The 9 Best Bench Vises
Updated by · How we research
Nine swivel-base bench vises for metalworking and home repair, compared on iron, jaws and mounting. The Wilton 746 leads for its sealed screw. When users buy our independently chosen editorial recommendations, we may earn commissions to help fund the Wiki.
Most bench vises are cast from gray iron, which holds tight under a heavy squeeze but can crack from a hard hammer blow, so the anvil is for light tapping. A vise is only as steady as the bench under it, too. This guide is for metalworkers, mechanics and home repairers choosing a swivel-base vise with pipe jaws.
Editor's Notes
October 23, 2026, by Ezvid Wiki Editors:
The Wilton 746 now leads this list. Its screw and nut are fully enclosed, so shop grit stays out of the threads, and both its steel jaws and pipe jaws unbolt for replacement. The Wilton 11104 stays as the pick for a home garage, and the Yost 750-DI stays for anyone who clamps pipe and round bar.
Several old picks weren't bench vises or are gone. The Wen 413CV is a cross vise for a drill press and the Hardware Factory 15979 is a milling vise, and neither the Hardware Factory, the Grizzly G7062 nor the Tekton 54004 is still for sale. We dropped the PanaVise 301, a light hobby vise, and the Yost 460, whose bigger sibling, the Yost 480, now costs less. New are the Yost LV-4, Bessey BV-HD60, Irwin 226306ZR, Yost 480 and Forward 30606. The Irwin 226303ZR stays for anyone without a bolt-down bench.
No lab has measured clamping force or casting strength across these models, so we weighed the iron grades and jaw specs makers publish, a roundup in which Bob Vila's editors used each vise, a long Garage Journal thread where shop owners compare vises, and patterns in owner feedback. The tip that thread repeats most: through-bolt the vise to a heavy bench before you worry about brands.
Earlier notes
February 26, 2021, by Chris Gillespie:
One of the most versatile tools in the woodworking, metalworking, and other manufacturing industries, a bench vise is designed to attach directly to the workbench to hold the workpiece during operations such as sawing, planing, and drilling. They come in a range of shapes and sizes and include useful features such as 360-degree swiveling, built-in anvils, replaceable jaws, and specialist clamps for pipes and other round materials. In this update, we researched all of our recommendations and found them to be up-to-date and high-quality options, therefore we made no changes to the ranking at this time.
For those needing a vise for use with a drill press, the Hardware Factory 15979 is a compact option with heavy-duty jaws made from 80,000 PSI ductile iron. Similarly, the larger Wen 413CV features a cross-style design that allows horizontal and vertical adjustment, allowing for precise material placement. For maximum versatility, a vise with a rotating head, such as the Grizzly G7062 or the Yost 750-DI allows workpieces to be positioned at any angle, and both feature built-in pipe clamps for holding round and square stock. If you would prefer not to have a vise permanently fixed in one position then the Irwin 226303ZR is a lightweight and portable option that mounts to a bench using a clamp mechanism that can be fastened on tables up to 2 inches thick. Finally, the Panavise 301 is designed for intricate work and features a multi-angle head with three planes of movement, making it ideal for jewelry and model makers.
December 11, 2019, by Rafael Perez:
Removed the Yost LV-4 in favor of the Wilton 746. There are several things that make this Wilton more appealing than the Yost. First off, the Wilton has a more stout base and a denser overall construction which will lead to greater stability. It also has replaceable pipe jaws in the throat whereas the Yost doesn't so when they wear out, it'll lose that capability. Finally, the Wilton has an enclosed acme rod as opposed to the exposed rod on the Yost which will allow dirt to contaminate the thread grease and roughen up its movement.
The Wilton 11104 takes the top spot because it has a similar robust construction to the 746 but is incredibly affordable. It has less features than the 746 but it'll handle most of the same tasks and also take a lot of punishment.
Always make sure you tighten the vise enough to secure the workpiece to avoid injury. Never hold pressure vessels using a bench vise.
Special Honors
Wilton Mechanics Pro Vises Wilton, part of JPW Industries, sells pro-grade mechanics vises well above this list's price range, including an eight-inch Mechanics Pro that runs several times the cost of the Wilton 746. They suit commercial shops that clamp heavy parts all day. wiltontools.com
Yost Vises Yost sells its full lineup direct, including the austempered ductile iron ADI series and the six-inch 760-DI multi-jaw vise, along with woodworking and pipe vises. The maker's prices often run higher than other sellers', so compare before you buy. yostvises.com
Jaw Size, Opening And Throat
Jaw opening is how wide the jaws spread, and it can be smaller than the jaw width on compact vises: the Wilton 11104 has four-inch jaws but opens three inches.
