20 Best Vise For Woodworking (2022 Updated)

For a woodworkers vise this thing for the price is fantastic. It may not be the best of quality you can get nor the most heavy duty but it’s still a good buy. I luckily came across this vise in a Youtube video and saw that Home Essentials Direct carried it and when I saw the price I definitely had to get it.

The installation was straight forward. I won’t go into how to install it because you can find numerous videos online that go into detail on how to install it. If you plan on adding wood pieces just don’t forget to screw your wood piece onto the rear vise that attaches to your work bench first before attaching it to the work bench.

Your vise opening, how wide a project that can be secured, will depend on how thick the wood pieces you use. In my case it’s 4 1/2 inches. I’m a novice wood worker so this vise is enough for me. If I ever expand into a professional wood worker then I may get me a professional vise but I’m happy about my purchase right now.

This vise is incredibly inexpensive, and is made of cast iron. It’s extremely simple in design, fairly light weight, and I was able to install it myself with a few tools. Other reviewers have said that the two plates don’t always meet completely flat against each other, face to face.

I have found this to be true in my case, with a slight gap at the bottom of maybe 1/16″ (thus the 3 star rating for craftsmanship). Doesn’t really bother me at all, it will hold wood just fine. I attached plywood jaws to mine, to protect the clamped wood I use to build picture frames.

The vise has countersunk holes for all screws, which is great. In my opinion, you get what you pay for, and anyone who is expecting high precision from a $20-$25 vise is being unrealistic. This is a very good all-purpose vise, at a very reasonable price, and I’m completely happy with it!.

I’m getting started in woodworking and was looking for a good quality vise at a price that won’t break the bank. This checked the boxes, easy to install and use. The steel dog has been handy when planing boards.

Happy with the purchase.

Have used this vice as a replacement for an older Record Bench Vice that is no longer made. Without a doubt its the best option. Many cheaper vices are available but not a single one has the integrity and utility of this great vice.

Something about the Pony “Orange” that says all is well in the shop.

This vice COULD have gotten 5 stars if Stanley had anything to do with the manufacturing, and had a desire to make a precision hobby/small form vice. The thing is great “FOR THE PRICE” The screw is not same thread as the nut it passes through, so opening and closing the jaw is miserable.

But all the features of the vice are otherwise awesome. Had Stanley given half a crup, this could have been a contender in the 90 dollar area, to cover making the product with proper build quality. I will still use it as it can hold items at unique articulation, something others can not do.

Make it better, and this could kick the PANAVICE off the surface of the planet.

Used this as a bow vise. and for that intended purpose, its very good. With its ball joint design, the angles you can achieve is almost limitless. Like an extra set of hands. Its built very sturdy, you can tell by the weight that this is not what you would consider as a hobby vise.

All in all a very excellent product. will purchase another one for sure Aloha!!!.

I am very happy with the price for such a good quality vise for its size. No its not a monster vise that weighs 30-50lbs and requires being bolted down. It’s a simple bench clamp vise that you can bring anywhere with ease.

And for it’s size it can take some torque without moving while it’s firmly clamped to my work bench table top (2″ thick).

The vise itself is fine. The swivel base is terrible. It has two locking levers that EACH have to be turned out several turns before the vise will rotate. When it’s loose enough to turn it’s really grabby – nothing smooth about it.

By the time it’s loose enough to rotate easily it’s also so loose that the vise slides all over the place and must be recentered on the base before tightening it down. Frankly, it’s just really annoying and more time-consuming and aggravating than it should be.

I would not buy it again.

Wilton makes some of the best bench vises. This, however, is on their lower end. Sturdy construction, but the top of the front jaw spindle has a ruler riveted on which wont last and likely snag. Not a big deal, it could just be removed when it fails.

The base doesnt rotate a full 360 and is sticky (gear teeth are rough). For the price, well worth it. Will be fine for most home owners and hobbyists. If youre a pro or have inclination to buy best, stick with Wilton, just get a $1000+ version.

I bought my first Wilton Vise to put on a workbench I built for my high school Woodworking class about twenty years ago. Kids are very tough on equipment and this vice worked as well the day I retired as it did when I first mounted it.

