There are very few people I would walk across the street to meet but Mr. Pete is a national treasure.

Mr Pete, please do not stop making these videos....your insight and knowledge is one of the main reasons that I never miss an upload. 👍

The Best Vise? Easy, its the one you have in the shop!

Lyle, I thought I was alone in remembering the old Earl Scheib commercials. I remember hearing them in Phoenix when I was in grade school in the late 1950's.

My choice would be one of each. They look great. Personaly I have the old British made RECORD Vise’s and they are really good.

I am glad you showed the proper way to mount a vise, and great restore. My favorite is the one that is closest and works. I have both in the shop.

Please make more of these comparative videos. Who would have a better perspective on ordinary tools than an old H.S. chop teacher?

Both those vises are nice. I have both but prefer the Wilton.Thanks for the video Lyle 👍

I was a forklift mechanic for thirty years and my boss bought me a new Wilton for my service truck when I started. The company went out of business and I bought that vice from the sale (I was the only one who ever used it and treated it like it was my own) I absolutely loved that vice, unfortunately I had to sell it a few years ago when I became ill. I now have a small OLD Sears (not Craftsman) vice that was gifted to me by a friend, it is nothing like that old Wilton but much better than the import junk or beaten up stuff you see at the auction these days.

I like Record vices. Might be more of a UK item though. Also as a lefty most vices are mounted on the wrong edge of the workbench for me. At least mounted centrally everyone suffers.

I once found a 6” Wilton 746 in great shape in front of a pile of old washing machines, chain link fence, lawnmowers and other assorted junk at a scrapyard and purchased it for all of $3! All it needed was the swivel base, and I was able to purchase a replacement directly from Wilton for $27. She has given me 4 years of fantastic service thus far and I expect many, many more. I watched the Fireball Tools vise test video and was shocked to see how poorly the Wilton vises performed in comparison with many of the others considering how fantastic mine has been.

Another excellent edutainment video. I was glad to see you repaint the vises. They are now "restored".

I always had cheap vises, I was lucky to get a Wilton from my buddies uncle who said it was junk. I took it home cleaned it up and has been working fine the past 3 years.

Wilton, my grandfather had one on his bench his entire life, I have the vise on my bench It will be there till I die, and then my grandson will have it on his bench. He was a frugal man, a welder, he got the vise broken and free, he fixed the broken jaw with nickel welding rod to repair the casting, it has been in service for over 60 years since his repair, a testament to his skill. Miss you grandpa.

Watch out for Abom the vice and oil can horder!

Having taken high school shop in upstate NY, "Bubba" wasn't present in our shops,however,his Northern or Yankee cousin, "Primitive Pete" was certainly in attendance.

Perfect video. “An Earl Scheib special….Only I mask it”…. Good one! I’m guessing you were/are a beloved shop teacher.

There was a 6" Columbian in the garage which I grew up with on the farm, and a 6" Wilton in the shop where I worked as an adult for 20+ years. Both great Vises. The Wilton had the Pipe jaws which made it more useful, but both vises did their jobs well.

I finished my little restoration of my Wilton this morning. I used the same color and brand of paint that you used. When I originally watched your vid I wasn’t sure what color to do. But I really liked the color you did so I went with it. Love it! I polished all the handles, straightened one handle and used a light coat of grease to put it all back together. Everything It’s so nice and smooth now. It’s like brand new. I don’t have a mill so I had to use a file to get rid of some of the old hammer marks. Polishing the handles took the longest. It just looks nice to have them polished. It wasn’t totally necessary to do it. Although with them polished they just slip and slide right thru their holes which makes everything feel fine. Thanks again for making this video. It was inspiring for sure.

There is nothing boring about any of your videos. I enjoy each and every one of them and by the way I have almost caught up watching them since finding your channel. I look forward to seeing the notification of a new video from you each time it pops up. Keep doing what you are doing

I went back through your videos , on vise restore . Thank you for making these videos . I have just completely tore down my Columbian bench vise , and plan on a complete cleaning & painting . Thanks again , Mr. Pete .

Thanks Mr. Pete for all your videos. This is my second time watching this one.

