Thanks for the chuckle at the end of the video! I don't use a perforated benchtop but just might after seeing this. Usuall it's a clamped pair of boards with narrow wedges to access the edges.
Been using these for about a year now. Reviewed them on my channel too. Apart from the issue you raise, I really get on with them. So much so I sold both my much more expensive and problematic Armor Tool (or Axiam...same clamp) linear clamps. Great for the money these. I pretty much always use them with the knobs underneath though. The spigot is about 19.2mm on mine so a bit of slack in the 20mm bench holes.
I bought a pair after watching your review and haven't looked back - I get around the height issue by just padding the workpiece on each side with a couple of slightly lower rectangular scraps - thank you!
@@10MinuteWorkshop gonna send you an email later this week if you don't mind Peter. Would appreciate your thoughts on a couple of widgets I've had machined.👍
Thanks for this, hadn’t seen these clamps. I’ve found by lifting up slightly on the end of the festool clamping element before it engages with the board I have less lifting, not perfect but i hate having to screw the knobs on!
Hey Peter, you've got to test the new Bessey WNS. Height of the clamping parts is just 12mm, the workpiece isn't lifted at all, not a tiny bit and the clamps are so strong that I leave a small gap to the workpiece before engaging the lever, otherwise it's almost too tight. 😁
"... clear and obvious flaw. That could have been dealt with in the design stage" Great point, and omg how many products this pertains to. Your new talking head light setup looks great by the way. Thanks for another great vid. Cheers.
Thanks for the tip on the bangood clamp. Ordered and arrived about 2 weeks ago and putting to use in anger. Wanted the festool ones but kept putting off as was not sure if would suit my needs. This offered a great opportunity to try out for far less.
I recently purchased the new Bessey WNS-MFT set. They are well-made and fairly reasonably priced. Unfortunately, they are as yet unavailable in the US. I bought mine while in the UK recently.
I've been using the UJK/Axminster cams for a while - excellent - especially with the wedges too. They're suited to material down to about 12mm and don't seem to have the lifting issue.
I've had very mixed experiences using these cam clamps. Their practicality is very much dictated by the size of the workpiece. If you are just the wrong distance away from the nearest set of holes they can be infuriating to use. They have exactly the same lifting problems too at extended distances.
Thanks Peter for another superb video. You certainly keep me coming back : ) It's really funny, but I looked at the Festool ages ago and they were £65 and I thought, "Mmm well, they are nice but way too expensive!" Just yesterday, I was pining for them and I checked and they are now £105 !! Way tooo much. So, I somehow managed to find this video and, lo and behold I saw them on Banggood's website and, as they say in Texas, "Ye aint gonna believe this!" I got them for the princely sum of £19.30 and........... two Festool knockoff lever ratcheting clamps for £12.60 each. Such a steal ! So, all of that for half the price of the Festool lateral clamping system......Yahoo !
Hi Peter, thanks for the video. I have just noticed that Banggood have a sale on and the clamps are currently £25.58 a pair. I bought them at full price and am very happy with them. Definitely a good deal at the moment.
Another good informative video. Has any one just used two square top dogs like supplied with a 'workmate' and use a quick grip clamp in reverse ie pushing away rather than closing. It works ok and is cheap too. Not quite as quick to set up but does provide a firm grip dependant on direction the wood being worked on is forced but then just put another dog in that direction. I picked up a Walko bench after seeing this video recently after you mentioned the name and looking it up, its different but suits my needs.
Seems a wide wooden shim, as thick as the clamp, maybe with sides that are slightly widest near the top edges, placed on either side of the workpiece (it can also be flipped for a different grip if the workpiece works better with that), can shorten the necessary clamp head extension effectively, with practically zero lift. I guess a shim width of half the hole spacing is generally best, but the ideal shim width depends on the piece. Two equal shims of 1/4 hole spacing could offer a more general fit or assist in avoiding sanding down the plastic clamp parts.
I was keen on Banggood, but I have had several different faulty clamps and they are a pain in the backside to deal with for warranty claims. For example, digital calipers that I bought had a random fault, which I didn't notice when I first got it. I complained a couple of months later and that ended in a long argument online, including the response that 'Every product has its natural life'! Eventually got a credit for nearly all the cost, but now only use them for things that can't go wrong (although even some guage blocks were delivered as imperial when I ordered metric). So, caveat emptor! You may be lucky, but probability of a problem is high.
Stanley Workmate also made a surface clamp "system" (called a horizontal clamp) and a hold down. Still run into them in the used market. Not really 20mm or 3/4-inch they are unique.
I still have 4 sets of the Stanley surface clamps. They fit snug in a 20mm hole and no lift off as seen by these newer clamps. I nearly threw them, but having just made my first MFT with the Parf system they will prove useful.
Awesome Pete, wanted those festool clamps but refused to be ripped off by festool (spent enough on their tools over the years!) gonna get those banggood ones 😁😁👍
Just use a packing item when you’re near the extents of the clamp, much less lift up then. Also, it’s dead easy to pop open a festool knob and swap out a longer threaded bolt. Not a fanboy. Love my clamping elements.
Must agree with Hooked on Wood regarding Armor Tool in line clamps see Woodworkers Workshop UK. The problem of them being US 3/4 can be overcome with homemade CNC or 3d printer collar.
