their communication could have been better.With that said, I wasn't in a hurry to get the clamps, and the delay wasn't that big of a deal to me. I've had to deal with WMH's customer service before in connection with a Jet drill press, and they were very responsive and helpful on that occasion. But while this delay and poor communication is not that big of a deal to me, it wouldn't be fair to give them 5 stars in light of those issues. So I give them 4 stars, but I would recommend you get yourself some of these clamps!

This is the second pair of Jet 70424 24-Inch Parallel Clamps I have bought and I just ordered a third pair. To say I really like these parallel clamps is a bit of a understatement. I bought the Jet 70424 24-Inch Parallel Clamps to help with a glue up of a new workbench I'm building. I have been gluing it up in 12 inch sections with some of my bar clamps. After the first glue-up being a nightmare to glue-up with the bar clamps I said I need some new clamps if I'm going to get anything done. After getting the first pair of the Jet 70424 24-Inch Parallel Clamps I was very happy how they worked and how smooth they moved back and forth along with the quick release trigger. The large heads make for a much easier clamping and the clamps stand up unlike the bar clamps that have a tendency to roll around on me. After trying the pair out on a few glue-ups I knew these were the clamps I needed. The Jet 70424 24-Inch Parallel Clamps should save me a lot of time and headaches. I plan to order some Jet 12-inch and 40-Inch Parallel Clamps also to glue-up the final workbench top and base. I will be buying more as I need them and can see myself with a whole set of the Jet 70424 24-Inch Parallel Clamp.I have another review for Jet clamps and how I came up with Jet clamps being the winner over all the other parallel clamps out.Now I have to build a rack for the new parallel clamps. It just never stops.