New vice from hf.
- Thread starter joshmodelskidoo
- Start date
OP
joshmodelskidoo
Well-known member
4-1/2 in. Swivel Vise with Anvil and Pipe Jaws
Amazing deals on this 4-1/2In Swivel Vise With Pipe Jaws at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.
www.harborfreight.com
pelletman
Well-known member
ICK. Buy an old vise
I'm not sure if this is the same vise since HF says theirs has 4" jaws and this is 4.5", but I wouldn't be surprised if they come from the same source. Plus this one is cheaper. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07G57P2QL/?tag=atomicindus08-20 I bought one last winter and it seems like an ok knockoff of a tradesman. I haven't had a chance to use it enough to form any sort of strong opinion on it other than it seems like something of a step up from your usual import vise, which isn't that hard.
For some reason I cannot pull up the vise on the HF site, but looking at the OP's screen shots, but I find it interesting that in the first picture it looks like the size "6 1/2 JAW" is cast into the body despite the description being for a 4". Maybe bigger vises of this type will be offered later on?
For some reason I cannot pull up the vise on the HF site, but looking at the OP's screen shots, but I find it interesting that in the first picture it looks like the size "6 1/2 JAW" is cast into the body despite the description being for a 4". Maybe bigger vises of this type will be offered later on?
if you are spending $170 on a vise then there are several nicer ones. the yost ADI series of vises comes immediately to mind. the 4" is only about $150, and often the 5" is similarly priced. the capri forged steel 4" vise is also $170 (often cheaper as well) I would pick either of those over this harbor freight one all day long.
amen to that.
I not been lucky enough find much at 50bucks as been to slow lol but 100 to 150 will find you pretty easily some of the engineered vise from cast steel or high tensile pearlitic malleable iron that was such a manufacture chore in quality materials and timely heat/cooling stages that took a day alone will never be matched again and if did it likey cost 2000bucks .
The best effort vintage vises were an attempt at perfection and marketed by some as guaranteed unbreakable, now that the sort of dedication I want spend my hard earned money on, not HF marketing **** ...
HF got some viable tools but 170bucks on any middle of the road modern era vise is not money well spent or a vise that sit on the bench for decades and see generations of work .
The old vises done 100 years already and a lot of them will do another 100 years with ease as men of today can't work um as hard .
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bsaint
Well-known member
Maybe you can get a better old used one but it looks hand over fist better than their current blue ones.
Walkers
Well-known member
I am all for spending $170 on a vice, but there is no way I would spend it on a vise from HF. Subtle but important ant difference in spelling.
Kscardsfan
Well-known member
I’d search garage sales etc and find a good used one.
OP
joshmodelskidoo
Well-known member
Oh I have an old wilton bullet vice but for a walk in box store it’s probably one of the better deals. I see it has disappeared on the website
leadfoot415
Well-known member
how much does it weigh?
justintendo
Well-known member
good for harbor freight...where else can you walk in and buy a 68 lb vise thast built "decent"...sure its 200 bucks but all new vises are garbage in person. you can order some good new ones too of course...but thats great hf has these. they are full retail for sure however..
71goldss
Well-known member
Same here! I have the Craftsman Pro 51888 also, and noticed the only difference in the photos to be the width of the base of the forward jaw. The Craftsman seems to be a little wider. May just be the photos though. Specs seem to be the same also. I own both Craftsman Pro square back and round back vises, and have been extremely happy with both! I don’t beat on them with a sledge hammer, but for everyday tasks in my home garage, they’ve performed great! If the Doyle is indeed the same vise, I would have no problem purchasing one if needing another vise. It’s nice to see that it’s also offered in a 6” model.
Terra Nova
Well-known member
I fondled one briefly last time I was at Harbor Freight. Overall seemed pretty decent for a big box store vise you can walk out the door with. For the same price you could get a 4" Wilton Mechanics vise, made in China, of 30,000 psi cast iron. Seems the HF vise is a pretty solid value.