Thanks for another useful video Peter. I wonder if the heads on these could be modified or completely swopped out. Perhaps birch ply with some leather/cork on the ends? The question I'd have is; is there a head shape that would encourage a downward pressure on the workpiece (if there is, why didn't festool incorporate it? I find it hard to believe they didn't extensively test their clamps)
I wonder how many companies make a dog with a cam profile on the top, that way you can just twist the cam-dog to exert clamping pressure against the edge of a part. As it'd be a single piece, it should alleviate the lift-off issue, assuming the cam profile has enough reach for oddly sized workpieces.
Rutlands have another option too - R9022, at £50 + postage. Lifetime warranty and obviously that much easier to return in the UK, but again the clamping face is 20mm (If I've read the specs properly). My success rate with Banggood purchases is exactly 50%, so just a tiny bit cautious!
Hi Peter, I bought a pair of the cheap ones (I don't remember if they were bangood but they are identical) as the Festool are crazy price for the amount if use I have. I find they're great if you are doing a load of repeat steps, when screwing them down works really well, but for single use the lifting is a pain and it's not worth the effort to screw down. Good value IMHO.
Sadly, with a custom MFT that's atop a torsion box, getting to the underside of the dogs isn't an option for me. The UJK cam-clamps/wedges are a good alternative though, but I might get a pair of these Banggood jobbies anyway, and fabricate some sort of solution. Cheers Peter!
I have had those "NEW" knockoff mft clamps for over a year and still find myself always reaching for the festool element clamps because of the height. I noticed right off the bat that the new mft clamps are really thick. Amazing video's
@@10MinuteWorkshop the only solution i came up with was to sand the top of the clamping end down to 1/2". For the price of those clamps it sure is hard to beat them though especially when comparing to festool's pricing.
@@10MinuteWorkshop after messaging you about the clamps i realized the sanding method made them look horrible so i tried anothet solution and set my bandsaw to remove a quarter inch from each piece and it came out perfect on the entire set. I figured i would share the experience just in case you were still experimenting with ideas to make the off brand clamps more like festool's.
Nicely done Peter 😁👍. Oh my god.... some clamps I haven't got.... yet....you can never..... etc etc. Great to see I'm not the only one that has an abundance of bloopers to use up at the end 😂🤣😂. Think I will get a couple of these, the price seems attractive 😁. Thanks for the video Peter, stay safe 😁👍
Excellent information. I need something like this to hold pieces down at my CNC machine. But these seem not to any better than Kreg version while work piece is lifted when tightened. Need to find another solution. And most likely it will be vacuum pods or wedges.
@@10MinuteWorkshop Thanks for the tip. I have seen those Bessey clamps somewhere before but forgot them totally. The price is half compared to Festool clamps, too. Has to order pair of those.
Thanks Brett! They’re not solid unfortunately, but I think you could trim them with a bandsaw and fill them. Not that I’m giving away the plot of a future video or anything... 🤔🤷♂️😂👍
Ha Ha Peter always the comedian, since when have the Chinese taken any notice of patents 🤔 Love the toungetangulated misprunonciations almost Millardoprops🤣🤣🤣
Never seen the need for these. One edge against bench dogs. The other side with dogs + simple wedges, and/or any combination of both. Much quicker too, but then again I make wedges from any scrap I can salvage prior to binning it.
Should have mentioned too... On my CNC waste board, just add some screws and jam in some sacrificial wedges to hold the piece down, never seem to have issues with the work-piece lifting from the wasteboard.
Peter , have you ever given any thought to using the Kreg inline clamps ? They have a 3/4 peg which should fit the 20 mm bench holes slightly loose . There made from glass filled nylon and are surprisingly stout .
loves the bloopers at the end, I like listening to english people, they sound more refined. I have family in england. Thank you for your reviews as you give both objective and subjective information, but mostly objective which I trust. Much love from across the pond. I did have a question, if I were to get into the MFT style bench for a tracksaw I am planning on buying, how many quick ratcheting clamps (MFT style, bessey or festool) how many would you recommend? I decided my jobsite table saw is not as accurate as I want it to be, even with every modification or tweaks I could make, all I want is a straight edge as factory straight edges are a joke, so I am willing to to spend the cash for a tracksaw. Since my job is not dependent on it, I am thinking of the new KEBI from festool although i hate new battery platforms, but if I had to cut all day and thick material I would definitely go with mafel. Any advice would be great.
Thanks Chuck! For ratchet clamps, I have two pairs and they typically do me just fine - a pair for the rail if I need it, and another for the workpiece, again, if needed. I’ve no direct experience with the battery saws, but I know a couple of guys with the new K saws and they’re very happy with theirs. 👍👍
@@10MinuteWorkshop I got the battery version of the festool tracksaw and its great. I cannot believe how accurate a tracksaw is coupled with a rail square can be. I bought your plans for the ultralight workbench and love the concept. I know the MFT/3 is probably great but am going to spend the money I will save from making a bench into some benchdogs supplies and use your code. Thanks again for all your knowledge. * I forgot, I went with your recommendation for 2 clamps and thats all I need.
Can you please make a video about the new Bessey WNS MST clamps , same idea as these but they dont lift your work piece they say. Its not available in the USA yet so im wondering
That's what I was going to say! I like the festool ones but the board rise is an issue. I usually position the cam with a one or two mm spacer between it and the board I'm clamping, then remove the spacer before clamping down. I find the gap just allows for the perfect tightening that doesn't lift the board too much but holds in place well enough for most operations
Surprising that the cheap ones are not below 18mm! Timely video, just last week I noticed my festool original clamps are no longer clamping firmly, have you found any loss of force with wear on yours?
