Looking for good add-vise?

ByPaul Sellers

Veritas product hits the spot.

A good vise is a third hand and is as important to the bench as the bench is to the hand tool workshop. Trouble is it can be quite hard to find a good vise since domestic makers began importing from Asia or exported their tooling there. We ordered vises made in Czech Republic from Veritas for the school workbenches in the USA and over the past two weeks I have been using one on my demonstration bench both at the woodworking shows and also at the school. Of all of the bench vises I have used this one seems to me to be about the best I have used. It has a large capacity at 9″ wide and an opening after wooden jaws are fitted of around 12″. The mechanism operating quick release is fast, easy and accurate and simple to use. It is a heavy duty vise all around, which I particularly like for my benchwork. We will try them out at the school over the months but I can already recommend it of you are looking for a good vise. Not sure of the product code and price as yet but will add info later.

8 Comments

  1. Just a bit of correction. There is no Czechoslovakia anymore, there is the Czech Republic (capital Prague) and Slovakia (cabital Bratislava), two separate countries now in Mid-East Europe. Most probably the vises are Czech, they also make the Narex chisels.
    Thanks.
    Norbert

    1. Thanks Norbert. I will make the correction and try to remember. I really appreciate this. How are you doing by the way?

  4. Hi Paul,
    you write “the mechanism operating quick release is fast, easy and accurate and simple to use”. Would you say it is better then the quick release mechanism found on the record 52 vise?
    If I understand correctly, turning it 2 times to release the vise seems a bit more effort then just pulling the leaver, no?
    And how much capacity would you recommend to get? They come in 210mm (94€), 342mm (119€) and 395mm (134€).
    Thank you for your add-vise 🙂

    1. I get used to the reverse turn QR very quickly and I would say that I actually prefer it. if I could get one with the OLD Record qualities I would get that over the lever type. As far as size goes bigger is best when it comes to vises I think.

  5. Hi Paul,
    you write “the mechanism operating quick release is fast, easy and accurate and simple to use”. Would you say it is easier to use than the quick release on the regular Record 52 vises? Turning backwards 2 times seems to be more complicated than just pulling the knob, no?
    Do you have any recommendation on the capacity? They come in 210mm (94€), 342mm (119€) and 395mm (134€).
    Thank you for your add-vise 🙂

    1. Hello Andrej,
      I am not sure whats happening with this, I have answered it before.
      I do like the York vises. We installed 20 of them in different benches and I would prefer them over the Record mechanism. It is no problem using the reverse turn and then clamping. i think that this is better than the lever and easier on the hands. The problem I found with the York vises is that the cast block that locks on the thread of the vise starts to crumble after about 30 hours work. Whereas York were willing to change out the mechanism, we had to do the work and the parts were of the same quality as the old with no improvement. I would buy a secondhand Record over any other or look for a Jorgensen if in the US.
      Re size, I like big vises and what holds a lot will hold a little. Nothing less than 225mm for me.

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