I am spending way too much time spent trying to get caught up your videos. It is a heck of a legacy you have filmed. Thanks.

Interesting video, thanks. I have a 4in Columbian vise sold under a Craftsman badge purchased in the 80's. Still going strong. My favourite vise is a Wilton wood work vise with a swivel front jaw and unique quick release mechanism. I love this vise for the design. The Craftsman gets most of the use in my shop. Dave.

I Really Love Both! But i also really like this very old Craftsman vise i have (Made in the U.S.) Thanks for Sharing Lyle, hope you and your Wife have a Wonderful day! God bless.

Really great video of both the Wilton and Columbian !. My dad had an old Columbian vise in his shop and I am going to disassemble it as you did, inspect and reassemble andcpait with all I learned today. Thank- you.

I enjoy these videos were you find a everyday shop items and go through it in detail. Love to see how they went about making things.

Great comparison. I have a 20's vintage 3-1/2" Ridge vise (pre-Ridgid) that I recently restored. Very solid, well built vise.

Interesting comparison. I have used my 6" Craftsman vice for years and it has served me well. I also have some cheap Harbor Freight smaller vices and they do well enough, but I can feel the difference. And "student proof" is definitely a good selling point for almost anything! Thanks.

I have a 5" Athol vice on a swivil base that I like. It's built like the Columbian vice. It's heavily built though one downside is that it doesn't have replaceable jaws. The jaws in my vice are in good condition and I do take care not to damage them. I've never been comfortable using the "anvil" on any vice. The vice material really isn't suited for it and the surface gets bashed up and damaged even if you are careful. What I do is keep a homemade anvil made from railroad rail next to each vice. The other thing you can do is go to Horror Freight and get one of the magnetic parts holders for $1.50 and put it on the vice's anvil pad. This gives you a place to put the small parts you are working on and reduces the temptation to smack the anvil pad with a hammer. I noticed that HF will have a 15lb bench anvil on sale for $15 with their 25% off coupon on Monday. It's cast iron, but for $15 if you bash it up you're not out much. Blacksmiths will complain that steel rail does't make a good anvil. That's true, but it's much better than beating up your bench vice. While you wouldn't be too happy with a rail "anvil" next to the forge, it does pretty good on the shop bench for cold working small material. Cheers from NC/USA

I am grateful to have two old, beat up vises that came out of a weld shop, a Columbian and a Chas Parker, both are 4" size. Great video.

I did enjoy the video! I do use the swivel feature often. I noticed a 5" Wilton in the trash can at a friends house, retrieved and refurbished it. Bubba had bent the screw, handle and swivel handle. The base was broken in 5 places. Now giving me good service on my second workbench in my garage. I do like Wilton.

I’ve had a Wilton for years! It works great in my shop and keeps the chips out!

I really like the depth of that larger Wilton from your garage as well as the pipe jaws it has..that would be my favorite. On my bench is an old wilton bullet similar to the one you showed first. Thanks, Mr. Pete! :-)

Great video sir! Sounds like you were and Industrial Arts teacher. We didn't have "Bubba" we had Primitive Pete.

To All my Old Shop Teachers - THANK YOU! Thanks for all your videos which I watch religiously. Brings back a lot of memories.

Earl Scheib special , only I mask mine 🤣🤣🤣 great video, thanks

I have the exact same model Wilton Bullet.....and a big chinese vice with swivel pipe jaws. The Wilton is my favorite.

Retired aircraft toolmaker here. I have used Starret, Wilton, Parker and many more. A quality vise is a joy to use, a cheep one is a pain in the back side. I own vises made from the late 1800s post vise to the 6 inch Wilton Bullet made in the late 1980s. At the moment I have 7 mounted and ready for use not counting several milling or drill press and electronic use vises. Some reflect decades of use, others I have rebuilt. My FAVORITE vise is a quality one. I do like the enclosed screw on the Wilton bullet because it is VERY dificult to damage. My post vises also have enclosed screws. The Starret is a similar design to the Columbia in your video. Funny though, the Columbia post vise I have does feature an enclosed screw... well when closed anyway. When open it has the screw exposed. As to the machining of the "anvil" section of the vises you showed, uh, I would have just kissed them with a file to remove high spots and left them alone. If I need an anvil I have 4 mounted and ready for use ( I teach blacksmithing on the side, no collection here, the tools get used!)