For anyone interested... I stopped by the local HF yesterday after work because I'm in the market for a bench vise and wanted to look at the Doyle. I wanted to preferably buy something local I could put my hands on.
Well they happened to have one on display, only one on the shelf and yesterday morning HF put out a 10% coupon.
So I did what any self respecting GJ tool buyer would do, and put it in a basket before anyone else could.
Out the door for less than $127 with tax + the 10% off. More than I really wanted to spend, but I think it's worth the money considering my options in that price range that don't involve vise restoration/repair.
I picked up some Grade 8 hardware, because why not, and got it mounted this afternoon. I've not used the vise yet, so this is just my initial impressions... Note the work bench is not a permanent solution. It's something I threw together in 2020 before lumber prices went to the moon, and seemingly everything else has followed suit. But anyway....
Pro's;
- It's only a 4" vise, but it's big, thick, and it's heavy at about 40lbs.
- Jaws are smooth to open and are replaceable. They open more than enough for me.
- The anvil section is large for it's size.
- The handle is nice and solid, and large enough to clamp down hard.
- The jaw mechanism is a tube and it's sealed, so it won't get full of dust and dirt.
- It's tight. I can feel no slop in the jaw mechanism, swivel or mounting points.
Cons (which are more cosmetic than anything);
- The fit and finish is not perfect. You can see there are a few spots of paint that got thick or otherwise messed up at some point along the line.
- The edges of the anvil are not perfectly straight and were a bit jagged/rough, but nothing a few passes of a file could not smooth out.
- The jaws don't sit exactly flush or even with each another when fully closed.
- The swivel "locks" don't sit inline with the vise when tightened down, at least one of them kicks off to the side.
Overall, I'm happy with my purchase. It will suit my needs and required tasks just fine, and without having to abuse it.
I just hope it's as strong as it looks and feels.
Well they happened to have one on display, only one on the shelf and yesterday morning HF put out a 10% coupon.
So I did what any self respecting GJ tool buyer would do, and put it in a basket before anyone else could.
Out the door for less than $127 with tax + the 10% off. More than I really wanted to spend, but I think it's worth the money considering my options in that price range that don't involve vise restoration/repair.
I picked up some Grade 8 hardware, because why not, and got it mounted this afternoon. I've not used the vise yet, so this is just my initial impressions... Note the work bench is not a permanent solution. It's something I threw together in 2020 before lumber prices went to the moon, and seemingly everything else has followed suit. But anyway....
Pro's;
- It's only a 4" vise, but it's big, thick, and it's heavy at about 40lbs.
- Jaws are smooth to open and are replaceable. They open more than enough for me.
- The anvil section is large for it's size.
- The handle is nice and solid, and large enough to clamp down hard.
- The jaw mechanism is a tube and it's sealed, so it won't get full of dust and dirt.
- It's tight. I can feel no slop in the jaw mechanism, swivel or mounting points.
Cons (which are more cosmetic than anything);
- The fit and finish is not perfect. You can see there are a few spots of paint that got thick or otherwise messed up at some point along the line.
- The edges of the anvil are not perfectly straight and were a bit jagged/rough, but nothing a few passes of a file could not smooth out.
- The jaws don't sit exactly flush or even with each another when fully closed.
- The swivel "locks" don't sit inline with the vise when tightened down, at least one of them kicks off to the side.
Overall, I'm happy with my purchase. It will suit my needs and required tasks just fine, and without having to abuse it.
I just hope it's as strong as it looks and feels.
Attachments
I’m a bit curious, do you mind measuring how fine the thread pitch of the screw is? No need to take the vise apart, just count the number of rotations to open the jaws an inch.
I've never seen a decent vise with shiny chrome plated handles. Lemme see.... over the years I've bought a Morgan 45 for $90, an Athol 624-1/2 for $100, a Wilton 6" tradesman for well under a hundred bucks (forget exactly). And many more at similar prices. Prices are getting stupid on used vises but bargains are still there if you look.
