Workshop pros

[Jay]

I'm putting together a workshop in my garage and I need to find a bench vise. The vise will be used for light handyman type work, nothing major.

I have had some cheap vises in the past from Harbor Freight etc. and they usually fail after a short time, but you get what you pay for.

There are some nicer ones out there but almost all of them have a few reviews that describe the vise breaking or otherwise failing  during normal use.

For example here's a nice one at Lowes but my god read the reviews: https://www.lowes.com/pd/IRWIN-5-in-Cast-Iron-Blue-Multi-Purpose-Vise/1000238619

My new workbench is pretty nice so I would like to mount a vise once. Is it too much to ask that your vise doesn't snap off when you tighten it?

I seem to remember my dad had a vise on his bench that was about 75 years old and he used to beat the crap out of it. It was caked with motor oil and dirt as was many of the items in my dads's garage. I'm guessing he found it in a junkyard because he had no money to buy a new bench vise.

Maybe some of you have some experience in this area and can offer a recommendation?

Thanks.

 

[Roy Hobbs]

You definitely get what you pay for.I was an auto mechanic for 40+ years and broke plenty of vises.I would recommend a steel vise over the cast iron ones as the cast iron will break,I never broke a steel vise.The steel vice will probably be around a $150 but it should last a lifetime.The Wilton 11106 looks like a solid choice and it comes with a lifetime guarantee.This vise is probably more than you need but that is part of the fun of tools.

[Blarg]

A new vise or used? Some of the complaints people have with vintage car parts is the steel is substandard coming out of Asia where a lot of manufacturing is.

If you want hardened steel a good condition 30+ year old vise will take care of your needs. There really are no technology changes on your basic bench vise. Most get little use and require almost no maintenance. 

eBay has about a thousand used vises to sort through. 

[Slegnaac]

Keep an eye out for Estate Sales.

[Tank]

buy an old craftsman model from sears. we had one of those and that thing was as solid as could be.