Jaw width is the number in a vise's name, and it sets most of what the vise can do. A four-inch vise suits bikes, small engines and household repairs. Five or six inches is the size most shop owners call the best all-round choice in a long Garage Journal thread on the subject, and eight inches is for heavy plate and big pipe. Bigger vises get heavy fast: the eight-inch Wilton in Bob Vila's bench vise roundup weighs about 65 pounds, and the Yost 480 is listed at 80.
Two other numbers matter. Jaw opening is how wide the jaws spread, and it can be smaller than the jaw width on compact vises: the Wilton 11104 has four-inch jaws but opens three inches. Throat depth is the distance from the top of the jaws down to the slide, and it limits how tall a part you can grip. Among six-inch vises here, throat depth runs from about 3.4 inches on the Forward 30606 to about 4.1 on the Wilton 746.
Look for a swivel base that locks at two points, pipe jaws below the main jaws if you work on plumbing or tube, and a flat anvil for light shaping. A head that rotates, like the one on the Yost 750-DI, adds V and pipe jaws on one tool.
Gray Iron, Ductile Iron And What Breaks
Most bench vises are gray cast iron, rated around 30,000 psi in tensile strength by Wilton and Yost. Gray iron is stiff and cheap to cast, but it's brittle: a hard hammer blow on the jaws or the slide can crack it. Ductile iron, such as the 60,000 psi body Forward claims or the 65,000 psi Yost lists for the 750-DI, bends slightly before it fails. Austempered ductile iron, used in Yost's ADI series, is rated higher still at 130,000 psi.
Grade matters less than you'd think for home use, because the bench and the bolts usually give out first. Shop owners in the Garage Journal thread favor older U.S.-made Wilton, Reed, Columbian and Yost vises, and some describe cheap imports that felt flimsy in hand. If you buy used, check the body, the slide and the mounting flanges for cracks and welds, and turn the screw through its full travel to feel for rough spots.
Treat the anvil as a small striking pad, not a real anvil. Never slip a pipe over the handle for extra leverage: that's how jaws and screws break.
Mounting, Care And Woodworking
Bolt a vise through the bench top with hardened bolts, washers and nuts, not lag screws, and set it at a corner so long work can hang past the edge. Most vises arrive without mounting hardware. A light vise on a light table will walk around; as one Garage Journal member put it, an expensive vise on a wobbly table isn't much use.
Keep the screw clean and lightly oiled, and brush out filings after cutting. Vises with exposed screws, such as the Yost LV-4 and Yost 480, need this more often than sealed designs like the Wilton 746. Replace worn jaw inserts rather than living with slipping grip. Wear eye protection when you cut, file or hammer on work in a vise, and never clamp anything under pressure, such as a gas cylinder.
Serrated steel jaws bite into wood and soft metal, so add soft jaw caps of rubber, aluminum or leather for finished parts. A woodworking vise is a different tool: it mounts under the bench edge with wide, smooth wooden-faced jaws. Bob Vila's roundup above names the Yost M9WW and Pony Jorgensen 27091 for that job. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission listed no recalls for any of the vise brands on this page when we checked.
How we researched this
We screened 20 vises, including clamp-on, cross and milling vises that turned out to be the wrong kind of tool, and compared jaw width, opening, throat depth, iron grade, swivel range and jaw sets from makers' published figures for the 9 picks. We read Bob Vila's bench vise roundup, in which editors used each vise, and a long Garage Journal discussion among shop owners, analyzed owner feedback patterns, and checked every brand against U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recalls. We found no lab test that measures these vises side by side.
Frequently asked questions
What does a bench vise do?
It holds work still while you cut, file, drill, bend, glue or hammer it. A screw closes two jaws on the part, and the vise is bolted to a bench so both hands stay free.
What size bench vise do I need?
Four to five inches suits home repairs and small parts. Six inches is the best all-round size for a shop. Eight inches is for heavy plate and big pipe, and it needs a strong bench.
Is Wilton or Yost better?
Both make gray and ductile iron vises in several price tiers. The Wilton 746 has a sealed screw and replaceable pipe jaws. Yost offers more types, including multi-jaw rotating vises, and very cheap entry models like the LV-4.
Can I use a metalworking vise for wood?
Yes, with soft jaw caps, because the steel teeth leave marks. For regular woodworking, a vise that mounts under the bench edge with wide, smooth jaws works better.
Can I mount a vise on a thin table?
Only a light clamp-on model such as the Irwin 226303ZR, which fits tops up to about two inches thick. A full bench vise needs through-bolts into a solid, heavy bench.
Do I need a swivel base?
It isn't required, but it lets you turn long work to clear the bench and walls. Choose one that locks at two points so it won't creep under load.