I also purchased a 6" Doyle vise yesterday. I purchased an inside track membership to take advantage of the 20% discount. I didn't weigh the vise but it shows on the box that it weighs 68 pounds and it feels like it does. It's a heavy vise and more than adequate for what I need it for. I would advise anyone purchasing the vise to take it apart, clean it, knock some burs off and properly lube it before using it much. I don't know how well it will show in the pictures but the "lube" that is in it is dirty. It is closer to a very coarse lapping compound than it is lube. Kinda of mix of ************, mill scale, casting sand and other abrasives. Although I am happy with it for the $$$.
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I also purchased a 6" Doyle vise yesterday. I purchased an inside track membership to take advantage of the 20% discount. I didn't weigh the vise but it shows on the box that it weighs 68 pounds and it feels like it does. It's a heavy vise and more than adequate for what I need it for. I would advise anyone purchasing the vise to take it apart, clean it, knock some burs off and properly lube it before using it much. I don't know how well it will show in the pictures but the "lube" that is in it is dirty. It is closer to a very coarse lapping compound than it is lube. Kinda of mix of ************, mill scale, casting sand and other abrasives. Although I am happy with it for the $$$.
That *****. I will definitely have to inspect mine in more detail when I get the chance. It didn't feel gritty or rough at all though.
I know, that's the wierd part. Mine felt smooth or at least I thought it did. I originally took mine apart to measure the lead screw and the area where the lead screw is retained in the front moveable jaw. I wanted to put in a thrust bearing for front to make it rotate easier and wear less. there is a thin washer there now that is really subpar. When taking it apart I noticed how much grit, slag, casting sand and steel shot was mixed in the grease. After cleaning it out and greasing it with red grease I am amazed at how much smoother the vise operates. Thrust bearing on order which will make it much better.
jayemm
Well-known member
I once owned the almost identical Craftsman Professional vise (the back end wasn't as squared off --later versions are what the OP has) . IIRC, when researching it because it was an obvious almost identical knockoff of the Wilton Tradesman, I found that it was made in the largest vise manufacturing company in China. And there was a business relationship (maybe part ownership type of thing) between this factory and the WHM (Walter Meier Holding Company AG) tool group who was Wilton's parent company. So it wasn't just some Chinese company doing an unauthorized knockoff. Just for kicks I compared the part numbers for the base (bottom piece with lugs to bolt to bench) of the 4-1/2 tradesman and the Craftsman . They were the same or had one digit different.
neophyte
Well-known member
Having to clean a new vise, or even some new tools isn’t uncommon.
It’s even sometimes necessary with decent Kitchenware.
I’ve routinely had to do it with stainless pots and pans, and there’s this video that says it may even be necessary for the Kitchenaid mixer bowls.
I'm likely cleaning mine tomorrow. I'll report back what I find.
I didn't take any pictures, but I took apart the Doyle the other day and cleaned off of that nasty yellowish orange grease.
It too was dirty and found a few metal shavings. Also repacked it with red grease. Can't say I really feel any difference, but it needed to be done.
It too was dirty and found a few metal shavings. Also repacked it with red grease. Can't say I really feel any difference, but it needed to be done.
Could you put up a few pictures of your installation of the thrust bearing, I would like to do it to mine as well
Shiftless
Well-known member
Excuse my ignorance, but how can you replace a thin washer with a roller or ball bearing thrust bearing without milling out some additional space. 
Boogerman
Well-known member
Realistically most vices above the very bottom of the barrel will have a reasonably good service life as long as sized appropriately and used responsibly. This would be a great practical candidate for something like a welding shop, where spatter and grinding would ruin a vintage vise.
Ton ton
Well-known member
Good catch, I noticed it too.
Check out post #36 from Boogerman. Similar process.Could you put up a few pictures of your installation of the thrust bearing, I would like to do it to mine as well
Although I will be making some room for the bearing I won't have to remove much as there is almost enough slop in the lead screw to fit the bearing without machine work. If the bearing makes it way I will post pics. This will be a beater vise, well like every other vise I own.Excuse my ignorance, but how can you replace a thin washer with a roller or ball bearing thrust bearing without milling out some additional space.