Hey Alastair. No, my Festool Originals are clamping really well, but you’re not the first person to mention a lack of clamping pressure as they age. And yes, crazy re the clamp head thickness. 🤷♂️👍
Suggestion for a quick DIY-hack, sand a couple of mills off the clamp tops with sandpaper to make them a custom thickness. Personally, I have always had good luck buying entirely mechanical products from Banggood and Aliexpress, especially when sorting by price and picking the "high quality" version of whatever it is they are copying (still often half the price or better compared to the genuine version). However, I have been less than impressed by Chinese electronics design (with some notable exceptions), obviously not as straight forward to copy.
I did not know these thingies. Interesting. But an other question, how do you know when to change the sandpaper on a circular sander or bandsander? Thank you.
Thanks Frits. Re the sandpaper, you can usually tell when it’s worn too much to be useful, or just check the surface of the disc or belt to see the condition. 👍👍
Thanks Steve. The 21mm refers to the thickness of the clamp heads; they’re designed to fit the standard 20mm dog holes in an MFT top, I think the workmate has standard 20mm holes as well. 👍👍
Hi, interesting ! I was actually thinking of the issues i have at the moment without them. You know what you could do to combat the 'liftoff' you get when the 20mm hole is a bit far away? drill some 20mm intermediate holes and mark them so you know you dont get mixed up with the original 20mm holes. Or is there something I have not thought through about this idea? :)
@@garethnashstaff591 Although it would ruin the finish, would it not be possible to sand down the element that clamps against the piece. Think it would need 3mm to 4mm removing from what Peter said, so maybe its a non-starter. Interesting video though. Thank you
I have the Walko and Chinese clamps and there are plenty of work arounds including wrapping some plumbers tape around the stem to get a really snug fit then there is almost no lifting therefore you don't need to clamp from underneath the table. Also use 16mm scrap pieces between the clamps and the stock. This solves the problem of the Chinese clamps being too thick. I paid $47AUD for the Chinese clamps compared to $200AUD for Festools and $90AUD for Walko. The Chinese clamps as far as I'm concerned do an equal job to the Festools for a quarter of the price. Its a no brainer! I find Festools price obscene
Soory Pete i am new to MFT and bench dogs and was gonna as this....... if you want to shhet goods without cutting into your MFT top would the bench dog protectors be the best method to do this....? Cheers Gear video :)
The Benchdog benchtop protectors will do this yes, but I prefer to have the underside of the workpiece fully supported personally, so I tend to use a sacrificial board to cut against. 👍
Is there any benifit from your MFT table to be out of MDF? I have the UJK jig that I make mine out of using birch ply or MDO. Have a few in the shop and a few i have in the work van for on site. Was afraid to us MDF do to weight and moisture.
I always use MRMDF, so no issues with moisture; it’s a little heavier than Birch ply but not much in it, and until recently it was much cheaper! Birch is great if you want something that will last. 👍👍
@@10MinuteWorkshop thx for the response i see you others use the MRMDF but that is something I've never seen available around my area unless you special order it.
A good and useful review. Know of any cheap alternative to Festool's hold downs for Kapex? Is that "cheap and cheerful" description yours or Banggood"s? Pretty appropriate either way.
Hi Peter. Can you tell me is banggood any good, I’ve tried to buy some racket clamps from them but the site doesn’t seem good and others on RUclips says they are dodgy 🤷♂️ What do you think?
These are the only items I've bought from them, and I didn't have any issues; my pal Stew over at Bisch Basch Bosch has a lot of banggood products, and speaks very favourably of them. Hooked on wood doesn't seem to have any major problems either. 👍
@@10MinuteWorkshop Just ordered a pair and thanks for highlighting.. I'll grind one down after filling with epoxy or just pull the head off and make my own.. At this price you can't go wrong!
It would be interesting to know how long the patent has to run. Even for Festool the price is high for such a simple tool. I feel sure the market will flood with alternatives as soon as the patent is up.
Hi Peter I've just got am MFT3 and looking to get some of these clamps as a long term user of the MFT do you think 2 is enough or should I get 4 I would value your opinion
The Axminster Cam and Wedge Set seems like a good low tech option. Be interesting to see how that compares to the Festool clamps. BTW, and this is by no means a criticism of your excellent content, please slow down the voice over a touch! ;-)
Really? Didn’t know that, thanks! They sold them separately at quite a discount over the festool prices, must have had great margins - or a bad business model... 🤔🤷♂️👍👍
ORDERED. with shipping and the suspiciously 'rounding up' insurance at 59p came to £30, but seem well worth it. could you put a piece of 18mm scrap between the clamp and the workpiece to overcome the height issue?
Did you have metal wear related problems with Festool clamps, making them prone to slip ? My experience with cheap clamps (like Lidl Parkside - F and quick clamps) is that after a while (1 year or so) the metal parts wear and lose grip. PS. Love the bloopers :)
@@10MinuteWorkshop Thanks. I hope banggood clamps will serve you well. In my limited experience, however, there are reasons why the prices are lower, and they show up on long run :)
@@10MinuteWorkshop As you mentioned, they rise and not keep the work piece flat, can be a real pain on large boards as I hate having the sander mark them or the piece start sliding away from the pressure of sanding
I wonder, why the The Festool Clamps says „FESTO“ on the Top 🤔 I dont think, that „Festo“ is the Manufacturer of the Clamps 🤔 (Yeah, i know, it was one company named „Festo“ in the past)
Thanks for the info Peter. If the Festool clamps weren't made in China, I would go for the Festool clamps. But seeing that both the Festool and Banggood clamps are made in China, then I guess I'll just go for the cheaper clamps. Thanks again for bringing these to our attention. Regarding the bloopers, listening to you speak is just so relaxing that even hearing your bloopers is also enjoyable. Cheers
How about 3D printing intechangable heads with differing thicknesses [at the grippy end] to deal with the workpiece thickness issue? Even by themselves, these heads could be a marketable 'add-on'. If the clamps are popular a little 'fix' like this could really take off.
