Need Advice on Wilton Vice

[David99]

Found the vise listed at an estate sale that starts tomorrow morning.
Hopefully someone with more Wilton "eyeball" experience than myself may be able to tell what this is from their picture (not the best) and offer some pricing advice also (also have been searching/reading other threads here but no closer to an answer yet from any pictures I've looked at!).

Thanks Everyone

(I'll be back at it after the mosquito's drive me in!!)

 

[Hemi49]

I can't view your picture.....
Hemi

 

[David99]

attachment disappeared, re-attached to stay I hope

 

[ganymede]

On my phone screen it looks like a typical 1960's 1970's bullet that some one hit with silver spray paint. I'm gonna guess it's a 3 1/2" or 4" size. Looks like one of the lock down levers for the swivel base is missing. Not a big deal though.
I don't know how common they are in your area or how bad you need one but if there's no cracks or chunks missing it'd go for 80 to 150 bucks around here.

 

[Hemi49]

attachment disappeared, re-attached to stay I hope

David

I can't read the numbers on the dynamic jaw......But, it looks like a nice, low mileage bullet swiveler......Make sure the base isn't broken or cracked.....If your examination doesn't show any problems then; under $100.00 = a great deal.....$100.00 - $200.00 = I'd buy it......$200.00 - $$$UP = I'd walk away......
Hemi

 

[drivesitfar]

David: yes I agree with Gany and Hemi on the pricing. it looks like an 8300 or 9300 which would make it a 3 inch wide Wilton Bullet. not overly big, but a quality vise just the same if the grey paint isn't hiding any welds or cracks.

i'm guessing there are other guys in your area and maybe a few members here that will be looking at it to. some of those members usually hope it will go to half price if over $100 so wish you the best. if it checks out and a decent price and you buy it you'll have a vise to last a lifetime if you don't use it as an anvil or a press or hit it with a BFH.

 

[David99]

Thanks guys, it's about time to go.

 

[Maui]

How much were they asking? Did you buy it? Photos?

Maui

 

[Rory Bellows]

Looks like a good vise. Keep us updated.

 

[CNGsaves]

If that's as big as it looks . . . I'd say it's 450S . . . . 4 1/2" swivel bullet.

Even if it's 3" . . . don't let it slip away. Those are highly sought after vises.

BUY IT !! Yep, don't let neighbor or gramps outbid you !! Good luck.

 

[David99]

Didn't get it!

Some people weren't playing nice at this sale, you were supposed to go in the order called but as soon they started calling names from the signup sheet (I was 5th) some people just ran for the shop area and a husband/wife team had pre made strips of masking tape with sold & their name written on them were sticking them on anything they might want & as I'm looking at the vise trying to figure out how it was already sold another guy brought over one of the estate sale company's employees and then the woman of the husband/wife team and that guy started arguing over who was going to get it (and the woman had grabbed it and was holding it tight - still bolted to the bench), at that point I just walked away.

It was a baby bullet, price was $100

oh well, next!

 

[Zeke]

I need to see a pic of that — a woman holding on tight to a vise.

 

[ganymede]

..... (and the woman had grabbed it and was holding it tight - still bolted to the bench), at that point I just walked away.

It was a baby bullet, price was $100

oh well, next!

That *****. Hard.
But there will be other vises. You will get one and unlike those savages, you'll still have your dignity.

 

[Sam'sAutoParts]

Didn't get it!

Some people weren't playing nice at this sale, you were supposed to go in the order called but as soon they started calling names from the signup sheet (I was 5th) some people just ran for the shop area and a husband/wife team had pre made strips of masking tape with sold & their name written on them were sticking them on anything they might want & as I'm looking at the vise trying to figure out how it was already sold another guy brought over one of the estate sale company's employees and then the woman of the husband/wife team and that guy started arguing over who was going to get it (and the woman had grabbed it and was holding it tight - still bolted to the bench), at that point I just walked away.

It was a baby bullet, price was $100

oh well, next!

Kinda sad for them I think, they have really lost sight of the fact that this hobby is about having fun

 

[countryroad82]

That's exactly why I don't fool with auctions or estate sales hardly. Either it's morons like that hogging everything up or its people with way too much money than sense. It's just better for me to pay the extra, buy new,and not waste my time.

 

[lowdowndodge]

That is usually when I kick into well I didn't get my number 1 on the list what else is here that no one is paying attention to. Under the bench behind the doors open all drawers look up usually find something better cheaper while everyone else is crying over spilled milk.

 

[Davefr]

Didn't get it!

