# Kurt DX6 vise, anyone have one?



## Sendit (Feb 17, 2017)

D688 aren't made anymore but still can parts. D688 and DX6 are the same price, just wanted some feedback from people who have used DX6 or both.


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## rewilfert (Apr 12, 2017)

I'll be in the market soon for one of these as well.  I had looked at the D688 about a year ago and just noticed they now have the DX6 to replace it.  I'd love to hear about experiences with this newer model as well.


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## Sdmf5150 (Apr 13, 2017)

I just got mine and love it. I have two 675s at work and it's every bit as good. Actually I like how they give you more mounting options, by going through the center of the vice. I also like how the vise is more streamlined and the cutout in the back to help in lifting it on and off the table.


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## rewilfert (Apr 13, 2017)

That's great to hear, thanks for the feedback.  The prices seem to be all over the place.  I'm wondering if any places will have some sales around Memorial day or 4th of July.  I can easily wait that long.  The best I've seen so far is about $470 shipped.


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## Sdmf5150 (Apr 13, 2017)

My local tool place sells it for 495. I've seen prices of 580 and higher not including shipping.  That's insane.  When i walked in and saw they had them back in stock, I wasn't expecting to hear 495. I said I'll take it! Haha!


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## rewilfert (Apr 13, 2017)

Well...  I looked at the coupon I have and it excluded workholding items in the fine print.  That being the case, the lowest total price I've found is about $510.  It seems like that's probably the best I'm going to do until a holiday sale comes along.


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## darkzero (Apr 13, 2017)

If I was in the market for one & saw one for $470 shipped or $495 I'd hop on it. Kurts brand new are very rarely discounted, especially on new models.

All Industrial has them on sale for $520 + free shipping. And for first time subscribers you can get a 10% off coupon. Not sure if they have restrictions on the coupon though.

KBC has them for the full going rate, $587. They just had a $100 off $500 sale earlier this month. I don't have the email anymore so I'm not sure if there were restrictions. Maybe they'll have another sale soon.


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## Sdmf5150 (Apr 14, 2017)

I got mine from Hemly tool. Fortunately It's local to me.  It's the price of shipping that hurts unfortunately. UPS guys must hate delivering this stuff haha!


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## rewilfert (Apr 14, 2017)

darkzero said:


> If I was in the market for one & saw one for $470 shipped or $495 I'd hop on it. Kurts brand new are very rarely discounted, especially on new models.
> 
> All Industrial has them on sale for $520 + free shipping. And for first time subscribers you can get a 10% off coupon. Not sure if they have restrictions on the coupon though.
> 
> KBC has them for the full going rate, $587. They just had a $100 off $500 sale earlier this month. I don't have the email anymore so I'm not sure if there were restrictions. Maybe they'll have another sale soon.




All Industrial is where I thought I had the best price, but the 10% off coupon couldn't be applied to work holding tools. 

I see that KBC has them on sale for $498 right now, but that's before tax and shipping charges.


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## johnnyc14 (Apr 14, 2017)

I bought one from KBC at Christmas time. Compared to the Magnum brand Chinese vise I was using this thing is amazing. All the surfaces are dead straight and square. When I got the Magnum vise I had to spend a few hours milling the base and both jaws flat and square. The Magnum was basically a knock off of an older style Kurt 6" vise but without the quality. The DX6 has a lot of new features compared to the Magnum. The jaws are 6" wide on both but the DX6 jaws open to 9" where the Magnum only opens to 6.5". The mounting keys on the Magnum are like older Kurt vises, they are square and fasten to the bottom of the vise with screws. I actually like this design better than the DX6 keys which are round and fit into the vise with no fastener. They use an o-ring to hold them in. The round holes for the keys are 5/8" which works well for my mill as it has 5/8" t-slots but for smaller mills it would require a stepped diameter key. I was going to buy the keys from Kurt but they are ridiculously expensive ($73 USD) so I just copied them using 5/8" round 4140 tool steel rod. I machined the o-ring groove and drilled a 1/8" hole through them lengthwise to allow the air to escape as they are inserted into the blind holes. That hole make them easy to remove it they get stuck, just use a compressed air blower into the hole and they pop right out. I made up a couple of dedicated hold down bolt/t-nuts from 5/8" bolts and some flat steel plates welded together.
Another difference is the way the moveable jaw is closed. On the Magnum the jaw gets pushed closed by the screw with all the force being absorbed at the front of the vise against a  hardened thrust washer and the screw is only supported on that end. The DX6 pulls the jaw closed from the rear against a thrust bearing and the screw is supported at both ends. It is so much smoother to use and I'm sure you get a lot more clamping force with less effort. When the jaws close together they are perfectly aligned every time.
The DX6 has the 2 traditional mounting holes on the flanges on each side of the body but it also has 4 more mounting holes machined and counter sunk for socket head cap screws that make possible many more mounting options. Those mounting holes are covers with some cool little caps and held in with o-rings. I am very impressed with the quality of the vise. It cost double what I paid for the Magnum but I think it is worth every penny. I only wish I hadn't wasted the money I spent on the Magnum. I still use the Magnum occasionally because it has a swivel base which I didn't buy for the DX6, again because it costs crazy money($420 USD)



































































John


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## Sdmf5150 (Apr 14, 2017)

I like how the side mounts are tucked into the side of the vise more than the older design. Definitely a great vise


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## darkzero (Apr 14, 2017)

Wow, that's a nice looking vise! Kurt vises has been copied so long it's great to see these changes. I wonder how long toll this one gets copied. 

What are the offset holes for on the bottom toward the front & rear?

Also by the mounting flanges, one end is milled. Do you know what that is for?


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## johnnyc14 (Apr 14, 2017)

I'm not really sure what all the extra holes are for but they are 5/8" so they fit the keys. You could use them for odd angle mounting set ups I guess. That one milled flat beside the mounting flange slot has an alignment line for the optional swivel base zero mark. My Magnum vise has one too but of course it was a couple of degrees off zero.


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## rewilfert (Apr 14, 2017)

That's a great write up!  It makes me want to go buy one sooner than I need it just so I can sit it on my bench and look at it...


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## johnnyc14 (Apr 14, 2017)

I guess if all else fails I could read the owners manual. The reason for the round "sine keys" instead of square keys is so the vise can be mounted at odd angles and the sine key holes are 2 different sizes to work on metric or imperial size t-slots. Some are 5/8" (.625") and some are 16mm (.624"). This picture is from the owner manual.







The Kurt sine keys are square on the end that fits into the mill table t-slot. the ones in this pic are 5/8" round by 11/16" square and are $73 plus shipping!!


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## johnnyc14 (Apr 14, 2017)

Sdmf5150 said:


> I like how the side mounts are tucked into the side of the vise more than the older design. Definitely a great vise



It's about 1.5" narrower overall than the Magnum vise.


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## johnnyc14 (Apr 14, 2017)

rewilfert said:


> That's a great write up!  It makes me want to go buy one sooner than I need it just so I can sit it on my bench and look at it...



Yeah, it's so pretty I almost hate to use it!


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## sanddan (Apr 14, 2017)

I like the idea of having the sine keys for setting different angles. I have a 688 and an older D60. Kurt makes a great product.


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