Wilton 3-Inch Cross-Slide Drill Press Vise (CS3)

Quality was very good. Much better than cheaper vises on amazon. If you want to hold something completely still in an X-Y axis vise the drive nut that the drive screw pushes against when adjusting the position of the vise must have no play in it. If the drive nut allows the drive screw to move after you clamp something in it the vise still moves and is therefore useless for the intended purpose and every hole you drill will look like you did it by hand.

I can echo others' comments about the flimsy plastic bag holding the nuts, but that's a pretty small concern for a vise that will likely last a lifetime. The box arrived surprisingly intact and unbeaten compared to other deliveries in this weight range. Note that the photos on Amazon seem to all show the 3- or 4-inch models. This one, the 8-inch, is a monster by comparison, in both size and weight. However...am I the only one who noticed they shipped it put together backwards? that is, as it arrived, the fixed vise jaw could not be moved over the centerline of the vise, which means I can't drill a hole right next to the edge of the stock, without some other thing there. In any event, I removed the two bolts holding the upper unpainted steel plate the handle spins against. Then I removed the lead screw from the assembly, and lifted up the top half, turned it around, and put it back in. Then I just replaced the lead screw and aligned the plate and secured it back again. Now the left-to-right spinner is on the right, and the vise-jaw screw is on the left, and the (now) right-hand fixed jaw moves all the way under the spindle. Yay! I decided that since Amazon was so kind as to deliver this 78# monster on a Saturday in the pouring Seattle rain, I'd install it right. I cleaned and greased the bottom surface, and secured it to the drill press surface. Then, starting with the bottom-most, I disassembled it, cleaned off their almost watery lubrication and put a medium film of thick oil on the bearing surfaces and the lead screw. I adjusted the bearing-slide set screws to it all moved silky-smooth, and then repeated that for the upper slide, and then for the movable vise jaw. Now it works so smoooooth! I think that's a key factor in making this work well for the long term future ahead: getting it thoroughly cleaned, lubricated and adjusted before trying to use it. So far so good, though I've only had it in use for a day now. Very sturdy, very LARGE and very smooth. Things I wish were better: 1) The knobs and their mating to the shaft. "Precision mating" is not an idea that crossed dear Wilton's mind that day, sadly. 2) The sliding surfaces of the inserts. When you take them out to clean and lubricate, you'll see what I mean: pitted and definitely now what you'd expect when trying to achieve a precision fit. 3) The only surfaces that are "precision machined" is the floor of the vise part. The sliding surfaces are only "machined". You can definitely tell the difference. Again, the vise would be much more accurate if the same level of finish were applied to the slide surfaces. 3) Handle-end of lead screws have NO bearing except steel against the hole in the steel plates. Atrocious choice on a vise of this quality. Just having those two joints improved with an oil-filled bronze or ball bearing would improve the action of this vise 100%. But noooo.....! In any event, despite the suggested changes, this is one very large, very sturdy and very capable vise. It's far smoother than the imported el-cheapo one I had been using.

It's foreign made which was a little disappointing coming from a brand like Wilton but overall it's a good vice and works well. Can't really beat it for the price.

After reading many negative reviews, I took a chance purchasing this vise anyway. I was amazed the shipping was free (excellent), arrived in 3 days (amazing). I received the vice today. It was packed very well, no damage to the vise. Very little clean up. Very impressed with after very little tuning up, no play or slack in the vise. Only one small inconvenience, one of the adjuster set screw head was stripped out. I give 5 stars because I used to own a 4" Grizzly cross slide vise and it was very sloppy with a lot of play. Also I like the bolt pattern configuration better on the Wilton and the Palmgren

For this much money, what you get is headaches! The vise is sloppy or too tight, you cannot adjust the ways such that you get rid of slop, and if you do, you can't move the vise. It will not stay centered and there are no locks to keep it centered. The threads are ridiculously sloppy as well and I repeatedly have "walking" drill bits as much as an 1/8". I really wish I would have spent the $90 on the Wen or something similar because I definitely got ripped off with this purchase. Buyer beware!!

I have just received my new Wilton 4" cross slide drill press vise, and I was a little disapointed in it right out of the box. First off it had been handled roughly and the box was damaged and left on my back porch long before I found it was there. So I could not just tell the UPS driver to take it back, as it was obvious the shipping container was torn up. I opened it and found that it all appeared to be there and then after closer examination found that one of the cross slide cast iron cranks was broken and laying in the bottom of the box with a couple of small nuts and washers for mounting the cranks. They had all fallen out of the plastic reclosable bag and one of them that holds the crank handle in the cast iron ball, had broken off cleanly. I considered just boxing it back up and sending it back, when I looked at the warranty card and decided to just call Wilton as the Amazon website suggested, to get a replacement part if availabale. No luck the lady in Wiltons customer service department informed me that it was a pretty "Low cost Item" and they did not show any repair parts for it, even though it is 100% lifetime guarenteed. This Low cost drill press vise cost me $119.00 and change, not too cheap in my book. I took a look at the broken part and because I have some skills as a machinist and mechanic, I will build a new crank assmbly for it myself from some scrap metal I have in my garage shop. I would not have ordered it if I didn't need to use it soon and waiting for a return was out of the question. I adjusted the gibbs and it will work for most anything I need but it will force me to use my Milling machine for more accurate and precise drilling, that I was trying to get away from. Wilton used to be a really well made vise, now I am not real sure it isn't just another cheap knock off from China. I don't think I would recommend it to any of my friends, as it is just an OK tool at best. If I had wanted a cheaply made Harbor Freight vise I would have bought one there.

I spent a lot of time reviewing cross slide vises and reading a lot of reviews. They all said the vise needed to be disassembled and cleaned. Several talked about quality control issues. Poor castings, bent or missing parts and machining marks left on the ways. NONE of the reviewers on this vise, mentioned quality control issues. That along with the brand name led me to purchase this vise. When I received the vise I looked the shipping box over closely. I found no damage. I opened the container and removed the vise looking for any imperfections. I found NO Casting Imperfections. I disassembled and cleaned the vise reassembled with small amounts of grease. It did take a few minutes to adjust the tension on the ways/tables. This I believe is a personal thing. I have used the vise and is works very smoothly and made drilling duplicate holes in 1/4" steel very easy. Another quality product by WILTON and AMAZON.

Great price point for this 4” precision vise. Great for DIY projects that require drilling, this is a great step towards achieving professional results. I am very happy I stuck with the Wilton brand.

Was exactly what I wanted. Fast delivery and service. Very sturdy product. I new addition to my little shop. Thank you very much. Looking forward to more of your products come my way or test or whatever I do both.