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USA
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Posted: 6/3/2023 11:53:10 AM EDT
[Last Edit: Milspec99]
I have a beefy vise I use outside the home. I do this because I do not want to be torching, grinding, cutting, hammering, filing etc indoors. I don't want all that crap in the home.
I want to get a second vise for indoor use. Torquing muzzle devices, barrel nuts, general cleaning, drifting out sights, roll pin work or for a third hand. I have been looking at the Real Avid for a while but I haven't been able to convince myself. The first thing that bothers me is it's made in China but so is my beefy vise. I also question how robust it is but all reviews indicate it's adequate. Most are not US made unless you want to drop 1k on a US Wilton or on that crazy awesome Orange vise. Both way beyond the budget I have and way over kill for what I do. All the reviews on the Avid are glowing. I just wonder how credible they are. I question it's toughness and longevity. I thought about getting another vise like the one I have but a lighter, small footprint might be better for indoor use. I welcome any suggestions. |
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MT, USA
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Posted: 6/3/2023 2:21:43 PM EDT
[#1]
The Ridgid F-series is forged steel and not chinese. The F-45 is under $500 and an absolute tank.
The Yost ADI-5 is ductile iron and not chinese. It can be had for under $200 and is far stronger than chinesium mystery metal. |
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USA
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Posted: 6/3/2023 3:19:12 PM EDT
[#2]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Third_Rail: The Ridgid F-series is forged steel and not chinese. The F-45 is under $500 and an absolute tank. The Yost ADI-5 is ductile iron and not chinese. It can be had for under $200 and is far stronger than chinesium mystery metal. Thanks for the suggestions. I think the Rigid is made in Germany which is good. The Yost is still Chinese. |
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Posted: 6/3/2023 9:29:27 PM EDT
[#3]
I was in the same spot a few years ago. I've got a nice heavy duty Wilton beast of a vice in the garage but wanted something for the gun room and ended up going with this one...Capri tools 4" forged steel bench vice
Yes it chienesium but it's a good vice and more then enough for AR gunsmithing |
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Posted: 6/3/2023 9:56:27 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Slingblade2006]
[#4]
I got a 6 inch Orange Pony from Lowe’s a few years ago. For $130 bucks it’s a good gun vise. I have not really beat on it like an outdoor garage vise. But it has held numerous pistol slides for new sights and several AR’s for barrels and such. No issues.
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MT, USA
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Posted: 6/4/2023 8:19:19 AM EDT
[#5]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Milspec99: Thanks for the suggestions. I think the Rigid is made in Germany which is good. The Yost is still Chinese. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Milspec99: Originally Posted By Third_Rail: The Ridgid F-series is forged steel and not chinese. The F-45 is under $500 and an absolute tank. The Yost ADI-5 is ductile iron and not chinese. It can be had for under $200 and is far stronger than chinesium mystery metal. Thanks for the suggestions. I think the Rigid is made in Germany which is good. The Yost is still Chinese. Sorry about that - last I knew neither the Yost ductile iron nor their cast steel vises were chinese. It probably changed in the last few years. About the F series from Ridgid: I have beat the piss out of multiple examples of various jaw widths for years. Daily. I haven't managed to break one or even loosen up the bite. My one and only complaint is that on one example I kept having the handle bumpers pop off. No clue why it was isolated to that one vise but I fixed it by just putting some snap rings on to prevent the bumpers from popping off. |
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USA
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Posted: 6/4/2023 12:10:57 PM EDT
[#6]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By airgunner: I was in the same spot a few years ago. I've got a nice heavy duty Wilton beast of a vice in the garage but wanted something for the gun room and ended up going with this one...Capri tools 4" forged steel bench vice Yes it chienesium but it's a good vice and more then enough for AR gunsmithing This is exactly my situation. Thanks I will check it out. |
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USA
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Posted: 6/4/2023 12:19:48 PM EDT
[#7]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Third_Rail: Sorry about that - last I knew neither the Yost ductile iron nor their cast steel vises were chinese. It probably changed in the last few years. About the F series from Ridgid: I have beat the piss out of multiple examples of various jaw widths for years. Daily. I haven't managed to break one or even loosen up the bite. My one and only complaint is that on one example I kept having the handle bumpers pop off. No clue why it was isolated to that one vise but I fixed it by just putting some snap rings on to prevent the bumpers from popping off. Good info. Thanks! |
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USA
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Posted: 6/4/2023 1:01:08 PM EDT
[Last Edit: SteelonSteel]
[#8]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Third_Rail: The Ridgid F-series is forged steel and not chinese. The F-45 is under $500 and an absolute tank. The Yost ADI-5 is ductile iron and not chinese. It can be had for under $200 and is far stronger than chinesium mystery metal. Your Yost link says made in China. Oops, I see you saw that later. |
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Posted: 6/6/2023 7:22:13 AM EDT
[#9]
this is the one i use in my gun room , use it
to change out several barrels as well as a jig i made for the uppers to set in the vice , very easy to clean the uppers with the bore guide and rod . https://www.lowes.com/pd/IRWIN-5-in-Cast-Iron-Multi-purpose-Vise/1003167708 |
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Posted: 6/8/2023 4:15:08 PM EDT
[#10]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By TargetShooter2: this is the one i use in my gun room , use it to change out several barrels as well as a jig i made for the uppers to set in the vice , very easy to clean the uppers with the bore guide and rod . https://www.lowes.com/pd/IRWIN-5-in-Cast-Iron-Multi-purpose-Vise/1003167708 Op honestly for the work you're looking to do a Chinese vice, even a harbor freight one, would work just fine. |
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WA, USA
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Posted: 6/8/2023 4:41:54 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Crowcreek]
[#11]
I have large Rigid, Wilton, Columbia, Crapsman, and the big Doyle from HF.