I retired and have my own basement shop. I’ve always done works arounds with a variety of clamps. I didn’t want to put a cheap vise on my own work bench. Since I’m doing a lot more home projects now, it was important to buy a vise.

I just took it out of the box and its a bomb proof as the one I had at school. Spend the extra money and get the Cadillac of vises. This is as good as it gets!.

The Wilton 79A is a good choice for the woodworker that needs a hefty vice that is going to last. It has the feel of a quality tool. The mounts are pretty heavy duty. Before I purchased this vice, I was concerned that the one piece square tube might cause the vice to rack.

It does rack a small amount, but is not that bad at all. The offset vice jaw is a great feature, even though it is one you may not use all that often. It is removable, and I mostly use the vice without it.

Here is why I gave it four stars instead of five. The jaws have a magnetic plate on the back to keep them in place. the magnets are so weak, they slide around during use. I replaced these wood jaws with softwood jaws of my own to eliminate this problem.

The rest of the flaws are cosmetic. The paint had a thick kind of “epoxy” feel to it. It’s not a smooth surface. On my vice, It was chipped off in a couple places. Maybe a more neutral color would be better, as the green does not look good at all on my traditional style bench.

The “Wilton” badge was put on crooked. It was also about ready to fall off. One drop of glue or adhesive in the center of it to hold it on. The edges had no grip at all. These are all just minor issues I have with this vice.

I am happy to recommend this vice, but at the price point, I would expect a little for attention to detail in the areas I highlighted.

This is the second Wilton vice I have used in the past 10 years. Moved recently and left the old Wilton installed in my work bench in the old house. It had held up well, but the slide feature was all but useless.

Glad to see this model is redesigned and love the square steel channel that covers the main screw. Should really keep it dust free. I decided to hold it in place with four bolts, and not use lag screws.

Bolts are more positive and easier to attach. Much easier than my last installation where I manually held the unit while I drove in lag screws. This time, I held the vice in position with 6″ C-clamps and drilled my 3/8″ holes from below, using the vice base as a fool proof template.

I then drilled a 5/8″ diameter countersunk hole for each bolt head in my 3/4″ MDF work surface. I embedded 4 bolts 3-1/2″ X 3/8″ into the top of the work bench and used Gorilla Glue to hold them in place as it expands as it sets (make sure you catalyze one surface with water) filling the void spaces around the flats.

If my countersunk hole was not perfectly centered (I clamped a 3/4″ board with a 5/8″ hole already drilled over the top surface over each hole to keep my drill bit from wandering) I used a chisel to cut a corner for the hex head if needed.

Once the glue had set over night (I put a non stick surface and heavy weights over each hole to keep the foam from expanding upwards), I used a hydraulic jack to lift into position below the bench to install the four nuts.

Non of my embedded bolts twisted free with moderate torque, so all went well.

Just got it. Couldn’t wait to use it. I have so many times been frustrated to *#%^^?? not being able to get what I was working on at appropriate angles. This makes me smile…. I’ll be using this many many times a year.

A vise is essential in any shop. A PERFECT VISE would be this one. Extremely well made,Will last well into my great grandchildren & beyond. The pricing makes this a must in every shop. Get him/her this for Xmas.

I’m now going to purchase their Chain saw sharpening tool. It, I’m sure will match similar accolades! And you know what…. I didn’t have to bust the budget, or sell stock to buy it. Shipping is already included in the price & I shipped to Idaho.

Helpful videos. GarrettWade…. AWESOME! So much better than Amazon and most of the net.

I’ve used a standard bench mounted vise all my life and have got pretty creative positioning my work piece to gain a better angle to get the job done. I was actually looking for a vise similar like this in several hardware shops (none offered anything lke this) when I saw Garrett Wade’s online offering.

I didn’t have to think twice about purchasing one after watching the short video on what it could do. My order arrived in less than a week. The mounting and set up was easy. The overall quality of this vise is excellent and the casting and machined surfaces are well done.

