Dont buy Harbor Freigh vise!

[Hot_Wheels]

So yea.. I bought a Harbor Freight vise, used it maybe 10 times? It broke already! It was getting hard to turn, then one day it just snapped! I thought the worm gear shattered. Turned out the bolt which holds the slide snapped. seemed like a easy fix. WRONG!! turns out the worm gear was bent in 2 spots. Any ideas if this can be fixed? I tried with a hammer but its hard to find the high spots. It seems like there is 2 bends. If i had another vise i could put it in and try bending the opposite way? Can i get a replacement gear? I bought this over a year ago so i have no receipt. Maybe I should just invest in a good vise? Any recommendations?

here is where the bolt broke i replaced


bent screw/worm gear

[txranger14]

sure its not an angle grip lol? sucks to hear that man. buy a new one just like that and return the broken one...or if you want to be all "honest" about it, get a better one. i would think youd be able to order a replacement worm for it tho.

[Hot_Wheels]

i was thinking of returning it as well and buying the warranty this time lol.

[txranger14]

didnt think u could return it without the receipt. i bought a 6 dollar c-clamp there to compress the pistons on brake changes. screwed it in twice and it snapped. i didnt even return it. i did test its ability to be a boomerang tho.

[bhazard]

Everything from HF eventually becomes a makeshift hammer.

[zoom zoom]

I know you can walk in with a broken socket, no receipt, and they'll grab one off the shelf and trade you. If its a lifetime warranty tool they should do the same? Thanks for the warning about the vise tho, i got lucky and found a 6" at a yard sale.. Dont know what brand it is but ive beat the snot out of it and it's still working.

[F3BZ]

a good vise is one of those tools that should be considered a lifetime investment, not an investment in china. wilton is pretty much "the" vise.

[drddan]

a good vise is one of those tools that should be considered a lifetime investment, not an investment in china. wilton is pretty much "the" vise.

^ This

[Larry Hampton]

When you search craigslist for a new one, search both vise and vice, and sometimes clamp. Trust me.

[scitzz]

Everything from HF eventually becomes a makeshift hammer.

They have some higher end stuff as well that isn't bad, but then you pay about as much as you do for any other quality tool. I know the earthquake 1/2 inch air gun I have I bought for about 90 bucks 5 or 6 years ago never gives me a problem, and I have beat the snot out of that thing. You have to know how to shop them though.

Chalk me up as another vote for a Wilton, though. Better than anything at HF.

[Safety Guy]

When shopping HF, first go online and look up the tool you're interested in and check the reviews. HF appears to allow anyone to post their experiences with tools honestly and you will find that some tools are very low rated. Also, some are highly rated. Be sure to read all reviews (or at least a dozen or so from each end if there are over fifty reviews) so you can see what folks do to prep the tools, or how they fail. Then you can make a more informed choice.

I've bought two vises from HF, and both were reasonably rated. One was a small multi-angled one, and the other was their wood vise. The vises I read the reviews on indicated that the metal castings and sometimes the parts were not very good quality and would break. Because of the low ratings, I would not recommend buying a heavy duty vise from HF.

In reading the reviews, you will find that many folks tell how they prepped or modified the HF products into ones that worked better or smoother and in their opinion, were worth the money. Often, there will be recommendations on how to improve certain tools, like their 12 ton press (using better bolts and nuts, with washers, etc.).

One product from HF I was very disappointed with was their McPherson strut spring compressor. It worked well enough on a small unit I did but did not work at all on another. The hooks just don't seem to be shaped right. Not recommended!


I see Wilton vises in many of the service areas of OSU campus buildings, and have drooled over getting one for many years now. They're made in the USA and I think I'll wait to get one used from CL.

Karl