Am I being too picky? (new Wilton Vise)

[jp98226]

I am a new member, who after reading a GJB thread, was inspired to buy a "quality" Wilton Tradesman vise: 4 1/2", 41 pound wt., 60,000 pound ductile iron casting, made in the USA. I bought it through Amazon.com ($264.99, free shipping), by way of a 3rd party vender (ContractorsTool), and it arrived from Hebron, Ky. This is a handsome vise which represents a huge step-up in size and quality from my very modest 3 1/2", 15 (?) pound wt., 10+ year-old, Asian made (I assume), $29.99 humble gripper; which has served me faithfully, if wobbly.

Upon close inspection of the Wilton, I notice that when the vise is fully screwed closed, the jaws close and seat unevenly. The replaceable and reversible top jaws (serrated & smooth) are off side-to-side by 1/32" to 1/16", and the top edges are also misaligned (front jaw insert slopes down on the left side) by the same amount. Although at the last 1/8" of travel the serrated jaws do seat (face to face) as the front jaw is wedged upward toward the rigid jaw face.

To reduce the stagger, I have tried removing the jaw inserts and flipping them front to back, left to right, serrated to smooth, and even loosening the hex screws to see if they would self-align upon retightening the vise . . . but the misalignment only got worse. For about 2 minutes I even fantasized about spending an afternoon drilling-out the hex bolt holes (1/16" larger), taking a super-hard file to the jaw insert decks, and trying to square-up the whole thing. Thankfully, I let that thought quickly pass!

As I look at the vise, it appears that the main front (moving) jaw is, ever so slightly, turned counter-clockwise from perfect vertical; thereby accounting for the jaw misalignment. Under good bench light, I can step back 3' to 4' and easily see the mis-aligned, staggered jaw edges of the closed vise. In fact when I look at my humble 3 1/2", $29.99, Asian vise, I find the same type and amount of jaw stagger. Is this normal and expected?

So here's my question and uncertainty. I admit to being a bit of a perfectionist in most things, especially about devices touted as being well-machined. But am I being too critical and demanding of this vise? I mean, I realize it isn't the most expensive, professional grade vise available, but for a homeowner-tinkerer I thought $264.99 would buy a vise with much tighter tolerances than my existing and very humble 3 1/2 incher.

Please advise, and don't worry about hurting my feelings. I get razzed about my OCD pretty regularly. Thanks.

 

[porschedude996TT]

Call Wilton and express you thoughts. If that doesn't work send it back for a replacement. I know the shipping is going to be a killer, but see if they can inspect the one going out to replace the one you have.

 

[Lookin4'67Galaxieconv]

But am I being too critical and demanding of this vise?

No. You just spent a lot of money on an item that doesn't meet specs. You're not going to be happy by trying to force yourself to just accept it. I know I wouldn't...and you're probably more OCD than me.

Call Wilton, tell them the deal and get them to fix the situation.

 

[duke5572]

No. You just spent a lot of money on an item that doesn't meet specs. You're not going to be happy by trying to force yourself to just accept it. I know I wouldn't...and you're probably more OCD than me.

Call Wilton, tell them the deal and get them to fix the situation.

+1. Then tell the rest of us how it goes. We love judging a respected company!

 

[bmwpower]

Something must be messed up with the "keyway". Take the front jaw out and see if you have some wiggle in the piece that the screw threads into.

Then call Wilton...

 

[alex71]

My wilton doesn't do that... I don't know if I'd have noticed if it did, but just wen to check, and the jaws hit perfectly when I close it (I have the smooth jaws on)

 

[bmwpower]

Just realized, the front jaw also rides in a keyed channel. That channel, or the key itself, maybe be damaged or machined improperly in some way.

 

[Merkava_4]

But am I being too critical and demanding of this vise?

Absolutely not. You paid the money and you're entitled to perfection; especially from a Wilton vise.

 

[caper]

I'm going to be the outcast here I guess and say "Your worried about a 1/32 to 1/16" off centre on something that,if you use it,your going to be hitting with a hammer,prying on and generally beating the **** out of?"WTF? Oh,and welcome aboard!

