Looking for a vise

[Panzer Radeo]

Hey all,

I'm looking for a vise to work on, you guessed it, guns. My budget will be about $200 (not including shipping if necessary). It will mainly be used to hold AR receiver blocks and general purpose use so it will need to be wide enough for that. Also, It needs to be able to swivel on a corner of a bench. I was looking at something like this:

http://www.lowes.com/pd_378596-26115-906-AS_0__?productId=3558862

If anyone has any other recommendations, I'm all ears. Thanks in advance!

 

[Doctor_M]

Sorry... I saw looking for a vice and immediately thought, "Take up smoking... Phillip Morris needs new customers"... Sorry... my brain is evil. :-)

Good luck with the griping device.

 

[HT4]

This Harbor Freight vice is the one I have been using.

It gives me pretty much any angle I need, and it has taken an incredible beating over the years, but stands up to abuse. http://www.harborfreight.com/5-inch-multi-purpose-vise-67415.html

If you are buying a vice for gunsmithing, I would highly consider investing in a variety of AL, brass, brass, leather, rubber, etc. soft jaws. The steel/iron jaws on pretty much every vice made are worthless for holding anything gun related (unless you want the gun to look like it came out of Khyber pass... dragged behind a Toyota pickup).

The jaws I use the most are these:

 

[Inigoes]

$80 at Lowes

http://www.lowes.com/pd_552525-281-...=p_product_price|0&Ntt=vise&page=1&facetInfo=

 

[chale127]

This Harbor Freight vice is the one I have been using.

It gives me pretty much any angle I need, and it has taken an incredible beating over the years, but stands up to abuse. http://www.harborfreight.com/5-inch-multi-purpose-vise-67415.html

If you are buying a vice for gunsmithing, I would highly consider investing in a variety of AL, brass, brass, leather, rubber, etc. soft jaws. The steel/iron jaws on pretty much every vice made are worthless for holding anything gun related (unless you want the gun to look like it came out of Khyber pass... dragged behind a Toyota pickup).

The jaws I use the most are these:

I have this one also, works well

 

[clandestine]

The HC vise can't be beat for the cost. I'm pretty sure it warrantied for life too. Even expensive vises break so take it for what its worth.

 

[Panzer Radeo]

The harbor freight looks like a winner. Now do you attach the new vise jaws? I intended to get some workmans leather and use that but if there are actual replacement jaws, id definitely opt for that.

 

[AssMan]

+1 on the HF vice. I have the same one and, well, unlike some other HF products, it seems well constructed.

 

[j8064]

The HF vise isn't top of the line, but it's a good deal.

Get yourself a 20% off coupon and pick one up at a HF store.
http://www.harborfreight.com/20off-...medium=aff&utm_campaign=wts-coupons&hftref=cj

 

[Panzer Radeo]

After reading several reviews, i don't know if i can trust the harbor freight one. I like that its affordable but most of the reviews say that the more recently built models are garbage and break easily. Also that it really isnt meant to pound on. If Im using it to knock a front sight out on a slide or a 10/22 barrel (and we all know how much of a bitch that can be), i'm not sure it would hold up.

 

[HT4]

The harbor freight looks like a winner. Now do you attach the new vise jaws? I intended to get some workmans leather and use that but if there are actual replacement jaws, id definitely opt for that.

I would recommend soft jaws that you set in the normal jaws... Either by magnets or gravity. Depending on the task, you will use several different kinds... So you should make it easy to change them. Brownells sells a good variety, including the ones I posted above.

That said, if you really want screw in replacement jaws, the HF vice accepts a standard size... Though I don't know what it is offhand.

 

[HT4]

After reading several reviews, i don't know if i can trust the harbor freight one. I like that its affordable but most of the reviews say that the more recently built models are garbage and break easily. Also that it really isnt meant to pound on. If Im using it to knock a front sight out on a slide or a 10/22 barrel (and we all know how much of a bitch that can be), i'm not sure it would hold up.

