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Purchasing first vice.......

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EmptyWallet

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Jun 19, 2012
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I've used my father's vise in his garge when I was a boy for years, but never had my own.

Now that I've got my own space and garage, I need to pick up a vise.

First...I don't know a single thing about vices...except the one I used as a kid was red, and made cross hatching marks on any wood I pressed into it.

Second, I know that I should scour craigs list for a vise I might be able to restore.

But what about a new vise? Size? What is the most usable for all sorts of tasks? What kind of "teeth" or surface should it have? Hard rubber? Bare metal?

Any help is appreciated.
 
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Jawn

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What do you plan to use it for?

For a general purpose mechanic's vise, the Ridgid vises look pretty good from what I've seen online... but currently on my bench is a 3 1/2" Columbian that once belonged to my dad. Best deal for the money may be an older US-made vise if you shop around and find a good deal.
 
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EmptyWallet

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I plan to use it for every day simple projects, holding boards, being a second set of hands for me.
 
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EmptyWallet

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Cool deal! Thank you!

Are any of the Wilton vises from Northern Tool made in the USA?
 
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WhoWhatNow

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I think the Wilton tradesman vises are foreign made but could wrong. The machinist vises are heavier duty. It really depends on what you plan on doing with it. For a home shop you may want to go with a nice old american 4" machinist vise and a nice woodworkers vise. That will give you a vise to really crank down on things with and one to use when you need to be more delicate.
 
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nine4gmc

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EmptyWallet said:
Really?!?! I had no idea. So I'm good on both counts!
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I'd say you were right the first time, cause here in the US a vise will turn into a vice quickly:lol_hitti

if you are tinkering and need a extra hand, personally I would go with the 6" wilton at northern tool. the price is right, it is a wilton and you can always use it to hold the parts of your old vise you find at a great deal to restore later.
 
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bigcaddy

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EmptyWallet said:
LOL, I can let that one slide.

The more I check out that Wilton 4500 the more I like it.
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If you are dead set on getting a wilton, you won't regret picking one up even if they seem a bit expensive.

Lots of members on here deal in bench vises and have more then a few laying around. Zoomieport is the curator of his own bench vise museuem and Autopts is the man to see when it comes to Wiltons.
 
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fury9

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EmptyWallet said:
I kinda like this guy:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Wilton-4500...397824039?pt=Clamps_Vises&hash=item5ae5860c27

I think this is it at NT:

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200096424_200096424
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That ain't no Wilton, It don't even have the dampers on the freakin handle, Dude for a brand new vise go with what I posted, for a real vise go with a Wilton bullet or a tradesman from craigslist, Wanna be awesome? buy this thing!http://chicago.craigslist.org/nwc/tls/3106195453.html
 
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EOC_Jason

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There's a guy in the Classifieds section here that has restored a bunch of nice heavy duty vises... Priced around $200, they've already lasted at least one life-time, I'm sure they will last through another. ;)
 
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Outlawmws

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You mentioned clamping wood, so if your primary use is for wood I'd be considering a woodworkers vise, not a machinist's vise. If you have the occasional metal something to hold, but are not a heavy user, you can get a smaller homeowners vise and set it up to be clamped into the wood workers vise as needed.

If your wood clamping needs are more portable, then you might want to reconsider the bench vise route for a B&D Work Mate. the larger ones are VERY handy for that use (I would not bother with the small ones...), and can still be the "base" for a small homeowners vise.
 
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matthew

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I recently purchased an older Record, No.4, that was made in England, out of the local classifieds, for $25. Personally I'd look for something like that. I don't know that brand matters - lots of good older names around - but most older vises that have stood the test of time and are still in decent shape are probably worth having.

As with most tools, personal preference plays into it a lot. I would look for:
1) A mechanics vise is probably the most applicable to general use.
2) Something with around 4" wide jaws. A little bigger or smaller is fine, and while I'd love to have a monster 8" vise, reality is the cost, ease of finding, and general utility of a 4" vise is best for the most jobs.
3) Personal preference, but I prefer fixed bases. I just find swivels vises to be a pain.
4) I prefer the vises with square slides and none of the extra pipe vise stuff. Admittedly I've only used a cheapie with enclosed slide, but found it to be a pain, and for a general purpose garage vise I just think the classic mechanics vise is the best fit, and add a wood vise or specialty vise or additional sizes as needed.
 
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matthew

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Outlawmws said:
might want to reconsider the bench vise route for a B&D Work Mate. the larger ones are VERY handy for that use (I would not bother with the small ones...), and can still be the "base" for a small homeowners vise.
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+1 on that...
 
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spongerich

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I'd be on the lookout for a used " Reed, Parker, or Columbian. You should be able to find a decent one for $50-$75 if you don't mind a little rust and chipped paint. They're large enough for some decent sized jobs, but small enough that they won't fill your whole garage and/or leave you broke.

I picked this Reed up for $20 at an auction a few years ago and it's still one of my favorites.

reed2.jpg


A little elbow grease and some paint later....

reed-resto2.jpg
 
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EmptyWallet

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fury9 said:
That ain't no Wilton, It don't even have the dampers on the freakin handle, Dude for a brand new vise go with what I posted, for a real vise go with a Wilton bullet or a tradesman from craigslist, Wanna be awesome? buy this thing!http://chicago.craigslist.org/nwc/tls/3106195453.html
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So...what a second...that one you posted above...it's got a pipe section on the bottom AND it rotates....the only ones of those I've seen have all been made in China.

Is that Palmgren made in China or?

This one:

http://www.palmgren.com/po.php?pID=46

Seems like it's not:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001VY0FTK/?tag=atomicindus08-20
 
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fury9

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Yeah,it is made in china, but for your first vise and to be brand new this would be my pick. Made in China from U.S. Steel!
 
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HandyManny

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For gerneral home use in the garage you don't need an industrial grade vise unless you're willing to shell out the extra $$$$ they will cost.

Those Wilton or Irwin vises at Home Depot will work great for the "average" home owners needs. My only is caution is to stay away from the 4 1/2 inch T-jaw version, because the rear static jaw tends to break off that model when tightening too tight and it is well documented, not much iron there between the jaw and the body of the vise on that model. The 4 inch and 6 inch mechanics vises will serve your needs just fine. The larger will run you about $80.

If you want to shell out the extra cash then get a higher-end Wilton or a Reed, even Ridgid, but prepair to pay more for those. Specialty tool stores or industrial suppliers could order you one.
 
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