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The pocket hole jig is one of the most popular tools for joining pieces of materials and ensuring you create high-quality furniture. While some pocket hole jigs come in all-metal construction for durability, you’ll get cheaper ones with plastic bodies and one or multiple metal inserts for connecting to the wood pieces. It’s a stationary and portable tool. You insert the drill bit through the hole to produce joining points.
Some of the best uses of a pocket hole jig include assembling picture frames, repairing table legs and furniture works. However, it can be utilized for edge joining especially for intricate tasks that require a lot of patience and accuracy.
It is very practical and convenient when you’re working in very tight situations and spaces where it’s very difficult to apply regular woodworking techniques.
Rather than use the standard mortising and worrying about doing the arithmetic on your workpiece, the pocket hole jig does the task for you at any angle you set. You can adjust the angle at will.
So, it makes it easier for you to give your work the best possible type of attachment. With a pocket hole jig system, it is equally super easy to repair that specific workpiece.
There are many different types of pocket hole jigs available in the market (Check Kreg K4 vs K5 here!). While they may look similar; their quality varies widely. As you’d expect, the top quality ones are pricier.
However, if you’re on a tight budget the cost-effective options would still do fine. If you can let go a bit more, upgrading to a high-quality pocket hole jig is a good idea. While it may be a bit more costly, it will pay off in the end.
High-quality pocket hole jigs are designed for handling more complex projects. They equally come with multiple jig positions that make your task easier.
Kreg is one of the top manufacturers of pocket hole jigs. They are popular for providing affordable and high-quality pocket hole jigs. Their products work for a variety of projects, including Pros and DIYers, and this makes Kreg jig an industry leader. However, if you’re looking for alternatives to Kreg’s pocket holes jig, this article provides you with the required assistance.
These jigs allow you to drill pocket holes that make it easy for you to insert screws at an angle. It helps to keep the workpiece more secure because instead of putting the screws through the grain of the wood, it moves along it. While using the pocket hole jigs may appear complicated at first if you haven’t used it before, it’s a simple work tool.
All you’re required to do is, measure the measurement of your wood, position the Kreg Jig to the matching width, and utilize the integrated slots to drill precise size of pocket holes.
These pocket hole jig work with screws made to fit for ease of use. There are lots of factors to consider before choosing the right pocket holes jig for your task. These include the precision and accuracy of joinery work. It is a lot of hard work, especially if you are not well-informed. Nonetheless, you don’t need to worry.
For your convenience, we have conducted thorough market research and did some physical testing to provide you with the lists we have below as our best Kreg Jig alternatives.
If want to know why we have made these selections our top picks, you can read the buying guide section at the end of this article. However, if you’re under some time constraints, trust me; the products on our list are some of the best in the market.
The General Tools 850 Pocket Jig Kit is an affordable yet extremely durable tool that fully meets the FSC requirements. It's very versatile due to its lightweight design and it's suitable for all woodwork tasks for both the beginner and professional user.
Can you make pocket holes without a jig?
You need Pocket hole joinery when you work in locations where it’s not practical to drive a screw straight on a workpiece. What you’ll get with a pocket hole jig is accuracy, precision, and consistency. It eliminates worry about making a suitable angle and determining the accurate depth of the drill on each hole you make.
While you make pocket holes without a jig, it’s not always practical to do so. You may be tempted to butt-join two boards together by drilling a screw straight through the face grain of one board into the end grain of another.
However, this is not practical because the end grain of a board comes with smallholding power and that would mean screwing into the wood in the same direction of the wood fibers.
You can do without a pocket hole jig when you do a task that doesn’t need plenty of holding power, such as decorative tasks. Screwing into end grain works fine for this type of project, however, if you’re building furniture or working on projects that will carry plenty of loads or projects that need to handle and moved a lot, you need a jig to make joinery that will last.
Here Check Out the Full Guide to Drill Jigs and The Best Options Out There!
How We Chose Our Top Picks
The factors we looked at before making our top picks include the following
Ease of use
A pocket hole jig should be easy and convenient to use. It should also come with the right handling.
Unique features
We looked at pocket hole jig with unique features. Most of them come outstanding and features that make them stand out among peers.
Durability
Pocket hole jig with full metal construction is more sturdy than those with plastic body. We considered the build quality to ensure longevity. This is important to provide sufficient value, particularly if you want to do a lot of woodwork projects.
Flexibility
The best pocket hole jig needs to be flexible. It should help you to make different types of drilling holes, angles, and material thicknesses.
The solution to an efficient pocket hole joinery is to have a guide that provides you with a suitable screw for different material thicknesses. A user’s manual or guide from the manufacturer makes this easy and user-friendly.
Easily Adjustable
The angles, size, and other elements should be easily adjustable on a pocket hole jig. Some come with a fully automatic adjustable feature. Although these may be a lot pricier, they make it easier for you to adhere to the thickness of your material with little effort.
