Best Bench Vise for the Money – Buyer’s Guide
Are you curious about what the best bench vise is? Whatever it is you do in your workshop, chances are you will need a bench vise. Having the best bench vise is quite likely absolutely crucial to getting your work done efficiently.
We aim to help make your buying decision easier if you’re on the market for one. So you’re in the right place if you’re looking for reviews of the best bench vises.
A bench vise is usually reasonably cheap to buy, however, the price range does scale from low end to high end for the more premium models.
Your budget requirements and your usage requirements will ultimately determine the type and price of bench vise you opt for. There’s a lot of different choices out there, so to help you through the process of choosing a good, high-quality bench vise we’ve created this guide.
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Best Bench Vise Reviews – Our Top Picks
Table of Contents
In this section, you can read some up-to-date bench vise reviews on the top 9 options currently available on the market. These reviews are designed to educate you about the essential considerations one must make when looking for the best bench vise.
#1 TEKTON 4 Inch Swivel Bench Vise
This bench vise is our top pick, due to its affordability, and high quality. Because the Price of the Tekton 54004 is at the lower end you might be thinking that it isn’t quality, however, this isn’t the case. Despite the low price, this product is very sturdy, and well built – more so than some other more expensive options.
This product has a lot going for it. For starters, it’s constructed from cast iron that has a tensile strength of 30k, so it’s very solid and durable.
The vise features serrated steel jaws, important to ensure the piece your holding does not slip. The jaws are also removable and easily replaceable, you might not have realized but the jaws of vises get a lot of wear and tear, so after some years it’s great if you can easily replace them with no hassle.
Another feature that makes this a great choice is the swivel base, which can rotate 120 degrees, allowing access from awkward angles. The vise is kept securely in place by mounting it to a bench or table-like surface, using the three mounting holes located on the base.
The Acme-threaded screws slide easily and smoothly, making using it a breeze. All in all, this is a great choice for serious craftsmen, and even just your everyday DIY guy. It also won’t put too much of a dent in your budget!
#2 Yost LV4 Home Bench Vise 4.5 inch
If you’re on a tight budget, the TEKTON 4-Inch is one of the best choices for you. It’s the cheapest vise reviewed here, but don’t let that make you think that it’s not up to the job.
This 4.5 inch vise features an O-swivel base which allows you to rotate the vise a full 240 degrees, making this a very versatile piece of equipment to have. This vise is constructed of high-quality cast iron, so it’s perfectly sturdy for the price and you can expect it to be reliable.
Overall this bench vise is best for those on a tight budget, for at-home use mostly. If you are looking for something more heavy-duty best-selling vise is a good option.
#3 5-Inch IRWIN Tools Multi-Purpose Bench Vise
This 5 inch bench vise from IRWIN is a high-end product that’s perfect for you if you’re a serious professional wanting to get the job done.
Slightly pricier than the other options on this list, if all you care about is quality then you can’t go wrong with this. The IRWIN 5″ vise features rotating pipe jaws, for smooth opening and clamping. The handle is crafted from fused steel, which makes adjusting it a breeze.
One of the best parts about this particular vise is that it has a base that can rotate a complete 360 degrees, which is often extremely convenient in the workplace.
The steel of this vise is high PSI, making for great durability. Overall this is likely the best vise we have reviewed, however, the price may be a bit too steep for some.
#4 Grizzly G7062 Multi-Purpose 5-Inch Bench Vise
The Grizzly G7062 is a high-end bench vise that will cover all of your needs as far as being a quality bench vise goes. This bench vise is remarkably multipurpose.
The jaws can rotate all the way around, a full 360 degrees for getting the position of the jaws aligned perfectly. The built-in pip jaws allow the vise to hold flat stock as well as round stock. The base can also swivel right around.
Another nice feature to have on any good bench vise is an anvil face – which this vise does indeed have mounted on top. This beast weighs 50lbs, so it is not lightweight by any means.
You should rest assured knowing that this is a heavy-duty and well-built tool. It’s construction is extremely robust and solid, so you shouldn’t have any issues with longevity. The only downside for this vise is that it has a fairly high price tag (but you get what you pay for).
#5 Wilton 11104 Wilton Bench Vise
The Wilton 11104 Wilton Bench Vise fits the bill perfectly as far as being a strong sturdy and reliable vise goes. It is made from high-quality steel and weighs in at 15 lbs. So it is on the heavier side as far as bench vises go, but once you mount your vise to your bench there is little reason to move it anyway so it shouldn’t be an issue for most. It is finished to a very high standard with its blue powder coat finish.
This vise has a base that swivels around allowing easy access from all angles where ever you chose to mount it. This is also an important feature as far as ergonomics are concerned as it prevent you from unnecessarily straining your back and neck.
The vises jaws open to 4 inches, which is fairly standard for this type of bench vise, but depending on what sort of objects you need to clamp, it could be a little too small. The jaws on this vise are very grippy, allowing you to firmly secure your workpiece in them. This bench vise is perfect for metal working projects, whether for professionals and for hobbyists.
#6 Yost Vises 750-DI Bench Vise
The Yost 750-DI is a robust and high-quality bench vise, perhaps one of the top choices on the market. The vise is built to last and made from high-quality heavy-duty Ductile Iron. Because of the very strong ductile iron this vise can clamp with up to 9000 PSI of force, and is able to keep any workpiece secured.
