Milwaukee Bench Vise
- Thread starter NeubCont
- Start date
Shiftless
Well-known member
Does it look like this?
Are you looking for your first vise or are you replacing one that broke?
What kind of work do you plan to do with that vise?
Assuming it’s not broken or worn out, it’s OK for light duty work.
Don’t pay very much. Unless that’s the only vise available and you need one right away, personally I would keep looking for a better vise.
Browse through the Vises of GJ thread and learn about vintage vises.
That thread has been running for over 10 years and is approaching 80,000 posts.
Here is a link to page one.
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=44782
.
Are you looking for your first vise or are you replacing one that broke?
What kind of work do you plan to do with that vise?
Assuming it’s not broken or worn out, it’s OK for light duty work.
Don’t pay very much. Unless that’s the only vise available and you need one right away, personally I would keep looking for a better vise.
Browse through the Vises of GJ thread and learn about vintage vises.
That thread has been running for over 10 years and is approaching 80,000 posts.
Here is a link to page one.
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=44782
.
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There is already another thread about the same vise. AFAIK, there's nothing special or collectible about those low-cost handyman vises. I wouldn't pay more than $5 for one.
Shiftless
Well-known member
If it was in really good shape, no saw marks on the jaw tops, I’d pay AT LEAST $10.00
Lots of people use vises like that for crafting small light weight stuff. Wire sculpture, etc.
I sold one of my lightweight vises to a professional flower arranger designer. It is screwed down onto one of her work tables.
I paid $30 for this vintage Parker handyman vise because I like the Art Deco styling. I stripped off remnants of 2 paint jobs and redid the vise as a shelf queen.
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Everything about that Parker is better than that Milwaukee, starting with replaceable jaws and much heavier castings. The Parker handle has ball ends, rather than the unbelievably crude crimps on the Milwaukee. The Parker appears to be a "real" vise in my opinion, and comparable to the old CM vise my dad had when I was a kid (except for being open-screw).
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Shiftless
Well-known member
I believe that Milwaukee 644 had plastic or rubber end caps on the main handle and the handle for the swivel lockdown. They were missing on the one pictured at the top of this thread.