Best Kreg Jig Alternatives: Our Top Picks
1. PORTER-CABLE 560 QUIKJIG Pocket-Hole Joinery System
The PORTER-CABLE 560 QUIKJIG Pocket-Hole Joinery System stands out from the crowd when you come to pocket hole joinery. You can easily modify the material thickness to use the right screw length with the aid of the screw length gauge. Additionally, the material thickness is the base of its self-adjusting clamp which possesses an automatic regulation element.
You can handle several pieces at the same time with the aid of this nearly complete-automatic pocket hole jig, as it possesses a repeatable clamp system. You can modify the pocket holes easily because of the unevenly spaced bushings which function on an extensive array of positions.
When employing the PORTER-CABLE Pocket-Hole Joinery System, the drill bit collar automatically holds fast to your material thickness so you do not have to alter the setup. Additionally, you can plug in a dust extractor to the system thanks to the dust port.
Possessing a 1 ½ inch thickness and flawless durability, the QUIKJIG is absolutely a great companion for woodwork. It is pre-fitted with a drill bit, a hex key, a depth collar, a clamp, several square drives, and various sizes of hundreds of pocket hole screws.
If you are asking for durability and convenience, you can use this pocket hole jig for heavy-duty work as the drill guides are carved from metal.
The screw sizes come in 1 1/4 inch (40), 1 1/2 inch (40), and 1 inch (20) variations. It comes along with an instruction manual and has a limited warranty of 3 years plus a 1-year service contract and 90 days money-back guarantee.
The QuikJig Pocket Hole Joinery System (model 560) is a heavy-duty bench-top tool solution that is revolutionizing pocket hole joinery.
2. General Tools 850 Pocket Hole Jig: Best for Budget
The General Tools 850 Pocket Hole Jig is constructed from powerful aluminum and is good for those looking at their budgets. It has hardened steel bushings which make its durability extreme. It is suitable for all woodwork tasks and satisfies the requirement of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).
It comes along with a kit that houses various amazing tools like a 3/8-inch step tool replaceable bit, 6-inch square drive bit, a system with clamps, 3/8-inch stop collars of steel, and 24 square drive self-tapping screws.
Though the aluminum design makes it lightweight, the system is entirely durable and adequately resilient to perform various tasks. These include creating flush joints, angles, corners, building cabinets with the face frame, drilling screws into tight spots, and holding face frames in several ways.
It has easy operation, for both beginners and professionals, affordable, reliable, comes along with a hard-molded carrying case, and can bring about your wood-crafting expertise as long as you understand the steps on the manual. However, you cannot use the screws to work on larger projects due to their lengths.
The General Tools 850 Pocket Jig Kit is an affordable yet extremely durable tool that fully meets the FSC requirements. It's very versatile due to its lightweight design and it's suitable for all woodwork tasks for both the beginner and professional user.
3. Armor Auto-Jig Pocket Hole System
The idea of using invisible screws in woodworking is a professional one which makes your work look neat and gives it a lovely and sleek appearance. This is one of the tasks your Armor Auto-Jig Pocket Hole System can deliver. It has a full preset system that self-adjusts the drill guide set depending on the material thickness you wish to clamp. With this feature, you would not bother about manually setting the adjustments.
All you would need to do is just to fit your workpiece into the unproved Armor auto-adjust clamp and the auto jig will effortlessly finish the task. With this, woodworkers do not have much stress again with their works.
The screw system of the Armor is color-coded and gives you an easy selection of the screw and head which matches the thickness and base of a pocket hole. Additionally, the color itself helps prevent corrosion of the workpiece.
This jig is specially created for craftsmen and its components like the adjustable drill guide block, auto-changing clamp, flexible drill bit and collar, and various dust collection ports are independent in this structure. You can also easily attach the kit to any surface for a permanent workstation when working.
The Armor Tool Auto-Jig is changing the landscape of pocket hole joinery and the way you make pocket holes in your shop. 
4. GRR-RIPPER 3D Pushblock by MICROJIG
The GRR-RIPPER 3D Pushblock by MICROJIG is unique, has easy operations, and is very powerful. You can use it with smaller stock as it has a great mechanism and bluntly; it could be used along with a jointer, a router table, a table saw, and a band saw. With the use of the three-dimensional force the pocket hole jig possesses, you can attain the best control on your workpiece.
Due to the design, it has a reduced overall kickback and you won’t be scared of an injury as the blade is fitted with a guard. Do you crave precision? The blade could give you a precise rip at 1/4 inch thickness.
It sports a unique block design is you won’t find in any other pocket hole jig on the market and for further convenience during woodwork, the downward pressure on this pocket hole jig makes it user-friendly.
