Craftsman 6 in. Bench Vise $49.99

[impactsocket]

Craftsman 6 in. Bench Vise $49.99. Regular price $109.99

Are CM bench vises worth buying or are they poor quality?
If you own one give us your review of it.

http://www.sears.com/craftsman-6-in-bench-vise/p-00951856000P?SID=IMx20120601x002000-CoreTools-V2-activeusers

 

[Spn1025]

I posted this in the Sears thread. Someone replied to look at the reviews.. I guess the reviews are pretty bad.

 

[EdJack]

The only Craftsman to get is the Craftsman Professional Vise. But I don't think they sell that anymore.

All the rest of the Vises are basically Harbor Freight quality, or maybe a tad bit better.

 

[Super Sport]

The only Craftsman to get is the Craftsman Professional Vise. But I don't think they sell that anymore.

All the rest of the Vises are basically Harbor Freight quality, or maybe a tad bit better.

Even so, it's a decent deal. At HF a similar vise is priced at $69.99 - minus whatever you can get a coupon to take off.

 

[EdJack]

True. Looks like the fit and finish of the Craftsman is a little better.

 

[Bansheeboy11]

I have one, for the money its not bad. I got it on clearance from a store here, my only complaint is the swivel lock, I have to tighten the piss out of it with a wrench or breaker bar if I have to push/pull/hammer whats in the vice. If im pushing or pulling it HARd, it will spin it

 

[PoorOwner]

I have one, for the money its not bad. I got it on clearance from a store here, my only complaint is the swivel lock, I have to tighten the piss out of it with a wrench or breaker bar if I have to push/pull/hammer whats in the vice. If im pushing or pulling it HARd, it will spin it

Well that's pretty typical of the swivel. I only buy ones with the pinion or gear when shopping for a new vise.

 

[80sBMX]

They were on sale about 30 days ago for $49. I had been looking for a new 6" vise and snagged one. I had some SYW points and ended up getting it for $35. Not a bad deal even at $49

 

[cook_dw]

I bought one of these back a couple years ago for the same price and have had no complaints.. Of course I use it with a little common sense and dont wail on it with a 50lb sledge..

 

[6MocoA]

Had like $22.** in available points, so the thing came out to less than $30 and I had to grab one at that point. Reviews are mediocre - but should serve really well as a light duty home vise.

 

[lwlobo]

I had one of these for my first vise, and while it isn't heavy duty, I used it a lot and it was 100% better than no vise. No telling how many things I straightened, cut, hammered on, etc. in that vise. If you do not have a vise it's a huge improvement.

When I got a better vise, I sold that one on CL and got most of my money back. I think I paid around $50 for mine 10 years ago and sold it for $35 6 years later. It was still in good shape after 6 years of light/medium use.

IMO, the fit and finish is better than HF or the stuff at Home Depot. Pricing may be better too. It's not a vintage Reed or Parker, but you can go buy one today for a good price and that has a lot of value.

 

[Engine]

I have had one for a year or three. It seems to be just fine for the home workshop. Haven't had any problems with it so far.

If you get one, consider how far you need it to rotate in each direction. It won't rotate all the way around as it hits a stop inside the base to prevent that. It only moves a bit over 180 deg. total.

I messed up and mounted mine so that when it is facing forward it will rotate a lot farther to the left than to the right. I had to mount it that way because of the bolt pattern and the way the bench was made, and I "assumed" it would rotate 360 deg. but wouldn't. May not be a problem if you are aware that it is made that way. Since I usually work with mine facing straight out it isn't a big deal for me.

 

[impactsocket]

Most of the negative reviews on sears.com are about the jaws that break.

According to the negative reviews:

The jaws are cheap and weak and when you break them, they are hard to find.

Jaws 30.99 + 13.99 S/H