It is easy to maneuver the angle of the vise due to its design locks in place at the various rotational angles thanks to the two set screws. There is also a cam locking mechanism. I would recommend this verstile vise to anyone who is setting up a shop or has longed for a vise that can hold your work piece securely at any angle you need even vertical over the edge of your bench.

To start, I’m very satisfied with the vise I received. This product has been improved since earlier reviews you’ll read (my guess is reviews before January 2018, refer to the older and lower quality version of this product).

The vice you see in Garrett Wade’s own video, is old version version of the product. The YouTube video review by user lost70s on or about January 2018, is a review of the old version of this product.

According to Garrett Wade’s product description at the time of my purchase and of this review (Sept – Oct 2018), We are now shipping our newest version with improved castings. It’s true, this product must have been updated sometime in 2018.

The old version product you see in the above referenced videos, are made in China and have much rougher castings (you can actually see China and Parrot Vise in the casting). The new version product, the one I received, is made in Taiwan like some other highly rated vises sold under other big brands (Yost for instance.

since it’s used for comparison in lost70s YouTube video review). My guess is Garrett Wade is now sourcing these from Taiwan. GOOD! The casting is much smoother, the jaws have an even finish (something between medium brushed to polished surface) and the jaws close together evenly and nicely.

The vise also allows adjustment of the moveable jaw, up and down using an adjustment bolt to fine tune alignment. GOOD! The vise assembly fits very well on a nicely machined spindle on both the fixed base and the offset accessory arm.

The spindles and the barrels of the openings are fitted to each other just right, NOT loose and sloppy and NOT so tight it binds when you’d be trying make adjustments to reposition or reconfigure the vise.

The offset accessory arm is a feature you won’t find on other parrot style vises AND it’s very handy. There’s a reason we all seek out and buy nice handy tools and in this instance, the offset accessory arm is worth the premium in price to buy it so that you have it when you need it.

As for packaging and shipping, it arrived on time and packaged well in a cardboard box containing a rigid foam insert form-fitted to cradle the vise inside the container during shipping. Garrett Wade provided confirmation and tracking.

So. if you’re in the market for this type of vise, spend the extra money to get this quality Garrett Wade parrot style vise along with its extra versatile offset accessory arm. It’s a very good well-built vise, offering more versatility, and still priced reasonably among its peers considering the extra value and function it offers.

Buy one! Response By: Garrett Wade Tech Department Thank you for posting a follow-up review on the Ultimate Versatile Vise. We truly appreciate your taking the time to share your thoughts about it, and we’re happy to hear that you are satisfied.

It’s what we strive for.

I have the 20lb big boy of this one attached to my workbench and wanted a smaller, more portable mini vise, to attach to a mobile workbench. This little vise is amazing. Well built all around. It’s small, but heavy and sturdy for its size.

The jaws open wide enough to and are strong enough to hold a 2×4. The vise attachment screw easily screws open or closed on a surface, and the vise clamps down on its victim for as long as you need it secured.

I am a master woodworker and find this little vise perfect. It’s portability, construction, and ease of use are simply amazing and exactly as advertised. I completely recommend buying this product. It’s a bang for the buck.

Get one.

I adore this vice. I have used it constantly since I purchased it a month or so ago and it has held up beautifully. I am a woodworker who hates being cooped up in my workshop when I don’t need to be.

This little baby has freed me up by allowing me to work on smaller carving and woodworking projects on the go. I keep it in my tool box so I can quickly clamp it onto nearly any table and whip out a quick wooden spoon wherever I am.

I also use it to set up a seasonal outdoor workshop on a picnic table in my yard for bigger projects that can’t be done in a park but aren’t so large that they need to be done indoors in the proper shop.

This is genuinely one of the most useful tools I have in my everyday use tool box.

This is a tiny little vice which is very useful for holding things. Look at the measurements so you know exactly what you are getting. Its a very small, built to a price, vice. That being said, for the price it is really useful.

I first used it to solder some 3/4 pipes and it is perfect for that. Its small and I just keep it in a drawer until I need it so its out of the way. I find it useful because it is so small, its great for those tasks where you need a third hand and Then get it out of your way.

