Thread: Z vise Revisited

Hey mate,
I was picked up one a few years ago before the wood bug fully had hold of me. I use it very sparingly these days, and am in the process of building a 'real' bench with other vices. If you want to borrow it for a while to see if it will fill your needs, you're more than welcome to.

Cheers
Gab

I got sucked in at the woodworking show a few years ago, paid $180 at the end of the show, full price was $250 I think and I doubt it's gone down. Used it once, been sitting in its box ever since. If you want it, how does $100 sound? I'm in Moorabbin.

I have had one for years. Not used much these days but a very useful bit of kit all the same.

Like Artme, I've had one for years - nearly 50 (bought from Nock & Kirby's). When I didn't have a proper vice, it was quite useful, but rarely used now.

Thanks for the replies guys, it seems to bear out what others have said in the past, useful when you have nothing else but doesn't compare with a proper bench. Elanjacobs, I am interested in your kit but am on the other side of Melbourne, I'll PM you or vice-versa and get a phone number and see what we can work out.

Like others I bought mine at the TWWS. Found it useful when I was working on site (I bought it for one particular job in mind). I have found it useful when I edging melamine shelves to hold the sheets upright while they are sitting on temporary bench (door on saw horses) while I trim the edges.

If you have a work bench a proper vice is best.

have mine for about 8 years now... Useful for small basic jobs.. but it is too flimsy for any serious squeezing, holding, pushing etc... the idea is great but material it is made from is not adequate... Used it few times then bought a proper vice and since then it is sitting in the box ...

I bought one of the original models back in the 80's at the Home Show or Wood Show in Melbourne. Like those above good tool but rarely used these days.

I bought one at the Adelaide Show a few years ago. Overpriced but there you go.

I have used it a LOT, mainly in home renovations.

Its versatility is that you can clamp it to any flat surface so just take an old door, a couple of saw horses and bingo, you have a portable work bench. In fact all you need is a plank of wood and it is sufficient.

When tiling I used it to hold the tile when cutting irregular shapes. I would mark up the tile, put it in the vice then use a small diamond wheel to cut out the shape. I kept a spray bottle handy and spritzed the tile to prevent chipout.

I also used it for cutting out irregular shapes in floating floor for infills.

I have not used it much recently and never in the shed since I have better vices on my work benches but will always come out when I am doing the renovation thing.

Would I buy one again, not at $250 or even $180. If it was under $100 and I was doing serious renovation work then probably. Definitely not for woodworking.

John

I have 2 old Swiss made ones, picked up at flea markets for ~ $30-50, and in v g condition, so not much used by original owners. I use one for shaping saw handles, a good height, and works well. Try flea markets/Gumtree/eBay for old ones, I suspect new ones are made in China.

Originally Posted by elanjacobs

I got sucked in at the woodworking show a few years ago, paid $180 at the end of the show, full price was $250 I think and I doubt it's gone down. Used it once, been sitting in its box ever since. If you want it, how does $100 sound? I'm in Moorabbin.

I would be interested in buying your Z vice if it is still for sale.

Sorry, it's gone

I bought one at a wood show, and I have been very happy with it. I have a workbench with a couple of decent vices on it, but there are those times when you want to clamp a big piece of wood all the way along the workbench, or you want to clamp it sideways, or you want to set up a table workbench in the backyard to work on stuff outside or offsite for the day. Will it replace a good workbench vice? No. Is it as strong or solid as a good workbench vice? Nope. It is really handy for all the wierd stuff that a normal bench vice won't do? Yup, sure is. As everyone else has said, it doesn't get used a lot, but I'm glad I bought it.

Originally Posted by surfdabbler

I bought one at a wood show, and I have been very happy with it. I have a workbench with a couple of decent vices on it, but there are those times when you want to clamp a big piece of wood all the way along the workbench, or you want to clamp it sideways, or you want to set up a table workbench in the backyard to work on stuff outside or offsite for the day. Will it replace a good workbench vice? No. Is it as strong or solid as a good workbench vice? Nope. It is really handy for all the wierd stuff that a normal bench vice won't do? Yup, sure is. As everyone else has said, it doesn't get used a lot, but I'm glad I bought it.

How much did you pay for it surfdabbler?