Some people weren't playing nice at this sale, you were supposed to go in the order called but as soon they started calling names from the signup sheet (I was 5th) some people just ran for the shop area and a husband/wife team had pre made strips of masking tape with sold & their name written on them were sticking them on anything they might want & as I'm looking at the vise trying to figure out how it was already sold another guy brought over one of the estate sale company's employees and then the woman of the husband/wife team and that guy started arguing over who was going to get it (and the woman had grabbed it and was holding it tight - still bolted to the bench), at that point I just walked away.

It was a baby bullet, price was $100

oh well, next!

Estate sales can be very chaotic. I hate the shoppers that put there little sold stickers on everything of interest and then decide/sort out what they want later. I scored an approx. 200lb Trexton anvil from a sale where the manager pulled off someone's prior sold sticker and said he doesn't allow them.

Or you could go in and find the price tag says $250!!

Or some of the items in the ad might not even be there due to "insider trading".

We need a thread called "Garage Sale/Estate Sale Wars".

There are a lot of "sleeper" vises out there if you keep looking. Expand your search to non Wilton vises. There are plenty of vises as good and better then Wilton Bullets at much better prices.

 

[drivesitfar]

Dave: great post and so so true about estate sales. I rarely go to most of them no matter how great the pictures are because it's like going to a store only with higher prices with some estate sale companies. also not an overly friendly atmosphere at most of them.

also after being in sales for 50 years i'd say it's the person and the company you are dealing with as much as it is the product for optimum results in a good transaction.

ESTATE SALE WARS could be a reality show, but I doubt I watch it for more than a few episodes unless they had some cool tools and if it was a thread i'm betting it would be shut down almost before it started. unlike our garage sale thread that is friendly and very informative. about the only thing I don't like about the garage sale thread is the use of YOU ****. WELL DONE could be used and it wouldn't turn off the old guys as much because that thread is one of the best threads on GJ with information about a wide variety of old tools.

Also it's true that there are many other brands of vises as good or maybe better than Wilton. Also for those that don't know it Wilton has a KMart type (cheaper made and now in China) of vise they market to compete with the average Joe that might only use a vise a few times a year. their bullet line has and is made in the US. their tradesman line was made in US then for a short time in China and now again in the US are their best vises. their lower line are still decent vises, but just because it says Wilton doesn't make it expensive.

REED and ROCK ISLAND are my personal favorites and just a few of the amazing vises available that are used and still have plenty of life. REED is still in business if you had to have a new one.


cheers all

 

[Packard V8]

I'm no longer willing to go to war for used tools, but I know a guy who, if he sees something he wants, will pull the "sold" tape off himself. Once, a dealer who'd run through and tagged half the big pieces in the shop, got into a ******* match with him. My friend said, "You paid for it already and got the receipt? No? Then it ain't sold."

My real peeve is when a dealer will haul a load up to the checkout desk and then start dickering for lower prices because he tagged so many items. If he/she doesn't get them at give-away prices, they'll just be left at the desk and the seller has to re-stock them and until then, no one else had a chance to look at it/buy it.

There's a big estate sale today and I'm not there because they were giving out numbers at 0700.

jack vines

 

[Todd.Brock]

I went to a tool auction this past fall with some ...schaweet.... Wood working equipment - All Powermatic and high end delta stuff. Everyone was civil, but prices got high, quick. I didn't even know people could put sold stickers on **** they wanted but hadn't paid for yet! I peel off everyone I saw someone do that to!

 

[kleinkaliber]

Estate sales can be brutal. If you go early, you are competing with the dealers. Most are good people, but some see you as trying to undercut them. They feel you should be buying from them and not from their source. The one that gets me is when they fill up their box really fast without looking at the stuff closely first, then sitting in a corner and going through it and putting things back later. Or claiming everything on a table as sold, then cherry picking what they want. But if you go often enough, you figure out what the others are into, (the art guy, the silver guy, the vintage clothing girl, etc.) and they learn your interest, many of them will "network" with you and give you a heads up on things you may be interested in. You'll get the occasional "I just left a sale that was loaded with old tools, they didn't advertise tools, no one was in the garage."

 

[Davefr]

The one that gets me is when they fill up their box really fast without looking at the stuff closely first, then sitting in a corner and going through it and putting things back later.

They hunch in a quiet area with their cell phones glued to Ebay sold listings trying to figure out the profit margin for each item they picked up.

I'm not sure they even bother putting the rejects back where they found them.

However now the estate sales companies price things even higher then Ebay on Day 1.

 

[David99]

I'd like to thank everyone for the info they provided on the vise.

I started my "recovery" the next day (Friday) with this-

$20 for all of it.

 

[kleinkaliber]

I like that S-K ignition set. Nice score!