Good Bench Vise Recommendations

the old grind · Apr 1, 2016

I lucked into a 6" Columbian at a Garage sale two yrs ago for $35 and it's in excellent condition. It will open to 8" with the screw fully engaged. It seems to weigh much more than my 55lb anvil and is a bear to lift & slide the HFT 2" sq vise mount into the truck's receiver.

Have a couple of older 4" Craftsmans (Columbian) and there seems to be little like 'em on shelves today for anything close to their '70s price.

I got a good 'cross-section' look at a 6" HFT. When (mis)used for bending heavy stock many seem to rip them from benches as though they were anchored to the Rock of Gibraltar, and when this guy reefed on his the fixed jaw broke off. I could see that the main body was hollow at the top.

(uh, no thanks)

TheSpoon · Apr 1, 2016

IslandTractor said:
The Chinese stuff that is junk is junk because American marketing companies specifically purchased junk to sell here. The Chinese stuff that isn't junk is orbiting earth and on the moon and making Apple rich. The Chinese can make good stuff, we just don't always specify quality when buying from China to resell in the US. Americans generally prefer a low price to quality. If that wasn't so, HF would import from Germany and Switzerland. And, I doubt the Germans and Swiss import the crap we do from China but I know they import Chinese manufacturered iPhones etc.

I won't argue that it's making Apple rich... but I might argue the junk part. :laughing:

Sincerely,
Your friendly android user.

ultrarunner · Apr 1, 2016

IslandTractor said:
The Chinese stuff that is junk is junk because American marketing companies specifically purchased junk to sell here. The Chinese stuff that isn't junk is orbiting earth and on the moon and making Apple rich. The Chinese can make good stuff, we just don't always specify quality when buying from China to resell in the US. Americans generally prefer a low price to quality. If that wasn't so, HF would import from Germany and Switzerland. And, I doubt the Germans and Swiss import the crap we do from China but I know they import Chinese manufacturered iPhones etc.

No worries the Chinese low price items have fully infiltrated Western Europe.

It just happened in a much shorter time period.

When I go to the local Home Depot (Same Orange Color Scheme) in Austria... the shelves are now lined with imports... even lawn mowers from America!

Plenty of cheap screwdrivers and power tools... I bought a scroll saw and a hammer drill... boy did a take a ribbing... my thinking is just how good a quality do I need for a few odd jobs around the cabin... the scroll saw was 20 cents on the Euro!

Sawyer Rob · Apr 1, 2016

I've been thinking about this thread.....and today I took the time to go out to my "parts department" (read old suburban) and find, what I remembered as a BIG vise!

Well, I found it out there under a pile of tire chains and other "goodies", pulling it out from where I put it over 20 years ago, and it's not as BIG as I remembered!! lol

Anyway, I never knew what brand it was until I brought it up to the house and cleaned the cob webs ect. off it, but it's a Starrett!

Here's how it came to be mine:

Back in the mid 70's, I was several miles back in the Alaskan bush, pretty much foraging for food. I was criss crossing an old trail, looking for grouse mostly, and while walking along a wooded section I felt my toe tick something as I stepped. I took a couple more steps, and it then kicked in, that THAT tick didn't feel like a branch or even wood. SO, I stopped and looked back, seeing nothing I walked back to check it out. I couldn't see anything on the surface, so I ran over the spot with my foot and there WAS something there! Once I got down to one knee and started digging around, I uncovered an old vise!!

Keep in mind, I was several MILES back in! lol After looking the vise over I KNEW it was going back to "camp" with me, so I took my pack off and tied it on! (keep in mind, MY vise addiction!! lol) With some help from my wife, I got to my feet and I packed that vise all the way back out! lol

I knew they had done some oil exploration back there in the 50's, so that explained how it got there, AND as it had a crack in the frame, that explains why it was left behind!

I didn't care if it was cracked or not, it was going home with me and I was keeping it! I drug it around with me for a year or two, until I finally had a home, but I always just stored it. Some years later, a good friend came over and said he wondered if I had a vise he could borrow, as he was rebuilding an airplane and needed a vise to use. I told him I had a broken one and showed it to him. He said he'd fix it if he could use it, and off it went with him!

A few YEARS later, I asked for it back and a few months after that, he brought it back, with the crack all brazed!

I'm happy to report, it works just like new! I'm now going to mount it on something outside my shop, so I have it there to use, when I need it!

I could clean the vise/weld up and give it a coat of paint, but I guess i'll just "leave it" to bring that memory back of how I got it, every time I see the old patina while using it! lol

SR

IslandTractor · Apr 1, 2016

Starrett was in Athol,MA, a once proud manufacturing center northwest of Boston. Now it is a shadow of its former self and mostly a butt of jokes related to the sound of its name.

murphy1244 · Apr 1, 2016

IslandTractor said:
Starrett was in Athol,MA, a once proud manufacturing center northwest of Boston. Now it is a shadow of its former self and mostly a butt of jokes related to the sound of its name.

I had a dial indicator from starrett called the last word because at on time they were truly the best.

lennyzx11 · Apr 1, 2016

Sawyer Rob said:
OK,

AND, this is the only POS vise that I own! I bought it hold steel as I weld it, as it turns/swivels in about every direction... I NEVER hit it with anything, as I'm sure it WILL break! QUOTE]

Ouch Sawyer Rob! And I just spent two hours freeing up my garage sale treasure I snagged this morning for 20 bucks. That hurts as I appear to have the same one.

Sawyer Rob · Apr 1, 2016

lennyzx11 said:
Ouch Sawyer Rob! And I just spent two hours freeing up my garage sale treasure I snagged this morning for 20 bucks. That hurts as I appear to have the same one.

Sorry man, but not long ago I saw a post of a guy that has the same one as me, he was beating on it and it broke. Worse than that, he couldn't fix (weld/braze) it because the quality of the cast was so bad!

He finally gave up on it and sent it to scrap...

SR

powerscol · Apr 2, 2016

arrow said:
What is not being told here is why you think (or guessing) you need an 8" model. If it's to acquire jaw opening to that extent, there are smaller vices with that kind of throat. I have a 6" and it was plenty strong enough to grab and hold of a 110 lb piece I needed to work. Perhaps you can save yourself a lot of money and get a higher quality smaller vice?

As mentioned before I had confused jaw width with jaw opening. At time I need to work on 6"irrigation pipe connections, or 2-4x4's so I need 7 to 8" opening. I am finding that some 6" jaw models will open that far. Still looking - big farm auction next weekend - they have 3 vices listed in print with no size listed - one is a wilton .