This is great always knowledgeable and helpful tooling and operation is so fascinating and the quality of workmanship that went into the production, keep up the good work, thanks from Minnesota....

I liked what David Darnell said! I have a 4 1/2" Morgan, similar to the Columbian. It has been a great vise. I bought it at a yard sale 30 years ago. I also have a 3 1/4" Cheney Anvil & Vise No. 20 Pat. Nov. 18 1879. This was my Dads vise that he picked up in Chicago about 1930. It dose not have removable jaws. I have just drilled and taped holes and i'm in the process of making a couple jaws for it. Great video Lyle.

The Rust-oleum "hammered" paints give a nice OEM look to vises. My friend gave me a Craftsman vise that he refinished in Hammered Gray that l couldn't be more happy with.

I have a Columbian on my bench and I like it very much. I have never owned a Wilton bullet vice. Thanks for pointing out the pros and cons of both. I enjoyed this and learned something as well. Thank you.

Great video! I really enjoy watching all of your videos keep them coming!!!!!

Mr. Pete we had a wilton in our welding booth at work cant you imagine how many welds was on it but it still worked amazing.

THANK YOU...for sharing. No matter, just happy to have a vise. Earl would be proud :)

Not boring at all,really informative. Thanks

The Wilton Tool Manufacturing Co. was at the Chicago location until the 1955 to 1957 time frame when they transitioned to the suburban Schiller Park, Illinois location in the metropolitan Chicago area. Vises were cast with either the Chicago or Schiller Park location on them and this can be helpful in determining their age. But the best method to determine production date is to remove the dynamic jaw, turn it over and wipe any grease to see a stamped date on the key-way. It is also possible that there will be “GUAR EXP” stamp instead of the date code. The Company started out by stamping, not casting, their vises with dates, but these were originally not manufacturing dates, but dates when the 5-year guarantee would expire. In other words, if your vise is stamped with 9-46, it was made approximately in September of 1941. However, it is possible to see where Wilton would run into trouble using this method. If there was ever a backlog of vises due to a recession then many would be sold later with a shorter guarantee period. As a result, Wilton changed their method at some unknown date (more or less in the 1960s). And, since that date, they started using actual production dates.

I have my Dads swivel Colombian he bought in the late 40's. I remember him mounting it on the corner of the bench and trying it out by saying" we'll see what this is made of" and cold bent 1/2" bar stock 90 degrees with a hand mall. He was impressed.lol

Great video Mr. Pete! I have yet to come across one of those Wilton bullet vises in my price range. I'll struggle along with all the vises that can be found for a quarter the price: Reed, Prentiss, Columbian, etc. They seem to do the job for me.

Both being excellent tools, I do like the styling of the bullet. I have a 3” Wilton and plan to make some soft jaws for it. I’ve been using aluminum angle “iron” for soft jaws and am tired of picking them off the floor 🤓

I have a 1955 4 inch machinists Wilton vise. LOVE it

I like my 5.5" Wilton tradesman vise that I got from industrial surplus, but I often see Colombian vises mounted on power company trucks.

Teacher , I have many vices but lean to the bullet . Forty plus years ago I got a giant 8" bullet out of a dumpster pile of a government contract shop. Nothing wrong or broken just throwed out. Well my dad said keep it you'll never get another like it. He was right we need money and I sold it for $75. . Worst thing I've ever done and I've regretted it . But I have a 4-1/2 - 5 " bullet it's done plenty and still in great shape. My Parker vice I like also even have a 3" Colombia vice . My beater vice is a China swivel jaw I bought thirty plus years ago. Might be Taiwan not sure. Thanks Lyle I to have to many vices more then I mentioned.

I went to ISU same time as you, but went into industry and never taught. I admire your patience with the kids. I'm sure they learned a lot and many are probably following you on KZfaq. Great job finding interesting stuff to talk about.

Yes, I represent the Prang Watercolor Company and we are offended by your comment. Our paint last LONGER than yours and even Earl Schecbs!