The big HF vise is a beast, has removable/replacable jaws, and is mounted on my lathe cabinet. I use it for smashing rivits, with a cheater bar on the handle. It's supposed to be ductile iron, 60k? I like it. |
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USA
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Posted: 6/8/2023 6:06:41 PM EDT
[#12]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Crowcreek: I have large Rigid, Wilton, Columbia, Crapsman, and the big Doyle from HF. The big HF vise is a beast, has removable/replacable jaws, and is mounted on my lathe cabinet. I use it for smashing rivits, with a cheater bar on the handle. It's supposed to be ductile iron, 60k? I like it. Saw that big HF vice. It does look pretty sweet. Wish they had a 5" though. |
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USA
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Posted: 6/8/2023 6:08:42 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Milspec99]
[#13]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By K1rodeoboater: I have the bessy version of that same vice. It works. Op honestly for the work you're looking to do a Chinese vice, even a harbor freight one, would work just fine. I agree. The most torque it is going to see is a barrel nut, castle nut or MD. Maybe beating sights off a slide. The out door vice is the hard use one if I really need to pound on something or break out the heat. No one here has hands on with the Real Avid? |
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USA
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Posted: 6/8/2023 6:11:33 PM EDT
[#14]
Side note. Anyone know where to pick up a piece of the old school Trex decking? All the new stuff has ridges on the underside. The old school stuff makes for good soft jaws, line with a strip of leather.
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WA, USA
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Posted: 6/8/2023 8:04:29 PM EDT
[#15]
The big HF vise is 6.5", so the smaller might be close to five; Mine's mounted without the swivel base.
The best choice might be the new HF 'hitch vise', mounted on a bench. It looks good to me. Your idea regarding 'indoor vs. outdoor' vise has worked well for me. |
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Posted: 6/9/2023 7:29:02 AM EDT
[#16]
I looked at the HF 5 and 6 Central Machinery vise's before getting the Pony. The only issue is they did not have a deep enough throat depth for the Magpul BEV block to work. The Doyle looks deep enough (I don't think they had the Doyle when I was shopping, otherwise I would have got it. It looks nice for the money). Just something to think about if you are going to use it with AR stuff.
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USA
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Posted: 6/9/2023 9:18:15 AM EDT
[#17]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Slingblade2006: I looked at the HF 5 and 6 Central Machinery vise's before getting the Pony. The only issue is they did not have a deep enough throat depth for the Magpul BEV block to work. The Doyle looks deep enough (I don't think they had the Doyle when I was shopping, otherwise I would have got it. It looks nice for the money). Just something to think about if you are going to use it with AR stuff. Thanks. Very good to know, I do have the Bev block. |
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Posted: 6/9/2023 10:56:27 AM EDT
[#18]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Milspec99: Thanks. Very good to know, I do have the Bev block. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Milspec99: Originally Posted By Slingblade2006: I looked at the HF 5 and 6 Central Machinery vise's before getting the Pony. The only issue is they did not have a deep enough throat depth for the Magpul BEV block to work. The Doyle looks deep enough (I don't think they had the Doyle when I was shopping, otherwise I would have got it. It looks nice for the money). Just something to think about if you are going to use it with AR stuff. Thanks. Very good to know, I do have the Bev block. No problem. As far as soft jaws I got a chuck of Aluminum bar stock from Lowes or HD and cut it down to fit over my vise jaws. I keep them in place with painters tape. Works great for holding slides for sights. I learned it from Dawsons Precision. For AR muzzles I use a cheap set of rubber vise covers from Amazon. Works great for holding the barrel. I have been upgrade my bench vise from 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 to 6 inch over the years. I think 6 is about prefect. It along with the BEV block has removed some seriously stubborn barrel nuts. |
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WA, USA
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Posted: 6/9/2023 12:58:43 PM EDT
[#19]
Totally agree with the above regarding size; Mass and rigidity are needed for smaller work as well, and the larger vises have it.