 

[jp98226]

Thanks to all who responded, and so quickly! You've given me more than enough information and encouragement to approach Wilton, and sound reasonably well-informed as to why I'd like a replacement vise.

Let me follow-up with some your useful comments and great observations.

BMWPOWER, I did as you suggested and removed the front jaw to inspect the internals. While I didn't find any "wiggle" in the threaded rod spindle(?), lock nut, or bearing assembly, it appears to me that the machined channel (dado?) in the fixed jaw unit (which receives the bar key attached to the bottom of the front jaw) is as you say "improperly" cut. My naked eye and crude metal straight edges indicate a channel machined off-horizontal, and tilted ever so slightly counter-clock wise; just enough I think to account for the jaw mis-alignment. So kudos to you.

ALEX71, thanks so much for making the effort to check your own Wilton, and confirm that perfectly matching jaw bites are possible! That certainly saves me a lot of running around to various hardware stores to check the clamp-down profiles on their demo vises.

PORCHEDUDE996TT, thanks for the emphasis on contacting Wilton directly (versus Amazon.com or the 3rd party vendor), and suggesting that someone on that end personally inspect the outgoing replacement vise. I would have been hesitant to ask.

DUKE5572, I plan to contact Wilton this week and I will definitely let everyone know what outcomes are forthcoming . . . I might even let them know that the esteemed Garage Journal will be following this issue concerning, as you say, "a respected company" such as Wilton. Couldn't hurt, right?

and finally, CAPER, your WTF comments about not sweating 1/32" to 1/16" misalignments in view of the awful beatings, pryings, drillings, sawings, and other torturous abuses these heavy-duty vises are "designed" to take, with no complaints or excuses, are (I believe) entirely well-founded and grounded in fact. But there's something you may have overlooked in this specific situation . . . I'm a confessed OCD neurotic, and aside from generally restraining myself from "abusing" my Wilton 1745, I will take painstaking care to attach him most perfectly at the end of the new work-bench I building, illuminating his broad profile with just the right amount of direct and ambient lighting, and from time to time, say at the end of a project, I will sit back and drink something cool and simply admire his purposeful, well-designed, 60,000 pound ductile iron presence. So as much as I salute and admire your ability to use a hardy tool for it's intended, God given purpose, in the end, I must give in to my neurosis and well . . . obsess. ;-} BTW, thanks for the Welcome Aboard!

thanks again everyone,
jp98226

 

[Packard V8]

You, raising hand to share. "Hi. My name is jp98226 and I'm obsessive/compulsive about my tools."

The group, sitting on folding chairs, drinking coffee from styrofoam cups, in practiced unision, "Hi, jp!"

thnx, jack vines

 

[Defender Chassis]

I'm going to be the outcast here I guess and say "Your worried about a 1/32 to 1/16" off centre on something that,if you use it,your going to be hitting with a hammer,prying on and generally beating the **** out of?"WTF? Oh,and welcome aboard!

I'm with you on this. You will never use the vise with the jaws fully closed anyway!

 

[Lookin4'67Galaxieconv]

I'm a confessed OCD neurotic, and aside from generally restraining myself from "abusing" my Wilton 1745, I will take painstaking care to attach him most perfectly at the end of the new work-bench I building, illuminating his broad profile with just the right amount of direct and ambient lighting, and from time to time, say at the end of a project, I will sit back and drink something cool and simply admire his purposeful, well-designed, 60,000 pound ductile iron presence.

Oh, you'll fit right in here...