Note that the jaws are NOT hardened which is fine for me but you might care. I think I got my moneys worth. I find myself grabbing this one and installing it in my bench instead of using the permanent big one.

Since the big one has to sorta be out of the way so I can use the bench, I find myself using this tiny thing all the time since all the work is right in front of me. Anyway, it really is small so dont be surprised at that.

Well-made Made in the USA Ridgid tool which is manufactured using precision manufacturing techniques. Heavy duty paint job on the vise which appears to have corrosion control and anti-rust paint, which may have been applied using modern electrolysis like they use on cars.

Self-cleaning threads (which lessen the need for lubrication) help to tighten down the clamp onto the pipe to keep it secure while cutting it. This too’is worth the extral cost because it is cheaper in the long run.

It’s ridgid. It’s beefy and built to last. I really wanted a chain vise but needed something quick so this was it. I love it but it’s only so big and that’s obviously it’s only limitation. It can grip like nothing else and be delicate too.

these vises use to be great until the design change. i used to get the 23 yoke vise until they changed to a 23A. now the dies break so easy. will not buy anymore

Well I have alot to say about this vise. I even made a short video in where you can hopefully see the link below. First off, JB Tools shipped this thing super fast to me. I think I ordered on Friday and I received it Monday! Good job JB Tools! Here is my review of the vise.

Sorry the video got cut short at the end because I got a phone call. Hopefully JB Tools allows this link to my review– https://youtu. be/zIbAbAzW_N8.

Bought this just over a week ago. I has a nice strong grip, despite its small size. Nice price. Feels well built. It’s a bit hard to mount using the bottom screw–doable, but takes some effort. Probably better for a permanent mount using the provided holes.

Overall good product.

I bought this handy little vice a couple years ago and mounted it to the top of my bench, but it was always in the way, I was constantly taking it off and on as needed. Problem was solved by flush mounting it to the front of the bench.

This was accomplished by machining the entire clamp casting off the rear jaw, flush with the bottom, then some webbing was machined off the back of the rear jaw, down to the vice screw and two guide bosses, so as to create a right angle, the width of the vice and about 1 3/4 inches in depth, (the thickness of my bench).

The two existing mount holes, (on the rear jaw flange), were enlarged to 3/8 inch and two ¾ inch spacers were made to install between this mount flange and the bottom of the bench, (¾ inch is the distance between the existing mount flange and the newly machined surface on screw and guide bosses).

(Stacks of washers could be used for the two spacers. ) The rear jaw was mounted to the bench using two 3/8 inch carriage bolts through the bench, spacers, and mounting flange, then secured with nuts.

Two existing holes in the face of the rear jaw were countersunk then matching wood screws secured the jaw to the front of the bench. Soft jaw inserts are held in place using double sided carpet tape and are easily replaced when needed and if the vice handle gets in the way, it is easily removed then replaced.

The only vice that I can’t break is that I like to buy vises! 😂 I’m making up a bunch of fairly portable work benches (for my sons, nieces, and nephews) from pallet wood and am attaching this model of vise on them.

I’ve had one of these vises for a while and it’s OK – my only suggestion would be to make the two tabs (that are for screwing/bolting the vise to the top of a work surface/bench) more “skookum!” (They look like the only weak point in an otherwise decent vise!).

I had a 9 inch Quick release vise before. The kind with the lever you turn and then pull the vise out. It never worked right and over time, the metal weakened, meaning you would have to hold the handle down to turn the screw, or else it would not advance properly.

This Vise is a beast and the rapid action works great. It installed easy and comes with magnetic maple face plates. I made a chop for it, but it’s still nice to have the magnetic ones.

Would have given it 5 stars but it came with the handle broken off the clamp adjuster screw. However, contacted the manufacturer # listed on the box and i just a couple of days got a replacement screw.

Took about 5 minutes to change and went to work. Sure beats having to return and wait for a replacement. Great minuscule adjustments in both directions.

This cross slide vise is meant to be a precision tool but is just not. One of the handles is drilled and tapped crooked. This leads to choppy milling. There is no smoothness at all. Not such a good piece.

