A German Made Bench Vise (Brockhaus Heuer)

KL5JH4L · Sep 12, 2016

The mail lady arrived at my house and as usual I went outside to go pick up my mail, but just as I was heading outside, I see her back up into my driveway, which is odd because she never does that. She had more mail, apart from what she put in the mailbox. A package for me. I was surprised, a package from where, I asked myself? The last thing on my mind was the bench vise I ordered from Germany. When she showed me my package in the back of the mail truck, I saw the German labels on the box, that's when I knew it was the bench vise I ordered. I didn't expect to receive my package so early which is why I was even more surprised. I got the box cutter and opened the package and there she was in all it's glory. A beautiful blue bench vise. Man oh man was I happy, I got her out gently as if it was a newborn baby. As I took the vise out of the box I checked if anything else was in there and sure enough there was, it came with a user manual and a catalog of the other products that they carry. Initial impressions were great, although this was soon to change. After cleaning the mess that I had made opening the package, I further inspected the vise and to my surprise found many imperfections that I wouldn't expect from a bench vise of this price range. In the following pictures you can see the flaws I found. The vise jaws were not ground evenly, if ground at all.
https://s17.postimg.io/814ss5got/IMG_20160911_203536.jpg
It seems they skipped this step:

Another thing that prevents the jaws from mating evenly is the spot where they sit and bolt on to. I ran my finger across the surface where the vise jaws sit and noticed that wasn't ground evenly as well. It's pretty hard to tell from the picture, but trust me it's uneven.
https://s16.postimg.io/d8mzjkd6r/IMG_20160911_225958.jpg

Out of the four socket cap screws that mount the jaws to the vise, one was a pain in the **** to unscrew. The screw was threaded crooked at the factory and thus very difficult to remove which resulted in damaging it when it finally came out.
After removing the vise jaws and carefully inspecting them, I paired the jaws up and noticed that one was longer than the other.

https://s21.postimg.io/slu7hhrdx/IMG_20160911_201900.jpg

A closer look:
https://s16.postimg.io/kje1gkstv/IMG_20160911_201636.jpg

The mounting holes of the vise are pretty off. As you can see in the picture, the hole on the right is drilled closely to the edge. Making this a weak spot. The other holes are kinda okay.
https://s21.postimg.io/l8njqa2hh/IMG_20160909_013705.jpg

I find it funny how they "exemplify quality".

http://www.heuer.de/en/company/our-commitment-to-quality/
The seal (sticker) that tells you your vise has passed "strict quality control tests" was put crooked on the vise I received. I mean c'mon at least try to stick it on straight. :lol_hitti

https://s13.postimg.io/vs44gdn1z/IMG_20160706_171019.jpg
I honestly don't know what happened when they were making the vise I received, but I can tell you it wasn't done properly. Then again I have high standards.

If any of what I mentioned doesn't bother you and your contemplating purchasing a Heuer bench vise, feel free to ask me questions. I don't mind helping you make a safe purchase.

I must admit, one of the main reasons I chose to purchase this bench vise was because it was made in Germany. I felt nothing could go wrong as I had the mindset that if it's German, it must be good! Country of origin has no meaning to me anymore. Good and bad can come from anywhere. In the end I feel this is life teaching me a life lesson.

They don't make them like they used to, quality has changed:
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JMK9QsgBZZ0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

PureLeaf · Sep 12, 2016

Interesting post, and disappointing to see those unevenly and uncentered drilled holes.

Superbec · Sep 12, 2016

WOW , this is infuriating, it's the metabo drill with casting markings all over again

what's happening in Germany ,,, if a vise jaw is not grounded perfect it will not hold the bier can for the forum picture !!!!! it's a disaster , I will call Merkel and demand an answer .

HCNDM · Sep 12, 2016

Superbec said:
WOW , this is infuriating, it's the metabo drill with casting markings all over again

what's happening in Germany ,,, if a vise jaw is not grounded perfect it will not hold the bier can for the forum picture !!!!! it's a disaster , I will call Merkel and demand an answer .

Agreed! And while we are at it we should call Hollande and force home to move all Facom production back to Europe.

On a more serious note i have quite an Old version of that Vise awaiting a restore. Havent given it a good look over yet other than to check for damage. I will do so over the weekend. All said and done it's a vice that will work wel and serve you a lifetime.

