Thoughts on this Kurt vise?

[GT-6 Racer]

Definite pass. Keep watching. They are out there. Especially these A50 casting vises. Old enough many times not recognized as Kurt. I got my last one at auction for 35$. It found a home on my Deckel FP3 after a visit with the surface grinder.

 

[Winegrower]

I really see no particular need for a Kurt vise for my work. I have a 6" import, as I recall about $130 with swivel table that I've checked every which way and it is good within less than a division on my 0.001" dial indicator. I previously had a 4" import that was not quite there, and I was able to machine it to where it was about the same one division, basically by turning it upside down and face milling the bottom. It didn't take much to be removed, and it was not hardened.

 

[ltlvt]

Pass . Its a $50 dollar vice in its shape

 

[ARC-170]

I really see no particular need for a Kurt vise for my work. I have a 6" import, as I recall about $130 with swivel table that I've checked every which way and it is good within less than a division on my 0.001" dial indicator. I previously had a 4" import that was not quite there, and I was able to machine it to where it was about the same one division, basically by turning it upside down and face milling the bottom. It didn't take much to be removed, and it was not hardened.

I thought the same, but would like them to match. The vise I have came with the mill and I'm surprised that 5" is not that common. It's the perfect size for the Rong Fu mill.

 

[ARC-170]

Pass . Its a $50 dollar vice in its shape

I agree. I think it's funny when sellers try to sell something like this for so much money when it's obviously worth way less. Epay takes a hefty cut, and shipping aint cheap, but sell it for what it's worth. Ebay doesn't tell you final sales prices if best offer was accepted, so I have no way of knowing what something like this actually sells for. I usually search for completed listings when buying or selling so I can pay or set a realistic price.

 

[G-ManBart]

The price ($275+$40 for shipping) seems high for a vise with no jaws (easy to make, but still...)

Proper jaws for a machine vise actually aren't all that easy to make. They're machined, then heat treated, annealed and then finish ground to fairly precise dimensions. If you have a local heat treat shop and access to a surface grinder they're not too bad, but I'd bet just paying the heat treater will be fairly expensive for a single set.

 

[GT-6 Racer]

Proper jaws for a machine vise actually aren't all that easy to make. They're machined, then heat treated, annealed and then finish ground to fairly precise dimensions. If you have a local heat treat shop and access to a surface grinder they're not too bad, but I'd bet just paying the heat treater will be fairly expensive for a single set.

4140PH makes decent semi-hard jaws, no heat treat necessary. Still needs surface ground though.

 

[sdelivery]

The Kurt vice company is your friend, they will sell parts but that one is to rough at that price.
Send them an offer as most people will not take on a vice in that condition, so it probably won't sell.
Find out what it would cost for your vice and a second to be ground and keep that in mind.
Keep in mind that these can be disassembled so the grind work is not rocket science

 

[GT-6 Racer]

Seeing these sort of prices makes me wonder if there is a business proposition in buying vices at auction and giving them a regrind and reselling them. What do you all think you would be willing to pay for a reconditioned 4,5, or 6” Kurt? I have everything to do the work except the time, but there’s the future…. The biggest problem I see is import vices at about 100$ regardless of quality. Thoughts?

 

[ltlvt]

My answer would be _ If the import vice and the Kurt were both cast across the pond in the same building and machined there also then imported to the USA with different badges on them would you still prefer the Kurt at 3 or 4 times the price. I never dreamed this kind of stuff could happen until I went to work for GM. Our Security guards drove a brand-new Chevy truck that had a chevy grille and a GMC tailgate. Because they both are assembled at the same time on the same assembly line. Of all the filters on the market that get sold one of the most popular ones is Fram who is owned by Allied Signal. Well Guess what? I managed the dept that made injection fuel filters for GM. AC Spark Plug The exact same filters I produced for GM With an A/C label on them Also got a Fram label on them and put into a Fram box. We also made filters for Purolator. And the list goes on and on and on. Several years ago, we had a Stanley Tool Plant here. It must be great to know that Snap-On Craftsman-Proto-and even Stanley were all made in the same plant. How do I know this is because I knew several Stanley employees and they told me the same thing. Also, one of the Tool makers that worked for me was the head of the Tool and Die shop for Stanley before he went to work for me and he told me the same thing. We just assume because a company originated in the USA it is owned by USA companies. Wrong. Before Chrysler was bought by Damler the 3 largest owners of stock were the Dushe Bank. Kuwait Investment corporation and the guy that owned Las Vegas. I think his name was something like Kevorkian. You would be surprised how much the Chinese own in our country. Not just real estate but Banks etc. Yes I know I went down the Rabit Hole but there is a reason we have been refered to as Chimerica. My understanding is that Bridgeport is only assembled in the USA now.

I edit this reply because I remember the how's of industry in today's environment. OEM factories are not the only choice for manufacturing any more. Each product has what is called a "Product Manager". I was once Product Manager, for Injection Fuel Filters. The product Manager has the final say in where a product is produced, and cost is always the heavy weight when making the decision. At the very end of my career, I worked on a team moving a product out of a Chasi plant in Kettering Ohio to Mexico. I reported to the Director of Manufacturing for all products worldwide. So, with that job he carried a very big stick. Even though he had all the manufacturing plants worldwide under his control the "Product Manager" of the specific product made all decisions of where the product was built. Compress all this down in today's industrial environment Manufacturing is considered a service to be bought from the lowest bidder. The actual customer of any product is Wall Street.