I also have smaller, portable vises that I'll use for stoning trigger parts and such, but only for 'work holding' -- No good for much else. Also a fan of Alu soft jaw covers -- Al is a very 'grippy' metal, and holds up well. |
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Posted: 6/9/2023 7:45:26 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Sketti]
[#20]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Milspec99: I agree. The most torque it is going to see is a barrel nut, castle nut or MD. Maybe beating sights off a slide. The out door vice is the hard use one if I really need to pound on something or break out the heat. No one here has hands on with the Real Avid? Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Milspec99: Originally Posted By K1rodeoboater: I have the bessy version of that same vice. It works. Op honestly for the work you're looking to do a Chinese vice, even a harbor freight one, would work just fine. I agree. The most torque it is going to see is a barrel nut, castle nut or MD. Maybe beating sights off a slide. The out door vice is the hard use one if I really need to pound on something or break out the heat. No one here has hands on with the Real Avid? NOTE: I'm only a home DYIer - I have the Real Avid vise on my gunsmithing bench (see below). Its a great vise, very configurable, and can be used for a lot of different things (scope mounting, gun cleaning, non-gun related things, etc). However, if I had to do something that required a lot of force, I would use my larger, stronger Wilton vise (see below). Note the size and robust difference between the vises. Just FYI, I do use the Real Avid vise more than the Wilton for everyday things. Real Avid Vise  Attached FileWilton Vise  Attached File |
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USA
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Posted: 6/10/2023 10:47:25 AM EDT
[#21]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Slingblade2006: No problem. As far as soft jaws I got a chuck of Aluminum bar stock from Lowes or HD and cut it down to fit over my vise jaws. I keep them in place with painters tape. Works great for holding slides for sights. I learned it from Dawsons Precision. For AR muzzles I use a cheap set of rubber vise covers from Amazon. Works great for holding the barrel. I have been upgrade my bench vise from 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 to 6 inch over the years. I think 6 is about prefect. It along with the BEV block has removed some seriously stubborn barrel nuts. I have watched those Dawson videos a bunch of times. Good stuff. |
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USA
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Posted: 6/10/2023 10:47:59 AM EDT
[#22]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Sketti: NOTE: I'm only a home DYIer - I have the Real Avid vise on my gunsmithing bench (see below). Its a great vise, very configurable, and can be used for a lot of different things (scope mounting, gun cleaning, non-gun related things, etc). However, if I had to do something that required a lot of force, I would use my larger, stronger Wilton vise (see below). Note the size and robust difference between the vises. Just FYI, I do use the Real Avid vise more then the Wilton for everyday things. Real Avid Vice https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/288245/20230517_170641_jpg-2845621.JPG Wilton Vise https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/288245/20230522_211130_jpg-2845625.JPG Nice set up. Awesome pics! Thanks for the info. |
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Posted: 6/13/2023 2:37:01 AM EDT
[#23]
For general firearms work, most any 4-5in low cost vise will work. What you will get with a cheap vise is not buttery smooth action, the vise may move a little under load, you may have to retighten the lever/ screw after a little force is applied, the jaws may not perfectly align and you won’t be able to use it as an anvil in most cases.
I have a few vises set up. One is massive for big torque items (don’t use it for firearms) and you can use it as an anvil, the second is a general purpose 5in vise and the one I use for firearms work is a very old Craftsman 3.5in. It is a fantastic little vise that has wide opening jaws.  