Neither my York (chzeck) or record no.4 (UK built) have much tighter machining.

I think the design philosophy of European tools is simply different. Gedore and Hazet also don't do the high polish finish so common in American tools. They are made to get the job done and last forever. Showpiece finish does not come into play.

Note: lifetime warrantee is also rare this side of the pond.

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Monte · Sep 12, 2016

I guess it´s just a bench vice and not a drill press vice or a vice for a CNC machine...

exmaxima1 · Sep 12, 2016

You should have bought the Ridgid (Germany) version. The jaws may not be removable, but they are ground beautifully and fit tight their entire length. FYI, with Zoro's 30% off sale going on today, price would be $235 w/free shipping:

https://www.zoro.com/ridgid-combination-vise-swivel-5-in-jaw-fs-66992/i/G0458525/

neophyte · Sep 12, 2016

I know the Brockhaus Heuer vises can be expensive when sold in the USA, but if you check the street Prices for both the Wilton and Heuer vises in the respective countries where they are manufactured, the Heuer vises are actually significantly less expensive.

A Brockhaus Heuer 140mm vise with replaceable jaws is about €260, and an additional €70 for a swivel base on Amazon.de, for a total price of €330, which is about $370.

A Wilton Tradesman 5-1/2" model 1755 runs $460 on amazon and maybe less at $400 on some other sites.

There are other German made vises like Leinen that may be more comparable to the USA made Wilton vises. The Brochhaus Heuer vise are forged steel, and seem like the kind of vise that would get bolted to the back of a Unimog or used for other rough abusive jobs were precision is less of an issue.

Also, if Wilton needs to machine the vise jaws to match them once assembled, then their vises may be made with the same precision, or lack there of, that the Heuer vises are made with. Wilton has chisen to correctand or hide this, whereas Brockhaus Heuer chooses not to, or chooses to let the customer correct this at their own discretion. I wouldn't be surprised if it was standard practise in Germany to file or grind the vise jaws flush when you purchase a new one, or change out an old set of jaws.

exmaxima1 · Sep 12, 2016

neophyte said:
Also, if Wilton needs to machine the vise jaws to match them once assembled, then their vises may be made with the same precision, or lack there of, that the Heuer vises are made with. Wilton has chisen to correctand or hide this, whereas Brockhaus Heuer chooses not to, or chooses to let the customer correct this at their own discretion. I wouldn't be surprised if it was standard practise in Germany to file or grind the vise jaws flush when you purchase a new one, or change out an old set of jaws.

FYI, I've restored several Wilton Tradesman 1750's and the new jaws fit flawlessly---no gaps, and the ends matched up perfectly. I would have been surprised if they didn't.

PureLeaf · Sep 12, 2016

Superbec said:
WOW , this is infuriating, it's the metabo drill with casting markings all over again

what's happening in Germany ,,, if a vise jaw is not grounded perfect it will not hold the bier can for the forum picture !!!!! it's a disaster , I will call Merkel and demand an answer .

I'm sorry that you think my problems with the Metabo drill are something to be mocked.

When I went to University, in Europe, no less. We were taught even if you've done the very best job possible, if the packaging on the outside looks like ****, then there will be an immediate impression that the rest of the work may be that way too.

If someone isn't willing to put quality and effort into one aspect of something, who is to say they've not skipped steps in other processes? I think its a reasonable assumption to expect perfection especially from a premium grade tool that someone has gone to the effort to have shipped overseas. If he had known about these problems, he'd probably have just gone with a Wilton, or another brand. All of his issues seem reasonable observations to me.

Edit: Here are some pics of the German made Rigid branded vise. This is a brand new one I have sitting on a shelf as I'm not particularly fond of it and prefer using an old Reed Vise instead.

neophyte · Sep 12, 2016

PureLeaf said:
I'm sorry that you think my problems with the Metabo drill are something to be mocked.

When I went to University, in Europe, no less. We were taught even if you've done the very best job possible, if the packaging on the outside looks like ****, then there will be an immediate impression that the rest of the work may be that way too.

If someone isn't willing to put quality and effort into one aspect of something, who is to say they've not skipped steps in other processes? I think its a reasonable assumption to expect perfection especially from a premium grade tool that someone has gone to the effort to have shipped overseas. If he had known about these problems, he'd probably have just gone with a Wilton, or another brand. All of his issues seem reasonable observations to me.