 

[caper]

CAPER, your WTF comments about not sweating 1/32" to 1/16" misalignments in view of the awful beatings, pryings, drillings, sawings, and other torturous abuses these heavy-duty vises are "designed" to take, with no complaints or excuses, are (I believe) entirely well-founded and grounded in fact. But there's something you may have overlooked in this specific situation . . . I'm a confessed OCD neurotic, and aside from generally restraining myself from "abusing" my Wilton 1745, I will take painstaking care to attach him most perfectly at the end of the new work-bench I building, illuminating his broad profile with just the right amount of direct and ambient lighting, and from time to time, say at the end of a project, I will sit back and drink something cool and simply admire his purposeful, well-designed, 60,000 pound ductile iron presence. So as much as I salute and admire your ability to use a hardy tool for it's intended, God given purpose, in the end, I must give in to my neurosis and well . . . obsess. ;-} BTW, thanks for the Welcome Aboard!jp98226

Well I'm not one to judge people on their neurosis,do whatever you feel you have to in order to enjoy your toy.I'm sure there are others on the board who are more neurotic than yourself so keep posting you'll find a lot of people of the same mind here.

Oh by the way since the 1745 is marketed as a tradesmans vice not a machinists vise you may not like the reply from Wilton but I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.

 

[ricleh]

I have the same vise and it closes perfectly. Contact Amazon and return it. They have excellent return policies.

 

[porschedude996TT]

I have the same vise and it closes perfectly. Contact Amazon and return it. They have excellent return policies.

Be careful with Amazon Returns. I had to return something big that I ordered from Amazon and it was not cheap to send back. Damaged by shipper. Problem is that the box was not made for shipping individual shippments. They wanted me to pay return shipment%$^&*&. Then they tried to charge me a restocking fee when I got confirmation that they received the piece. I called and spoke with some out of country customer service representative (Read: Dot, no Feather) and bitched at him until his ear bled and got both the shipping and the restocking fee refunded.

 

[Junkman]

I say send it back, and demand a perfect vise. Anything less than a perfect vise is no vice at all. These tools aren't for working with, but to be kept in pristine museum condition until you pass and they are sold at auction to the person that isn't going to appreciate the fine patina that has been developed over the years of waxing and polishing the said vise. Perish the thought that some old rusty piece of metal is ever going to touch the lips of the jaws of a perfectly aligned and polished Wilton vise.. We all have to have some vice in our lives, so what better vice to have than a perfect Wilton Vise???

 

[ricleh]

Be careful with Amazon Returns. I had to return something big that I ordered from Amazon and it was not cheap to send back. Damaged by shipper. Problem is that the box was not made for shipping individual shippments. They wanted me to pay return shipment%$^&*&. Then they tried to charge me a restocking fee when I got confirmation that they received the piece. I called and spoke with some out of country customer service representative (Read: Dot, no Feather) and bitched at him until his ear bled and got both the shipping and the restocking fee refunded.

My experience with Amazon was quite different. I ordered some hose whips and they were delayed in shipping due to weather. I was contacted and asked if I wanted to cancel the order. I canceled the order and bought some locally. I went to the web link they provided and printed a return label and when the box arrived I confirmed the contents and then put on the return label and dropped it at a local ups package store. Very easy and didn't cost me a cent.

 

[jp98226]

Re: Am I being too picky? Yes, but . . . (Wilton Vise)

Greetings All,

It has been nearly four weeks since I first contacted TGJ regarding the misaligned jaws on my newly purchased Wilton 1745 Tradesman Vise. Sorry I took so long to get back. I've been distracted with reorganizing my garage/workshop, the construction of a new workbench and my actual paying job; bad habit that last part. So allow me to update you with the successful resolution of my mini saga.

MONDAY: After presenting my issues to the TGJ over the weekend and receiving much constructive feedback, I was emboldened and telephoned Wilton first thing Monday morning and asked if I could deal with them directly and secure an "inspected" vise replacement. The Wilton representative was attentive, receptive, sympathetic, and said "yeah, we do see some vises come back with problems, maybe one in a million." Unfortunately, he continued, Wilton doesn't have the manpower to do a pre-shipment inspection and, in any case, I needed to return the vise through my purchasing network: aka, Amazon.com. He readily provided a telephone number to Amazon.com and thanked me for my patronage. OK, no problem.

