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let's talk bench vise

blazinzuk

blazinzuk

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Scanning Craigslist, and local classifieds every day still haven't found a decent one. I am gonna be in need of one soon.

So which one? I am buying this as a sacrificial lamb. I can't afford made in USA awesomeness. New house is gonna suck up most every penny I have.

I want something where the jaws stay lined up for a couple years. Wouldn't mind if it would actually tighten at a normal rate. You know I want a champagne vise on a malt liquor budget.

Like I said I know I am not gonna get a really good one.

That said let me know if you guys see any come up local if I could buy one for 75 bucks that was quality and pay 75 to ship it here I would do that in a second.

Prefer a 6".
 
When first started putting together my shop again (when I bought a house here in 1999), I needed a vise, now. I went to HF and bought one of those fairly heavy rotating "6" pipe vise" (I think it was called?). I still have it, and along with a selection of clip on soft jaws, it's still probably the most often used vise for general stuff. A few years later I stumbled onto a 5" Wilton Bullet with half a dozen coats of porch paint. You couldn't read the cast name, but it was obvious to me what it was. Rotary base was broken, and the guy through out $25, I think as a starting point to haggle. He seemed surprised when I just paid him for it and left. Stripper and some hammerite put it back in to shape, and even found it had brass jaws. I found a base from a machinists vise that was mildly modified to fit, and it's my favorite without a doubt. I also got a $10 Wilton 6" mechanics vise that had been used in a welding shop. You can see scars from O/A torch and welding. That's ok, I use it for the same thing. I've also got a CL find 5" Record that's about 20 years old but looks brand new. $25 I think, something like that. I still need to build a mount for it, it sits under my bench with a flip-flop parrot vise also in need of a stand. None cost me much money. But the only one you can just go out and get for a decent deal is the HF vise, which with a 20% coupon is a very good deal, assuming they haven't degraded in quality in the last 14 years.
 
I killed that same HF vise in a month. My Bessy from Lowe's lasted a couple years. Drive me nuts I can't find something. I have been to auctions and ANYTHING wilton will go for 200 +
 
A few years ago i found a irwin vise for $100 at lowes or home Depot. If i remember correctly it had a lifetime warranty. I didn't buy it, because I had just bought the harbor freight pos. I wish I would've now since I broke the harbor freight one a few months ago.
 
I feel your pain, looked for a year or two with no luck and then found out that my FIL had one sitting in the shed. I forget the brand but it's stamped "Made in the USA" :D
 
blazinzuk said:
I killed that same HF vise in a month. My Bessy from Lowe's lasted a couple years. Drive me nuts I can't find something. I have been to auctions and ANYTHING wilton will go for 200 +
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How did you "kill it"? I've used mine well for a long time, and it still works fine. I don't reef on it or use it for an anvil (much). It's not going to hold up to what I've seen done to Wiltons and other premiums, where I've seen cheaters used that the handles into "S" shapes without breaking anything (though I've seen plenty of them broke too, my wilton bullet had a broken swivel base). And I did break the casting on my father's cheap import using it as a press to remove wrist pins. But for normal vise use, it's served my needs, which is why I ask how yours was killed. Maybe I just got lucky, or you were unlucky, or both; import quality is all over the map.
 
I think it might have been a bad batch first one I literally broke the outside jaw off.

Second one the base broke

Third one I stripped out something internally wouldn't move the vise jaws at all.

I don't use cheater bars on any vise. If I need it held that tight I usually rig up my press to hold it.

HF stuff really is all over the map. It's a risk. It was less of a risk when I lived 15 minutes away but now I live 2 hours away.

They ended up giving me store credit on the vise cause I kind of threw a fit
 
I don't blame you. Sounds like it was just a I got lucky and you didn't situation, possibly made worse by them changing sources, or cutting corners further than when I bought mine. Other than that approach, to a cheap POS like me, the only option is waiting for a good old vise to come along for a good price. Sorry, that's all I got, good luck.
 
I got some bench vice action going on. I need a stand for one and I need to sell one.
 
I have a HF one. Biggest they sell. Was given to me. Threw the base away and bolted it straight to the bench. I hate swivel vices
 
when researching vises a couple months ago for my fab table, I read some VERY iffy things about the current Irwin asian vises..
 
This thing is a monster! How much should I list it for on Craigslist?
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I still have an old craftsman one I use. Although I have broke them in the past but I was beating on it pretty hard and the casting broke in half...The new craftsman one will last a bit longer now that I have a dedicated anvil.

I hate to say it, but if you want a vise to last you got to pay for quality. Im too cheap to pony up for a wilton vise myself.
 
Wiltons bring the money due to name recognition more than anything (although they are good vises).

I found an old Athol and an old Starrett at an estate sale - they are quality and hell for stout, and every bit as good as a Wilton...they're just not made anymore and have no manufacturer support. Your best bet is estate/garage sales or ebay...
 
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