Northern Industrial Vise - 6in., Bench Mount
4
5
4
4
6" Bench Vice 15336
6" Bench Vice 15336
I don’t normally submit reviews unless the product is a great value or a very poor value. In this case it’s the later. I purchased this item partially based on prior reviews, (and a generally good experience with Northern import products), but I feel like either some of the other comments were not related to this specific item, or the item I received was somehow missed in a quality control inspection. I am very aware that the item is not an American made “machine quality” industrial vice, and that the price reflects this fact, which is why I am not giving the product “no stars”. However, in my experience, when you special order an item (took two full weeks to arrive), and pay double what the import “in- store” model cost, you typically get a better piece of equipment that with some tweaking can get you a tool that will provide many years of satisfactory service at a bargain price. Not the case with the Northern 6” bench vice. This item was purchased to replace an existing imported vice that had served me well for 25 years, and had only cost ¼ of the amount, so I figured that if it lasted half as long then so be it. First off the dimensions of the vice are not as advertised, (they are close, but not as labeled), so if your needs are critical, then you need to confirm the actual dimensions. Second, the item was shipped with no grease at all (zero lubrication), and had to be completely dissembled to get it to even move. All the screws that hold that various parts were loose (not even hand tight), so that made disassembly easy (no tools necessary), but not exactly safe to anyone trying to operate the vice as intended. The main clamping screw with ACME threads, is not true (bent) so the vice has to be assemble with some loose play in order to be able to open and close the jaws. Also, all the chrome on the threads was falling off. Speaking of jaws, they are not parallel (+1/16” gap on one side when fully closed), and they rotate with respect to each other more that ½”. (see attached photo) The pipe jaws on the bottom do not line up well enough to hold anything and cannot be adjusted (older import vises had these adjustable), and the casting slag has not been ground away to allow them to grip anything. The other vice jaw on the bottom had fallen off in transport and had to be reattached. (see attached photo) I spent over two hours grinding, adjusting, shimming, lubricating and refitting parts thinking that I could transform this vice into a suitable shop vice, but with very limited success. I have decided to start saving now for a more expensive name brand model, (as well as looking for used industrial models) to replace this one. If I got a “do over”, I would take the item back for store credit, and save for a better model.
April 22, 2013
Excellent value
Without a doubt, this industrial 6in is well worth your investment. The added pipe cutouts add to the versitility of this vise. It's the same price as the Northern brand 5-in, so I would highly suggest you grab this one over the other.
April 21, 2008
Great price!
For the price, this is a great buy for the garage.
The adjustments on the pipe side of the vice are a little goofy, but the swivel works smooth and locks well.
April 14, 2008
great vise for the price, very versitile.
March 8, 2007