need advice on buying a new vise

[keakar]

broke my old vise and need a new one so im looking for a 4" bench top vise of good quality for under $75

went to home depot and they had a cheap little 4" vise for $30 that started galling the screw threads as I tightened it so I returned it and the next choice they had looked to be made just as junky but it cost $80.

so im asking if any of you guys know where I can get a god quality vise that wont break when I tighten the snot out of it for a frozen bolt or whatever or when I need to beat on something with a hammer.

not looking for professional grade, just something made to last and be abused

thanks for your help

[Bdub]

It seems like tractor supply would probably have a quality vise...they usually have pretty good quality things there. You could also try an industrial store like grainger

[RickLafayette]

The best selection of 4" vices that I have found locally were at Sears. I have 2, one for my shop and one in the shed. I don't recall the brand(s) but I got them at Sears/Lafayette.

[duckman1911]

Unfortunately most all of them are junk nowdays unless you are willing to pay some real $. Most are made of crap metal with soft screws and even softer handles. We have an old vise at the shop and I cant count the times I've put a 2' cheeter pipe on the handle to get it really tight. Its still trucking along. Our new bench has new vices. I have broke 3 in the past year.

[duckman1911]

Originally Posted by Bdub

It seems like tractor supply would probably have a quality vise...they usually have pretty good quality things there. You could also try an industrial store like grainger

X2 on Grainger. Gona have to go industrial for one that will last.

[keakar]

ok thanks guys i'll see what grainger has to offer.

if it costs it costs but I want it to be something to last another 20 years that I can beat on and turn things with cheater pipes because I use a vise mainly for things that are stuck and need to be broken loose and only for holding things about 30% of the time

just out of curiosity has anyone ever used those olimpia vises that walmart sells, they dont "look" as cheaply made as most but you cant always go by looks

[swamp snorkler]

Look for a Wilton or a Yost

[Tjethro85]

X3 on grainger

[swamp snorkler]

Also if you need a cheater pipe you need a bigger vice.

[Bluechip]

I bought a nice vice from the pawn shop..... You may check some local shops.

These crack heads will pawn/sell anything.

[The shop in Broussard]

The quality of a mans work is directly influenced by the quality of his vise, just like quality of the vise is directly influenced by the quality of the worker who built it. A vise purchase is truly a situation of you get what you pay for.
Material type and machined tolerances determine durability and repeatability.
It all depends on what you plan on using the vise for. It sounds like you just need something for your shop at home for projects around the house, you cant go wrong with a craftsman benchtop from sears. Or, you could always get the $30 piece of crap import.


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[duckman1911]

Originally Posted by The shop in Broussard

The quality of a mans work is directly influenced by the quality of his vise, just like quality of the vise is directly influenced by the quality of the worker who built it. A vise purchase is truly a situation of you get what you pay for.
Material type and machined tolerances determine durability and repeatability.
It all depends on what you plan on using the vise for. It sounds like you just need something for your shop at home for projects around the house, you cant go wrong with a craftsman benchtop from sears. Or, you could always get the $30 piece of crap import.


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Broke a Craftsman the second time I used it.

[keakar]

ok, heres what I found out:

grainger sells wilton (made in china) and westward (made in tiwan)

sears has craftsman and most of the cheap china brands and based on reviews, sears craftsman has a worse reputation then the china vises and most reviews say harbor freight has better quality vises then a craftsman is.

yost is made in china and not recommended for anything but light duty stuff or they have isues.

Irwin (also made in china) hasn't any negative reviews that I could find other then one guy broke one using a 2 ft cheater pipe and its being made in china. I thing a 2 ft cheater pipe is a bit much for any 4" bench vise to handle so I dismissed his review as just asking too much from the vise.

I was back and forth with wilton and Irwin but finally decided to pay more for the Irwin because no one was reporting anything other that its a good solid vise for the money

I ended up getting this one and just hope it lasts me:

Amazon.com: Irwin 226304 4-Inch Heavy Duty Workshop Vise: Home Improvement

Amazon.com: Irwin 226304 4-Inch Heavy Duty Workshop Vise: Home Improvement
Amazon.com: Irwin 226304 4-Inch Heavy Duty Workshop Vise: Home Improvement

thanks to everyone for helping me, seams like nobody makes anything of quality anymore and its all made in china, even the stuff that says its USA is made in china and just assembled here.

[Ratdog]

Miami vice oooonnnnly way to go

[rardoin]

Only problem is that they are lubricated with a dry white powder that has to be imported and is illegal to possess.

[The shop in Broussard]

Originally Posted by rardoin

Only problem is that they are lubricated with a dry white powder that has to be imported and is illegal to possess.

You can also use white lithium spray grease or dry moly spray. General purpose grease is also better than nothing.


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[ChaseB1991]

My last job used one from grainger. Don't remember name of it but it was blue. I used and abused that thing. I would put in cables and piping and hammer down the handle to get the jaws nice and tight. Worked great and I literally beat the crap out of it.

[keakar]

Originally Posted by rardoin

Only problem is that they are lubricated with a dry white powder that has to be imported and is illegal to possess.

my vice is on drugs! JK

i'll grease it well and oil what I cant get grease to. should I be concerned abnout getting this powder on my hands? if its illegal I assume its also dangerous

something like a vise is so easy and simple to make heavy duty and solid its mind boggling why they cheap out on them so much.

the way I see it, people like low prices but with a vise its about long lasting service not the cheapest priced junk. but then they might be doing it on purpose so you need to buy a new one every few years if you use it a lot.

[CustomRod]

Don't want cheap, look up vises on McMaster-Carr