Great video I too am a man of many vises. I found a craftsman 05196 a few years ago, it is built like no other vises I've rebuilt in a few ways. I wish I could find more info about them.

I enjoyed the video, great info!!! Thank you

Good video. My dad worked for a large highway construction and limestone mining company. Columbian vises were everywhere. I worked for a crane company and we had all reed brand. Never saw any failures at either company

I have worked in a pretty large Machine shop for 30 years. My father worked in the same machine shop from 1971 to 2004. All the large machines have Colombian 605's firmly planted to the floor via 5" round 3/8s wall tubing with 1" thick 10" round flanges on both ends making a very stout vice pedestal . During my tenure I have witnessed the strength of these 605s during normal heavy machining work and the Government jobs the machinist brings in from home. All the smaller machines have USA made 4" Yost's circa 70's throughout 80's vises. The Older Yost's are friggen fantastic vices as well. After years of using imported "heavy duty" vises for home use I decided I too am going to plant a 605 somewhere in my home shop. I'm to the point in my life I am done using inferior tools. I have had to look a little harder for decent old school quality tools but most of the time after you find them you have spent about the same for them versus a PRC pot metal piece.

Great video Mr Pete!!! You make the ordinary interesting! My favorite vice? I'm not fussy, I've had a bunch over the years. My coolest vice I just gave to my son so I don't have access to the manufacturer. I think it was sold by Montgomery ward in the sixties. Maybe 9 inches long with a flattop anvil, green. I've got a big Parker that I have repair, I'm also not a restoration guy. 🖖

He said let me know if these videos are too busy. , just as I was moving the screen closer to my face to study and listen closer. Incredibly interesting!!!

My favourite vise is my 150 mm French made Sambre et Meuse. This thing is at least 40 years old, indestructible and, contrary to you, I use the swivel base a lot :)

Mr Pete I was indeed troubled by the fact that you did not mask off the anvils on these vices, only to promptly see them set up for machining! now we can sleep at night.

Thank you for the Wilton date stamp location. I have a used one I was always curious about how old it was I’m going to check tonight

I also like to mount my swivel vises to the corner of my workbench. If mounted over the table leg it gives a better support for hammering on the anvil and the bench can be used to support long work pieces. Per the Starrett apprentice manual, I also try to adjust the height of my bench so the vise jaws are elbow height. This makes bench work more comfortable, but the handle is low enough to grab pockets if your walking by your bench in a hurry.

Excellent presentation as always.

I am 63 and have never even seen a Wilton, except online. I grew up using my father's Columbian which we couldn't destroy as kids. Now I have my grandfather's Athol which I love. great video, keep goin!

While painting, the screws were compared. The round washer shaped part with the notch cut out for the Wilton, I know that part of a vice as a "garter" 😁

My two choices are the Wilton and the older Crown Craftsman Vices. My main two are a 5.5" Mechanics (with pipe grips) Craftsman Crown and a 5" Machinists Bench Top, also a Craftsman Crown. The two Wilton Vices I own are not mounted and more for on sight jobs than anything else. Great walk through Lyle and Great Freshening Up as well! Gave me the idea to face the Anvils on my two Craftsmen Vices! Another task to add to the ever growing list lol. So Thanks For That! lol Cheers! Zip~

My farther bought a Colombian vice back in the 1970 s It cost him in the $300.00 dollar range. It had a swivel base and pipe jaws. We still have it today.

I’m late to this party, but want to say how much I enjoyed this video. Thank you!

That's a tough choice Mr. Pete! I'm going to pick the Wilton partly because of the enclosed screw. The other thing is the finer thread. That's a curse when you have to move the jaws a long way. However, it's a blessing when you want to clamp something really tight. Being an old guy with more time than muscles, I think it's more often an advantage.

There is usually a spring on the thread of the Colombian vise, pushing on the bushing pressing it outwards. It takes out the "play" of the handle (prevents it from slipping due to the weight of the handle)

Lyle, these are both good vices, no one would argue. I prefer Charles Parker for myself, but would be happy with any of them. Thanks for a great watch, Cliff

This was fantastic. Thank you so much

Thank for the comparison of vices. I bought a 6" Wilton in the late 70s. It has had some abuse but the worst thing that happened is I rolled the jaws out. I don't have a dowl pin and the two screws were Mickey mouse small. Bought a 4" vintage columbian a year or so ago and I think I like it better.