First time I ever used one, so may no be the best judge, but I like it. I mounted it to my drill press and use it move to drill multiple holes in some metal I’m working with. With a regular vice, I have to keep loosening it, moving it, then tighten it back up.

Don’t do that anymore, once in the vice, it’s good.

The vice is supplied on top of a cardboard display box which ripped in store when I picked it up. It’s strapped to it with cable ties. It oozes quality with aluminum extrusions for the main body of the vice.

It’s not until you cut it from the packaging that you discover that the body is held “rigid” by bits of plastic and self-tapping screws. It’s so bad that it’s not even flat, wobbling on the workbench.

The jaws are also plastic and might be sturdy enough to withstand the force of a paintbrush, but there’s no way I’d trust this contraption to hold something that I was cutting with a saw. I didn’t even bother to try the bench clamps that hold the vice to the workbench, I’d lost all faith in the tool by this stage.

Mind you, those clamps might be sturdier than the vice itself. The box shows no dimensions, no indications of the distance between mounting holes and there are no specifications inside the box either.

Looks like a toy, feels like a toy, priced like a tool. I’ve returned it for a full refund. Not worth the effort, not worth the brand, worse than a cheap knock-off, which at least is cheap. Avoid.

Clamp would not slide into track. Machined incorrectly. Vice action very stiff. Not worthy of Stanley branding. Returned

I wanted a vice that was secure to hold my hobby bits & bobs. I work in wood mainly & as I needed one with a good grip that wasn’t going to damaged my work. I know I could buy a metal vice & extra jaws, but I didn’t want it permanent.

I love that I can bolt it securely to my worktop, sand, drill & shape my items & pack it out of the way till next needed. It’s not strong enough to hold work while work is being carved & hit with a mallet like a steel vice would be but it does its job perfectly, clamps tight & releases instantly & won’t damage my work.

Great.

This is afairly good import vise but not really up to Wilton quality. The tolerance (lack of slop) for the vise jaws and horizontal axis rotation is good, but the X-Y direction slop on the vertical axis rotation is excessive.

Also, the vertical axis rotation lock is done with a toothed ring so you can only lock in in something like 5 degree increments. The horizontal axis lock seems to be a screw on the collar so it will lock at any angle.

The handle is also a little short so there is a tendency to bust knuckles on the jaw if you get in a hurry and don’t watch. Overall it is well worth the price.

The product itself was great, but it was shipped loose in the box with no protection, so it arrived at my house have sticking out of the box, and I can’t believe it wasn’t damaged or scratched,. Excellent products, absolutely terrible attention to detail from the shipping Department, and when I emailed them about it, (asking for a new box) I got no response.

Wilton product great, Tyler price and speed, good, shipping was a fail.

I am a big fan of wilton vises. I have used them for a long time. My wife bought me this one. Its a pretty nice little unit but the rotation locks suck. It does not stay put. AND I BROKE IT! I snapped the jaw right off the thing last week.

Due to its design, while clamping the jaws the bottom of the vise will flex and on mine broke the shaft clean in two. I did not use a pry bar or anything else. Just my own force, and I am not a big guy by any means.

Maybe I got one from a batch with bad metal quality but I’m disappointed. Vises are supposed to be made to take abuse.

I was not sure how strong the vise would be as it seemed quite cheep but having been satisfied with the quality of tools stocked by Zoro before I decided to take a chance. Just installed it today and I am delighted with it.

I extended the jaws to 8″ wide and extended the depth of the jaws , unfortunately this exaggerates the toe in angle. I will remedy this tomorrow. The vise should be perfectly adequate for anything I want to hold in it.

What’s it missing? No dog. No problem. Make a slot in the front insert when you fit it. Pop a wood or metal dog in when required. No quick release. Not the end of the world. One less thing to wear. This is an excellent toe-in vice.

Good screw action with a nice ratio. Fit it anyway you like: flush or recessed. I’d like to be able to say a lot more but in it’s favour. there’s nowt to say.

Quality, heavyweight vice. There’s no play in the thread and doesn’t rattle around like a budget vice I looked at. You’ll need bolts or large screws to attach it.