The best 5 inch vices, compared.
Top pick: HYCHIKA 5 inch bench vice – Highest score at 73: a stated 125 mm opening, 4.5 from 230 reviews, and no UK snap described on the listing. Best value: Trident 5 inch bench vice – About £26.99 with securing bolts and a printed 12.5 cm jaw width. No amazon.co.uk review line. Updated October 2026.
A 5 inch vice in a UK shed is a bench vice whose name size is the jaw width, about 125 mm, not automatically the opening. It bolts to the top of the bench. It is not a woodworking vice, and it is not the vice that clamps to a drill or mill table. Trade buyers also use the same nominal size as a much heavier mechanic's vice. You separate those by printed weight, by whether width and opening are both stated, and by the material words. That is lighter than a light-duty 125 mm at 7.5 kg and an at 15.8 kg. One UK review says the lock can move. Width, opening and throat are set out in the [5 inch vice buying guide](/hub/workshop/5-inch-vice/sub/5-inch-vice-buying-guide). Technology engineers’ vice page treats size as jaw width. Eclipse’s 5 inch, on the UK table, is 125 mm wide and opens 136 mm.
A 5 inch vice in a UK shed is a bench vice whose name size is the jaw width, about 125 mm, not automatically the opening. It bolts to the top of the bench.
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Personal buying guide
Question 1 of 2
What do you need printed on the listing?
The HYCHIKA 5 inch bench vice is listed at £31.86 and 5 kg, with 4.5 from 230 amazon.co.uk reviews, the strongest star line in this set. The bullets call the jaw opening 125 mm (5 inch) and describe a 360-degree double-locking base with two lock-down bolts. UK reviewers praised a compact size on a small bench, an anvil behind the jaws, and a mount that was easy to fit. One UK review says the rotation does not grip and the vice sometimes moves, so the double lock is not a settled fact from the sample. The material field says cast iron while the bullets also say cast steel, and a 5,000 pounds per square inch line is printed without being a clamping-force test. No UK review on the listing describes a snap, which is the cleanest UK sample here, not a laboratory result. It is the top pick in this comparison when you want a stated opening and a reviewed swivel on a light bench, and the wrong vice if you need a trade weight.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want a compact swivel on a short bench for light holding and you will check the lock after you bolt it.
Less suitable: You hold long stock most weeks, or you need one agreed material grade.
Specifications
Common questions
What jaw opening does the listing state?
The bullets call the vice jaw opening 125 mm, which they also write as 5 inches. A separate jaw width is not given.
Does the swivel lock?
The bullets describe a 360 degree double-locking base with two lock-down bolts. One UK review says the rotation does not grip and the vice sometimes moves.
What material is listed?
The material field says cast iron. The bullets also say cast steel and a cast iron body with a blue powder coat. The listing prints both. A 5,000 pounds per square inch line is printed and was not tested as clamping force.
The TOPWAY 5 inch bench vice is listed at £28.99 and 5.2 kg, with 4.3 from 263 amazon.co.uk reviews, the largest sample in this set. The bullets state a 5 inch (125 mm) jaw opening, a 360-degree swivel that locks in place, a large anvil surface, and replaceable hardened forged steel jaws. UK reviewers who did not report a break called it handy in a shed and used the swivel for saw blades, and some bought aluminium, rubber or magnetic covers for wood. Other UK reviews describe cracks and snaps in light use, including a break after a month, a snap within five minutes, and a snap after two weeks. Edges and corners are described as very sharp, and one unit arrived rusty. It is a mid-price option if you want replaceable jaw plates in writing, and a listing to skip if a UK snap review is enough to walk away.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want replaceable jaw plates in writing and you will stop at the first crack.
Less suitable: You treat a 5.2 kg heavy-duty title as a trade vice, or you need UK reviews that do not describe a snap.
Specifications
Common questions
What opening does the listing state?
The bullet says a jaw opening of 5 inches (125 mm). It does not print a separate jaw width.
Are the jaw plates replaceable?
The bullet says replaceable hardened forged steel jaws. That line is about the plates, not a claim that the body is forged.
Does the listing confirm welding use?
The listing asks whether it can be used for welding and does not print a seller answer. Do not treat the jaws as an anvil, and do not weld a crack.
