Columbian 503

[Frizzman4]

How tough are the old Columbian 503 vises? Can I basically use this in place of a modern larger vise? Looking for my first vise and want to buy an older US Made tool that can do most “home” mechanic/tool repair work.

Thanks

 

[thehorse13]

They are just as tough as any other vintage USA made vises of the same era. I would sooner trust a vintage vise than any new one, especially the **** that comes from China.

A Columbian 503 will laugh at anything a home user throws at it and it will outlive you.

 

[davethorik]

Columbians get poo-poo'ed because they are usually lighter, per jaw size, than most other USA vises. Weight (mass) is important in a vise, however Columbians were made of heat treated malleable iron.

Their old ads claim the castings are heat treated for 11 days, resulting in a vise twice as strong as cast iron.

That is the reason it is an uncommon sight to see a broken Columbian.

 

[tool_scrounge]

A lot of it comes down to condition. Columbian made respectable machinist vises like the 503. It should work fine for your application provided it ws not abused by the previous owner.

 

[Packard V8]

Columbians get poo-poo'ed because they are usually lighter, per jaw size, than most other USA vises. Weight (mass) is important in a vise, however Columbians were made of heat treated malleable iron.

Their old ads claim the castings are heat treated for 11 days, resulting in a vise twice as strong as cast iron.

That is the reason it is an uncommon sight to see a broken Columbian.

Yes, No, Maybe. I've seen older Columbians as heavy for the jaw size as any Reed, Athol, Rock Island, et al.

Later Columbians, when Wilton took over, were lighter, but the basic castings are usually strong enough for homeower use.

Caveat, the later Columbian production have fragile jaws. I see more of them with broken jaws than any other decent quality vise.

jack vines