Additionally, the inward pressure to the fence also keeps the stock firm and can help those with shaky hands get a smooth cut when they employ the balance support feature.
The jig can work with various wood kinds (oak, ebony, maple, cherry, pine, walnut, poplar, etc), plastic, aluminum, and anything you can drill using a pocket hole jig.
The GRR-RIPPER 3D has super flexibility and can be easily adjusted to give you wonderful results always. It has a high cutting precision which makes it versatile for different uses like face jointing, freehand routing, long stock ripping and band saw veneers. Additionally, it also checks to burn owing to the forward pressure.
The kit comes with a 2 hour instructional DVD which shows you how you can use the pocket hole jig on band saws, jointers, etc. It also has a warranty registration card which assures you of its long-lasting will.
Protect hands and prevent kickback like never before. Powerful high-friction durable grip for extreme hold.
4. Wolfcraft 4643404 Pocket Hole Jig Kit
Are you looking for a comprehensive pocket hole jig kit inclusive of a sturdy case to organize stuff, the Wolfcraft 4643404 is one pocket hole jig kit you shouldn’t leave out. It also contains all the standard drill bits and start-up equipment for pocket hole making.
The kit contains a total of 40 screws, made up of 10 each of square drive 1 1/2 inch, 1 1/4 inch, 2 1/2 inch screws plus 10 additional 1-inch screws. There are also 10 wooden pocket hole plugs in the kit which saves you from buying them externally. Additionally, it contains a 3/8 inch step drill, a 3/8 inch stop collar, and a 1/8 inch hex key.
The Wolfcraft Jig Kit comes with integrated set depths, limited lifetime warranty which you would not want to miss out on, compact size, which aids you to drill through tight spots, brawny design and the instruction manual which is user friendly. It is also known to be entirely unbreakable as it has a single-piece structure made of nylon mixed with glass.
Due to its portability and light 1.6 pounds weight, you can carry it in small cases or pouches. There is a measurement guide too to aid you to measure your material thickness easily. The thickness is marked on the jig’s body in the rank of ½”, ¾”, 1″, and 1 ½” and the screws for this are a combination of Phillips/Square Drive.
This kit has everything you need to quickly and accurately make strong, concealed pocket connections. Whether you're using it for professional millwork, DIY woodworking, or home repairs, Wolfcraft's Pocket Hole Jig will create professional results quickly and easily.
5. Silverline 6,8 10mm Pocket Hole Jig: Best for simplicity
The Silverline Pocket Hole Jig is the most suitable for simple usage and it has three different sizes: 6 mm, 8 mm, and 10 mm. It is accurate in screwing joints, very durable due to the heavy-duty build and finish, and also budget-friendly.
For extra handiness, you can cram a rod to the joint as seen in the guides which save you the math headache. This jig is super lightweight and easy to carry about and this makes it suitable for the casual DIYer.
Machined from solid aluminum block produces consistently accurate screw joints, creates holes at a 15 degree angle, includes pairs of 6, 8 and 10 mm guides, use pocket-hole plugs to create an invisible joint. 
6. Rockler Universal Drawer Slide Jig: Best Side Pocket Hole Jig
The Rockler Universal Drawer Slide Jig has an ABS foot, which makes it flexible and durable. There are cutouts already made in it to let you access your driver bits and drill bits easily. Furthermore, the jig securely locks slide the wedge for convenience while the nylon body is foamed for durability.
It features a rotational mechanism that lets you use the foot for top or bottom and has an indexing rod built from strong steel. Also, projects with repeated actions are no issue for this jig since it possesses an adjustable indexing foot. For safe usage, the side mount is coated with epoxy and is perfect for mounting cabinets or repairs.
The Rockler Universal Drawer Slide Jig is the ultimate aid for installing drawer slides of almost any type, including ball-bearing or epoxy-coated side-mount slides and even center-mount slides! The jig features a locking wedge that holds the slide securely with no risk of slippage. 
7. Big Horn 12600 Pock’It Jig: Best For DIY Use
The Big Horn 12600 Pock’It Jig comes along with square drive pocket screws. You can alter the hole depth through the stop collar part and manage the drill of the angle through the highly flexible drill guides.
This is the perfect tool for any DIYer who wishes to rule their world of jointing and woodworking repairs. It possesses a square drive bit measuring about 5 inches, a hex wrench, a 3/8 inch step drill, and a working clamp too.
Despite its solid metal design, it is still amazingly lightweight and has both the width and depth values adjustable.
Everything you need to drill pocket holes to the correct depth and angle every time. Kit includes: Pock’It Jig with Integral clamp, 3/8-Inch step drill, drill stop collar, hex wrench, square drive pocket screws and a 5-Inch square drive bit.
8. Milescraft 13230003 PocketJig200 Kit
The Milescraft 13230003 PocketJig200 is an efficient and cheap pocket hole jig which eases the process of joining wood which brings about unyielding and long-lasting furniture. It has an undemanding process which links you easily to your workplaces quickly and seamlessly.