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USA
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Posted: 6/13/2023 11:29:08 AM EDT
[#24]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By QtrHorse: For general firearms work, most any 4-5in low cost vise will work. What you will get with a cheap vise is not buttery smooth action, the vise may move a little under load, you may have to retighten the lever/ screw after a little force is applied, the jaws may not perfectly align and you won’t be able to use it as an anvil in most cases. I have a few vises set up. One is massive for big torque items (don’t use it for firearms) and you can use it as an anvil, the second is a general purpose 5in vise and the one I use for firearms work is a very old Craftsman 3.5in. It is a fantastic little vise that has wide opening jaws. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/278288/IMG_4169-2849810.jpg https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/278288/IMG_4405-2849811.jpg Nice set up! That looks like the same system that Ultimate re loader guy uses. Did you make that yourself, use a router etc? Where did you purchase the tracks and other materials? |
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Posted: 6/26/2023 5:55:42 PM EDT
[Last Edit: QtrHorse]
[#25]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Milspec99: Nice set up! That looks like the same system that Ultimate re loader guy uses. Did you make that yourself, use a router etc? Where did you purchase the tracks and other materials? Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Milspec99: Originally Posted By QtrHorse: For general firearms work, most any 4-5in low cost vise will work. What you will get with a cheap vise is not buttery smooth action, the vise may move a little under load, you may have to retighten the lever/ screw after a little force is applied, the jaws may not perfectly align and you won’t be able to use it as an anvil in most cases. I have a few vises set up. One is massive for big torque items (don’t use it for firearms) and you can use it as an anvil, the second is a general purpose 5in vise and the one I use for firearms work is a very old Craftsman 3.5in. It is a fantastic little vise that has wide opening jaws. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/278288/IMG_4169-2849810.jpg https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/278288/IMG_4405-2849811.jpg Nice set up! That looks like the same system that Ultimate re loader guy uses. Did you make that yourself, use a router etc? Where did you purchase the tracks and other materials? I bought two pcs of this Heavy Duty T-track from Amazon. The plate is 1in thick Acetal/ Delrin. I work in the plastics industry and have easy access to most plastics. HDPE would be cheaper and work just as well. I routed a channel into my workbench top and then screwed the heavy duty T-track inside the routed channel. Went down to Lowe’s and bought the correct length bolts and pass thru twist knobs. More pics of the setup. I use a couple different small Panavise vises/ heads to work on Gasblock/ gas tube installs, trigger pack work and handgun frames. Most of the Panavise vises have non marring jaws.    |
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USA
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Posted: 7/13/2023 8:01:47 PM EDT
[#26]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By QtrHorse: I bought two pcs of this Heavy Duty T-track from Amazon. The plate is 1in thick Acetal/ Delrin. I work in the plastics industry and have easy access to most plastics. HDPE would be cheaper and work just as well. I routed a channel into my workbench top and then screwed the heavy duty T-track inside the routed channel. Went down to Lowe’s and bought the correct length bolts and pass thru twist knobs. More pics of the setup. I use a couple different small Panavise vises/ heads to work on Gasblock/ gas tube installs, trigger pack work and handgun frames. Most of the Panavise vises have non marring jaws. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/278288/IMG_4170-2864692.jpg https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/278288/IMG_4444-2864700.jpg https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/278288/IMG_3776-2864701.jpg Thanks for sharing all the detail. That's awesome! |
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Posted: 9/16/2023 12:00:45 AM EDT
[#27]
There are just waaaayy too many perfectly good Wiltons, Starrett-Athols, Reeds, and Columbians to be had at garage sales, FB marketplace, Craigslist, and eBay to consider modern Chinesium. I just got another like new, modern production Wilton 1745 for $280 shipped on eBay a month ago. Most old Reeds and Columbians go for much less.
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NY, USA
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Posted: 9/19/2023 10:10:34 PM EDT
[#28]
You should be able to find an old 3” Wilton Bullet from the 70’s in great condition for under $200. And thats blasted and painted. Unrestored they can be had all day long in the area of $125.
You can do a lot of stuff with a 3” Wilton bullet vise. In my garage I have a 5” and a 3”. I bought the 5” about 6 years ago on craigslist for $350. All original with only minor surface rust. The 3” I paid $100 on ebay and it was cleaned and painted with a new set of jaws. Two years ago. I have yet to find any project I wanted a larger or smaller vise than the 3” & 5” pair. |
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Posted: 11/19/2023 7:10:38 PM EDT
[#29]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By airgunner: I was in the same spot a few years ago. I've got a nice heavy duty Wilton beast of a vice in the garage but wanted something for the gun room and ended up going with this one...Capri tools 4" forged steel bench vice Yes it chienesium but it's a good vice and more then enough for AR gunsmithing  |
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