Vice Question.

[mpats]

Hi folks,

Whats the verdict on this wee vice, worth a punt at £50 https://www.gumtree.com/p/clamps-vices/olympia-heavy-duty-vice/1153673114

I've never hear of olympia as vice makers, hoping some of you more wordly guys might have some opinions on them.

Cheers.

 

[cumbriasteve]

It looks fairly robust but personally I don't think I would pay that much for it, have seen heavy original Records go for that and even less on occasions.

It's personal choice however, if that's the type you like then I am sure it will serve you well for many years.

 

[mpats]

Cheers Steve, Might be a bit cheeky and try him for £30. Or hang on to see if something else in the heavy duty range comes up. Not got anything that large, looking for something that can go on the welding bench when I finally move the workshop into the garage.

 

[decca]

Hi folks,

Whats the verdict on this wee vice, worth a punt at £50 https://www.gumtree.com/p/clamps-vices/olympia-heavy-duty-vice/1153673114

I've never hear of olympia as vice makers, hoping some of you more wordly guys might have some opinions on them.

Cheers.

Pad £25 for Mr Record 25 vice it looks a bit expensive to me. Go low and chance your arm.

 

[Pete.]

I wouldn't call it heavy duty TBH. The body is quite short and the moving jaw casting doesn't look to be a strong shape. The pipe jaws look great for ruining anything they touch.

 

[T0rnado69]

get the vice guru to have a look....
calling @MattF

 

[Screwdriver]

Looks like a cheap Chinese copy of a Swindens. Best to avoid. Clumsy and sloppy in use, it will have the strength of air dried clay. If you can find a Swindens, they make superb welding vices because you can rotate the position of an item while it's still being held solid.

If you can find one for under a ton, buy it. I am selling one of mine but I'll be asking a lot more for it.

S.

 

[mpats]

Pad £25 for Mr Record 25 vice it looks a bit expensive to me. Go low and chance your arm.

I wouldn't call it heavy duty TBH. The body is quite short and the moving jaw casting doesn't look to be a strong shape. The pipe jaws look great for ruining anything they touch.

Might give him a shout in a few days, if hes still got it he might be happy to get rid for a few quid. But then, I've never had a pipe jaw vice, might take the advice of the forum here, probably not what I'm looking for.

get the vice guru to have a look....
calling @MattF

That's the very man I was thinking of!

I have somewhere, buried in the deepest darkest recesses of the barn possibly, a dirty hunk which should be a large vice we rescued from a closed down quarry. If it's still there will see how it cleans up and see if it's worth using while I keep my eye out for something nice to bolt to the bench when I make it.

 

[mpats]

Looks like a cheap Chinese copy of a Swindens. Best to avoid. Clumsy and sloppy in use, it will have the strength of air dried clay. If you can find a Swindens, they make superb welding vices because you can rotate the position of an item while it's still being held solid.

If you can find one for under a ton, buy it. I am selling one of mine but I'll be asking a lot more for it.

S.

I recall the re-building the swindons thread, was a lot of work went into it! Might have to look a bit further afield than around Aberdeen!

 

[Screwdriver]

Are you looking for something in a large?

 

[mpats]

Are you looking for something in a large?

My first thought was "Jesus, I'm not building the titanic!"

That might be a little on the large side. I was having a look on the Swindends website, are their new ones any good, or should I be looking for an older one? Just wondering if they have suffered the decline in quality that sometimes occurs with modern versions.

I like the idea of a rotating head for welding, and the pipe vice looks like it would be handy, if |I can find the old lump in the barn to use as a general hitting stuff on vice.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Are you looking for something in a large?....QUOTE]

Jeez, I doubt I could lift that......

Is that a home-made scissors lift it's sitting on? If so, good job.

 

[MattF]

That Olympia is no different to the current offering you'll find in Machinemart. They have that style of vice for sale. If it's something you're not planning on wailing away on, then it should be fine. End of the day, treating pretty much any vice roughly, bar a leg vice, is going to bite you on the **** one day, so it's not specific to import gear.

I was having a look on the Swindends website, are their new ones any good, or should I be looking for an older one? Just wondering if they have suffered the decline in quality that sometimes occurs with modern versions.

If you can, hold out for an older one. There are pro's and con's for both, but the older style were of more robust design, and just generally of better design. The only downfall they have as such compared to the newer style is that they don't have a fully enclosed slide, but that's not really a consequential point. That design functioned perfectly well and lasted for donkeys, so obviously worked well. IMHO, they've lost the plot somewhat with the last two designs.

If you keep an eye out on Ebay, Gumtree etc., you'll drop across one at a decent price eventually.

 

[Screwdriver]

My first thought was "Jesus, I'm not building the titanic!"

That might be a little on the large side. I was having a look on the Swindends website, are their new ones any good, or should I be looking for an older one? Just wondering if they have suffered the decline in quality that sometimes occurs with modern versions.

I like the idea of a rotating head for welding, and the pipe vice looks like it would be handy, if |I can find the old lump in the barn to use as a general hitting stuff on vice.

I should let my second (1946) Swindens go. I was going to see if some of the WWII vehicle restorers would be interested. They were fitted to many vehicles, this one too has the "broad arrow" indicating ex military equipment.

It's the unbroken one and I have been hanging onto it incase my repair job failed. The repaired one has been painted and put into use on the welding bench. Looks like it's going to hold up.

Screwd.

 

[Screwdriver]

Jeez, I doubt I could lift that.....

Is that a home-made scissors lift it's sitting on? If so, good job.

The Record is way over 70 kg, about the same weight as my anvil!

The scissor lift is a bought item, it's for dirtbikes but always generates interest when it sneaks into a picture. Those springs snag the footrests and pull the bike down as the lift goes up. Really nice bit of kit for getting things up to bench height.

S.

 

[mpats]

Cheers for the replies guys, @MattF I shall keep an eye out for an older one. You never know, if @Screwdriver comes to decide to part with his other Swindens I might ask him how much he is looking for.
I'm not sure it will be in my price range, but if it comes up you never know!

I did see a lag vice on gumtree, might think about one of those if I end up making a wee forge (got an anvil sitting in the folks barn that it would be nice to get some use out of, so a leg vice would complement it nicely.

I shall keep my eyes open.

 

[MattF]

Leg vices are nice. Timeless classics, and good for a sound thrashing if needs be. Just remember with those though that once you get above 4", they're bleedin' heavy things to lug about, so have your Weetabix before you go pick it up. The 4" and possibly 5" aren't too bad, but a 6" is definitely a weighty beast.

 

[mpats]

So you're saying get one of the lads to help me lift it if I buy a nice big one! Their always up for a challenge!
I shall see if I come across something in the 4" region, I'll be honest I shouldn't need anything excessive, but having something that can take a bit of abuse would be good. Or maybe I should just use the right tool for the job!!!!!! First time for everything I suppose!

 

[Brad93]

I've got the same vice as the Olympia in that advert. It's a decent vice.