Good Bench Vise Recommendations

[IslandTractor]

Thanks GManBart for the Craigsalert recommendation. Gonna give it a try. SearchTempest is better than nothing but there's certainly room for improvement.

Edit: cannot find "Craigsalert or Craigalert" in App Store for iOS. Is that the correct name??

 

[newbury]

http://www.seajei.com/

 

[Turbys_1700]

Just picked up a Wilton 600 (6" jaw, about 150lbs) off CL today for $350. The guy had four people contact him within an hour of the ad going up. I was only 25min away, and the only one that gave him a phone number, so he called me back. Honestly, I'm not really the biggest Wilton fan (have three of them), but this is a pretty impressively stout vise that will last nearly forever if taken care of.

A more useful/reliable alternative to SearchTempest is the CraigsAlert application....not sure if it's only for Apple products, or no but it's much better than SearchTempest.

You got that vise at a great price. You need to start another thread on Buys of the Week. That would be in the running for Buy of the Year.

 

[IslandTractor]

http://www.seajei.com/

Thanks. Giving it a try now

 

[murphy1244]

Here's a wilton in Ohio Giant chas parker no. 976 vise and a Wilton bullet

 

[GManBart]

Uh, ~$1,200 for a new #600 'Bullet' most anywhere so, yeah ... you just about stole it. :dance1:

btw, I don't see copious hammer dings on handle, jaws, or the 'anvil' portion. You could nearly double your $$ o'nite (with or w/o a paint job) but uh, ... I wouldn't part with it either.

Yeah, I was shocked at how clean it was when I saw it in person. The jaws are perfect, and the anvil just has a couple of light marks. It looks like it got bolted to a bench and sat for 30 years!

 

[GManBart]

Here's a wilton in Ohio Giant chas parker no. 976 vise and a Wilton bullet

That Parker breaks my heart. It's a great vise, but the jaws are missing and only a couple of guys in the country will make jaws for a Parker. The big problem is you have to ship them the vise which gets really expensive. I'd expect all told you can't get a set of jaws made for that for less than $3-400 total if you aren't local to one of the few folks that will make them.

 

[murphy1244]

That Parker breaks my heart. It's a great vise, but the jaws are missing and only a couple of guys in the country will make jaws for a Parker. The big problem is you have to ship them the vise which gets really expensive. I'd expect all told you can't get a set of jaws made for that for less than $3-400 total if you aren't local to one of the few folks that will make them.

I was more looking at the Wilton.

 

[GManBart]

I was more looking at the Wilton.

That Wilton has been on there a long time....it's priced too high for the size and condition.

 

[GManBart]

Proof that watching CL can pay off, this was my weekend score! I saw an ad for the estate sale of a lifelong machinist and woodworker, and it was only 20min from my house. I left no less than 8 quality vises there, and only bought these two. The first is a very clean Wilton 350 (3.5" jaw) bullet on an awesome cast iron stand with the brass plaque from an old Detroit machinery company. The second is a large, early Reed 105 (5" jaw and about 70lbs) that is in very solid condition. I'm going to do a proper restoration on both and sell them (Wilton needs just a strip/paint job) and keep the base because it's just too cool to sell!

 

[LD1]

Okay okay.....how much did you steal those for?

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Enco has about the best prices on wilton vises that I have found. Sign up for their mailing list and they throw out 20% off offers pretty regularly. Still not cheap, but probably the best vise you can buy for the smallest amount of money. I did manage to find a brand new Snapon branded wilton for 200 dollars and craigslist. Im pretty sure they sent the snapon guy one to many by mistake and that's why he was selling it so cheap. I don't think I would pony up the money for a 8 inch vise, holy- cow.

I saw were Enco is getting bought by MSC. There go all the good deals down the drain.... MSC is higher than female giraffe anatomy.

 

[Farmer2750]

We had a masterforce 8" for 3 years, junk! We got a John Deere 8" now and it's holding up really well. Costed somewhere around $300 I think

 

[CADplans]

Vertical vises are so, "last century"!!

Horizontal vises are the "IN" thing,,, now!!

Especially those with location adjustable location handles,,,

 

[GManBart]

Okay okay.....how much did you steal those for?

$125 for the pile

I didn't even haggle...just grabbed at my wallet as fast as possible!

 

[the old grind]

Vertical vises are so, "last century"!!

One maker (Kurt) hasn't quite caught on to that idea:

Home

 

[LD1]

$125 for the pile

I didn't even haggle...just grabbed at my wallet as fast as possible!

Nice. You stole them for sure

 

[powerscol]

I keep looking in my area and find nothing. Your sure lucky:thumbsup:

 

[GManBart]

I keep looking in my area and find nothing. Your sure lucky:thumbsup:

I know someone in Colorado who's truly a vise expert....good chance he's got something nice at a reasonable price he would part with. PM me if you want me to send him a note.

 

[California]

I keep looking in my area and find nothing. Your sure lucky:thumbsup:

Look where he is - at the center of an historic manufacturing region. You (Colorado) and I (Northern California) are never going to find that wealth of historic stuff in our areas. Poultry feeders and wood 3-leg orchard ladders are 'historic' here, everything else old was brought here after it was taken out of service in its original location - and is priced like valuable antiques. Maybe ore carts and railroad spikes are the native antiques, where you are?