![3 MFT Rail Hinges [**Gifted/Ad][video 494]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/ywQoSh7G8KE/mqdefault.jpg)
![3 MFT Rail Hinges [**Gifted/Ad][video 494]](/img/tr.png)
![I Make an MFT top with the LR32 rail [video 424][gifted/ad**]](/img/1.gif)
" ... almost unique ..." Thank you Peter! My English teacher many, many years ago nailed me with the "unique" trap. Funny what sticks with you.
Oh yes! 😂😂👍👍
Thanks for the chuckle at the end of the video! I don't use a perforated benchtop but just might after seeing this. Usuall it's a clamped pair of boards with narrow wedges to access the edges.
Thanks Gary! Yes, very useful little clamps, but they do require a few holes in the bench! 👍
Been using these for about a year now. Reviewed them on my channel too. Apart from the issue you raise, I really get on with them. So much so I sold both my much more expensive and problematic Armor Tool (or Axiam...same clamp) linear clamps. Great for the money these. I pretty much always use them with the knobs underneath though. The spigot is about 19.2mm on mine so a bit of slack in the 20mm bench holes.
Cheers Stew - sorry, hadn’t seen your vid on them. Yes, mine are a little loose in the dog holes, but clamping them down really makes a difference. 👍👍
I bought a pair after watching your review and haven't looked back - I get around the height issue by just padding the workpiece on each side with a couple of slightly lower rectangular scraps - thank you!
@@10MinuteWorkshop gonna send you an email later this week if you don't mind Peter. Would appreciate your thoughts on a couple of widgets I've had machined.👍
@@chillyspoon cheers Fergus. Always a workaround bud.
Thanks for this, hadn’t seen these clamps. I’ve found by lifting up slightly on the end of the festool clamping element before it engages with the board I have less lifting, not perfect but i hate having to screw the knobs on!
Hey Peter, you've got to test the new Bessey WNS. Height of the clamping parts is just 12mm, the workpiece isn't lifted at all, not a tiny bit and the clamps are so strong that I leave a small gap to the workpiece before engaging the lever, otherwise it's almost too tight. 😁
I’ll take a look, thanks! 👍
I bought a set and they are excellent.
"... clear and obvious flaw. That could have been dealt with in the design stage" Great point, and omg how many products this pertains to. Your new talking head light setup looks great by the way. Thanks for another great vid. Cheers.
Thanks Goran!
Thanks for the tip on the bangood clamp. Ordered and arrived about 2 weeks ago and putting to use in anger. Wanted the festool ones but kept putting off as was not sure if would suit my needs. This offered a great opportunity to try out for far less.
Thanks! Yes, they’re not perfect, but it’s a god way to ‘try out’ the concept of these clamps at a reasonable price. 👍👍
I recently purchased the new Bessey WNS-MFT set. They are well-made and fairly reasonably priced. Unfortunately, they are as yet unavailable in the US. I bought mine while in the UK recently.
This made me think about the UJK Surface Cam Clamps. Never tried them, but they look decent and are cheap.
Never seen them before catching the shaper origin demo this afternoon! 😂 👍
I've been using the UJK/Axminster cams for a while - excellent - especially with the wedges too. They're suited to material down to about 12mm and don't seem to have the lifting issue.
I've had very mixed experiences using these cam clamps. Their practicality is very much dictated by the size of the workpiece. If you are just the wrong distance away from the nearest set of holes they can be infuriating to use. They have exactly the same lifting problems too at extended distances.
@@andrewwhitehead2002 Thanks Andrew. Good to know.
Thanks Peter for another superb video. You certainly keep me coming back : )
It's really funny, but I looked at the Festool ages ago and they were £65 and I thought, "Mmm well, they are nice but way too expensive!" Just yesterday, I was pining for them and I checked and they are now £105 !! Way tooo much. So, I somehow managed to find this video and, lo and behold I saw them on Banggood's website and, as they say in Texas,
"Ye aint gonna believe this!" I got them for the princely sum of £19.30 and........... two Festool knockoff lever ratcheting clamps for £12.60 each. Such a steal ! So, all of that for half the price of the Festool lateral clamping system......Yahoo !
Woo hoo! I’ve just been sent one of the ratcheting clamps, so I’ll be taking a closer look at those, too! 👍
Hi Peter, thanks for the video. I have just noticed that Banggood have a sale on and the clamps are currently £25.58 a pair. I bought them at full price and am very happy with them. Definitely a good deal at the moment.
Another good informative video. Has any one just used two square top dogs like supplied with a 'workmate' and use a quick grip clamp in reverse ie pushing away rather than closing. It works ok and is cheap too. Not quite as quick to set up but does provide a firm grip dependant on direction the wood being worked on is forced but then just put another dog in that direction. I picked up a Walko bench after seeing this video recently after you mentioned the name and looking it up, its different but suits my needs.
The blooper reel is a nice added feature. And to think all this time I thought you were perfect. 😁👍
Thanks! And no, never! 😂😂👍👍
I used a double wedge and 2 dogs on the other end for clamping.
