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[Xwrecker]

I guess this is as good a place as any to ask this question..... I am going top build a workbench in my garage and need to get a vise for it. Any advice on which vise to buy? I ain't a rich man so I'm kinda lookin for something that won't break the bank. 5" or 6" preferable, and an anvil would be nice too. I heard that the craftsman vise has replaceable jaws, but you have to deal with a 3rd party if you need them and its a PITA to deal with them.

[bluestreak]

Buy a Wilton.  They are the best and you will never be sorry you bought it when compared to China junk from Harbor Freight.  If the vise is inexpensive, it's probably junk.  I have a 4" cast steel Craftsman that is fine for small stuff, but if you want an anvil for fabrication, better get a 5" or larger cast steel unit.  As a minimum buy a Cast Steel unit with a 5"  wide opening jaw.  Ductile Iron is the best but over kill for a home unit.  Cast Iron is the cheapest and can brake if stressed too far and youd be suprise how little it takes to braek a cheap cast iron vise. China founderies suffer from casting porosity which makes the vise weak and vulnerable to cracks.  Some of thiers castings are so flawed they use Bondo to cover up the porosity to make them look good.  Look for a vise with very little play between the rail of the adjustable jaw and the base when it's loose.  A loose fitting jaw is a pain in the arse when your trying to tighten the vise and holding a part with the other hand.  You'll pay for precision. A vise that is very strong will have a large mounting base.  That gives you an idea of how much pressure it can handle.  If the base is small with big jaws, that's not good.  I have a vise that pivots on the clamping screw shaft axis which allows the jaws to rotate 180 degrees.  That is a very nice feature but will be costly in a vise.  I found it best to mount the vise on a projected corner of the bench.  It makes it easy to get long objects secured without hitting the bench.  BTW.....make the bech a sturdy as you can afford and pefferably mount to a wall for rigidity.

Just did a search and it looks like even Wilton has a cheap line of vises so beware of the materials of construction.  If this is a cast steel vise (I doubt it).........that's a bargin for the features it has.  I'm assuming this is a cast iron China import renamed a Wilton.  It looks like a typical type of China vise that I've seen before.  It's OK for light duty but you would not want pound on a cast iron vise beacuse it will crack easily.  A vise for fabrication has to be cast steel as a minimum.
http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&q=wilton+vise&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&noj=1&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=12085956389726620688&sa=X&ei=MLDbTZCXOoWT0QHzydHoDw&ved=0CFcQ8gIwAg&biw=1259&bih=574#


http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&q=wilton+vise&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&noj=1&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=7736452015878591533&sa=X&ei=MLDbTZCXOoWT0QHzydHoDw&ved=0CGMQ8gIwBQ&biw=1259&bih=574#

As you can see, Ductil iron is expensive and overkill for what you need.
http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&q=wilton+vise&cid=12619100314225205956&ei=5bPbTfizJqqExgWb1oAP&sa=title&ved=0CBoQ8wI#