Edit: Here are some pics of the German made Rigid branded vise. This is a brand new one I have sitting on a shelf as I'm not particularly fond of it and prefer using an old Reed Vise

In my experience, top quality industrial tools, are much more likely to come in packaging that is plain, cheap, crappy, or nondescript looking. Plain white or brown corrugated cardboard boxes, with the brand name stamped on the side, and a label glued on indicating the tool and model number are or were pretty standard. This includes brands such as Flex, older pre Black & Decker Porter Cable, older Milwaukee, and Fein. A lot of Starrett tools come in a plastic bag in a cardboard box, although one that is printed in multiple colors with the Starrett logo in a continuous pattern.

The fanciest packaging I usually see comes with tools meant to be sold at magor retailers like home depot or Lowes.

I mentioned Leinen vises in my above post. The top of the line Leinen vise have milled jaws just like the high end Wilton vises do. Leinen slso manufactures s "Junior" series of the same vise without the extra milling on the jaws for a lower cost option.

KL5JH4L · Sep 12, 2016

"If he had known about these problems, he'd probably have just gone with a Wilton, or another brand."

I would most definitely have done so. This is why I posted the thread, to inform people of what they will be receiving if they ever did decide to purchase a heuer vise. Now, I do understand the vise will work and function as it should, but I payed a premium for this vise and expect a premium product. Funny how these vises are regarded as being the "best". I just don't see that. Furthermore, I do feel that they took many shortcuts in the production of my vise. As you can see in my thread, the shortcuts are evident. Who knows, maybe the quality control guy was working sick that day and I just got unlucky.

That rigid vise looks like they ground the jaws evenly.

Code:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/media/img_3186.534167/full?lightbox=1&last_edit_date=1473722981

"I think its a reasonable assumption to expect perfection especially from a premium grade tool that someone has gone to the effort to have shipped overseas."

Thank you sir/madam for understanding.

PureLeaf · Sep 12, 2016

Theres a russian video that compares the Rigid and Brockhaus Heuer vise. Unfortunately I don't speak Russian so I can't really understand what he's making notes of. You can obviously see what he's inspecting. Maybe this will be of interest to others:

HCNDM · Sep 13, 2016

I had a quick Sneak into the shed to have a look at my heuer this morning.

I guesstimate mine is about thirty years old and it's due for a resto covered in grease and crud. Jaws are 10cm.

Fit and finish is not as good as the rigid posted above but then again better than yours.

Maybe like so many things you are onto something and the quality has gone down. Or maybe a PO did some work on it? The last being hard to tell under the sloppy paint job. Also my jaws seem cast in.

Quick google for the current replacement model shows they come in at about 125 euros and are advertised as the ideal companion for a farm workshop. Guess that says enough with regards to finish.

https://www.conrad.nl/nl/heuer-1001...1341188_pla-219524425508_pla-810272&WT.srch=1

I get the dissapointment though. Especially with the added cost of shipping across the pond.

Probably the biggest problem with buying stuff online is not being able to get a decent feel for the actual product in advance.

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Superbec · Sep 13, 2016

PureLeaf said:
I'm sorry that you think my problems with the Metabo drill are something to be mocked.

When I went to University, in Europe, no less. We were taught even if you've done the very best job possible, if the packaging on the outside looks like ****, then there will be an immediate impression that the rest of the work may be that way too.

If someone isn't willing to put quality and effort into one aspect of something, who is to say they've not skipped steps in other processes? I think its a reasonable assumption to expect perfection especially from a premium grade tool that someone has gone to the effort to have shipped overseas. If he had known about these problems, he'd probably have just gone with a Wilton, or another brand. All of his issues seem reasonable observations to me.

Edit: Here are some pics of the German made Rigid branded vise. This is a brand new one I have sitting on a shelf as I'm not particularly fond of it and prefer using an old Reed Vise instead.

I understand your point , also I had a bad hearth about some pretty expensive wiha screwdrivers , I didn't like the handles, but guess what, after a few months of use they are still in good condition .

The op first post is about some "fault" with a vise... I really don't see any fault, yes there's ~1mm difference between the jaws and the jaws are not ground , and he probably been had for quite a few bucks ... but not by Hauer , by the store he bought it from .

As stated above those are not by any means premium vises , just premium prices , yes far better than chinese and will hold to abuse probably a few lifetimes but they are a crude tool , no fancy display item .