Seems a wide wooden shim, as thick as the clamp, maybe with sides that are slightly widest near the top edges, placed on either side of the workpiece (it can also be flipped for a different grip if the workpiece works better with that), can shorten the necessary clamp head extension effectively, with practically zero lift. I guess a shim width of half the hole spacing is generally best, but the ideal shim width depends on the piece. Two equal shims of 1/4 hole spacing could offer a more general fit or assist in avoiding sanding down the plastic clamp parts.
Enjoyed the video as usual but the end was the real entertaining part 😀 keep them coming please
😂 Thanks Chris! Will see what I can do...🤷♂️👍
I was keen on Banggood, but I have had several different faulty clamps and they are a pain in the backside to deal with for warranty claims. For example, digital calipers that I bought had a random fault, which I didn't notice when I first got it. I complained a couple of months later and that ended in a long argument online, including the response that 'Every product has its natural life'! Eventually got a credit for nearly all the cost, but now only use them for things that can't go wrong (although even some guage blocks were delivered as imperial when I ordered metric). So, caveat emptor! You may be lucky, but probability of a problem is high.
Kreg do one that works similar also, but appear to be plastic with a twist knob to tighten them up on to the piece to be clamped.
Stanley Workmate also made a surface clamp "system" (called a horizontal clamp) and a hold down. Still run into them in the used market. Not really 20mm or 3/4-inch they are unique.
I still have 4 sets of the Stanley surface clamps. They fit snug in a 20mm hole and no lift off as seen by these newer clamps. I nearly threw them, but having just made my first MFT with the Parf system they will prove useful.
Great vid as always! Veritas make a lovely set (all metal) although you don't have the clamping range with them, they are very nice and low profile.
Thanks Steve! Didn’t know about the Veritas ones, Are they a cam-type clamp then? 👍
@@10MinuteWorkshop yes cam style. 👍 I'll tweet it to you.
Ujk cam clamp kit is similar price, rock solid and you can use the 3 mini dog pups in the kit for other things
👍👍
About the unwanted lift-off. This problems seems to go away with age 😁
😂😂👍👍
Awesome Pete, wanted those festool clamps but refused to be ripped off by festool (spent enough on their tools over the years!) gonna get those banggood ones 😁😁👍
👍👍 Good stuff!
Thanks Peter hadn't seen these and I can't justify the festool price got them for $55 AUD
Nice! 👌👍
Love the engraved 10min Workshop.. Godbless your channel
Just use a packing item when you’re near the extents of the clamp, much less lift up then. Also, it’s dead easy to pop open a festool knob and swap out a longer threaded bolt. Not a fanboy. Love my clamping elements.
Must agree with Hooked on Wood regarding Armor Tool in line clamps see Woodworkers Workshop UK. The problem of them being US 3/4 can be overcome with homemade CNC or 3d printer collar.
Thank you Peter - enjoyed the out takes too :D
Thanks! 👍
Thanks for another useful video Peter. I wonder if the heads on these could be modified or completely swopped out. Perhaps birch ply with some leather/cork on the ends? The question I'd have is; is there a head shape that would encourage a downward pressure on the workpiece (if there is, why didn't festool incorporate it? I find it hard to believe they didn't extensively test their clamps)
Brightened my day no end Peter!🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Thanks Alan! 😆😆👍👍
I wonder how many companies make a dog with a cam profile on the top, that way you can just twist the cam-dog to exert clamping pressure against the edge of a part. As it'd be a single piece, it should alleviate the lift-off issue, assuming the cam profile has enough reach for oddly sized workpieces.
Rutlands have another option too - R9022, at £50 + postage. Lifetime warranty and obviously that much easier to return in the UK, but again the clamping face is 20mm (If I've read the specs properly). My success rate with Banggood purchases is exactly 50%, so just a tiny bit cautious!
They’re identical to the banggood clamps, but at twice the price. 🤷♂️👍
@@10MinuteWorkshop Then I hope my hit rate goes up to 66% :D Thanks Peter!
Hi Peter, I bought a pair of the cheap ones (I don't remember if they were bangood but they are identical) as the Festool are crazy price for the amount if use I have. I find they're great if you are doing a load of repeat steps, when screwing them down works really well, but for single use the lifting is a pain and it's not worth the effort to screw down. Good value IMHO.
Enjoyed that Petwr. Thank you. The outakes were brilliant lol "BEH"..
I may have to take a look at this bang good jobby....😁😁😁
Cheers Barry! 👍👍
Sadly, with a custom MFT that's atop a torsion box, getting to the underside of the dogs isn't an option for me. The UJK cam-clamps/wedges are a good alternative though, but I might get a pair of these Banggood jobbies anyway, and fabricate some sort of solution. Cheers Peter!
Yes, pain in the neck with an MFT & folded legs, too! Worth having as an alternative though. 👍👍
I have had those "NEW" knockoff mft clamps for over a year and still find myself always reaching for the festool element clamps because of the height. I noticed right off the bat that the new mft clamps are really thick. Amazing video's
Thanks! Yeah, I have something planned about that... 👍👍
@@10MinuteWorkshop the only solution i came up with was to sand the top of the clamping end down to 1/2". For the price of those clamps it sure is hard to beat them though especially when comparing to festool's pricing.
@@10MinuteWorkshop after messaging you about the clamps i realized the sanding method made them look horrible so i tried anothet solution and set my bandsaw to remove a quarter inch from each piece and it came out perfect on the entire set. I figured i would share the experience just in case you were still experimenting with ideas to make the off brand clamps more like festool's.
