What Vice recommendations do you have?

Seriously, I currently have a Record 3" bench vice, but it's no good for UJ's and also pushing bushes back into radius arms etc.

What do you recommend, manufacturer wise and also size.

Thanks

Steve

Hmmmm

Prob not a whole load of good to you, but down here there is a tool shop (read never get out of a visit with your wallet intact shop ) down here called Leeside Tool Shop in Yapton high street, who sells loads of second hand tools, inc Vices. This way you can buy an old SH Heavy Duty seriously decent quality bit of kit, rather than the flapjack-strength current junk ...and for not that much £s either

I have a MONSTER Record Vice 8 inch jaws on a lockable swivelly base, the whole lot was £65 and took 2 of us to carry to the car.

If you ever come down this way its worth going there

Your wallet won't ever be the same again, sort of a sweet shop for us sort

Nige

I agree - second hand big ones are best value for money.

I got my first decent one from a workshop that had gone into liquidation, didn't cost much and is very good quality, then not long after I got a bigger one free from a lorry yard that had to close and move to a smaller location and they needed to get rid of some of their equipment. That one is big but not too big, one person can just carry it but you wouldn't want to carry it far, it's a lot older than the other one but really well built and would probably last forever.

As has been said - buy an older one.

Record is a good name, but only the english made stuff. The newer stuff, which bears the Record name is nowhere near the same quality.

Paramo is also a very good bit of kit, but expensive new.

I have a record No.4 which is a 4" jaw. It's a bit small sometimes, and I miss the 5" one it replaced, it was just exceedingly worn! My current one is on a swivel base, but I think I prefer it bolted straight to the bench.

My ideal vice (yeah, sad I know) would be a record No 23 - it's about the right sort of size, and has a quick release on to enable you to open/close the jaws without winding all the way in/out.



hth
Mark

The best vices are the older Recod vices - they are huge and you can get one for not a lot of money. I have a Record 24 (quick release) vice, which I got for almost nothing from a garage clearout. It was pretty rusted and siezed, but they come apart easily enough and a bit of grease and paint makes it as good as new.

Click to view attachment

Ones that rotate on the base are a pain - you can never lock them tight enough to stop them turning when you apply any force. Car boot sales would be a good place to pick one up, or perhaps Trade-It, Friday ads, or similar.


Les.

Mine's a 'Parkinsons Model F' Size 8.
Previous owner the National Coal Board!
5"jaws, quick release, & cost £10 at a bootie.

Yep, old record item, biggest you can find.
We've got one which came from an aution of old MOD gear... 6" jaws, and quick release... I think we paid about £25 for it.

Not a lot that has not already been said but... I picked up a huge old Record fitters vice with quick release (would have been about £250-£300ish new) for the princely sum of £30 in the ads in my local paper. It is sodding heavy- I can lift it but then I am not exactly small! It is far better quality than all of the new stuff I looked at for sensible money. I also hate the revolving type of vice- much prefer a good solid fixing for when I and really adjusting things!

Keep an eye out in your local freeads/papers and get a bargain... Ones at autojumbles etc always seem to be too high priced as well...

Steve, THIS is mine, bit expensive new!

As others have said, you need to start looking at s/hand dealers, boot sales and local papers, I think I payed £20 at Sodbury.

There is always the £1000 vice! (well nearly).

Thanks for the responses guys.

Yes Paul, what prompted me posting this up was seeing the prices of Record engineer vices after a google search. I got my 3" engineers vice cheap new as part of a stock sell off and still wasn't that cheap.

Looks like I'll start to look for a good 2nd hand one then.

Steve

steve, mine was in a sorry looking state but it was only surface rust but did take some cleaning up.

Steer clear of anything that has had serious abuse, it may not have long to live!

Just had a look at mine, the one I bought cheap is a "record 3 - 4inch Mechanics Vice" they retail at about £80. I think I paid either £5 or £10 for it.

The second one I got is a "Fortis Steel" one with about 6 inch jaws, that one was free and it doesn't look like the make them any more. I use that one most of the time and it's easier having quick release on it, but it is much older.


There is a similar but smaller Fortis Steel one on ebay for £0.99 if you are close to Nottingham:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/FORTIS-4-STEEL-BENCH...1QQcmdZViewItem

Don't know how well anyone else rates them but they're heavy duty and seem good to me

keep your eyes out on ebay, my huge record vice was a fiver as long as i took the huge bench it was bolted to
Mike

i have a big 8inch fortis steel, its mega old, but a damn sight better than the newer one i bought to replace it that i broke within a week.(but it was from auctionand only cost a fiver)
ive got a small draper one aswell thats good for the small stuff its only a 4inch jaw


ive also got a Record no23 but the quick release has broken, so thats been put on the bench i dont use often.

ive got 2 other vices, but im not sure what they are... and before anyone asks i have a lot of work benchs down on the farm!

oh... and all of mine accept one were free from the coal board!

ive just had a look in the workshop, and ive got 2 record 23's, 1 new record something,(i thought it was a draper) and ive got a 4inch fortis steel aswell

Another good place to look are your local house-clearance auction rooms.
Most have Saturday or evening viewing before the sale and you can leave commission bids (they bid for you, up to your maximum) if you can't get to the actual auction.
I've seen huge vices go for less than their scrap value.
The more up to date auction rooms even have lists of their sales items on the net.
Try a google for auction houses and your town/county.

Bob