WEN Drill Press Vise, 3-Inch (DPA423)

I first purchased a 2.5 inch vice (Performance brand). I didn't like it a bit. The moving jaw was too loose and wobbly and casting was too rough; I returned it. Almost at the same price, I found this one by WEN. It is 3 inches in jaws width, and much better made. New, movement is a bit stiff, but you can adjust the tension of the moving jaw by 2 bolts underneath the jaw. I am certain with frequent usage it'll become smoother. It is sturdy and small at the same time so that you can put it in a toolbox to carry it around or use it with your bench drill press. Good and sensible deal indeed.

The Wen 3" drill press vise is pretty good quality, plenty good for home use. While not quite perfect, there are no obvious flaws in the casting for example. The machining seems good, the finish seems good. The overall size not counting the handle is 5.5" x 6" x 1.875". the center to center spacing of the mounting slots is 4 3/8", the slots are 7/16" wide, the total length of the slots is 5". The jaws are 7/8" x 3 1/4" and they open to about 2 7/8". As others have said it fits nicely on a craftsman 8" drill press. It does not have center grooves in the jaws, but I tried clamping several different pieces and it gripped everything I gave it very well. There is just the right amount of left to right play in the moving jaw that it can grip the whole way across the work piece. It does what I need and it doesn't take up a ton of space. I am happy with this item.

Works well, too bad no bolts included.

Jaws are approx 80mm across and open to 75mm deep. Rear jaw cannot be angled. Plenty of mounting slots so should fit most drill press tables. Height of jaws is only 20mm so oversized soft jaws will be needed to grip pipes etc. Screw winder is stiff but hopefully will free up a bit with use. It is 25 rotations to close/open jaws (lots of turns). Good value and solid design with a hammertone charcoal finish.

At the Amazon sale price this is a very good buy. The 3” drill press is perfect for smaller jobs on the drill press or clamping on a workbench. Out the box it does have some issues; razor sharp edges, residual swath and the worm drive was very stiff. I bought two on sale and had to strip both down to their components. I filed off some sharp edges, polished up the deck with emery paper, cleaned the thread of swath and filings (factory) oiled and reassembled. 40min and I had two ‘perfect’ drill presses for far less than the price of 1 competitors “pony”.

Heavy and solid. Note that the grip is metal, but the picture make me mistook it as rubber, so I have to buy the rubber separately for my glass work.