Recommend Me A: Vice

[squirrel_hunter]

So far I have alcohol and women, but need one for the garage.

Since using Stretchie's I can't believe I've lasted this long without one. Unfortunately we don't know who made it or anything so getting the same is not possible. Therefore I give it to the org to recommend one, I'm after a good general purpose bench mounting vice for all types of bike work. So what do you lot use and where's best to get one. Links would be great and thanks in advance.

Personally, try and get hold of an ex factory one from an auction or something as they will be far superior quality.
With so many engineering firms going kaput, there must be loads of kit on the market.
If not machine mart have some decent cheap kit.

[maviczap]

Record vice I seem to remember was the dogs doo dah

Don't get a Chinese copy

Got any local auction places, 2nd hand workshop equipment turns up at my weekly auction

[yorkie_chris]

Ask your local scrapyard to keep an eye out too.

[squirrel_hunter]

Is there any recommendation for size or is bigger better? *snigger*

[yorkie_chris]

6" is perfect, any bigger starts to get a bit hard to move about. 4" will probably do.

[rictus01]

Irwin record No.4 (4 1/2 inch ) is a useful size, do pretty much anything with one of those, just make sure it's bolted to something really solid.

Cheers Mark.

[embee]

I'd second the idea of ex-industrial jobbie if you can, they really are in a different league to the cheapo mickey mouse items from the far east. Mine was from the local tip, it was a bit rusty but £3 lighter and some elbow grease and I have a bomb-proof "engineer's" vice with a quick release. The quick release is a very useful feature, it allows you to slide the jaw in/out without having to wind the handle, but they need to be good quality or they can be a weak spot. A quick check on ebay comes up with quite a few old school items, be aware they are heavy things, 30 or 40kg isn't unusual.

Record were as good as you got at one time, but like everything the modern ones are nothing like the old iron. Woden and Paramo are well known old makes (I have one of each). Anything old with "made in England" on it will probably be decent, just check it for general condition.

And yes, you need something substantial to bolt it to, my workbench was scrap from a factory I worked at, another £3 IIRC many years ago, 1/4" steel plate top etc.

I had a vice on my B&D workmate knock off, rubbish little thing that I broke within a few weeks. I got a record vice, 6" from a place I was working. They threw about 20 in a skip to be sold as scrap. By the time the skip was taken away I don't think there was a single vice left in it. Word got around and the rest were liberated by all and sundry.

[_Stretchie_]

Mine is bang on. Love it, I really can't believe I have used it so much since I got it.

I thin you should get one like mine (and give me your compressor)