Eclipse 9 inch wood vice

[chook]

I have purchased an Eclipse 9 inch wood vice from Mcjing. It cost me $85 plus $25 delivery. What I say needs to be understood in the context of the short time I have had it. It has yet to stand the test of years. But my initial impressions are as follows.

I wanted a big heavy vice and it is certainly that. 16 kg of cast iron. The finish is good and the castings are cleanly done. No visible rough bits. I did not want a quick release vice since I rarely have need of this. I am not impatient and the few times I would need it made the feature unnecessary. But almost all bigger vices have it. So the first thing I did was to get rid of the quick release. A short spring and a washer and the screw is permanently engaged and the chance of the vice slipping unexpectedly is reduced to almost zero. The jaws open easily and hold tight. For $110 I have got a new well made (or so my current experience suggests) vice with plenty of capacity.

Mcjing sent the thing quickly and if the vice continues to work as it is now, I will be a happy chap. The alternatives were more expensive with no certainty of better performance. The Groz from Carbatec seems to have issues with the quick release and the record was closer to 270 dollars.

[chook]

Just after I bought this one I also bought another 9 inch vice from Hare and Forbes. It was even better made in my opinion. Both vices have had several months of work and both continue to be very good value.