Fireball vise

[Flynth]

He's trying really hard to make one in the US. However, it's been more than difficult. In Taiwan, there's a factory that can make them

In the US, it requires shipping an incomplete vise to *four* different factories. So, yeah, the price is much higher for the US made vise ($3,800 vs $1,800). That was from memory, and he goes into detail in one of the videos.

https://fireballtool.com/products/fireball-hardtail-vise-deposit-for-pre-order-usa-only.

I think it's decent value at $1,800. Not cheap, but there's nothing like it on the market. See his video where he purposely destroys a Wilton and other "high end" vises.

I've seen his videos since. Yes, it is very good there are still people like him trying to make stuff work against adversity.

In a way it is easier to bring manufacturing to an undeveloped country/region, than bring it back to a place that "moved beyond". Back when I was in school the most favored economic theory was that there are "levels" of development for entire regions/countries/continents. The lowest one is natural resource extraction, then manufacturing, then services , then "information technology" at the very top(extremely simplified). With it being implied the higher levels are better than lower because they bring better margins, more profit, consequently they pay more to the average person, people have a higher standard of living, more free time, the society advances. This guides various local governments to favor certain types of business activity.

As a result some people view manufacturing as something backwards. "No, I don't want a factory here, it will pollute the environment, pay people the minimum wage and go bust in 2 years. Better build an innovation business park."

Also manufacturing can be "backward". One can save money by not using safety equipment (in places where employees can't do anything about it), by using polluting processes and squeezing extra hours for free from desperate people that are already paid minimum wage. We have (mostly enforced) laws in place that prevent it. So it costs more to manufacture here (as in developed countries).

So in light of the above it is no surprise bringing back manufacturing is extremely hard. Personally I think the first step has to be changing people's minds about the value it brings to local economy. The problem is that to bring that value one has to make high margin products: medical/aerospace/research stuff, high end tools etc, and there is only so much of those products economy requires.

 

[pontiac428]

...higher levels are better than lower because they bring better margins, more profit, consequently they pay more to the average person, people have a higher standard of living, more free time, the society advances...

Maybe in Utopia, that's how it works. That's how it should work, but the part that you missed is where capitalists recover their investments and some profit, but that's not enough, they want more profit, so nobody gets higher pay, nobody gets a higher standard of living (except for the elite shareholder), and society doesn't need to advance in order for me to realize more and more profit. That's America, baby, I get mine and the rest of y'all be damned.

 

[Flynth]

Maybe in Utopia, that's how it works. That's how it should work, but the part that you missed is where capitalists recover their investments and some profit, but that's not enough, they want more profit, so nobody gets higher pay, nobody gets a higher standard of living (except for the elite shareholder), and society doesn't need to advance in order for me to realize more and more profit. That's America, baby, I get mine and the rest of y'all be damned.

Well, I'm not saying I agree with it 100%. I'm saying that's what the most popular and taught in schools at the time economic theory was.

It was 1990s in freshly out-of-communism Poland, with it's 20% unemployment rate, entire industry purposefully made bankrupt so it can be sold to "friends" for peanuts etc. Of course people that see the factory their father used to work at for decades going bankrupt and being sold to "investors" for $1 and a promise to pay back what it owes, then said investors liquidate all assets for few million $ and disappear (I kid you not) have to be told, "this manufacturing, it is old stuff, uneconomical, polluting, we're better off without it, we're transitioning to service economy".

I mentioned it specifically to show how "aged" it got. Globalisation too is a fundamental part of the same theory and look what it got us. A dependency on autocratic regimes.

Also the idea of reliance on free market to supply critical goods in time of need was blown to smithereens during Covid and later supply chain problems. Even fairly recently (a year ago) I heard on the news a supposedly allied German federal state stealing pharmaceutical ingredients meant for Poland that landed in their port.

I wonder if they still teach the same thing in schools, or did it evolve?

Just to clarify, I'm not saying it is all bull****. The best lies are the ones that contain a grain of truth.

 

[Firstram]

Well, I'm not saying I agree with it 100%. I'm saying that's what the most popular and taught in schools at the time economic theory was.

It was 1990s in freshly out-of-communism Poland, with it's 20% unemployment rate, entire industry purposefully made bankrupt so it can be sold to "friends" for peanuts etc. Of course people that see the factory their father used to work at for decades going bankrupt and being sold to "investors" for $1 and a promise to pay back what it owes, then said investors liquidate all assets for few million $ and disappear (I kid you not) have to be told, "this manufacturing, it is old stuff, uneconomical, polluting, we're better off without it, we're transitioning to service economy".

I mentioned it specifically to show how "aged" it got. Globalisation too is a fundamental part of the same theory and look what it got us. A dependency on autocratic regimes.

Also the idea of reliance on free market to supply critical goods in time of need was blown to smithereens during Covid and later supply chain problems. Even fairly recently (a year ago) I heard on the news a supposedly allied German federal state stealing pharmaceutical ingredients meant for Poland that landed in their port.

I wonder if they still teach the same thing in schools, or did it evolve?

Just to clarify, I'm not saying it is all bull****. The best lies are the ones that contain a grain of truth.

Worth repeating!

 

[GeneT45]

Woot! I was beginning to think my pre-order had been lost in the shuffle, but I got my 'ready' notice today! Can't wait for that pile of awesome to land on my driveway.

GsT

 

[GeneT45]

Wow! I guess you have to see it in real life to appreciate it. This thing is HUGE!!! I need to weld a new baseplate to my vise-post before I can install it. I knew that part ahead of time - but it's still bigger than I pictured.

 

[GeneT45]

Tore it apart figuring it would be easier to lift into place in parts. The good news: the important machining looks great. In fact the roughest surfaces are the 'anvil' on top and the interface for the swivel. The bad news (not that bad) is that the swivel is attached from the bottom (in addition to the two large lock nuts) so I'll have to reassemble those two parts before I can drop it on the mounting plate (which I've only started to fab). Also good news - no leftover sand or grit in the works, and everything appears well lubricated.

GsT

 

[pontiac428]

Fireball sales called me on Friday and enticed me with an offer of $1700, freight included.

Instead of counting sheep, I've been counting vises.

I could get 3 new 6" Glacerns and a few extra chichis for that much trim.

 

[Dabbler]

I've seen his videos since. Yes, it is very good there are still people like him trying to make stuff work against adversity.

The results confirm my experiences with vises. We had both of the vises he destroyed in my High School, and they didn't last. Since we did not have Fireball in the early 70s, we had to resort to Record. Record vises managed to tough it out from student abuse. I don't think my 140 lb 6" Record vise is anywhere near as strong as the Fireball, but I'll never break it, and it cost me practically nothing in comparison to $1800 USD plus shipping (or in real money terms, $2380 CAD) It cost me gas money to go fetch it.

 

[aliva]

The results confirm my experiences with vises. We had both of the vises he destroyed in my High School, and they didn't last. Since we did not have Fireball in the early 70s, we had to resort to Record. Record vises managed to tough it out from student abuse. I don't think my 140 lb 6" Record vise is anywhere near as strong as the Fireball, but I'll never break it, and it cost me practically nothing in comparison to $1800 USD plus shipping (or in real money terms, $2380 CAD) It cost me gas money to go fetch it.

Agreed that's a lot of coin just to hold something.