I've got an old Record vice which I love - AvE also has one so they must be skookum!

Garden hose washers may fit your vise handles as pinch preventers. The red vinyl ones stretched over the ball on the Yost vise I used for years. It had hard smooth jaws that I far prefer.

I like the swivel base and the look of the Wilton. I like the taller top of jaw to top of rack of the Colombian. I guess I’d pick the Wilton. Thanks Mr. Pete! I’m going to swap out my import for one of these if I can find one at a swap meet or on Craigslist.

I have several Dawn vices all made in Australia Ihave a wood worker vice two enginers vices and two pipe vices in addition they made many outher products like sash or bar clamps g clamps post drills to name a few Ray

I've been collecting FPU vises and the art deco style Stanley clamp on vises. Just got a Stanley 766 3" vise from ebay that is in near new condition.

I like angled offset jawed vices. Also like your comparison videos Mr Pete.

Nice video Mr. Pete, and I doubt very seriously that you have EVER done and Earl Scheib special

Love the detail and history in your video...

Morgan aurora is my favorite. Just because I have owned one for almost 20 years now. My first real vise.

Oòoo you made the G clamps look like a heart xxxxxx

Interesting comparison. Thanks for the adVICE.

Great video. Thank you.

The first bench vice I ever had was a gift from my grandparents. I was maybe 8-9 years old (I'm 43 now) or so. Unfortunately I don't know who made it or where it was made because it had no markings on it anywhere. After alot of use, years, and some abuse, the nut inside of it eventually stripped out and I wasn't able to repair it or replace the nut. Ever since then, I always thought how nice it would have been to have a Wilton because that was what we had in the shop in highschool. Honestly, either a Columbia or Wilton, it would be hard to go wrong which ever one.

Nice job, I managed to dream the bottom swivel plate on Wilton 5” vise, and can’t find a replacement one.

Thankyou for the breakdown on these American vises. I've used them all my life but never took the time to study their design carefully. I have a chrome Wilton I gave to my dad years ago, now I'm wanting it back 🙄

Another very entertaining video! I also have a Columbian and a Wilton. The deeper opening jaws on the Columbian come in handy a lot. The Columbian is the one I use the most.

Good video. I use whatever I am closest to.

A great comparison video. I have neither, but I have Columbia type vises.

The Chas Parker I inherited from Dad is my go-to vise. I have a small 3"Wilton bullet that is handy sometimes. I have donated my "Made in China" misadventures to Habitat.

I’m still stuck at the part where you said you threw 2 Wilton hydraulic vices in a dumpster. I’m sure God has a special punishment waiting for you😂. Great video. In Australia the big maker is Dawn, every school and government department has them and they make a huge range. From standard cast iron, cast steel which is marketed as unbreakable, fabricated steel, and even stainless steel. I have two 5” Dawns on my bench, one is standard cast and the other, which has the same size jaws but is nearly twice the size but is an offset engineers vice made of cast steel. I don’t seem to see many off set vices in the States but they are so useful. Like Wilton, Dawn made a variety off other tools such as car and truck stands, g clamps, sash clamps, grinding wheel dressing tool ect and the good thing is that they started here in 1919 but you can still buy replacement parts for all the vices they ever made. The sad thing though is they have shifted manufacturing off shore.👎 Cheers Stuart 🇦🇺

As always...more than I ever knew that I wanted to know about vises! I like Wilton because my dad always had a 6" on the bench, but we use Columbian vises at work. I always thought the Wilton was less of a knuckle buster due to its more rounded castings.

I too own an old Colombian vise like you show in the video and have restored it. The jaw pins are tapered. To get them out, they have to be driven UP, which was a challenge to do to say the least, especially the center one on the dynamic jaw.

I just checked downstairs. I have a four inch Parker #874 that can't be killed. Ive cleaned and greased it but your video has inspired me to paint it. Also I have a cute little three inch Colombian.