I need a vise – what’s the best I can get for under $50? $100? $150? This question comes up a lot, and the answer can vary. What do you plan to use it for? How big of a vise are you looking for? Do you want new or used?
The popular opinion is that, for home use, a used American-made vise is best for a limited budget. As long as it is in good condition and you bring it back to smooth working order with a quick cleaning and lubing, a used vise will serve you better than any new vise you could buy for the money.
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But used vises can be scarce. If you cannot find one locally via Craigslist, garage sales, or estate sales, you’re pretty much out of luck. Ebay is another option, but the shipping fees on a 40lb+ vise will hurt your wallet. Plus there are risks in buying a used vise sight unseen.
Then there are those of us who don’t have the time to trawl around looking for used tools that may need servicing or replacement parts before they can be put to use.
Our recommendation for a new vise in the $100-$120 price range is the Craftsman Professional 4-1/2″ vise. This 60,000 PSI vise is built for general purpose use and features 4-1/2″ jaws with 3-1/4″ depth and 4-inch travel. It also has a 360° swivel and pipe clamping jaws.
Except for being manufactured overseas, the Craftsman Professional vise appears identical to Wilton’s USA-made bullet-style 1745 tradesman vise. So you get a tried and true design but at less than a third of the price.
Its regular price is $130, but you can usually find it on sale for anywhere between $110 and $120. Free in-store pickup is usually available, but it’s also occasionally eligible for free shipping promotions.
Buy Now(via Sears)
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All that said, if you do have the time and patience to shop around, you might be able to find a used more robust USA-made vise, perhaps even at a lower price.
If you have different thoughts about what to recommend at the under-$150 price range, let’s hear it!
fred
A quality vise is something to pass on to the next generation. The vises we have in the shop (old Wilton’s and Starrett Athols ) predate my entering the world – and were probably manufactured before World War II. In my home shop the Parker, and Yost machinist vises were passed down from my mother’s uncle. Their jaws are dead-on parallel and they work as smoothly as they did 70 years ago. As far as I know – Yost still makes quality vises here in the US but probably not at the price point that this Sears vises is sold at.
Lucas
Yost still makes quite a few in the USA. I have a 6″ USA made machinists Yost at home, and it’s a friggin’ monster. But yes, unless you can find ridiculous sales (found mine for $300 new) they are out of the price range for the typical DIY-homeowner use.
As far as the Craftsman Pro vises go, I quite agree. I have on on my workbench at home and one mounted to my toolbox at work. Have not had a single problem with either. They’re easily stronger than almost any import, which usually are made from 30,000psi grey iron, which isn’t as durable.
The paint is usually pretty good, although some I’ve seen have either been damaged during shipping or the chinese painter was in a bad mood. The ID badge looks good as well.
The jaws are great and both of mine are very well machined and aligned. There is almost no slop and the dynamic jaw will begin movement within a quarter turn of the handle.
For the price, I don’t think that these can be beat.
Stuey, just curious: Can you confirm for me either here or via e-mail that the Pro vise and the Wilton 1745 have the same bolt pattern on the swivel base? One day I may decide to replace the toolbox one with a USA made vise and it would be easier if they were the same mount pattern.
Stuart
I had my eye on Yost vises, but the USA-made ones were way above my budget.
Regarding the Craftsman Pro vs. Wilton vise bolt pattern, that is not something I can confirm. The two vises are identical except for cosmetic differences, and I have seen quite a few references asserting that Wilton makes the vise for Craftsman, but cannot confirm that they are identical down to the bolt pattern.
Going by visual observations, I am inclined to say yes, but I don’t want to be responsible if there are in fact slight differences. I will see if I can reach out to someone at Wilton or Craftsman who can answer this, but they might not be willing to discuss such details.
Jim
This Craftsman Professional vise no longer seems to be available (at least, it’s no longer showing on the Sears website). Do you have a more current recommendation? Thanks in advance!
Stuart
I haven’t heard anything about a replacement yet, and am hoping that maybe Craftsman and Sears temporarily sold out this vise. It really is a great vise for the money.
slipjointed
This is one of the best import vises on the market, and I agree that it’s the best in its price range.
J.McGlinnen
I want to make a comment re: WILTONS WS4 vise…
Bought in good faith due to its “Lifetime Warranty”, I have had this item for about 5 yrs of light home use.
Last week it broke ; casting snapped just in front of the outbound moving jaw, from its slide. Mild tension on jaw; nothing unusual. I suspect bad casting; they deny that possibility.
WILTON is being really rotten about honoring that warranty-claiming “customer abuse”. (There has been none). More will follow on this, but basically, they like to use the “sales receipt required” red herring to weasel out of their responsibilities…be careful about putting your faith in WILTON. They’re not who they used to be.
Mark
Here’s a vote for Wilton Mechanics, I own one and think it’s really nice. Great action and solid all around. The paint seems much better than the red Cman refered to here… I saw one of those in a Sears and it looked really bad… powdery and ugly. The Wilton finish is rock solid and it looks great, which is pretty important since it’s one of the most visible tools you own!
Something like this for only $110…
Wilton 21300 744 4-Inch Jaw Width by 4-1/2-Inch Opening Mechanics Vise
http://www.amazon.com/Wilton-21300-4-Inch-Opening-Mechanics/dp/B00004XPVD
Sparky22
I wouldn’t buy ANY vise that doesn’t say USA on it. Even the craftsman one shown here….is no comparision to a vintage USA made vise and was probably made in CHina by slave labor or children. Craigslist, ebay, flea markets…are all filled with good condition usa vices. I have about 5 30 – 40 pound usa vises lined up in my basement, only becasue I couldn’t walk past a good vise for 20 or 30 bucks. Even got a 45 pound Wilton bullet for 35. I wouldn’t give sears a dime.
Stuart
It can be hard to find a good used USA-made vise in a lot of areas, because some people buy them all up just to collect.