Craigslist Wilton Vise

[DBordello]

Let me start, I know nothing about Vises. However, coming here, I learned that there is a great deal to know about vises.

However, there was nothing great to be found locally. And, I was just looking to put something solid on my bench, and grabbed the 6" Bessey from Home Depot for $80. To be honest, it seems to be a beast. I have been very impressed with it.

But, luck be it, this Wilton Vise showed up on Craigslist today: http://corvallis.craigslist.org/tls/4847754651.html

Can anybody ID it? Worth the money? Although I am happy with the Bessey, should I exchange it and grab this Wilton?

Any information on it would be appreciated.

 

[CNGsaves]

Nope, that Wilton is not one of the good ones. You'd be better off buying off Ebay one of restored Made in USA vises that GJ member has redone.

Keep looking on CL and garage/estate sales. You'll find a good one.

 

[drivesitfar]

DB: keep what you have because it's probably better than that imported Wilton. start reading the vise thread and you might find a few vises you like and then look for them. if you can't find one feel free to PM me and i might be able to meet you in Portland with one I've either restored or that is farm fresh.

good luck

 

[Zrexxer]

Not only is that Wilton not worth considering, but that goober has it priced at least 4x what it's worth.

 

[DBordello]

Wow, thank you everybody for the quick responses. You saved me one. That explains why he was willing to sell it for $100.

Drives: We will be in touch when I decide I need a "real" vise.

To be honest, I mounted the Bessey yesterday, and am impressed. I am just a DIY homeowner, and probably don't need an all-star vise. The Bessey opens, it closes, and it rips

 

[Askme42]

If this persona really I heritated it they might not have a clue. I might be inclined to let them know the one that they have is **** compared to the ones they looked up online.

 

[DBordello]

If this persona really I heritated it they might not have a clue. I might be inclined to let them know the one that they have is **** compared to the ones they looked up online.

I will let them know. My last correspondence to them was asking for a model number, and they stopped responding. Hmmm.

 

[exmaxima1]

http://detroit.craigslist.org/wyn/tls/4797995338.html

I hope someone can rescue that old bullet.

A 4.5" bullet w/swivel for $75 is a steal...

 

[drivesitfar]

DB: you can also PM me if you have questions about a good vise if you find one in your area that you are thinking of buying. good luck

EX: I saw that the Craigs seller had $75 written on each vise, but his ad is 4 vises for $400 and that 4.5 inch with swivel is the best one so not sure you could buy it for $75. i'd ask if i wasn't a couple thousand miles from him.

 

[drivesitfar]

All: Frank's second ad with the 2 Wiltons for $60 doesn't look like to bad a deal even though one is cheaper beat up wilton and the bullet looks ok except for the busted off foot on the swivel base.

 

[wild cowboy]

you couldn't give me a Wilton outside of a vintage bullet.

 

[drivesitfar]

Frank: i think you are correct because the broken foot of that vise is under the dynamic jaw in the last picture of the $400 ad. good catch and i did think it was the same bench and seller when i first looked at them.

i wonder how he obtained so many bullets? school closing their metal or auto shops and selling all their tools at an auction?

 

[DBordello]

DB: you can also PM me if you have questions about a good vise if you find one in your area that you are thinking of buying. good luck

Will do, thank you very much.

 

[Askme42]

All: Frank's second ad with the 2 Wiltons for $60 doesn't look like to bad a deal even though one is cheaper beat up wilton and the bullet looks ok except for the busted off foot on the swivel base.

Man I have a good base but a ****** welded vise. If I post a pic could you tell me if it would for this one?

 

[drivesitfar]

AskMe: are you close enough to pick up that vise? at that price even if the base doesn't work Wilton vises work without the swivel and you can sell your swivel to a member that needs one for his. a lot of Wiltons use the same size base and i'm not positive on where the size or style changes. if your vise has the same size jaw i'm pretty sure your swivel base should work ok.

for a non swivel you can make a stand like one in this thread and have a 360 degree access.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=252799

 

[redmondjp]

As much as I am a fan of vintage American tools, I cannot understand why people go gaga over these old Wilton vises. In my area they sell for $200-400 on CL and people seem to think they are worth their weight in gold. Even the non-swivel ones get snapped up fast.

About 20 years ago, I picked up an imported vise at Costco for about $50 that has been working perfectly - it looks identical to the HF 5" multi-purpose vise item #61163 or #67415. Not only does it swivel, and has built-in pipe jaws, but I have found the rotating jaws to be extremely useful. You can swivel the jaws out over the edge of the workbench, and then rotate jaws to hold an item vertically (great for working on tall rods, tubes, or steel flat bars with one end sitting on the floor).

I'm not saying that I wouldn't take a Wilton if it fell into my lap - we had many of them in our high school shop classes (back in the 1980s when they still offered wood, plastic, metal, welding, and auto shop).

 

[sz0k30]

FrankLee I'm in SE Mich & look at vises on CL all the time. When I saw your post on the Detroit vises I didn't remember seeing them. I opened CL in a separate window & inserted my usual "vise" search word and they didn't show up. I wondered what the hell? Then I found they were listed under "vises". WOW. Got to expand the searches.