The op is comparing to a wilton 3x the actual price .

So this vise or your drill or my wiha drivers didn't meet expectations ... DO they perform as expected , are they impaired in any way by visual blemishes
???? I guess not .

I get it some or most of people around here are not pro's and get to work with tools only at home , I get it you don't have contact or real world experience with tool before you order on the internet but in industry , tool is took out of the box , plugged in the wall and used , nobody will care about packaging or some casting markings , after a days work it probably be covered in crud.

William Payne · Sep 13, 2016

I wonder what would happen if I posted pics of the linishing marks under the chrome on some of my stahlwille wrenches. Or the indentation from forging that is on one of my stahlwille wrenches. Haha I should add that none of those bother me.

Im not trying to be a ****. I understand the original posters frustration. German stuff is a love it or it hate thing. Yeah they make a lot of stuff with form, but function comes first in most cases and yes they charge for it. I would use the word "Industrial" to describe german tooling. Yes there is a lot of beauty as well but the flash over the top chrome bright shiny thing isn't really their thing.

Example would be like comparing Hugo Boss to say Louis Vuitton. Both come at a premium but completely different styles/aesthetics.

What we consider paying a premium, they just consider it the normal price. I hope the original poster gets it all worked out though.

In germany a premium vice would generally be a machinist vice with all critical edges ground and a certificate showing it meets specification with also a much higher price.

Looking at your pics again, I would go back to where you got it and ask them. The advertised HEUER vice do have ground jaws on the top. Which yours don't appear to be. There may be a solution available. Maybe just maybe you got sent a vice that shouldn't have been sent out.

Heuer seem accommodating. I was looking at one once and inquired about the chances of ordering one in a different colour and they were more then willing to do what I wanted but never got around to ordering it.

William Payne · Sep 13, 2016

I repeat though, please contact the company and express your issues. See what they say.

PureLeaf · Sep 13, 2016

Superbec said:
I understand your point , also I had a bad hearth about some pretty expensive wiha screwdrivers , I didn't like the handles, but guess what, after a few months of use they are still in good condition .

The op first post is about some "fault" with a vise... I really don't see any fault, yes there's ~1mm difference between the jaws and the jaws are not ground , and he probably been had for quite a few bucks ... but not by Hauer , by the store he bought it from .

As stated above those are not by any means premium vises , just premium prices , yes far better than chinese and will hold to abuse probably a few lifetimes but they are a crude tool , no fancy display item .

The op is comparing to a wilton 3x the actual price .

So this vise or your drill or my wiha drivers didn't meet expectations ... DO they perform as expected , are they impaired in any way by visual blemishes
???? I guess not .

I get it some or most of people around here are not pro's and get to work with tools only at home , I get it you don't have contact or real world experience with tool before you order on the internet but in industry , tool is took out of the box , plugged in the wall and used , nobody will care about packaging or some casting markings , after a days work it probably be covered in crud.

Perhaps the real answer to this thread is that Americans have different expectations of what we see as being a 'premium product' and what an American company for instance would offer at the higher price points.

So perhaps doing more threads like this, not as a complaint against the product, but to educate others that this is how German tooling works. It'll help them understand what to expect and what you will receive, so they can make their own more informed purchasing decisions.

If I had known for instance about the Metabo casting defect, and further, how Metabo would treat me in regards to it, I'd never have purchased it, and would have chosen a premium American or Japanese drill.

HCNDM · Sep 13, 2016

PureLeaf said:
Perhaps the real answer to this thread is that Americans have different expectations of what we see as being a 'premium product' and what an American company for instance would offer at the higher price points.

So perhaps doing more threads like this, not as a complaint against the product, but to educate others that this is how German tooling works. It'll help them understand what to expect and what you will receive, so they can make their own more informed purchasing decisions.

If I had known for instance about the Metabo casting defect, and further, how Metabo would treat me in regards to it, I'd never have purchased it, and would have chosen a premium American or Japanese drill.

It's definitely a very different design philosophy. Focus is on durability and function.

The gearwrench wrenches I got from my sister who lives in the US have a better polished finish than any of my European tools.

And even those aren't in the league of my SO ratchet.

That said I reckon my stahlwille open box wrenches don't even need a warranty. There's simply nothing I will ever do that will break em. Fit is perfect functionality maybe even better. They are not pretty though. I remember them arriving and thinking ($&&$&... There's tooling and grinding marks! Yet the slide onto a bolt with perfect fit!

