Wilton Vise: Tradesman 1765

[ron in sc]

Got my new vise Wilton Tradesman with 6.5" jaws. Much larger than my old Sears Craftsman with 4" jaws. Wilton also has lock downs on each side.

 

[wilbilt]

Nice vise. I have an older 1755 (5.5" jaws).
Your new one dwarfs that C'man. Any comments about how much it weighs? I can barely lift mine.

 

[bmwpower]

Niiiice. Looking to get one myself, hopefully sooner than later.

 

[PurdueSD]

Nice, i just bought one of those for my maintenance guys. The busted one of the square wiltons after 3 months. This one seems alot more stout.

 

[ron in sc]

Any comments about how much it weighs?

Vise weighs 68 lbs.

 

[stupidjet]

how much and where purchased?

 

[ron in sc]

how much and where purchased

$260 plus insured shipping with delivery confirmation which added $45. It was shipped from Washington to South Carolina.

Purchased from Ebay seller.

 

[stupidjet]

was it made out of metal found on an asteroid?

 

[bmwpower]

was it made out of metal found on an asteroid?

That's cheap for a new USA made vise. It's a Wilton, too.

 

[wilbilt]

was it made out of metal found on an asteroid?

Nah, it's just cast steel free from voids and inclusions of mud, sticks and yak droppings. It's a substance that can still be found on this planet, but it is getting scarce.

 

[79rallysport]

was it made out of metal found on an asteroid?

Actually I think thats true. I think I heard on the Discovery channel that almost all of the metal found on the earth came from asteroids and meteors.

 

[ron in sc]

I think what I paid was a pretty good price. That model retails, I've been told, for over $600. That said nobody pays retail, but shopping around I found them to be between $450 and $350.

 

[ron in sc]

I've been using my new Wilton for a few weeks now and I would highly recommend this model to anyone in the market. I've used a 4" Sears Craftsman for about 26 years and I thought it was just fine. However, after using the Wilton I can really tell a difference.

The Wilton has two lockdowns that lock it in place using some kind of teeth so when it's locked it doesn't move at all. It can be rotated 360 degrees. And when you crank down on the handle to hold something in the jaws of the vise it stays there. Also the jaws are made of some really strong serrated type steel that grip what you are holding very well. They are reversible but I have not done that yet.

I would not have thought the difference between the Wilton and my Sear vise would have been so noticeable. The Wilton is certainly worth the price.

If you need a new vise get one of the Wilton Tradesman models. I think you'll be very satisfied.

 

[bmwpower]

I wouldn't buy a swivel vise without double lockdowns. There is nothing worse than the vise moving when you're trying to work on a piece.

Also, not sure you knew it or not, but the base is keyed with the vise, so when you tighten the lockdowns, the only way it's going to move is if your mounting bolts are loose!

Not many, if any, vises that I've seen have both these features.

 

[bdierks]

Is all of Wilton's Stuff Made in the USA?

 

[wilbilt]

Is all of Wilton's Stuff Made in the USA?

No. It pays to do your homework before buying anything these days.

 

[bmwpower]

Is all of Wilton's Stuff Made in the USA?

What Wilbilt said.

Start here: http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7509

 

[bdierks]

Where are they made?

 

[m4ff3w]

My Wilton 5" was made in China. But I needed a vise and it was $50.

 

[ron in sc]

See link below for USA made Wilton Vises. Scroll down a little to Wilton Vises. It indicates which Wiltons are made in USA. All Tradesman models are USA made.


http://www.southern-tool.com/store/wilton_vises.html