The DAYUAN 5 inch bench vice sits at £25.99 and 5.17 kg, with 4.1 from 114 amazon.co.uk reviews. The title calls it a 360-degree locking swivel with an anvil, and several UK buyers used it for craft work or a small workshop and said it felt sturdier than they expected. The specification block does not print a jaw width or an opening, so the 5 inch claim is only the title. A UK review says securing bolts were not in the box. Other UK reviews describe a body that snapped on the first job, a base that cracked within an hour, and a casting that sheared after about eight months of light use. One buyer called it the third vice in 14 months to snap and mentioned a 30-day seller warranty with no replacement. A short warranty does not replace the retailer under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. It is the cheapest listing in this set, and it is the one to leave if a snap report is enough to walk away.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want a cheap swivel for light craft and you will supply the bolts and stop at the first crack.
Less suitable: You need a printed opening, or you will treat a 5 kg listing as a trade vice.
Specifications
Common questions
Does the listing say this vice rotates?
The title says a 360 swivel locking base. The listing asks whether it can rotate and does not print a seller answer.
Are mounting bolts included?
The specification block does not list bolts. A UK review says it is a shame securing bolts are not included.
What material does the listing state?
The material field says cast steel and steel. The title says forged. Forged in the title is not a body grade. The listing also asks whether it is made of steel and does not print a seller answer.
The Trident 5 inch bench vice is listed at £26.99 and 6.06 kg, the heaviest of the four, with a printed jaw width of 12.5 cm and no opening figure. The included-components line names the vice and securing bolts, which is the only box in this set that states fixings. Removable clamping jaws and a 360-degree swivel with an anvil are on the page, and a limited lifetime warranty line is printed. There is no customer-review line on the listing, so you cannot check this casting against the snap reports on the DAYUAN and TOPWAY listings. The 22 score is missing data plus a printed width and bolts, not a measured failure. It is the best value listing here only because bolts and a jaw width are printed at a mid price; it is not a vice you can check against UK snap reports.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want bolts in the box and a printed jaw width, and you accept buying without a UK review sample.
Less suitable: You will not buy a vice that has no star line, or you need a printed opening.
Specifications
Common questions
What jaw width does the listing state?
The bullet says a jaw width of 12.5 cm. The title says 5 inch. An opening figure is not stated.
Are securing bolts included?
Yes. The included-components line says the vice and securing bolts. That is the only listing in this set that names the fixings.
Is there an amazon.co.uk star rating?
No. The listing has no customer-review line and no review text, so there is no star rating and no review count to quote.
Shelf prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk listings in this comparison, read on 19 October 2026. No lab test. The score is 0–100 from four parts. Star points are the amazon rating divided by 5, times 40, rounded. No rating line means 0 star points and 0 sample points. The highest score is the top pick, once. The highest value-part score among the others is best value, once. None of these scores is a clamping-force test, or a claim that a 5 kg casting is a trade vice.
Stars
40%Amazon rating divided by 5, times 40, rounded to the nearest whole number. A listing with no rating line scores 0. The HYCHIKA at 4.5 scores 36. The TOPWAY at 4.3 scores 34. The DAYUAN at 4.1 scores 33. The Trident has no rating line and scores 0.
Sample
20%Review-count bands, maximum 20. 200–499 reviews score 12. 50–199 score 8. No rating line scores 0. The HYCHIKA (230) and the TOPWAY (263) score 12. The DAYUAN (114) scores 8. The Trident scores 0.
Fit for the job
30%Start at 18 when the listing states a weight and claims a swivel bench vice. Add 4 for a printed jaw width or opening. Add 2 if securing bolts are in the included line. Subtract 8 for UK reviews that describe a snap or crack in ordinary use, 3 if a UK review says the swivel lock does not hold, 3 if bolts were missing and not listed, and 6 if there is no review line. Floor at 0.
Value in this set
10%Maximum 10, inside this price band only. The HYCHIKA at £31.86, with no UK snap described and a lock that one review says moves, scores 6. The Trident at £26.99, with bolts, a stated jaw width and no review line, scores 4. The TOPWAY at £28.99, with UK snap reviews, scores 3. The DAYUAN at £25.99, with UK snap reviews and bolts reported missing, scores 2.
Buy the printed weight, then whether jaw width and jaw opening are both stated, then the material words. A 5 inch name is the jaw width, about 125 mm, not automatically the opening, and not a trade vice because the title says heavy duty. The four listings here are 5 to 6.06 kg and about £25.99 to £31.86. That is the light casting.
