Best Pocket Hole Jigs - Top Picks, Reviews & Complete Buying Guide

Pocket Hole Jigs: The Ultimate Buying Guide

Pocket hole jigs are not designed just to improve the appearance of your work, but also to strengthen the joints in your finished product.

Nails are not as efficient as they can work themselves out when they are put into things which move frequently.

That is why the majority of furniture parts that are moved from one place to another occasionally, such as bookshelves, doors, cabinet drawers and tables are rather built with screws than nails.

This is due to the fact that the screws have a long-lasting strength and they grip the wood and draw the pieces together making them more durable and stronger.

What is considered the drawback of a screw is the head which spoils the look of the product.

That is why manufacturers produces a pocket hole jigs, which make them accurately and consistently.

The result you get are straight, consistent and accurate holes.

Finding the right pocket hole jig for yourself can be quite troublesome, so there are some things to consider.

Which type of pocket hole jigs is the most suitable for you depends on the type of work you are planning to do.

If you are spending long hours working with a pocket hole jig and if your job includes a wide variety of tasks, what you need is a jig with as many applications as possible.

Multiple tools can slow you down as you are supposed to switch from one to another and having one tool that will do many tasks is considered perfect.

This can be achieved by a pocket hole jig with sufficient adjustments to handle everything .

That is why you should find a jig with a lot of features and additions.

On the other hand, if you need a pocket hole jig for tasks in your own house or shop, then you do not need to spend much money on those more advanced models as less expensive ones would do the job as well.

In this case, spending extra money on a heavy-duty, metal jig would not be considered wise.

What are the features of a good pocket hole jig?

The first feature that is of crucial importance for a good pocket hole jig is the accuracy.

You do not want to get a tool which will destroy your material or make the wrong size holes.

No matter is a pocket hole jig is made of durable and quality material, if it lacks accuracy and ruins the material with either too deep or not deep enough holes, there is no use of it.

The thing to consider related to gauges is their color.

What you might find unimportant at the beginning, after some work can be taken as quite irritating.

Gauges should be marked in a high-contrast color in order not to be difficult to read.

The next important consideration is that a jig should be durable.

The low cost pocket hole jigs we reviewed are affordable but have to be replaced after several usages, as the plastic parts would break.

What you have initially saved on purchasing a low-cost model would be given for repairing and replacing the broken parts.

This depends on the amount of work you are planning to do.

If you plan to use it a lot, we suggest you to spend the extra money and get the one which will be durable.

For occasional uses, the best product can be the cheap one which you can throw away if it breaks.

Last, but not the least.

The good jigs have all the clamps needed for their use and the models without them should not be taken into consideration.

What are things to consider when buying a pocket hole jig?

Whenever you are buying a device, the first thing to look for is the manufacturer’s warranty and return policy.

The longer warranty period is, the better the tool will be, as manufacturers express their faith in the device through its warranty.

A company which offers a small time frame for returns is not sure in the quality of its product and if you have issues with it after some period of time, you will not be able to get the money back.

Models made by companies that offer an extended warranty should be taken into consideration.

It is not always the case that prominent brands have better quality products, but when pocket hole jigs are in question models made by companies with a proven track record should be considered.

Even with this model you might have problems with your tools, but it happens very rarely.

Better stick to the name brands than to the attractive price.

If you have decided to buy jig online, free shipping is important to be included due to the fact that shipping charges can be quite expensive.

Spending extra few seconds to read about the shipping can save you money and trouble with shipping charges.

I think I got it, what are my options?

As the producers are doing their best to make the most efficient tool, they are offering different kinds of kits equipped with different additional parts such as extra bits, spare clamps, multiple gauges, etc.

If you think that none of the above mentioned models matches your desires and needs, you can take a look at other models available on the market which we did not include.

Add-on kits will include extra plugs and screws in the kit which can be taken as unnecessary at first, but later on you might realize that you needed them, and you will have to spend additional money on purchasing them.

So, make sure to buy a more expensive, but quality tool, rather than getting the one on a lower price which will lack important parts or quality.

You should also pay attention to the carrying cases.

There are some models where a carrying case does not hold all the parts and manufacturers would sell a separate or “upgraded” case.

This is again additional expense, so you should get the case which will keep everything together in one place.

Conclusion

As you have gone through these reviews, you are aware that there is no need to do your own research and look for more models.

What you get is all the information you need to make a decision.

The buyer’s guide even tells you which characteristics you should have in mind when deciding which model is the right for you.

There are also recommendations as well as suggestions which model should be avoided.

Kreg has offered three models of which our top pick is definitely the best among all pocket hole jigs currently available on the market.

This device is strong, durable, useful, simple and accurate.

Being concentrated on your work makes you more efficient than spending hours setting the tool.

Besides the fact that everybody wants a quality device, it should also fits the budget.

So, the Kreg R3 Jr is definitely the best model for the money.

Its advantages are that it is small and portable, but it lacks an included clamp.

Your choice of tools should be based on the reviews of both satisfied and dissatisfied users and if your budget is not limited, purchasing of our top pick is the best solution for you.

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