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Coolabah · Sep 14, 2016

KL5JH4L said:
"If he had known about these problems, he'd probably have just gone with a Wilton, or another brand."

I would most definitely have done so. This is why I posted the thread, to inform people of what they will be receiving if they ever did decide to purchase a heuer vise. Now, I do understand the vise will work and function as it should, but I payed a premium for this vise and expect a premium product. Funny how these vises are regarded as being the "best". I just don't see that. Furthermore, I do feel that they took many shortcuts in the production of my vise. As you can see in my thread, the shortcuts are evident. Who knows, maybe the quality control guy was working sick that day and I just got unlucky.

That rigid vise looks like they ground the jaws evenly.

Code:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/media/img_3186.534167/full?lightbox=1&last_edit_date=1473722981

"I think its a reasonable assumption to expect perfection especially from a premium grade tool that someone has gone to the effort to have shipped overseas."

Thank you sir/madam for understanding.

I certainly see your point too. Just one nitpick: one cannot , ever expect "perfection", one can only ever strive for this unobtainable goal with varying degrees of success. eg Even the most expensive supercar in the world has flaws. I can be very OCD about quality - my 2 cents worth : I think excellence is a good standard to strive for, not the unobtainable "perfection" :dunno:

.... I doubt if excellence was acheived with this vise/vice ... more like "it will do for now as I need to go have a bier ".... but it is probably good enough for a mid-tier vice. Someone posted a while back a really great looking repro vise that sold for like 4 or five grand... now for THAT I would expect as near perfect as possible !!! :thumbup:

edit: I think it was the Bugatti Vise but too pressed for time to check....

KL5JH4L · Sep 15, 2016

Coolabah said:
I certainly see your point too. Just one nitpick: one cannot , ever expect "perfection", one can only ever strive for this unobtainable goal with varying degrees of success. eg Even the most expensive supercar in the world has flaws. I can be very OCD about quality - my 2 cents worth : I think excellence is a good standard to strive for, not the unobtainable "perfection" .... I doubt if excellence was acheived with this vise/vice ... more like "it will do for now as I need to go have a bier ".... but it is probably good enough for a mid-tier vice. Someone posted a while back a really great looking repro vise that sold for like 4 or five grand... now for THAT I would expect as near perfect as possible !!!

edit: I think it was the Bugatti Vise but too pressed for time to check....

Of course I don't expect perfection. I simply expected the vise to have the most basic work done on it. Like making sure the vise is ground properly and holes are drilled correctly. I believe that your work reflects the type of person you are and I can tell you the work done on the vise I received was done by someone that just simply didn't care about what he/she was doing. Makes me wonder what other steps they didn't care about doing properly. This is what really bothers me the most.

KL5JH4L · Sep 15, 2016

William Payne said:
I repeat though, please contact the company and express your issues. See what they say.

Trust me, I have, they just don't care. I contacted the company from where I bought the vise and they just don't care. I haven't received a reply from them, I even translated my message to German and still nothing. I will try and contact the manufacture directly and see what they think about this.

nes999 · Sep 15, 2016

KL5JH4L said:
Trust me, I have, they just don't care. I contacted the company from where I bought the vise and they just don't care. I haven't received a reply from them, I even translated my message to German and still nothing. I will try and contact the manufacture directly and see what they think about this.

Did you buy that from Jens Putzier?

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ChevyEFI · Sep 15, 2016

Monte said:
I guess it´s just a bench vice and not a drill press vice or a vice for a CNC machine...

KL5JH4L · Sep 16, 2016

nes999 said:
Did you buy that from Jens Putzier?

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No, I bought from this website:

Code:

http://www.fine-tools.com/

Olafur · Sep 16, 2016

Sorry if the vise didn't meet your expectations.

And I agree they are not exactly precision instruments. However compared to many others in this regard they are decent.

Now what really sets them apart is they are forged, not cast. This means they are world apart from most vises regarding strength. You can put whatever you want in the jaws and beat it with 5lb hammer as long as you want and eventually you will wear out the jaws and your elbow - but the wise can take it.

