Wilton General Purpose Bench Vise, 5" Jaw Width, 4" Max Jaw Opening, 2-1/2" Throat (11105)

This vise has been an awesome addition to my woodworking bench. I have recently taken up the hobby of woodworking and I needed some sort of vise. This vise has turned out very well for most of my woodworking needs. It is bench mounted so it will be up in the air and no flush with the bench. For woodworking this isn't exactly optimal for all things but it gets me by for a lot of sawing and chiseling operations. This vise is also great for things like holding firearms for gunsmithing or holding other items for various hobbies. The 4 inch opening seems like more than enough for most things. The vise will also rotate which is useful for some things. Installation was very easy for me. I set the vise up where I wanted it on the work bench and used a pencil to mark the hole areas on the bench. I then drilled out the holes to match the diameter of the vise holes. I then installed the vise using 3 bolts, washers, and nuts I bought from home depot for a few dollars. It has stayed secured now for a few months no problem.I also bought these jaw covers in order to grip things like wood without deforming it as much: Lisle 48100 Vice Jaw PadJust remember, these pads will effectively lower the opening to under 4 inches.Pros:*Sturdy*Well machined for the price*Easy to installCons:*NoneAdditional Considerations:As I mentioned this vise is made to be mounted to the top of your workbench. So its not exactly optimal for all woodworking needs. It does great for a lot of things though. And it is especially good for things like holding firearms parts or other hobby tasks. If you want a nice woodworking vice you will probably want to check out a vise that is installed underneath the workbench and is level with the workbench. This allows more clamping operations on things. It also allows a more secure hold of something like a shooting board.Overall: 5/5 stars (>=.5 rounds up, <.5 rounds down) => 5 starsIf you have any further questions regarding the product in my review please leave a comment below and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

I received my vise. From previous reviews I expected it to be covered with grease. To my surprise it wasn't. The vise seems very sturdy. I had purchased three 3/8" steel all threaded bolts with washers nd wing nuts ahead of time for mounting. I ran my 3/8" drill bit through each hole because the holes were a little too tight to slide the bolts through. There was no problem doing this and the hexhead bolts fit perfectly. The vise was made in china but unlike a couple of reviews I read, the vise is not made of cheap steel. Keep in mind that this is a general purpose vise meant for light to medium work. It is not meant for constant heavy duty pounding. If you are the average homeowner like me, the vise should meet your needs. If you require a very heavy duty vise that requires heavy pounding I would recommend you spend the big bucks for a vise that meets your needs. For the average Joe like me, this vise is perfect. It has enough weight to stand alone for smaller jobs or to be mounted for larger jobs requiring more stability. I followed the advise from a previous reviewer and used wing nuts so I can mount and/or remove my vise easily. My vise did not come with a mounting template. That is no problem. Simply set the vise the way you want to mount it. Mark the holes with a sharp pencil and use a 3/8" drill bit to make your mounting holes. I highly recommend this vise if my review sounds like it fits your needs.

After reading the reviews of this vise, I decided to order it. I'm glad I did. This vise seems to be of great quality. I hope it'll last. I know people complain about the 3 mounting holes instead of 4, but the 3 holes allow you to swing the vise around if you need to. Also, to all the people out there that broke the thing and gave it 1 star, I ask why you were using a Sub-$100 vise in such a manner? If you need something that strong and durable, I'd imagine you'd spend the extra money for a stronger, more durable piece of equipment.

So, first of all, this thing is a great value for the money (I paid around a hundred bucks). I didn't quite realize how big this things was. It's a beast. Downside?....the surface texture of the jaws is very jagged and irregular. They mesh together well when the jaws are closed, but the jaw surface itself is not flat and smooth. Doesn't look like the jaws in the seller's picture. I solved this by buying the Ion magnetic padded jaws. Works very well. Second thing....the jaws on the left hand side don't align precisely (see picture). Would probably bother me if I didn't have them covered with the padded jaw set. Without the pads this thing would grip like nobody's business, but would also leave marks on your work. If you want this rig to win a beauty contest, forget it. But functionally it seems to work great.I tightened it down to my work bench and was worried the casing might crack, but no problem at all. Seems very sturdy and strong. I prefer "made in America", but didn't have $400 to spend on a vise. All in all I'm very happy with my purchase and would recommend it to others.