Fireball Compact Hardtail Vise

[GCS]

I’ve had my Fireball Compact for only a month or so.

I wanted/needed a larger vise for some time, so I bought one.
Looked at used older vises for quite a while, & finally said **** It & pulled the trigger.

So far, no complaints, or regrets. I think a fair, if not very fair price for what it is.
YMMV…

My vise shopping days are over.
Instead of looking, shopping, wanting, or needing a larger vise. I now have one.

 

[slomaro3.4]

I’ve had my Fireball Compact for only a month or so.

I wanted/needed a larger vise for some time, so I bought one.
Looked at used older vises for quite a while, & finally said **** It & pulled the trigger.

So far, no complaints, or regrets. I think a fair, if not very fair price for what it is.
YMMV…

My vise shopping days are over.
Instead of looking, shopping, wanting, or needing a larger vise. I now have one.

Might be a dumb question, but how well was it packaged for shipping?

 

[GCS]

Might be a dumb question, but how well was it packaged for shipping?

Excellent!
I was kinda concerned myself, knowing how delivery companies throw **** around.

It comes mounted on a piece of plywood, in a heavy duty box marked “Fragile” Had styrofoam pieces holding it in place.

Delivered by Fed-ex.
I was home when it arrived. Driver gently sat it down before I opened the door.
No issues…

 

[txvwnut]

I wouldn't be happy with a casting like this after paying $500 for a vice.

They actually consider the casting to be a consumable of sorts. It's not designed to fail but will fail if the vise is over abused.

 

[GeoBruin]

It's more than double the fireball I was looking at

Not to mention it appears to be based on the Fireball DIY vise plans.

 

[1Bad55Chevy]

The fireball is definitely a lot of vise for the money. I

Not to mention it appears to be based on the Fireball DIY vise plans.

Ya its a DIY project for someone with a lathe, mill, and a CNC plasma table... Basically a beginner project!

 

[1Bad55Chevy]

-Yep, everything manufactured in the last few decades sure is made better isn't it?

-When I see postings like this I think it's

Things now are made better with much tighter tolerances then they were back then. The issue here with tools is people comparing the most expensive units back in the day to the most bottom dollar Irwin POS at Lowes and say "see they dont make um like they use to". A Reed 108 vise was nearly half the cost of a brand new model T back in the 1920s. In 2026 use that same ratio to buy a vise (I said RATIO not looking at inflation) would be like buying a $20k vise. These industrial vises were WAY out of the consumers price points back then. Collectors like to compare a Reed 204 to a Doyle vise but in reality you need to compare consumer quality to consumer quality. The vise comparison should be a Doyle vs all those POS exposed screw vises from the 50s and 60s. Those exposed screw vises were so good nobody wants them.

Compare apples to apples and that smaller 6.5" Fireball hardtail would destroy a Reed 108 vise in all categories.

Anvils are the same thing. Spend $2k on a new professional Anvil in 2026 and it will be exponentially better then what you could have bought in 1920.

 

[liliysdad]

Collectors like to compare a Reed 204 to a Doyle vise but in reality you need to compare consumer quality to consumer quality.

Thats not a relevant statement when discussing vise shopping. The only place that theory holds water is when comparing what a dollar can buy now vs a hundred years ago.

What those vises cost 70 years ago has zero bearing on what they cost now when I am looking at buying one now.

I can buy a mid century Reed, Wilton, or Rock Island commercial quality vise for the same, less, or at worst slightly more than an import vise. That’s a relevant comparison.

Given your metric, the value in a Fireball is undeniable. Hell, it’s a bargain given any relevant metric…..but I’d still rather have the old American made option for a fraction of the cost.

 

[dscheidt]

Things now are made better with much tighter tolerances then they were back then. The issue here with tools is people comparing the most expensive units back in the day to the most bottom dollar Irwin POS at Lowes and say "see they dont make um like they use to". A Reed 108 vise was nearly half the cost of a brand new model T back in the 1920s. In 2026 use that same ratio to buy a vise (I said RATIO not looking at inflation) would be like buying a $20k vise. These industrial vises were WAY out of the consumers price points back then. Collectors like to compare a Reed 204 to a Doyle vise but in reality you need to compare consumer quality to consumer quality. The vise comparison should be a Doyle vs all those POS exposed screw vises from the 50s and 60s. Those exposed screw vises were so good nobody wants them.

Compare apples to apples and that smaller 6.5" Fireball hardtail would destroy a Reed 108 vise in all categories.

Anvils are the same thing. Spend $2k on a new professional Anvil in 2026 and it will be exponentially better then what you could have bought in 1920.

they are, or at least can be, made of better materials, as well. (Most American made vices were plain grey iron, even into the 1980s and 90s when most o the production ended. Continuous improvement was not a hallmark of later american heavy industry.) Good modern production, regardless of CoO, is ductile iron.) But don't waste your time arguing with the people who think old vises are magical.

 

[T45]

Given your metric, the value in a Fireball is undeniable. Hell, it’s a bargain given any relevant metric…..but I’d still rather have the old American made option for a fraction of the cost.

Pretty sure a 90lb Wilton c2 for $300 would be a major score.

 

[liliysdad]

Funny, Wilton started advertising the use of ductile iron in the 50s….

 

[liliysdad]

Pretty sure a 90lb Wilton c2 for $300 would be a major score.

You are absolutely right, that would be a hell of a deal and I’d jump all over it.


I bought three of these a couple years ago at an auction. This is the roughest one, a the reason I kept it for myself.

I have $0 in it..I technically made money. I bought three steel workbenches. Each of them had a similar Wilton bolted to it. None were swivel. I pad less than $200 fo each bench. When I picked them up, one bench was full of Tig filler rod. I sold the rod for $300c the benches for $250 each, and the two Wilton’s for $300 each, and I kept this one.

 

[Mr_B]

old vises I own are either cast steel or high tensile pearlitic malleable iron, lot of the old vises are an amazing effort in manufacture materials and finished fit/function .
Hard to ignore quality and features of a new compact hardtail, it decent design and manufacture effort and 500 bucks not a wild price if you want something bit better than the average new offerings .
Really down to the OP to decide what he needs and desires from this vise decision and what dollar he happy spend on that decision .
If I was in need of another vice for my autoshop I be inclined go a compact hardtail with couple of jaw style options .