I know this from first hand experience since I work a lot for a shop that repairs farm equipment, semi trucks, construction and earthmoving equipment and so on. They have several vises - the broken onces sitting in corners waiting for the scrap bin and then the Heuer's still alive and kicking. Today they don't buy anything else and they don't hesitate for a second to use them as anvils or to hold something when the 40 or even 60" pipe wrench is in operation or perhaps 1" drive socket with several feet of cheater pipe. Actually they use their 180mm Heuers for that.

My point is: for certain users the price tag is completely justified. Don't let the slim look deceive you, these things are beasts.

maico · Apr 19, 2018

Holly thread resurrection Batman...

You can see the jaws being ground flat at 1.24 min before hardening and painting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=96&v=ZXuK4q_UDVQ

I recently bought the fixed jaw version which is significantly cheaper than the interchangeable models. I checked all the alignments and it's fine. The mounting holes are obviously drilled to match the accessories. The whole process is automated to keep the cost realistic.

See my post here
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=7139782&postcount=28765

rumb · Apr 20, 2018

PureLeaf said:
Theres a russian video that compares the Rigid and Brockhaus Heuer vise. Unfortunately I don't speak Russian so I can't really understand what he's making notes of. You can obviously see what he's inspecting. Maybe this will be of interest to others:

HI, it's me in video. Feel free to ask, my English not very good, but I will try to answer.

Shortly: HEUER is better than RIDGID Matador! RIDGID sold with no regret.

Tonyuk · Apr 20, 2018

I'd use that vise without any hesitation, a couple of mm out is nothing really.

maico · Apr 20, 2018

German Humour...

6PTsocket · Apr 21, 2018

After reading this thead I took a look at my old 6" Rapid from Poland I bought it in a hardware store and it had no packaging and It it is definitely not a machinists vise. The replaceable jaws line up quite well. Yesterdays low end is today's treasure. I think I psid $60 for it. As I recall, they were sitting out in front of the store. They are still being made.

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maico · Apr 21, 2018

In the name of science I got my camera out...

For a mid-price general purpose vise rather than a machinist one, I think it's fine. Certainly not perfect but not far off.

exmaxima1 · Apr 21, 2018

maico said:
In the name of science I got my camera out...

For a mid-price general purpose vise rather than a machinist one, I think it's fine. Certainly not perfect but not far off.

I don't think I could accept a vise with painted serrated jaws. I'd imagine they would start chipping and looking bad after a few uses. My recent Heuer Front 140 had really nice plated jaws. Even the Ridgid (Germany) forged vises with integral jaws are left unpainted.

6PTsocket · Apr 21, 2018

exmaxima1 said:
I don't think I could accept a vise with painted serrated jaws. I'd imagine they would start chipping and looking bad after a few uses. My recent Heuer Front 140 had really nice plated jaws. Even the Ridgid (Germany) forged vises with integral jaws are left unpainted.

Am I wrong or are those painted jaws non replacable? That would explain why they are painted. I would think that a vise is painted, the jaws are installed and ground. If they are already there, they are going to get painted and the paint left to chip off.

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exmaxima1 · Apr 21, 2018

6PTsocket said:
Am I wrong or are those painted jaws non replacable? That would explain why they are painted. I would think that a vise is painted, the jaws are installed and ground. If they are already there, they are going to get painted and the paint left to chip off.

The Peddinghaus Ridgid vises are non-replaceable jaws AND not painted

maico · Apr 22, 2018

6PTsocket said:
Am I wrong or are those painted jaws non replacable? That would explain why they are painted. I would think that a vise is painted, the jaws are installed and ground. If they are already there, they are going to get painted and the paint left to chip off.

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The Heuer fixed jaw models are significantly cheaper than the reversible ones.
They make 7 different types of magnetic covers which I personally prefer.

Ex Germany Army Heuer

rumb · Apr 30, 2018

The Peddinghaus Ridgid painted very badly. Thin coat of paint. HEUER powder coated. Quite stong coat. I cleaned and polished a little jaws and anvil. Look good. I use self made aluminum "drop in" jaws covers almost all the time.

exmaxima1 · Apr 30, 2018

rumb said:
The Peddinghaus Ridgid painted very badly. Thin coat of paint. HEUER powder coated. Quite stong coat. I cleaned and polished a little jaws and anvil. Look good. I use self made aluminum "drop in" jaws covers almost all the time.