A 5 inch vice in UK shops is a bench vice whose name size is the jaw width, about 125 mm, not automatically the opening. Technology Student’s engineers’ vice page treats size as jaw width. Eclipse’s 5 inch, on the UK Workbenches table, is 125 mm wide and opens 136 mm. Clarke’s light-duty 125 mm opens 100 mm. Those figures belong to those other vices. Do not copy them onto the four amazon.co.uk listings here. This category is the engineer’s bench vice that bolts to the top of the bench.
The name size is the jaw width, about 125 mm. Opening is a different number. Eclipse’s 5 inch opens 136 mm and Clarke’s light-duty 125 mm opens 100 mm. Those figures are not these four listings. DAYUAN prints neither width nor opening.
These four weigh 5 to 6.06 kg. A Clarke light-duty 125 mm page prints 7.5 kg, and an Eclipse EMV-5 page prints 15.8 kg. Heavy duty in a title does not move a 5 kg casting into that class. If you hold long stock most weeks, leave this band.
DAYUAN’s title says forged and the material field says cast steel and steel. TOPWAY’s forged line is the jaw plates. None of the four names a grade. Do not weld a crack, and do not keep a cracked casting in use.
Weight is the first split between a light shed vice and a mechanic’s vice of the same nominal size. DAYUAN is 5.17 kg, HYCHIKA is 5 kg, TOPWAY is 5.2 kg and Trident is 6.06 kg. Other UK pages, not these listings, print about 7.5 kg for a Clarke light-duty 125 mm, 11.34 kg for a Stanley 125 mm, 15.8 kg for an Eclipse EMV-5, 18 kg for a Frost swivel and about 24 kg where a Record No.5 page prints the weight. A title that says heavy duty does not change the kilogram figure on the page.
Jaw width and jaw opening are different numbers. On a bench vice the name size is the width. Eclipse’s 5 inch is 125 mm wide and opens 136 mm. Clarke’s light-duty 125 mm opens 100 mm. Do not copy those openings onto these listings. HYCHIKA and TOPWAY claim a 125 mm opening in a bullet and do not print a separate width. Trident prints jaw width 12.5 cm and no opening. DAYUAN prints neither, so the 5 inch claim is only the title. None of the four prints an anvil size.
Three typical situations, each with a recommendation from this comparison.
You want a compact swivel for small parts, and you will read the lock note before you trust it. The HYCHIKA is the top pick at about £31.86: a stated 125 mm opening, two lock-down bolts, 5 kg, and 4.5 from 230 reviews. One UK review says the rotation moves. No UK review on the listing describes a snap. It is not a trade weight.
You want the box to name the fixings, and you will buy without a star line. The Trident is best value at about £26.99: jaw width 12.5 cm, securing bolts listed, 6.06 kg, and no amazon.co.uk review line. The opening is not stated. You cannot check this casting against the snap reports on the other listings.
You want replaceable jaw plates in writing, and you will take the vice out of use at the first crack. The TOPWAY lists a 125 mm opening and replaceable hardened forged steel jaws at about £28.99, with 4.3 from 263 reviews. UK reviews also describe cracks and snaps in light use, sharp edges, and one rusty arrival.
The top pick is the HYCHIKA 5 inch bench vice at about £31.86. It scores 73, the highest here: a stated 125 mm opening, a 360-degree double-locking base, 5 kg, and 4.5 from 230 reviews. No UK review on the listing describes a snap. One UK review says the swivel lock does not hold, and the material field says cast iron while the bullets also say cast steel. Best value is the Trident at about £26.99. Securing bolts and a 12.5 cm jaw width are printed at a mid price. There is no review line, so you cannot check it against the snap reports on the DAYUAN and TOPWAY listings. The score of 22 is missing data plus a printed width and bolts, not a measured failure.
HYCHIKA 5 inch bench vice
Highest score at 73: a stated 125 mm opening, 4.5 from 230 reviews, and no UK snap described on the listing.
Trident 5 inch bench vice
About £26.99 with securing bolts and a printed 12.5 cm jaw width. No amazon.co.uk review line.
Editorial
Peter F. is the editor for DIY & tools at productscompared.co.uk. Comparisons in this category are checked against amazon.co.uk listings, review evidence and public UK sources.
Guides on what to look for, how to use a product, and common mistakes.
Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings compared on this page. Updated October 2026.
This page contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures already stored for this set. This is not a laboratory test.
