hi guys--I'm going to be building a workbench in my garage this weekend, and want to put a vise on it. What is a good size?

Sears has them in 4",5",and 6" sizes. There are probably more sizes out there, but I cant imagine needing anything bigger... The guy there told me 4" would be plenty, but that seems small, so I was leaning towards at least 5. Any opinions?

 

Spend more money to avoid an imported vise.

 

i built a workbench about 2 months ago and put a 5 inch on it and it seems to be perfect .not so big its in the way but big enough to hold anything i want . good luck with your bench .

 

I have two old American made vises and a new Wilton made in china wonder. The Wilton is a 5" model. It's OK, but it is definitely not built outta the same stuff that my other 80 year old vises are made of. Here's the Wilton (got it at Home Depot)... mind you, I haven't used it all that much yet, so I can't speak to real-life quality:

 

5" is a great, all around vice.

Make sure you get a set of soft jaws for it as well.

 

thanks...sounds like 5" it is.

Seems that everything is made in China these days, unless you want to spend a small fortune. Sears only has a 1 year warranty on their made in china vise's, older made in the U.S.A. vises had a lifetime warranty....maybe I'll try e-bay!?!

 

5" or 6"... 4 is just slightly too small..

stay away from the imported ones... i almost broke my hand thanks to one of them.. and every cheap one my friend rob bought, has broken.. either by me, him, or his dad...

 

Bigger the better, even if you only need it once or twice a year, you will be glad. Your vice can never be too solid, or strong.

Another tip, I like is the inserts, I love mine.

 

Be sure to get the biggest dam vice you can find or afford... Check local auction houses or machinery auctions. Like said before it can never be to big or to strong. My step dad had a 10inch machinery vise that was 80 years old or so. That Thing was a Bad Mother. To bad he took it with him when my parents split a few years back



-john