Nicely done Peter 😁👍. Oh my god.... some clamps I haven't got.... yet....you can never..... etc etc. Great to see I'm not the only one that has an abundance of bloopers to use up at the end 😂🤣😂. Think I will get a couple of these, the price seems attractive 😁. Thanks for the video Peter, stay safe 😁👍
Thanks Frank! Yes, they’re handy clamps to have 😆 Cheers, P
I liked the final minute.
Love the bloopers - reminds me of the canonball run movies!
Haha, thanks! Common all run! Haven’t thought of those for years - I’ll have to go and dig one out to watch now! 😂👍
Loving the outtakes Peter :)
Thanks Adrian! 😂👍
Thank you. I have direct order one of these sets. I am Interested to test these.
Excellent information. I need something like this to hold pieces down at my CNC machine. But these seem not to any better than Kreg version while work piece is lifted when tightened. Need to find another solution. And most likely it will be vacuum pods or wedges.
Old vid. The new Bessey clamps are much better - no lifting. I showed them in the 2022 gift list video 510 - ruclips.net/video/sZgLxykEQJY/видео.html
@@10MinuteWorkshop Thanks for the tip. I have seen those Bessey clamps somewhere before but forgot them totally. The price is half compared to Festool clamps, too. Has to order pair of those.
Enjoyable video Peter, feeling the pain with those retakes!
Thanks Martin! I know! Even when it’s written in front of you you still trip over your toinge! 🤷♂️👍👍
Love the out takes 😂🤣👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👍🏼
Thanks! I own up to them once in a while...😆🤷♂️
Just use a scrap MDF strip on the other side of the hold downs to minimize the distance and it doesnt lift from the table.
Now you’re just giving away the plot to the next video... 🤷♂️😂👍👍
Thanks Peter.👍
Cheers Norman! 👍👍
Maybe you could use your cnc to trim the clamp heads down a few mm if they are solid enough... great content Peter, really enjoyable 👍
Thanks Brett! They’re not solid unfortunately, but I think you could trim them with a bandsaw and fill them. Not that I’m giving away the plot of a future video or anything... 🤔🤷♂️😂👍
Ha Ha Peter always the comedian, since when have the Chinese taken any notice of patents 🤔
Love the toungetangulated misprunonciations almost Millardoprops🤣🤣🤣
Cheers Clive. Yeah, that but was kind of tongue-in-cheek - much like the outtakes at the end... 😂👍
Loved that. My thoughts entirely.
Excellent review theme. Useful again in this instance.
Thank you! 👍👍
Yeah that’s my only complaint about the bang good option they stick above the stock
Never seen the need for these. One edge against bench dogs. The other side with dogs + simple wedges, and/or any combination of both. Much quicker too, but then again I make wedges from any scrap I can salvage prior to binning it.
Should have mentioned too... On my CNC waste board, just add some screws and jam in some sacrificial wedges to hold the piece down, never seem to have issues with the work-piece lifting from the wasteboard.
I had the Festool ones for many years, but found the metal bars marked very easily and began to slip. I use wedges now.
Interesting, thanks. As I say in the vid I’ve had mine around 10 years and they’re absolutely fine. 👍👍
6:14, is that why you are in the dark 😂 love the CNC MFT
Yes! 😂 💡 👍 The CNC too works really well, this one was courtesy of Key Blades, who make very nice custom tops. 👌👍
great vid thanks Peter, can never have enough clamps eh!
Thanks! And no, never! 😆👍
Love the custom logo mft top.
Thanks! Yes, works well! 👍👍
Peter , have you ever given any thought to using the Kreg inline clamps ? They have a 3/4 peg which should fit the 20 mm bench holes slightly loose . There made from glass filled nylon and are surprisingly stout .
Thanks - never seen them, I'll have to try them out. 👍👍
I was thinking of how to make my own to do the same job...
Marius Homberger has made some clever cam-style clamps in the past. 👍👍
The out takes are a reminder how much work a single video is.
loves the bloopers at the end, I like listening to english people, they sound more refined. I have family in england. Thank you for your reviews as you give both objective and subjective information, but mostly objective which I trust. Much love from across the pond. I did have a question, if I were to get into the MFT style bench for a tracksaw I am planning on buying, how many quick ratcheting clamps (MFT style, bessey or festool) how many would you recommend? I decided my jobsite table saw is not as accurate as I want it to be, even with every modification or tweaks I could make, all I want is a straight edge as factory straight edges are a joke, so I am willing to to spend the cash for a tracksaw. Since my job is not dependent on it, I am thinking of the new KEBI from festool although i hate new battery platforms, but if I had to cut all day and thick material I would definitely go with mafel. Any advice would be great.
Thanks Chuck! For ratchet clamps, I have two pairs and they typically do me just fine - a pair for the rail if I need it, and another for the workpiece, again, if needed. I’ve no direct experience with the battery saws, but I know a couple of guys with the new K saws and they’re very happy with theirs. 👍👍
@@10MinuteWorkshop I got the battery version of the festool tracksaw and its great. I cannot believe how accurate a tracksaw is coupled with a rail square can be. I bought your plans for the ultralight workbench and love the concept. I know the MFT/3 is probably great but am going to spend the money I will save from making a bench into some benchdogs supplies and use your code. Thanks again for all your knowledge. * I forgot, I went with your recommendation for 2 clamps and thats all I need.
Can you please make a video about the new Bessey WNS MST clamps , same idea as these but they dont lift your work piece they say. Its not available in the USA yet so im wondering
They were on my 2022 Gift List video 👍 ruclips.net/video/sZgLxykEQJY/видео.html
Like the look of the UKJ cam lock ones..... Different concept - How about a comparison?
