Cheaply Made Chinese Garbage

[TOOLMASTER]

i would be more worried about everything glowing in the dark...

 

[mikey]

Yes...we have both Craig's List, and it's more popular equivalent, Kijiji. There's a few 6" ones around, but nothing in 8" or bigger. You guys have it good down in the US with the abundance of product availability, both new and used. Here in Canada, our entire population amounts to that of the state of California, spread out over a huge land area.....and over half of that population is concentrated in 3 major cities. Unfortunately, I don't live near one of the major 3 centers. I'm in the capital city of my province, and we only have somewhere between 750 and 800 thousand people. Stuff does pop up now and again, and I'm constantly watching. One has to be patient and jump on stuff when it pops up if you live here.

Good luck with your search. That small a population lends a new meaning to the word "rare".

 

[blacksmithden]

I am not familiar with Princess Auto, but know Harbor Freight very well. There is one within two miles of my house. Ever since I started reading every word of ALL the reviews on the EXACT part number I contemplated buying, I have been happy with every purchase I have made there. The last thing I did not do that with was a vise. I read the reviews after I got home with it. The reviews were horrible. Opened the box and found a broken off jaw in the box. Tightened down the vise gently and the jaw fell off. LOTS of those reviews. So, I took it back in the unopened box. Your Princess Auto vise:
http://www.princessauto.com/en/detail/8-in-fixed-base-mechanic-s-vise/A-p8085755e
has only two reviews, both pretty bad. There would be 50-100 reviews here on a HF vise. HF is now listing how many stars items have in their ads. Worthless. Some people give it five stars and have never opened the box. Others give one star and have no idea what it is for or how to use it. Read every word of every review and you will know that product better than the store manager does.

Good point on the reviews. I just posted one of my own. We'll see if they edit it, or don't actually put it up after moderation.

Ok for a light duty hobbiest, but that's about it.


I bought this thing this morning when I was in a rush. I didn't open the box until I took a break for lunch. The first thing that jumps out at you is how tiny...yes..the only word to use is tiny...the handle is TINY. It's also WAYYYY to close to the body of the vise. For 3/4 of it's length, I could get my fingers in behind it, but that was all, and my backs of my fingers were pushed up against the body of the movable jaw body. Hummm...that's really strange that they would do that. That's when I flipped it over. Ooooookay.....NOW I see why they put such a sucky handle setup on it. They don't want you putting any real torque on this thing. The threaded rod is only about 3/4" thick, and it goes through an omega sign shaped, insanely high, stood off bit of casting that's only about 1 1/2" long. I'm surprised it survived being drilled and threaded. LOL. My 5" piece of junk Canadian Tire vise could stand up to more pressure than this thing without breaking a sweat. I thought...nope...I'm not even going to take the time to drill new holes in the bench for this one. Back in the box, and back to the store. I'd rather spend 6 times as much on one good vise than have to dismount and drive 6 cheap ones back to the store...even if they were under warranty. After 29 years in the mechanical repair game, you get to know what's actually going to cost you more money in the end.

✘ No,
I do not recommend this product.

 

[TonyL]

To some extent, we all enjoy the benefits (and detriments) of very affordably-priced products (and services). As I choose my first metal lathe (with the generous support of this forum), I see something of a paradox that being an inexpensive, relatively high precision instrument. It looks like I am likely to cheerfully dump 2k-plus on something that thank God my livelihood doesn't depend on it. It appears that many of you are making very some impressive objects with such products. When I observe what you folks are doing with these lathes; I am actually looking forward to my purchase and "risk" . Some very nice folks on a very highbrow forum admit to using these less expensive, overseas, lathes with much success (via PM of course LOL).

 

[mikey]

What is even more impressive is the work many guys do on machines that are decades old and worn. In the end, it's the operator that makes the difference. Of course, that takes time and experience so the sooner you jump in the sooner you'll be able to do the same.

 

[JimDawson]

In the end, it's the operator that makes the difference.

:+1:

 

[savarin]

Its the world of outsourcing in search of profits at any cost that is the root cause.
The chinese will produce the product at the price range you want.
How much an hour do you want to be paid? At that wage cost can the item be sold cheaply and still make a profit.

 

[ericc]

Unfortunately, we live in a new era in which nothing can be trusted. Old folks tell me that it used to be like this in the good ol' days, and the youngsters incorrectly think it was better back then because all the junk has been thrown away, and only the good products remain.

From your name, it appears that you are a blacksmith. Hello brother. I had a similar problem to yours, so I added a few more tools. Cheap vises don't like pounding. Get a post vise. You probably already have one. Cheap vises do not like squeezing hard. An arbor press is good; a hydraulic press is even better. A cheapo Harbor Freight hydraulic press can outsqueeze a big expensive Wilton bullet machinist vise. Cheap vises do not grip well for filing or hacksawing. Use softer jaws or jaw inserts. A lot of this stuff can be collected from places other than the store especially if you are a blacksmith (and especially if you have a reliable striker and welder).

 

[dlane]

The chi hydraulic HF 20 ton press I have is crap also , the holes in the legs are not drilled in the same locations so the press table is not square with the ram . What a waste,starting to really hate wall st.

 

[Superburban]

The chi hydraulic HF 20 ton press I have is crap also , the holes in the legs are not drilled in the same locations so the press table is not square with the ram . What a waste,starting to really hate wall st.

If it is that one side is off by the same amount, you could make a small spacer to fit under the table on that location. Mine has been good.

Unfortunately, we live in a new era in which nothing can be trusted. Old folks tell me that it used to be like this in the good ol' days, and the youngsters incorrectly think it was better back then because all the junk has been thrown away, and only the good products remain.

At least for a while, you could judge a product my the name on the front, but no that is not even a good indicator. Even someone elses experience is not a good rule to go by. Most places make stuff up in large batches to keep costs down. Take the HF press above, one year it could be made by a factory in xyz china, and the next batch could be made in lower middle of no where china.

Its truly buyer beware now days.