advice on a vise, not a vice

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Well, hate to admit that at the age of 37, I have never owned a vice till now. Picked one up at Sams, a 5" vise for $40.  Hmm, frickin thing seems like a total pos.  Very flimsy and doesn't seem to clamp real well.I don't want to just set my money on fire, but would like something ok/decent.  Question is though, what makes a vise a decent one versus cheapola?I've seen Whiltons, but they go for like $400.  What makes them so good/expensive and do you have a decent one?Thanks
Reply:Well, before you get overly enfatuated with Wiltons, I oughta tell you they now sell 2 lines, Wilton has whored their name, and makes one line in China.What makes a vise, lets start with jaws.  They should be replacable, and they should be paralell.  Most of the cheapos have jaws that are neither.  Now, this probably isn't a problem, if you have a mill or surface grinder and are willing to true the vise up.It's also very helpful if the casting is good quality iron.  Guess what Chink vises ain't.  Many of them, if you use the anvil will shatter.  Since vises tend to hold items that will be taking a pounding, it's really helpful when the vise doesn't give, or bend.Another helpful feature is a rotational locking assembly on the swivel head.  Most cheap vises tend to spin when either a sledgomatic or wrench extender is used cause the rotational locks SUCK.Another thing that helps tremendously, from time to time, is the retaining collar on the screw.  Cheap vises use a halfassed setscrew, and when that backs out, you can wear half of the vise on your toe.The damn handle ought to be decent steel too, so it doesn't bend when you tighten up on the jaws.  Other than that, a vise is a vise.Appreciation Gains You Recognition-
Reply:you might want to try ebay, just watch out for the shipping carges, also flea markets and tag sales are a good resourse....i have a old wilton vise thats over 8in and has to weighs over 50 lbs  the old stuff is better.
Reply:I don't have any advice, but i have a great pic of a chinese vise. This was the result of my buddy trying to use a vise as a rivet press. Attached ImagesLast edited by joehobart; 02-07-2004 at 09:54 PM.
Reply:Thanks guys.  Appreciate the help.I'lll continue to scour the used market, but let me ask this; if I were going new, and wanted like a good 7-8" vice, how much do you think something decent would run?  I know that could be a can of worms, but just an honest guess would be appreciated (BALL PARK).Thanks as usual.
Reply:Thanks JoeHobart - I must have crossed posts with you.Oh, yes, that is exactly what I'd like to avoid if possible.  Thanks for reinforcing the quality priority.
Reply:I have the wilton vise, bought it through my mac dealer.  It takes a pounding, I have it bolted to a very heavy 600 pound welding table, whatever I can get to fit in the vise, to hammer on, align bend weld heat up, biggest thing I found it will hold is a texas bumper off big truck.  Has a very strong handle, I use a 12 pound small handled sledge hammer on the handle of the vise continually to tighten it up with me 6 4 245 pounds, throwing the sledge hammer.  Still have not broken it and the handle is as straight as the day I bought it.  I've had the cheap imports and they will break at half the torture that i put a vise through, spend the money for a good one and it will last a lifetime.There's a method to the madness, disregard the method and the madness begins!!
Reply:try groitsgarage.com they have some really neat swivel types and i did a search on ebay, they had two pages of vises just watch out for the jap crap,
Reply:I thought I was going to buy a cheap but fairly good vice from Homier tool sale. What I ended up with is a piece of crap. It didn't take but about a week and the paint started coming off of it in large areas. Besides the paint coming off it looks like the vice had large quantaties of some type of filler to it. I thought I was getting a five inch opening vice what I ended up with is that the jaws are five iches long but the vice opening is a real tight 4 inches wide. I already had a 3 1/2 inch vice that opens up about as wide as the 5" vice does.
Reply:Junk I've got a couple of those Columbian vises from Lowes or HD that Rocky D had. They are ok and cheap. I've got one that slids on a piece of square tubing under a service truck behind the mud flap(1 ton box truck). I've been using it like that for about 5 years. Like Franz said the locking assembly on the head sucks, but otherwise it's been ok. We don't beat on it, but we do clamp and pull on some stuff pretty hard sometimes. Some of those new Chinese Wiltons aren't any better than these cheap ones.DavidDavid
Reply:Junk, A decent 7"-8" vise new is going to run more than you will ever want to pay unless you use it everyday and can take the expense off on your tax bill. Figure upwards of $400 and that is probably being far too conservative. Good news is that a used vise...think old Columbian, Wilton, Starrett, etc. will go for much less. Just hope you don't have to pay to have it shipped in. Try looking for an old blacksmith post or pole vise. They are basic in construction, take a licken and keep on coming back for more, and are relatively cheap for what you'll get. Mounted solidly to your bench top and the floor they will handle about any bending job you can throw at them. You might even look for one with a bad spring or missing handle to get the price down a bit more.
Reply:Well, looking at the new market just may require Oxygen, so have your torch hoses ready.http://www.misgroupinc.com/index.cfm...=drill&CID=278The vises called 8" from Chink manufacturers seem to start out around $70, and I'm sure you get exactly what you pay for, assuming you just want it to look cool on the end of the bench.Appreciation Gains You Recognition-
Reply:my grandpa has one of those really expensive ones like that.. he found it in the middle of the road.. must have fell off a work truck.. really nice nonetheless.. he had to get a new base. i think it cost about $100. but its the nicest vice I have ever seen
Reply:I have a big one I snagged at a machinery auction, with an assortment of about 20 c-clamps ranging from 8" to 18" in size.  They were on a shelf in a storage room, and my boss had bought the "balance of the room" for some filing cabinets.  I showed him the tools, but he didn't want them because the labor to move them was worth more than the stuff, in his words.  I snagged them anyway, and loaded them into my truck.  I also have one of those $40 5" vises from HD with the swivel head, flat jaws on one side and pipe jaws on the other.  It comes in really handy sometimes.  Not too bad for $40, but nowhere near the quality of my auction find...
Reply:Originally posted by Aaron I have a big one I snagged at a machinery auction,
Reply:Well for me it's easy.  The VP of the company I work for is an auction addict.   We scrounge lots of them for equipment and tooling.  I go along for the computer/electronics, but I am actually more interested in the other stuff! I have found some really great deals, and I've bartered my way into some steals!  But for every great deal, I pass on 20 lousy ones.  But that one great one keeps you going back.I once helped a friend of mine load a compressor onto a flatbed truck.  It was about a 160gallon(?) hor. with a 25Hp 3-ph motor, a Saylor-Beall.  Dude said he paid about $250 for it.  I got back to the shop and looked up what that thing was worth and nearly had to change my drawers.
Reply:i got a 10" jet vise.it rocks
Reply:Hello! Didlysqatt, bigolguy,redarc, or whatever. Were on to you Remember you posted this over on the other sight;bigolguyGentle GiantRegistered: Oct 2003Location: Posts: 109is this a good deal or what! the 8 inch jet http://www.southern-tool.com/store/...shop_vises.html i am going to order either the 8 or 10 inch...i might order the 10__________________Miller Stick Welder-Lincoln Stick welder-Torch set-30-06 Lever action Winchester,Marlin 22 Semi-Auto LR,Marlin 22 Magnum Bolt Action w/synthetic stock and stainless steel barrel-.45 Colt Revolver-Polaris Sportsman 500 4x4Go back to the bird store
Reply:yeah it is a good vise?igot mine from a tool catalog.do you want one?was that message for me.It had my name in it /what are the other words for.,