That's what I was going to say! I like the festool ones but the board rise is an issue. I usually position the cam with a one or two mm spacer between it and the board I'm clamping, then remove the spacer before clamping down. I find the gap just allows for the perfect tightening that doesn't lift the board too much but holds in place well enough for most operations
Surprising that the cheap ones are not below 18mm! Timely video, just last week I noticed my festool original clamps are no longer clamping firmly, have you found any loss of force with wear on yours?
Hey Alastair. No, my Festool
Originals are clamping really well, but you’re not the first person to mention a lack of clamping pressure as they age. And yes, crazy re the clamp head thickness. 🤷♂️👍
Suggestion for a quick DIY-hack, sand a couple of mills off the clamp tops with sandpaper to make them a custom thickness.
Personally, I have always had good luck buying entirely mechanical products from Banggood and Aliexpress, especially when sorting by price and picking the "high quality" version of whatever it is they are copying (still often half the price or better compared to the genuine version). However, I have been less than impressed by Chinese electronics design (with some notable exceptions), obviously not as straight forward to copy.
Sanding?? It’ll be a bandsaw job, I think! But yes, it’s definitely a job to be done! 👍👍
I did not know these thingies. Interesting. But an other question, how do you know when to change the sandpaper on a circular sander or bandsander? Thank you.
Thanks Frits. Re the sandpaper, you can usually tell when it’s worn too much to be useful, or just check the surface of the disc or belt to see the condition. 👍👍
Hey! Interesting comparison... Not sure if this will sway it but anglia have the festool for around 70 currently?! Still around 3* the cheap ones!
Hey Tom! Yes, ~£70-ish is the best street price I could find too! 👍👍
Peter as always I appreciate the comparison of tools but I have a question the 22 mm is that the same as the workmate table three-quarter inch holes
Thanks Steve. The 21mm refers to the thickness of the clamp heads; they’re designed to fit the standard 20mm dog holes in an MFT top, I think the workmate has standard 20mm holes as well. 👍👍
I work with mostly 16mm board. So unfortunately it's dogs and wedges for me.
Hi, interesting ! I was actually thinking of the issues i have at the moment without them. You know what you could do to combat the 'liftoff' you get when the 20mm hole is a bit far away? drill some 20mm intermediate holes and mark them so you know you dont get mixed up with the original 20mm holes. Or is there something I have not thought through about this idea? :)
Or just drill them slightly off-grid so it’s obvious?? Good idea! 👍👍
Or just keep various widths of scrap to put between the clamps and the workpiece.
Great video. Might have a look into them!
Thanks! Didn't expect them to be up to much tbh, but was pleasantly surprised. Next video idea: how to cut down your cheap clamps to make them
Peter Millard allready racking my brains as to how i’m going to do that!
@@garethnashstaff591 Although it would ruin the finish, would it not be possible to sand down the element that clamps against the piece. Think it would need 3mm to 4mm removing from what Peter said, so maybe its a non-starter. Interesting video though. Thank you
@@ianmarsden8568 A disc sander would remove that amount in a few seconds
@@garethnashstaff591 the epoxy fill and grind idea sounds feasible.
They are nearer £40 due to customs and excise I couldn't find the UK site which I assume does not charge import duty.?
I paid £26 flat, no import duty. 🤷♂️👍
I have the Walko and Chinese clamps and there are plenty of work arounds including wrapping some plumbers tape around the stem to get a really snug fit then there is almost no lifting therefore you don't need to clamp from underneath the table. Also use 16mm scrap pieces between the clamps and the stock. This solves the problem of the Chinese clamps being too thick. I paid $47AUD for the Chinese clamps compared to $200AUD for Festools and $90AUD for Walko. The Chinese clamps as far as I'm concerned do an equal job to the Festools for a quarter of the price. Its a no brainer! I find Festools price obscene
Soory Pete i am new to MFT and bench dogs and was gonna as this....... if you want to shhet goods without cutting into your MFT top would the bench dog protectors be the best method to do this....? Cheers Gear video :)
The Benchdog benchtop protectors will do this yes, but I prefer to have the underside of the workpiece fully supported personally, so I tend to use a sacrificial board to cut against. 👍
@@10MinuteWorkshop Cheers Pete
Is there any benifit from your MFT table to be out of MDF? I have the UJK jig that I make mine out of using birch ply or MDO. Have a few in the shop and a few i have in the work van for on site. Was afraid to us MDF do to weight and moisture.
I always use MRMDF, so no issues with moisture; it’s a little heavier than Birch ply but not much in it, and until recently it was much cheaper! Birch is great if you want something that will last. 👍👍
@@10MinuteWorkshop thx for the response i see you others use the MRMDF but that is something I've never seen available around my area unless you special order it.
Would a taper on the pegs result in a downward twisting force on the clamp?
Something to try, certainly! 👍👍
Nice, not a bad price either.
Well, it converts to $50.80 AUD, and only 50c postage...
Cheers Bill! 👍👍
A good and useful review. Know of any cheap alternative to Festool's hold downs for Kapex? Is that "cheap and cheerful" description yours or Banggood"s? Pretty appropriate either way.
Thanks! Cheap & cheerful is mine, not banggoods, and no, sorry, no Kapex alternatives that I know of. 👍🤷♂️
Boom looks like the cnc has been busy!