So I immediately called Amazon, got bounced around a couple of times, and eventually ended-up talking to a merchandise returns representative, Elizabeth D., who was even more apologetic than the Wilton guy and quickly consulted with her supervisor who authorized the return and replacement of the "defective" 1745 Wilton Vise: noted reason, misaligned jaws. A prepaid UPS shipping label was emailed to my mailbox before we were even off the telephone. Elizabeth added that the replacement vise would be shipped via an expedited 2-day delivery service and I should expect it by Wednesday. Now that's service!

TUESDAY: The very next day, the replacement vise arrives by UPS at my place of work, before noon! Same Wilton box, same small cardboard tear-out from the vise being jostled around in shipment, and the correct model number. I'm on a roll and feeling lucky. But, I hesitate to open it over the next few days, sensing that my good fortune might be short lived.

THURSDAY: I drop-off the first vise at the UPS store and bid it farewell and good luck. It was a short good-bye, paid for by Amazon, what could be easier?

FRIDAY: I open the second vise box, pull the blue beast out, position it on the edge on my partially constructed new work bench, and what do I find . . . hmmm, the alignment looks ok (though not perfect) on the vertical y-axis, but slightly misaligned leftward on the horizontal x-axis. Not as much as the #1 vise mind you, (which was off by 1/32"-1/16", both vertically and horizontally) perhaps only 1/32", enough to see, but not quite enough to call it flawed. I stare and I ponder, I walk away, I come back. I try hard to convince myself that this tiny, miniscule, barely noticeable misalignment merely adds character, it is shifted left, it is left-handed if you will . . . just like me, yeah that's it. I'll sleep on it.

SATURDAY: I approach the vise, stare at it, yep, definitely a left-handed preference. Maybe if I spin the handle and run the spindle in and out a few times to open and close the jaw, perhaps it might heal itself, and settle into its precision machined key-grove; which incidentally is touted by Wilton as being within 0.003" inch of some tolerance standard; or about 1/333" of dead-on accurate, so they say.

But what's this? The jaws don't seem to close all the way. I'm sure vise
#1 closed completely. It appears that the serrated jaw inserts contact hard at the far left-right edges, but not in the middle 80% of the jaw blocks. Not good. Is this uneven contact/bite the metal-working version of wood-working vises which are tilted or toed-in at the top in order to grip boards more securely? . . . I’m doubtful.

So I work the spindle some more, and discover one more problem, the deal-breaker. There is so much slop in the spindle assembly that I can turn/spin the handle a full 1/4 turn (90 degrees) before the jaw moves, at all, in or out. Reminds me of a 1959 Ford pickup I once drove, which required constant "sawing of the steering wheel" just to drive straight down the road. The slop appears to be in the movable jaw joint, versus the threaded spindle and internal nut. I can easily grab the jaw and "chunk it" in and out, I don't know, maybe 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch. This was also absent in the #1 vise. Ugh . . .

SUNDAY: I find myself at the local big box store (HD) buying more lumber for the new work bench, a few more 'can't live without them' wood clamps, and low and behold, I find myself standing in front of several Wilton boxes labeled vises. I cannot restrain myself as I plopped to the floor and opened three boxes of mechanic's vises, ranging from 3 1/2" to 6" and $22 to $90, each slathered in packing grease and plastic wrap. Upon very close inspection, all but the smallest unit closed perfectly, aligned left to right and top to bottom. Aside from the smallest and least expensive vise, which closed with a vertical overbite, there were no "left-handers" in this bunch. Maybe I need to buy a mechanic's vise and pocket the $200 difference.

MONDAY: I give this one more shot and go to my local family-owned hardware store, which has both high prices and a 1745 Tradesman Vise on display. God help me, the demo vise opens and closes like a well machined 2-ton vault, solid with absolutely no jaw head slop, and the jaw faces are aligned . . . and they had two others in stock, at the pretty-penny price of $302.99; versus the $264.99 I paid. I walk away knowing that I will be testing Amazon's commitment to Customer Satisfaction tomorrow morning.

TUESDAY: I give Amazon a call, tell them my sorrowful tale, and ask for another prepaid shipping label, and a full refund, please. The young man, Eric (?), falls over himself with apologies, while I wax-on about my appreciation for their efforts and our anticipated future business, and as our commensurations wind-down, the #2 vise is authorized for a prepaid return trip ($29 one-way from Washington State to Kentucky), and a full purchase-price credit back to my visa card. You know, if this little adventure hadn't entailed disappointment, disillusionment, and lost time, I would have enjoyed the camaraderie more.