Can't speak for anything but the vice bolted to my bench, but that one has been beaten on with a 5 lbs hammer, held items while I hung on a 3' breaker bar, been torched, acid eaten, and generally had the crap beat out of it. 4 years and going strong. The design is a direct copy of a Wilton vice that sells for 3x the money...

http://www.mile-x.com/Wilton-69999-...HJJlDP4GToifSthZUEYf7mNa3AKUh7pyyyJQH-QfD_BwE

It would shock me if you broke it while drifting a sight... But then again, I've seen some pretty bad HF tools, so maybe not. Maybe I've just been lucky.

 

[Panzer Radeo]

Yeah it would seem any of them bought more than 2 years ago were made a lot better than they are now. Seems like they dropped the ball on durability recently. I may still give it a shot since it has a 90 day warranty and with the 20% coupon.

 

[iH8DemLibz]

They're called Horror Freight for a reason.

It's disposable tooling.

Bought a small chop saw to make 300BLK brass. The gears were toast after about 400 cuts. They don't use quality steel in any of their products and the steel they do use they don't harden properly.

It's why things are so "inexpensive" there.

Spend the money once and buy a well made vise that will last you a lifetime.

 

[Panzer Radeo]

I usually use the buy once cry once motto, but I can't see spending over a grand for a vice that I'm only gonna use here and there when working on a few guns. I'm not expecting it to hold a car. A grand or more for something that i'll only use to tighten a barrel nut for drift out a sight is kind of insane. I've had some decent luck with some of HF's stuff, like their air guns and calipers. Never really bought anything major from them. I'll probably take a look at the one from lowes, too. I appreciate all the help. If anyone else has any suggestions, feel free to give'm.

 

[lsw]

I've purchased many HF tools over the years. Some of them are real bargains and some are crap, however they do allow honest reviews on their web site. One thing about vises and some other cast iron, cast steel or forged tools that they sell is that over the last several years they have many of these items made in China that were formerly made in Taiwan. Some of the Chinese goods are just as good as the Taiwan-made identical items, but some are not. Even with different sources from within China, there can be marked quality differences. I'm not really picking on HF here, I continue to buy things from them as they are often a good deal. You just have to decide how good a tool you need sometimes.

If you're not in a hurry, check out yard and estate sales. Over the years I've picked up some good quality vises and other things from yard sales that would cost a fortune if bought new.

 

[Antarctica]

These days, most vises you get at any place you can drive locally to are complete garbage. I've got a craftsman that I wouldn't use for anything more than holding something I needed to spray paint. It never gets used because I always go to a Wilton 6 inch - solid as a rock with no play.

If you're not in a rush, I'd watch craigslist, or pony up and buy a good vise. If you're intent on going cheap, I'd at least want to see hold it first hand and see how much play is in it. It makes a big difference when you're trying to saw something, or beating on something or holding something to be opened with an air ratchet and the vice is bouncing all over absorbing the energy.

You said it has to swivel - if you say so OK. If not, for twice the price (400) you could have a Kurt 688 (or even a glacern or orange or other knockoff), which will work nicely on the bridgeport you'll need to mount your new vice to!

We all have our priorities. For me, good tools have have always been justified and nearly always pay for themselves in the long run. I realize that doesn't make much sense when most of the world considers a dremel the ultimate tool.

Brent

 

[Antarctica]

Here ya go...

a vise you can be proud of (Get a pic first), half the cost of new.

Wilton Tradesman $250

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/mld/hvo/4531994385.html

Brent

 

[iH8DemLibz]

Look for an old Charles Parker and Company vise.

Built much better than new vises for the same amount of money.

 

[JosephIV]

After reading several reviews, i don't know if i can trust the harbor freight one. I like that its affordable but most of the reviews say that the more recently built models are garbage and break easily. Also that it really isnt meant to pound on. If Im using it to knock a front sight out on a slide or a 10/22 barrel (and we all know how much of a bitch that can be), i'm not sure it would hold up.

Brandofire can weigh in on the Harbor Freight rotating vise. He'll be here in 3, 2, 1......