Chinese Wilton vs USA Wilton

[crf450x]

Been looking at vises and i have decided on a Wilton. I noticed the ones made in china are significantly cheaper than the ones made in USA. Are they significantly lower quality or similar enough? By "significantly cheaper" I mean I can get a 5.5" USA for around $290 or a Chinese 6.5" for $140 and it even comes with a hammer. What say you?

 

[exmaxima1]

IMHO, no Chinese vise is worth $140

 

[Teenager with old tools]

Been looking at vises and i have decided on a Wilton. I noticed the ones made in china are significantly cheaper than the ones made in USA. Are they significantly lower quality or similar enough? By "significantly cheaper" I mean I can get a 5.5" USA for around $290 or a Chinese 6.5" for $140 and it even comes with a hammer. What say you?

What are your uses? The cheaper one doesn't open as far and is lighter weight and built lighter. For average homeowner who does moderate repairs on stuff it should be just fine. You may also find a used one near you made in USA what's your location. Also which ones specifically are you looking at? I personally think I'd get an Irwin vise from Lowe's for 70 bucks over a Chinese wilton

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[crf450x]

What are your uses? The cheaper one doesn't open as far and is lighter weight and built lighter. For average homeowner who does moderate repairs on stuff it should be just fine. You may also find a used one near you made in USA what's your location. Also which ones specifically are you looking at? I personally think I'd get an Irwin vise from Lowe's for 70 bucks over a Chinese wilton

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I would say I'd fit into the "heavy diy use" category. But I firmly believe in buying top notch the first time...within reason. I'd rather buy one $300 vise once than a $75 vise every couple years forever. I am in east tn. Haven't had much luck looking for used ones.
The wiltons I was looking at are 11128bh and 63200a. But no real reason for those. Just what I found.

 

[Teenager with old tools]

Both would likely do but the USA one uses cast iron that is twice as strong. Wilton says 60k psi and Chinese 30k psi whatever that means. But I guess if you break the Chinese one once and replace its same cost as the USA one. The USA made one opens farther if I remember correctly too.

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[General Geoff]

I would say I'd fit into the "heavy diy use" category. But I firmly believe in buying top notch the first time...within reason.

Top notch Wilton would be the machinist vise line, in 4.5" jaw width the 450S or 450N, the S being on a swivel base and the N being stationary. Much heavier, much stronger and more durable than even the Tradesman bullet vises like the 1755. The jaws in particular are forged instead of sintered metal, the latter of which have been known to crack and chip quite easily. Some folks have discovered their Tradesmen vises to have chipped/cracked jaws right out of the box.

 

[markw365]

If you're by a major metropolitan area, watch craigslist, or hit swap meets, auctions and pawn shops. Wiltons pop up all the time. I've scored a 4" machinist vise and the 4" plumber one for under $100/each

 

[crf450x]

Top notch Wilton would be the machinist vise line, in 4.5" jaw width the 450S or 450N, the S being on a swivel base and the N being stationary. Much heavier, much stronger and more durable than even the Tradesman bullet vises like the 1755. The jaws in particular are forged instead of sintered metal, the latter of which have been known to crack and chip quite easily. Some folks have discovered their Tradesmen vises to have chipped/cracked jaws right out of the box.

I want at least 5.5" jaw width and at least 6" opening. Which would be the 10026...at $900 I wouldn't consider that to be "within reason" for me. I'd like to stay under $350. From what you're saying there is really no sense in paying for the Wilton name unless I get into the high end lines.

 

[General Geoff]

I want at least 5.5" jaw width and at least 6" opening. Which would be the 10026...at $900 I wouldn't consider that to be "within reason" for me. I'd like to stay under $350. From what you're saying there is really no sense in paying for the Wilton name unless I get into the high end lines.

the 450N/S opens to 7.5". Is there a particular reason you need at least 5.5" width jaws?

Think about it this way. The Chinese 6.5" jaw width vise (11128bh) you were referring to, only opens to 5.5" and weighs 45lbs. The 450S weighs 71lbs and opens a full 2" more. Jaw width alone does not indicate strength, durability or capability.

 

[WittHay]

There is a certain weight of vise that is required to hold stuff for heavier duty purposes. That is usually about 70 lbs. That means a Wilton 450 machinist or 1765 tradesman. The Record 6" type vise is common in England and Canada and weighs the same.

If you are looking for new, its not going to be cheap. Should be some used vises available

The pictures are of a new Wilton 1765 and a new Record 6" vise

 

[HanShotFirst]

I have the Chinese Wilton, and it's a good light duty vise. I'm a gunsmith, so my needs are fairly light duty, but I really love the rotating head; I make good use of that.

For heavy duty stuff I have a Record that serves me well.

For your uses, I would recommend buying old and used. Restoration of a bench vise really isn't all that much work.

 

[Joe Bendix]

As of 2020, Wilton moved all vise production to Asia, and they are still VERY EXPENSIVE!

 

[XxToolAholicxX]

You mean like a Chinese Ford F-150 vs. an American Ford F-150 ?
Come on dude really.. Chinese **** are cheap for a reason..

 

[shawhite]

As of 2020, Wilton moved all vise production to Asia, and they are still VERY EXPENSIVE!

First off why are we reviving a 4 year old thread. Second this is not completely true. Wilton still produces the combo and machinist vises in the US.

 

[seber]

There is a huge difference in iron. 30ksi is just cast iron. 60ksi is nodular iron. Normal cast iron has graphite in the form of flakes. That makes it extremely abrasion resistant but also introduces crack starters. You don't beat on cast iron. Nodular iron has the excess carbon modified into little balls. You can beat on it all day. If you expect to do any bending with your vise, you either want 60ksi or very heavy castings.

 

[RedOak]

There is a huge difference in iron. 30ksi is just cast iron. 60ksi is nodular iron. Normal cast iron has graphite in the form of flakes. That makes it extremely abrasion resistant but also introduces crack starters. You don't beat on cast iron. Nodular iron has the excess carbon modified into little balls. You can beat on it all day. If you expect to do any bending with your vise, you either want 60ksi or very heavy castings.

You seem to have a pretty good grasp on how vises are made, Seber, so what are some makes and models that you prefer? We've been looking at a vise you can use for bending, so your words are particularly interesting.

 

[seber]

I'm no vise expert. I just happen to have spent my life as an engineer designing production machinery. Materials are very important to the process. I can tell you that weight is irrelevant as long as the vise is properly anchored. I sold my five inch Wilton machinist vise because the coarse thread did not give me enough gripping force. I now use a ductile iron vise that is lighter and much more versatile. I do miss the way the Wilton rotator locked up solid. The Yost wants to rotate when enough twist is applied.