WEDNESDAY: With cautious hope in my heart, I give the tool manager at the local family-owned hardware store a call, telling him about my struggles and dogged pursuit to buy a pristine 1745 Wilton vise. I know he has a demo and two others in boxes, but could he soften the price a bit? While I'm saying "listen, I don't expect you to be able to match the $264.99 price of a mega-sized, internet store such as Amazon, but . . ." at this point, he interrupts me and says "on this item, at this time, I can meet their price." Well, alright then. I say that I'll come down this afternoon, but I asked for his further indulgence in allowing me to inspect all three of his available 1745 vises and, if I find one without a flaw, I will immediately buy it. He gamely and graciously agreed.

Well, I must have looked like an official Wilton inspector (or a complete OCD loon) that afternoon at the hardware store as I stood at a side counter, wearing my blue nitrite gloves, carefully opening two shipping boxes (I've had practice), lining up the three vises, meticulously examining the jaw face alignments, yanking on the jaw fronts to check slop, and precisely determining the "slack-swing" in the spindle assemblies. While I had mentally prepared for this "inspection" with my list of issues, I found that it was surprisingly difficult because each vise was perfectly acceptable. There were no left-handers, no vertical over-biters, no counter-clockwise tilts, no front jaw slack in the spindle assemblies, or significant play in the spindle screws; on the last point, I found these vises had less than 1/4 of the 90 degrees of free-play of the last rejected vise - or less than 22.5 degrees. So with silent reverence and a delayed victory, I picked-out My Vise, truly the best of the best, a vise which will (no doubt) out-live me and hopefully provide exceptional service to future unknown owners. Almost makes me wish I had an heir!

So it is finally over and, again, I thank everyone for helping me with this unexpectedly challenging purchase. I find that I have learned or relearned a few lessons from the experience:

(1) Amazon.com is a very good company to do business with and it has created a repeat customer in me;

(2) Wilton probably manufactures a few more than "one in a million" problem vises, and may sell these "seconds" to third party vendors;

(3) Local hardware stores can be flexible on their stated prices;

(4) Internet forums (like TGJ) are an invaluable resource;

(5) OCD is a relentless task-master, and is not for those who have limited time, energy, or commitment. Yeah, I guess we already knew that.


So, the next tools on my buy-list are a 6"-8" grinder, a cordless 10.8 volt lithium-ion Makita Drill/Impact combo (I stripped a gear in my faithful 12v DeWalt making the workbench, dang), and a mid-sized drill-press (probably a Grizzly). But you know, maybe I should ease into this slowly with some fool-proof purchases like nuts and bolts, washers, wood screws, felt pads. Yeah, that sounds good. I mean really, what could go wrong?


good luck with your purchases
jp98226

 

[Thedroid]

Sounds like you should have bought the vice from the local hardware store to begin with. I think the extra 40 or so would have been worth not having to deal with the hassle and heartbreak. Nice that he dropped the price, but would you have bought it for full price after the troubles with the Amazon supply.

 

[bushhawg73]

Glad you found the perfect vise. I too can be an OCD nut but the way I see it if I am paying a premium price I should get a premium product. Glad to have you on board and do not forget to post other reviews.

 

[superautobacs]

Wow, what a read.
I'm glad you found the right one afterall.

I've seen a few Wilton vises at my local tool store (I don't remember what models/mechanic or machinist), but most of them had that wiggle/play in them. I was expecting it to have little to no play, but perhaps they were the econo line (none were over $150).

Btw, I have the Makita 10.8v combo. I like it very much so far, but I have found that the little impact is quite loud during full blast. Mind you, I've only operated one other impact driver under load before, but the 10.8v seems louder.

 

[Diesel_Crawler]

Very informative read, But 1/32-1/16 space? Its a vice after about a week of good pounding it would fit right in with me

But then again we get new vices every 5-6 months. They don't seem to like CAC-A very much.