The jaws on my Ridgid vise are very sharp and I also use aluminum covers almost all the time. I glue a strong magnet to the back side and they stay secure. (that's not my Ridgid in the pic, it's my Paramo, but they work on all of them)

AGD21 · Aug 3, 2021

KL5JH4L said:
The mail lady arrived at my house and as usual I went outside to go pick up my mail, but just as I was heading outside, I see her back up into my driveway, which is odd because she never does that. She had more mail, apart from what she put in the mailbox. A package for me. I was surprised, a package from where, I asked myself? The last thing on my mind was the bench vise I ordered from Germany. When she showed me my package in the back of the mail truck, I saw the German labels on the box, that's when I knew it was the bench vise I ordered. I didn't expect to receive my package so early which is why I was even more surprised. I got the box cutter and opened the package and there she was in all it's glory. A beautiful blue bench vise. Man oh man was I happy, I got her out gently as if it was a newborn baby. As I took the vise out of the box I checked if anything else was in there and sure enough there was, it came with a user manual and a catalog of the other products that they carry. Initial impressions were great, although this was soon to change. After cleaning the mess that I had made opening the package, I further inspected the vise and to my surprise found many imperfections that I wouldn't expect from a bench vise of this price range. In the following pictures you can see the flaws I found. The vise jaws were not ground evenly, if ground at all.
https://s17.postimg.io/814ss5got/IMG_20160911_203536.jpg
It seems they skipped this step:

Another thing that prevents the jaws from mating evenly is the spot where they sit and bolt on to. I ran my finger across the surface where the vise jaws sit and noticed that wasn't ground evenly as well. It's pretty hard to tell from the picture, but trust me it's uneven.
https://s16.postimg.io/d8mzjkd6r/IMG_20160911_225958.jpg

Out of the four socket cap screws that mount the jaws to the vise, one was a pain in the **** to unscrew. The screw was threaded crooked at the factory and thus very difficult to remove which resulted in damaging it when it finally came out.
After removing the vise jaws and carefully inspecting them, I paired the jaws up and noticed that one was longer than the other.

https://s21.postimg.io/slu7hhrdx/IMG_20160911_201900.jpg

A closer look:
https://s16.postimg.io/kje1gkstv/IMG_20160911_201636.jpg

The mounting holes of the vise are pretty off. As you can see in the picture, the hole on the right is drilled closely to the edge. Making this a weak spot. The other holes are kinda okay.
https://s21.postimg.io/l8njqa2hh/IMG_20160909_013705.jpg

I find it funny how they "exemplify quality".

http://www.heuer.de/en/company/our-commitment-to-quality/
The seal (sticker) that tells you your vise has passed "strict quality control tests" was put crooked on the vise I received. I mean c'mon at least try to stick it on straight.
https://s13.postimg.io/vs44gdn1z/IMG_20160706_171019.jpg
I honestly don't know what happened when they were making the vise I received, but I can tell you it wasn't done properly. Then again I have high standards.

If any of what I mentioned doesn't bother you and your contemplating purchasing a Heuer bench vise, feel free to ask me questions. I don't mind helping you make a safe purchase.

I must admit, one of the main reasons I chose to purchase this bench vise was because it was made in Germany. I felt nothing could go wrong as I had the mindset that if it's German, it must be good! Country of origin has no meaning to me anymore. Good and bad can come from anywhere. In the end I feel this is life teaching me a life lesson.

They don't make them like they used to, quality has changed:
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="

" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Given that it's been a few years do you have any further comments on the performance of your Heuer vise? I was thinking of ordering one myself.

KL5JH4L · Jan 16, 2022

AGD21 said:
Given that it's been a few years do you have any further comments on the performance of your Heuer vise? I was thinking of ordering one myself.

Sorry for the very late reply.

I ended up returning it soon after I made this post. They have great customer service. They offered to give me some of the removalable jaws they sell. I passed on the offer and just returned the heuer bench vise.

I thought about this post during December and went back to it just out of curiosity to see of there were any new replies and I just happened to see yours. I ended up buying the fixed jaw vise because they had a holiday special going on and I was curious if the fixed jaw version was just as bad. It wasn't, had no problems that the removable jaw version had. Pretty pleased with it so far. I'll write up a review with some pictures after throughly examining it.

Also, after returning the first heuer bench vise, I ended buying a very similar one made in Italy. I might do a comparison. I'll post pictures when I have the time .

A German Made Bench Vise (Brockhaus Heuer)

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