When a pocket-hole jig is worth buying: one evaluation, and a real split
Kreg’s three jigs from shop blogs, plus a model I will not recommend because I found no review I read. I have not drilled a pocket.
Researched in August and September 2026. Reviewed . Next review: March 2027. 3 sources
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Research guide: I have not tested these products. Affiliate disclosure As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
How I built this guide
Sources I read. Woodshop Diaries, Woodsmith, 731 Woodworks, Popular Woodworking’s spec note.
What I cross-checked. Which “best” is one blog and which is a disagreement.
What I could not verify. Anything about Massca beyond a product title.
Most sources suggest this if you will hide the pockets on face frames or shop boxes and you can keep buying the screws; skip it if the joint is a chair, or you cannot get the matching screws again.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Kreg 520PRO
Mid. One source, no second opinion.
Woodshop Diaries: if you buy one, buy this. Popular Woodworking’s note is a spec sheet, not a test.
One evaluation.
Opens Amazon. Price and stock change. I have not used this. Affiliate link: if you buy, I may earn a commission. You do not pay more.
Kreg 720PRO
Upper mid. The sources disagree. Read the notes in the guide.
Woodsmith’s editor and Woodshop Diaries prefer the auto-adjust. 731 Woodworks says it feels cheap and prefers the discontinued K5. An Amazon.es listing was open on 28 Oct 2026.
Size, and a real disagreement about how it is built.
Opens Amazon. Price and stock change. I have not used this. Affiliate link: if you buy, I may earn a commission. You do not pay more.
Kreg 320
Budget. The sources disagree. Read the notes in the guide.
Woodshop Diaries and Woodsmith agree it is small and needs a separate clamp. They do not agree on whether that is a virtue.
Slow.
Opens Amazon. Price and stock change. I have not used this. Affiliate link: if you buy, I may earn a commission. You do not pay more.
Massca M2
Mid. Unverified. Skip until someone independent writes it up.
I found titles, not a review I read. I am not recommending it.
No independent source in this pass.
Opens Amazon. Price and stock change. I have not used this. Affiliate link: if you buy, I may earn a commission. You do not pay more.
A pocket-hole jig is a drill guide. It does not square a crooked cut. I have not drilled one. The screws are part of the system. If you cannot buy them again, do not buy the jig.
What the experts say
Low on the 520: one evaluation. The 720 is a real split between two magazines and one builder.
Woodshop Diaries says if you buy one jig, buy the 520PRO.1 Popular Woodworking’s piece on the 520 and 720 is specifications, not a test. Woodsmith’s editor prefers the 720 for the auto-adjust.2 731 Woodworks says the 720 feels cheap and prefers a K5 that Woodshop Diaries calls discontinued.3
What owners report
I am not using forum titles as reviews. Massca M2 showed up as titles. I did not read an independent test. The card says skip it.
Where they disagree
The 720. Two shops like the features. One builder does not like how it is made. The 320 is small and needs another clamp. Woodsmith treats that as a virtue. Woodshop Diaries treats it as slow. Same fact, two values.
My take
Face frames and shop boxes, pocket on a face you will not see, glue in the joint: that is the honest use in these articles. A chair is not. If you buy one and you can get the screws, the single “buy this one” sentence I found is the 520PRO, and it is one blog. If you want the 720, read 731 Woodworks before you do. Dowels and confirmat screws are the hardware a local store already has. They are slower. They do not require a proprietary screw.
Glue is the other note. An ordinary wood screw, with a pilot hole and a clearance hole, is this one. The bench is here.
Where this comes from
- Woodshop Diaries. Which pocket-hole jig should you buy?. Review. Woodshop Diaries Consulted 28 Oct 2026. Page modified 28 Aug 2026. back
- Woodsmith. Kreg 720 review. Magazine. Woodsmith Consulted 28 Oct 2026. back
- 731 Woodworks. Kreg 720 Pro. Review. 731 Woodworks Consulted 28 Oct 2026. back
Changes in this guide
- Massca is listed as unverified instead of as a pick.
Common questions
Are pocket holes strong enough for a chair?
No source I read treats them as a substitute for a joint that resists racking. Hide the hole and the physics does not change.
Do I still need glue?
On furniture, yes. The screw closes the joint. The glue is what these notes still call the joint.