This vise weighs 63 lbs, so it’s by no means a lightweight tool. The jaws are 5 inches wide with a serrated surface for grip.
This bench vise also features a 3 by 3 inch anvil surface, which is a nice feature for metalworking. The 750 DI also features a swiveling base allowing access from those awkward angles and tight spaces. Overall this is a fantastic option suited mostly to professionals.
#7 Wilton 14500 4500 Mechanics Vise
This Wilton 14500 bench vise is a heavy device, and an all-around well-built and solid piece of kit. When you are using this bench vise you really get a feel for how strong and durable the quality is. The faces are made from hardened steel, but even then with any vise they can wear down over time.
Thankfully these faces are replaceable meaning you can easily switch in a new steel face when you need to down the line.
When the jaws are sitting in their regular position they open to a respectable 6 inches, and 5.5 inches width. When the jaws are reversed the opening goes up to a whopping 9 and 3/4 inches.
Because of these special jaws the scope of projects you can work on with this vise in drastically increased.
#8 IRWIN 3-inch Woodworking Vise
This 3-inch blue steeled vise from IRWIN is perfect for the more light jobs that you may need to do while on the go. Unlike most bench vises that are mounted to the bench, this bench vise is designed to be able to clamp onto the bench or table anywhere you are.
It can attach to tables up to 2 inches thick, so this is truly a versatile vise. Its clamping mechanism is much like a C-clamp and is easy and quick to clamp down then release and move elsewhere.
Any good bench vise should be sturdy and well secured, and this one is no different – the integrated pipe jaws are designed to keep it firm and rigid.
This vise is however on the smaller side, with a 2 inch jaw capacity, so it’s great for general purpose work – not for larger objects. To make this vise even more versatile there is an anvil shaping horn built into it.
#9 Yost Vises ADI-4 Bench Vise
This vise from Yost is a heavy-duty beast. It has a 360 degree swivel base allowing you to work at all sorts of tricky angles, a feature that the more basic bench vises don’t usually have.
The jaw capacity on this vise is an impressive 4 inches, allowing you to work with work pieces that are fairly big in size. As for the build quality, this vise cannot be beaten.
The body is made from high-quality forged steel which is powder coat finished to provide rust resistance and resistance to the elements in general. The guide rails on this great bench vise are adjustable, this means that you can adjust the setup to overcome wear and tear that might result in loss of precision.
Important Things To Consider before buying a bench vise
Ultimately most bench vises you come across are reasonably similar, they all serve the same purpose. Although there are key differences in some parts which affect how well they perform at certain jobs, and help to differentiate a poor vise from a great one.
Here are some important things about your vise you should keep in mind.
Swivel & Rotation
Having a vise that has at least somewhat adjustable angles, and allows for rotation of 100 degrees or more gives you a lot of flexibility in your workshop. Some even come with 360 degree swivel ability, which is ideal.
Jaws
The key part of any good bench vise is the jaws. The jaws are the pieces that open to clamp whatever object you’re working on securely in place. So you must consider how big are the objects you will need to clamp? This determines how wide the jaws of your vise must be able to open to meet your requirements.
There are also different types of jaws, the flat style are most common. It should also be noted that there are many vises where you can actually swap out different jaws depending on what you’re working on. Some also have multiple jaw attachments.
Mounting & Clamping
The more heavy duty vises will generally be bolted by 3 or 4 bolts to your work surface (table or bench). Some vises also have a more simple clamp interface, however, this design is not as sturdy as using bolts.
The bench vise is a pretty easy bit of gear to learn to use. It’s basically just a way to hold something securely in place while you work on it. So as you can imagine there are endless uses for this tool, we will go over a few of the more common ones.
Gluing
A bench vise is very helpful when you’re gluing things together, often when you glue pieces together you want to ensure they stay lined up well until they’re securely dried in place. A vise if perfect for this.
Drilling holes
When you’re drilling you want to be precise and accurate. The best way to achieve this is with a drill press. However, if you’re just doing a small task with a hand drill it’s useful to place the wood (or metal etc) inside of a bench vise so that it remains secure while you drill
Sanding/Filing
When you’re sanding or filing down a metal (or wooden) object you need it held firmly in place so that it doesn’t move. That’s where a vise comes in handy, and that way you don’t waste energy holding the object in place by hand. You will be more efficient and get more accurate results.
Sawing/Cutting
Using a hand saw to cut through a piece of wood is made enormously easier when you hold it firmly in your vise. Just like when you’re filing something, you waste energy if you have to hold it still by hand. So a vise saves a lot off effort.
Final thoughts on the Best Bench Vise for your Workshop
Overall there are several well-known brands that you can certainly trust, like IRWIN and Yost. In our research for the best bench vise we conducted, IRWIN came out on top for their high-quality bench vises that they produce for a range of prices (from cheap through to high end).
Besides quality, price is the second most important factor to consider before you buy. When you choose an IRWIN vise you’ll get good bang for your back, and a ton of features that are usually only included in the very expensive models.
Features such as multiple jaws, full rotation on the swiveling bases and more.
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