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Alan K -- Here's what I posted on another board a few weeks back, it seems to fit here. I'd add that my Chinese swivel vise is a 5-inch model that cost me $39, it's worked well for me but I use a vise as a workholder clamp, not as an anvil. Mark C and All -- I just grabbed my 1999 Rutland catalog to see what they are selling in the way of vises. There's quite a spread. Low end is a Columbian Americana "Import-Fighter" model; 4 1/2 inch jaw width that opens to 5 inches, weighs 13 pounds, and costs $45. Next up is a no-name vise, claimed to be built from Meehanite castings. 4 inch jaw width, opens to 4 inches, weighs 26 pounds, and costs $50. A Chinese "rotating" vise with 4 inch jaws opens to 3 1/2 inches, weighs 52 pounds, and costs $63. A Bison 4 inch opens to 4 inches, weighs 27 pounds, and sells for $73. A Yost 4 inch vise opens to 6 1/2 inches, weighs 54 pounds, and goes for $219. A Wilton machinists' vise with 4 inch jaws opens to 6 1/2 inches, weighs 61 pounds, and costs $408. The Columbian machinist's vise with 4 inch jaws opens to 6 inches, weighs 46 pounds, and costs $506. These are all swivel-base models; the more expensive vises are also available for a bit less money with fixed bases. Needless to say, the fixed-base models also weigh a bit less and are almost certainly a bit stronger. Since the focus of these question and comments seems to be on Wilton, I need to add that Rutland shows 4 Wilton vise lines, but only the machinist's vise comes in a 4 inch jaw width. So let's look at the Wilton 4 1/2 inch jaw vises. The Wilton 4 1/2 inch Utility Workshop vise is made with a 30,000 psi tensile strength body casting, opens up to 4 inches, weighs 16 pounds, and costs $66. (This vise has a square body.) The Wilton 4 1/2 inch Tradesman Vise is made with 60,000 psi castings, opens to 4 inches, weighs 33 pounds, and costs $244. The Wilton 4 1/2 inch Machinists' Vise opens to 7 1/2 inches, weighs 72 pounds, and costs $484. 60,000 psi castings. The Wilton 4 1/2 inch Combination Pipe and Bench Vise opens to 6 inches, weighs 77 pounds, and costs $582. Also 60,000 castings. For what it's worth, the Columbian 8-inch machinist's vise opens to 12 inches, weighs 184 pounds, and sells for $2,588. The question we need to ask ourselves is this: How much am I willing to pay for a vise to do what I need to do? It's clear from the above comparisons of 4 inch vises that Wilton, which owns Columbian, makes everything from low-end to top-end vises. It should go without saying, but the top-end vises will hold up to service that would destroy the bottom-end models, although the bottom-end vise may hold up for decades under light-duty use. Me? I have 3 bench vises. A $20 4-inch Japanese Craftsman (somewhere between 15 and 20 years old), a $40, 3 year old Chinese swivel vise, and a 4-inch Record. (The Record still lives in its box, but it was such a good deal I couldn't pass it up.) If I needed a superior-quality vise today, I'd take a good hard look at Yost and at Starrett before plunking my money down. These companies have been making high-quality vises for a long time, even if they don't have "glamor" names. John
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