Eclipse Professional Tools EWWQR9 9" Quick Release Woodworking Vise, Gray

I purchased the 7 inch model. A good vice at an attractive price point. Even though I purchased the vice through Amazon warehouse deals, the item arrived in excellent condition. It had no visible damage, and all parts worked as they should. This affordable, but well-made and sufficiently heavy, woodworking vice even has a built-in bench dog, a very useful feature. By using the built-in bench dog with bench dogs in your workbench, you can tightly hold many different sizes of wood you are working on. The quick release feature is also a nice and useful feature, especially at this price. There are no mounting instructions, but I don't view this as a problem. The specific way to mount the vice will depend on the thickness of your workbench, whether you want to "flush mount" the vice, and where on the bench you seek to mount the vice. No single set of instructions could take these issues into account in a reasonable number of pages. Using common sense, planning ahead and analyzing your workbench will be rewarded. Mounting the vice can present unexpected challenges, but the end result is a very practical enhancement of a workbench (if you are only going to have 1 vice mounted to your bench permanently, this type is a good option). I attached the vice to the bench using four 1/2 inch lag screw bolts -- thankfully, the mounting hoIes in the vice are sufficiently large to accommodate 1/2 bolts. This permits a very strong and solid connection to the bench. I chose maple wood as the vice jaw liner and, after breaking a few phillips screw heads, decided to use bolts to attach the wood jaw liner to the two jaws. I used two 1/4 lag screw bolts to attach the liner to the thicker of the jaws (these bolts also screwed directly into the bench), and I used 2 smaller hex bolts with nuts to attach the second piece of maple to the thinner "outside" vice jaw. This takes time, but is well worth the effort. The vice is well-engineered. On some poorly engineered vices, the holes in the bottom of the vice, which are used to mount to the bottom of your bench, are in line with the holes on the thicker of the vice jaws -- this means that the two bolts may run into each other and prevent proper installation. This vice thankfully does not have this problem. Overall, the vice is an excellent value!

If you're considering getting into woodworking, either with modern power tools or with traditional hand tools, a front vise for your workbench is a must. The Eclipse EWWQR10-NA is big enough to handle the largest stock, but has very responsive screw travel for more delicate gripping needs. I lined my jaws with half-inch birch plywood secured with some flat-head screws to add a bit of softness to the grip without losing much travel. The quick release feature works very well and will get you open or closed against your work piece in a snap. You may notice a bit of slop when cinching the jaws up on a workpiece, but this is due to how the release mechanism bites the screw again upon release of the trigger. A simple fractional-turn of the screw and you'll be snug against your workpiece again with little-to-no effort.This is a large 10" model and might be overkill for the hobbyist or enthusiast. I bought this big-bore vise because I plan to build furniture and some of my oak stock is 8/4 thick and pieces can weigh over 50 lbs. I wanted to ensure I had enough jaw width to grab longer-thicker stock and still hold strong while I plane the edges by hand. I've been using the vise now for a couple weeks and I absolutely love it for furniture making. It holds the workpiece in place through even the most rigorous planing.The built in dog feature is nice, but it doesn't sit flush with the top surface of the jaw. If this is an issue for you, I suggest you take a chop saw or a bench grinder to the dog prior to use--just mark off the portion you wish to cut away and have at it. Also, you may think the thumbscrew and washer are missing from the box--check the plastic wrap that the vise was encased in and you'll find them secured inside near one of the corners--I missed them at first and contacted their service department (who got back to me a few days after I left a voice mail)--I ended up finding them prior to them getting back to me, but it was nice to know they actually listen and respond to messages!If you don't have a workbench with bench dog holes (like me), no need to worry. I just attached 1" x .5" strip of scrap oak I had at the opposing side of the vise so I can pinch work pieces between the vise's dog and the oak cleat to hold workpieces for face planing. This method works pretty well--just make sure you're screwing the cleat into enough material to ensure a firm hold as the vise can generate a lot of pressure with very little effort.Mounting the vise was also pretty easy despite having to retrofit my bench a bit (lack of foresight on my own behalf). It mounts pretty easily to the bottom of a work surface using some 1/2" lag bolts (length of bolt determined by your table thickness). Once it's in place--you'll be ready for nearly anything. Enjoy!

This Eclipse vise is a beast. The cast iron construction feels incredibly solid and the jaws grip with a force that's hard to match. I've used it for everything from delicate woodworking to heavy-duty metalworking, and it hasn't let me down yet. The quick-release mechanism is a real time-saver, and the overall design is both functional and aesthetically pleasing. If you're looking for a vise that can handle anything you throw at it, this is the one.