If it is an issue you want to deal with, then by all means go for it

 

[bmwpower]

Wow. Glad you got things sorted out.

A local hardware store had Wiltons? Never seen one around these parts.

 

[jp98226]

A most excellent point (made by Thedroid) not lost on me (now) . . . in fact, I cringe to think how that measly $40 divides out against the hours and fret I put into this purchase. I suppose the fatal error began when I thought that buying a vise "sight unseen" would be problem-free. Lesson learned.

And Superautobacs, thanks for the heads-up about the volume level of the Makita impacter. As it turns out, I had a demo of the impacter in action and, sadly or luckily enough, because I've lost a bit of hearing along the way it didn't bother me too much. But you're right, it is significantly louder than any conventional drill I've ever heard; barring my recently deceased 12v DeWalt which stripped a gear. :-(

 

[nissan_crawler]

Eh, I see both sides.

On one hand, it's a vise, and knowing how I would be ****** and pillaging it, I would shrug my shoulders and move on.

On the other hand, you paid a good chunk of change for what should be a high quality vice (mispelling intended), so I perfectly understand your side.

Either way, I'm glad it worked out for you.

I have to tout Amazon's customer service, too. I bought a rotary laser level on there for $30 (grip brand) to do some tile work in the house. I got it, and stuck batteries in it, and much to my dismay, it didn't work. I grabbed the cord for it, and it worked fine.

I called them up, and they had sold out of the levels, and offered a full refund. I stated I needed the thing, and they offered to refund half of my money if I wanted to keep it, so I had a $15 rotary level.

 

[Autoguy]

My Wilton vise will lock and unlock without any slightest side play. Check the channel under neath for wear loose screws or may be the two side are from two different models i mean made in different years with different specifications by wilton.

 

[fordracing200]

wanna sell that broken dewalt 12v? pm me..

 

[Treeman]

I can relate to the OP's experience. Some trades people contend that the Big Box stores (and maybe Amazon?) get "lesser" products compared to buying the EXACT same product from a professional jobber source (plumbing, electrical, etc.). Is this true, maybe?

After hearing all the praise about Klein plier type wire crimpers, I went to Home Despot to buy a pair. The first pair I pulled had misaligned male/female castings on the "non-insulated crimp" area. After pulling all 10 pairs off the shelf, there seemed to be pliers that came from maybe 2 or three different castings or mfg. runs. Only 2 out of the 10 had acceptable alignment of the male/female crimp.

I went to Menards to buy Merkava's beloved Ideal crimpers and one of the two pairs there had the "insulated/non-insulated" crimp areas labeled (engraved) opposite, or wrong!

What's with the quality control here?

 

[jwith68]

I don't think it is being too picky at all to expect a new Wilton Tradesman vise to have jaws that properly align, are parallel, and that will completely close properly. The fact that you may be "beating" on it should have nothing to do with it. I have a 4" chinese cheapy, an F60 Ridgid, and a very old (60+ years) American Scale Co. #58 that I just redid for my dad. All 3 of them have jaws that align, have very good parallelism, and will close to zero clearance.

jp98226, I'm glad you found one you are pleased with, even if it took you a little extra work.

 

[krooser]

Now go beat on it with a 10lb maul....

 

[mrpowderkeg]

I just purchased a Tradesman 6-1/2. I think you may have gotten a bad vice, and I would send it back. On mine everything lines up perfectly. the I was impressed with the quality, and was as happy as can be with it, much better than my asian knock around vice. I'd call wilton, and see if they will do an exchange.

