Unknown Vise Value?
- Thread starter woodgate
- Start date
If you can use it, give him $30 or 35, maybe 40, take it home, mount it and use the heck out of it. Worst you can do is get some use out of it. Best that you can do is find out that it's a true antique, or something of more value than you have invested in it.
Just make sure the casting isn't broken where the lead screw threads in, that you can actually open & close the jaws using the lead screw handle. If it's broken, it's not worth the effort to even go see it.
Just my opinion, and worth no more than $0.02...
Just make sure the casting isn't broken where the lead screw threads in, that you can actually open & close the jaws using the lead screw handle. If it's broken, it's not worth the effort to even go see it.
Just my opinion, and worth no more than $0.02...
kazlx
Well-known member
Make him an offer. It looks worth it. Clean it up if you want, it's not going to affect the value.
My opinion is that its a bad idea to ask 'whats it worth?' on the internet. If I told you its worth $5 would you believe me? would believe $1000? no? so why believe any other price? the 'value' is determined by how much you will pay and how little he will take and this 'value' changes constantly. there is no Such standard as "Whats it worth?"
kazlx
Well-known member
Why is it a bad idea? Most common things have an inherent value. Obviously it's a sliding scale. Nothing wrong with getting a general consensus. So, if the seller listed that vise for $1000 and wouldn't take a dime less, then it's worth $1000? Of course not...
Contrary you your opinion, I would way most things have a standard value range....
Contrary you your opinion, I would way most things have a standard value range....
i think most vise at least 99% of them are worth their value in scrap metal and not much more. yes there might be some high dollar prizes out there but less than 0.5 % of the population knows this so the average vise is worth no more than scrap metal prices, 10-20 dollars
kazlx
Well-known member
Steel here is 0.03/lb. Even if that thing is 50 lbs, I will gladly give him $1.50 for it.
If you told me a value, I would then research WHY it's worth that. I wouldn't just blindly accept that as the value. I wanted to know if someone could recognize it and say oh that's a "blah blah blah brand" and they sell all day long on ebay for $200. That would be an appropriate answer to me for the question of "what is it worth". In contrast someone would say i had an identical one and it's garbage don't pay over $5 for it, that too would be what I wanted to know.
dunnit
Active member
if its tight and not broken anywhere ...whatever they will take. probably better than anything you'll get at hf or any chain store these days. i'll take old and crappy looking ( but heavy duty) any day of the week. 
I like it, but I like vises. I'd offer him $30 for it, but thats me.
if its tight and not broken anywhere ...whatever they will take. probably better than anything you'll get at hf or any chain store these days. i'll take old and crappy looking ( but heavy duty) any day of the week.
That was what I was thinking! I have been using my brothers columbian from lowes. It's pretty small and wussy, so this would be nicer! From what I have read on here the new columbians aren't anything special.
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I probably wouldnt pay more than $20-$30 for it. There appears to be a hole in it, but the picture is kinda crappy so it may just be an optical illusion. The jaws also appear to be really worn but they might just be the smooth machinist jaws. Better looking vises are out there especially at $50. I recently picked up a nice lightly used Yost for $25
I judge the abuse a vise has seen by the straight-ness of the handle. If its bent, it means someone at some point has put a pipe on it to hold something really tight while they beat the **** out of it. It also means that it has taken some serious abuse and will probably take any abuse I throw at it.
I judge the abuse a vise has seen by the straight-ness of the handle. If its bent, it means someone at some point has put a pipe on it to hold something really tight while they beat the **** out of it. It also means that it has taken some serious abuse and will probably take any abuse I throw at it.
This argument comes up frequently and you are on the losing side.
It's been found to be more beneficial to ask "what's it worth" even though the value is related to individual and population. If you don't want to read a "what it's worth" thread, play somewhere else please.
To the op, I would say $10 per inch(jaw width) safe number. ie, 4" jaw, $40.
I bought it for $30 tonight. Turns out under all that dirt there was a name YOST the numbers i found are 31 b. I will have to do more research, but i've heard pretty good things about Yost. As soon as I scratched away 'USA' i was happy. i guess i should have assumed that by it's age, cleaning up old stuff is so fun 
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crankshaftdan II
Well-known member
Nice find-clean er up and paint & good to go!
I bought it for $30 tonight. Turns out under all that dirt there was a name YOST the numbers i found are 31 b. I will have to do more research, but i've heard pretty good things about Yost. As soon as I scratched away 'USA' i was happy. i guess i should have assumed that by it's age, cleaning up old stuff is so fun
You made a good purchase, not because anyone here says s, bit because YOU like it. I think it's awesome, bet if it could talk......you know.
LutzTD
Well-known member
yeah but maybe someones going to say, "hey thats a so and so manufactured vise and it was made in xxxx and they are very xxxx quality, they go for $** dollars cleaned up" whats it hurt to ask? its only bad advice if you chose to blindly follow it, then you have other problems anyway.