Yes, but not mine! 😂 The guys are key blades made me this one. 👍👍
“Clear and Obvious design error”...time for VAR 😂😂
😂😂👍👍
Hi Peter. Can you tell me is banggood any good, I’ve tried to buy some racket clamps from them but the site doesn’t seem good and others on RUclips says they are dodgy 🤷♂️ What do you think?
These are the only items I've bought from them, and I didn't have any issues; my pal Stew over at Bisch Basch Bosch has a lot of banggood products, and speaks very favourably of them. Hooked on wood doesn't seem to have any major problems either. 👍
Really liked the MFT top with the 10 minute logo, is that something you made with your Oozenest CNC?
Thanks! No, the guys at Key Blades made this one for me. Really nice MFT tops. 👌👍👍
So the question becomes whether sanding down the cheap clamps to under 18mm damages the structure.
The clamp heads aren’t solid, but it’s something I’ll be looking into, certainly. 👍👍
Could you grind the top 3.5mm off the banggood clamp heads assuming they are a solid piece of plastic?
They're not solid - but I'll be having a go, for sure. 👍
@@10MinuteWorkshop Just ordered a pair and thanks for highlighting.. I'll grind one down after filling with epoxy or just pull the head off and make my own.. At this price you can't go wrong!
It would be interesting to know how long the patent has to run.
Even for Festool the price is high for such a simple tool.
I feel sure the market will flood with alternatives as soon as the patent is up.
Well, we’ll see. 🤷♂️👍
Hi Peter I've just got am MFT3 and looking to get some of these clamps as a long term user of the MFT do you think 2 is enough or should I get 4 I would value your opinion
I’ve only ever used two at a time, so a pair should be fine. 👍
@@10MinuteWorkshop thank you
The Axminster Cam and Wedge Set seems like a good low tech option. Be interesting to see how that compares to the Festool clamps. BTW, and this is by no means a criticism of your excellent content, please slow down the voice over a touch! ;-)
Thanks! And that was me slowing down! 😂👍
You should check out marius hornberger's channel for how to make bench dog clamps with a free downloadable template
If only he’d made them 10 years ago before I bought mine! 👍👍
12.5 minute workshop!
Sorry if this is answered elsewhere, but how wide is your main workspace?
2.5 metres, just about, or 8’6”. 👍
The clamps that came with the Walko were FESTO branded. DAMHIKT :)
Really? Didn’t know that, thanks! They sold them separately at quite a discount over the festool prices, must have had great margins - or a bad business model... 🤔🤷♂️👍👍
ORDERED. with shipping and the suspiciously 'rounding up' insurance at 59p came to £30, but seem well worth it.
could you put a piece of 18mm scrap between the clamp and the workpiece to overcome the height issue?
👍👍 They can take a while to arrive, btw. 🤷♂️
I just went to order some and they're out of stock - perhaps you had the last ones?? - must have had a run on them after Peter's video.
Back in stock and ordered a set today - allegedly being sent from a UK warehouse.
@@robgullen Mine arrived today! taking them to the workshop for a play tomorrow.
Did you have metal wear related problems with Festool clamps, making them prone to slip ?
My experience with cheap clamps (like Lidl Parkside - F and quick clamps) is that after a while (1 year or so) the metal parts wear and lose grip.
PS. Love the bloopers :)
No, no problems at all, though a few people have mentioned it. I’ve had more issues with my Bessey clamps for that kind of lack of grip. 🤷♂️👍
@@10MinuteWorkshop Thanks. I hope banggood clamps will serve you well. In my limited experience, however, there are reasons why the prices are lower, and they show up on long run :)
Was only yesterday thinking of selling my festool one's
Lack of use, or just not working out for you?
@@10MinuteWorkshop As you mentioned, they rise and not keep the work piece flat, can be a real pain on large boards as I hate having the sander mark them or the piece start sliding away from the pressure of sanding
good video thanks
Thanks! 👍
I wonder, why the The Festool Clamps says „FESTO“ on the Top 🤔
I dont think, that „Festo“ is the Manufacturer of the Clamps 🤔
(Yeah, i know, it was one company named „Festo“ in the past)
Thanks for the info Peter. If the Festool clamps weren't made in China, I would go for the Festool clamps. But seeing that both the Festool and Banggood clamps are made in China, then I guess I'll just go for the cheaper clamps. Thanks again for bringing these to our attention. Regarding the bloopers, listening to you speak is just so relaxing that even hearing your bloopers is also enjoyable. Cheers
Haha, thanks! 👍👍
Armor tool makes a similar clamp.
Subtle sponsorship for the channel engraved into your benchtop? And where was the intro jingle, I missed it.
Thanks! The the jingle, sometimes I just want to get right into the video, is all.🤷♂️👍
I wonder, why the The Festool Clamps says „FESTO“ on the Top 🤔
I dont think, that Festo is the Manufacturer if the Clamps 🤔
Maybe ‘Festool’ wouldn’t fit? 🤷♂️ Festo Tooltechnic became Festool in 2000.
Peter Millard yeah, i know! 😅 So i wonder if this clamps are remaining stock from an veeery old big production 😀
Another very informative and helpful video - many thanks
I never knew these existed! They look super useful!
I might have a go designing and 3D printing some since I'm too cheap even for a Bangood special! 😂
They are well handy - and sure, if you can, why not?? 👍👍
How about 3D printing intechangable heads with differing thicknesses [at the grippy end] to deal with the workpiece thickness issue?
Even by themselves, these heads could be a marketable 'add-on'. If the clamps are popular a little 'fix' like this could really take off.
15% please lol