 

[jp98226]

Two quick replies:

First to fordracing200 regarding your inquiry has to whether I might sell my dead DeWalt 12v drill to you. Sorry bud, but I already gave away the unit (and its batteries) to a fine fellow who promised to give it a good home, or at least a decent burial; otherwise, I would have been more than happy to send it to you COD. But don't feel too badly about a missed opportunity, because while the stripped gear/clutch might be repairable, the "ozone" smell that now comes from the drill, after only a brief squeeze of the trigger, probably indicates a serious and unresolvable, electrical wire melt-problem. But listen, the next time I foul something up (short of complete annihilation), I will give you first "dibs" or option to decline! The wait shouldn't be too long. ;-}

Second to mrpowderkeg (interesting handle) regarding your encouraging and informative response, which seemed to be directed at my #1 & #10 postings in the thread. To paraphrase a famous, short, possibly just a little bit paranoid, Texan who ran for US President twice (no, not Bush), "that giant sucking sound you hear" is the collective inhale of TGJ readers who understandably fear that I might submit yet another 95+ line, 1600+ word response to your post. But fear not, simply go to the #19, 5-29-09, 4:21 pm, jp98226 post of this thread to see how everything worked out just fine. But I thank you for your support Mr. Keg.

[and they all exhaled]

later TGJ gang

 

[opedawg]

I know this is an old thread, but I did the same thing.

This last week, bought a 5.5 Wilton Tradesman vise off of amazon for about $400. Which is $200 below the retail, so I was hoping this would be a slam dunk with a vise for a great deal. Even called the vendor, CPO, ahead of time to ensure it was indeed a "new" vise, which they said it was. (Perhaps I should have asked if it was a factory second, but more to come...)

Once received, the vise jaws are about the same as seen above... 1mm or 0.005 in off center. Once I turn the handle (spindle)in fully, the grooves in the jaw faces kinds re-align the jaws better, but not perfectly aligned. On top of that the screw isn't a smooth turn.. half of the turn has more restriction than the other half.

On a recent Wilton unboxing video, the poster mentioned that when the Wilton vise is 100% closed, the handle should stop at vertical when nothing between the jaws. On mine, not the case. I would be interested to hear if that is indeed a Wilton quality trademark or not.

I too am wondering if I am too picky for a vise. I am convinced I will return it, but to request a 2nd one at this point seems like I may have the same problem as the original poster on the subject, jp98226. Another factory second, or similar.

If anyone else has had any similar issues or comments, please lend me your two cents.

 

[sberry]

I try not to use one for an anvil but I would be picky at that price too. I broke one and put an import rotary in its place with pipe jaws. Its way better than the old iron ever was as a working concern and would be replaced only by one a size bigger if I had to do it tomorrow. I got it a long time ago, seems it was 75 then, got no idea how much one cost today but they havnt invented anything better than this.
First is a super old pic.

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

Guess I must be goofy. I don't think I've ever closed the jaws on a vise. Or even thought about them aligning.

 

[PBCampbell]

I'd think it would be a far goofier person to drop the better part of $300 for a "preracked" vise. Unaligned jaws are a detriment to clamping ability.
I'll leave this here for future reference as I think these are a far better value for those looking to spend a few dollars on a vise.
https://www.ridgid.com/us/en/f-series-vises

 

[opedawg]

I emailed Wilton and had a favorable response within an hour on the misaligned jaws and unsymmetrical pressure to turn the handle. Seems like they may be willing to correct the situation, but I still need to send them a picture of the misaligned jaws, return address, and proof of purchase. Not a problem, there.

They essentially said they "have seen this before...", so I am thinking they are aware of similar issue and are willing to correct it.

I will update this thread once I figure out what Wilton wants to do.

Maybe even post a few pics, just in case someone else comes across the same issue.

 

[usdemt]

Let me get this straight, you bought the cheapest version of a quality vice you could and expected the top end machined version?

On top of it you buy the USA made version because you value the USA brand, but then buy it from the big guys who don't give a **** were their products are made as long as they make a buck. All while scoffing at the local guy who also provided you excellent customer service and the money spent on that USA vice at his place would also support the same ideals you are trying to achieve. But HECK that costs more!!!

Then you waste days of your time on this thing just so you can hit it with a hammer???

Yes....Yes you were being too picky. If you want a quality product without the hassle spend the money.

 

[opedawg]

Seems reasonable to want a quality vise if one pays the price for one. And yes, I do expect to get the same quality as if I bought it at any authorized dealer (online or local).