You can employ the jig in constructing a storage unit, bookshelf, cabinet, or stuff like this. It has a flip fence that enables you to take measurements quickly and precisely.
All you need to do is to set the jig to your preferred setting, fix the depth, and use it in drilling your Framing joints, corner joints, T-joints, and Miter.
The 12, 19, 27, 38 mm are four standard options for the board thickness you can use and there is a pre-installed magnet that facilitates your effortless locking of the jig in position via any clamp of your choice.
The Milescraft 13230003 has steel bushings that are tough and sturdy and gives you precision when creating pocket holes and the stability with the drill bit reduces the risk of damages during jobs. Due to the compatibility, you can alternate between driving and drilling easily.
With separate places for every component in the reusable plastic case, you will never have to spend time looking through your kit.
There are 4 common board thickness settings built into the jig (1/2", 3/4", 1" and 1-1/2") with an easy read out arrow to help define your board thickness setting and easily adjust it.
9. MASSCA Pocket Hole Screw Jig Set
The reason the MASSCA is used in simple carpentry and repair jobs is due to its speed and power. The manufacturers suggest you use a timber thickness of ½” – 1.1/2” and with the magnetic clamping and steel clamps; you can lock your workpiece in place.
The MASSCA Pocket Hole Jig comprises of various features which put it above its peers like the ease of use, safety, effectiveness, rapid drilling, and perfection in creating woodwork holes.
There is also a twin jig that comes along with it, a 30-day money-back guarantee, inbuilt workpiece thickness gauge, and intuitive drill depth setting gauge. It is also very budget-friendly and comes in a portable case.
Advanced Hole Precision – Create perfect woodworking holes, repair wood joints, and accurately pre-drill pilot holes at the right angle before connecting wood boards.
Factors to consider for the Best Pocket Hole Jig Set
When buying a pocket hole jig for yourself, there are some factors you ought to consider to get the most suitable for you. These include;
Construction Quality
The jig needs to be of high-quality material so that you don’t go on frivolous repairs always. If you do not iron this out when choosing, then it could break down months after purchase and use then, and that will be bad for your budget.
The durability of the clamp should also be noted and its stability should be of good precision too so that it doesn’t present errors when working.
Ease of Use and Maintenance
If you purchase you a very complicated drill, then you would have difficulties along the way and anyone that you wish to educate on using the drill could not find it difficult to manipulate too. Being a craftsman, your drill should help you complete tasks very quickly and not delay in production due to complicatedness.
Low maintenance of your drill is another criterion you don’t want to miss out on as some drills do push out the debris for you which saves time too and eases your maintenance stress hence, making them perfect for your wood jobs.
Size
There exist stationary drills which you can use comfortably in a spot to work but nowadays, you can find a lot of portable drills which can do some work and comfortably too. These are more superior as you can take them about and to any place of work without stress. The size of your drill is crucial too and would save you a lot of costs on transportation or movement
FAQs
Although it is obvious, try not to usepocket holes in visible locations on your workpiece. Otherwise, use it anywhere if you are not concerned about the aesthetics of the workpiece, or when you want to use plugs and intend painting the work.
Mortise and tenons are two times stronger than pocket holes. The dowel joints are 1.5 times stronger than the pocket hole joints. You can make dowel joints stronger by utilizing four dowels in place of two. Doing so will leave you with a joint roughly strong as a mortise and tenon joint
It comes with Micro-Pocket Drill Guide of equivalent top quality, and when working with ½ inch ply or any softwood, and after drilling your pockets, you can use a drop of instant glue and allow it to dry. This will make the rim where you’ll position the screw harder.
Pocket hole joints are very strong. A study showed that a pocket screw joint failed at 707 pounds when exposed to a trim load compared to mortise and tenon joint which fails at 453 pounds. This means that the pocket screw joint was roughly 35 percent stronger.
Because of the superior strength of a pocket hole joint compared to that of mortise and tenon joints, it works very fine for shelves.
Conclusion
Pocket hole jigs are great and convenient tools that help to ensure the accuracy of your work. While some woodworkers think pocket hole screws system and joinery make your work appear cheaper because of the ease of attaching two pieces of wood compared to traditional tenon jointing or mortising, what matters in the end, the result you produce eventually. There is nothing wrong with making use of pocket screws if that works for you.
The glaring truth is that pocket hole joinery has made work a lot easier for builders. It can help you to produce durable and functional products even if you don’t have any special skills or experience. You require tools to craft your projects, and the best pocket hole Kreg jig alternatives will help you to easily produce professional-looking creative works.
We hope that the info we have provided in this article will make it easy for you to choose the best functional and durable pocket hole jig for your needs. Let’s know how you get on in the comment section!
