The best machine vices, compared.
Top pick: Irwin 226340 Best value: KATSU 100 mm drill press vice – Highest value part in the set: printed 100 mm jaw and 110 mm opening at about £15.99, and not the top pick. Updated October 2026.
Jaw width is the length of the jaw. A 100 mm name is not a 100 mm gap unless the listing says so. A cast body with a slotted base is the ordinary choice for a home pillar drill. A light aluminium quick vice is a different tool. HSE's tells users of a small bench drill to clamp the vice to the table and not to wear gloves around an open chuck. Slot fit and opening are set out in the [machine vice buying guide](/hub/workshop/machine-vice/sub/machine-vice-buying-guide). It is a low vice that bolts or clamps to a pillar drill, a bench drill or a drill stand so the workpiece is not in your hand. A machine vice, in the way UK shoppers search, is a drill press vice.
Jaw width is the length of the jaw. A 100 mm name is not a 100 mm gap unless the listing says so. A cast body with a slotted base is the ordinary choice for a home pillar drill.
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Personal buying guide
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Where will the vice live?
The Irwin 226340 lists a 4 inch jaw, a 4.5 inch capacity and a 1/2 inch throat at £34.99, with 4.6 from 4,419 reviews on the listing line. That count is the largest in the set, and the raw file has only six United Kingdom blocks among fifty. One of those says the mounting holes were way off and a chip was in the metal; others call it fine for light home use. The weight field is 454 g beside forged-iron bullets and a cast-iron material field, so the mass is a conflicting field, not a fact. Slot centres are not printed. It is a light-duty inch listing, not the vice to buy because 4,419 looks like a test.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want printed inch sizes for light home drilling and you will measure the slotted base.
Less suitable: You are buying on the 4,419-review line, or you need a trustworthy listed weight.
Specifications
The Proxxon MS 4, part 28132, is the Micromot machine vice at £26.99, with 4.6 from 552 amazon.co.uk reviews. The Amazon page does not print a jaw width or opening; it prints a 34 mm diameter, and the manufacturer page is the geometry source at 50 mm and 34 mm. Item weight is 86.2 g and the unit count is 1,000 g, so you cannot treat either line as the settled mass. UK reviews use it for electronics, light work and a Micromot drill stand. One UK review reports thread backlash and jaw faces that are not parallel. Twenty-two of fifty blocks are marked United Kingdom. It is the small-stand vice, not a 3 kg casting for a household pillar drill.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You already use a Micromot drill stand and you only need the small opening on the manufacturer page.
Less suitable: You are buying a first vice for a household pillar drill, or you need a printed Amazon jaw width.
Specifications
The Faithfull FAIVDP75 is a 3.58 kg graded cast-iron drill vice at £46.99, with a printed 75 mm jaw and 70 mm opening and 4.6 from 207 amazon.co.uk reviews. Prisms sit on the fixed jaw only: three longitudinal and one transversal. Buyers contrast the mass with a lighter Silverline. One UK reviewer measured a workpiece of about 83 mm and slot centres of about 110 mm, which are review figures, not the listing. A stiff handle is a known complaint; UK reviews describe loosening two large screws and tightening a grub screw underneath. Another review says it would not hold pipe for cutting. It is the top pick in this set for ordinary downward holes when 70 mm is enough and you will measure the elongated slots.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You drill ordinary holes in flat bar on a home pillar drill, 70 mm is enough, and you will measure the slots.
Less suitable: You need more than 70 mm, a mini drill, side milling, or a vice that holds pipe for cutting.
Specifications
The KATSU-titled tilting vice, brand field Merry Tools, part 4021633, tilts from 0 to 90 degrees and locks, at £46.99 and 5.68 kg, with 4.6 from 28 reviews. Jaw opening is not printed. The raw file has 14 UK bodies: praise is for weight and occasional use. Complaints include a jaw that would not travel smoothly, a flimsy angle-pin chain, a zero mark that did not line up, and burrs. One reviewer used it on a milling machine in place of a non-tilting vice; no pull-down jaw or accuracy figure is printed. Buy it when you already need the tilt and you accept a short sample. It is a poor only vice if you mainly drill square holes in flat bar.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You already drill at an angle and you accept 28 reviews plus an unstated opening.
Less suitable: You want one square vice for ordinary holes, or you thought the tilt made it a milling vice.
Specifications
The Greensen pillar-drill vice is £22.17 and about 2.1 kg, with 4.6 from only 12 amazon.co.uk reviews and four UK bodies in the file. The title puts 4 inch, 20 mm and a 110 mm opening in one line, and those figures are not reconciled in the specification block. The same title says coordinates drilling table, while the bullets describe jaws and the reviews describe a vice on a drill stand; an X-Y screw is not specified. Those reviewers call it adequate and heavy enough not to vibrate. With twelve ratings and a conflicting title, it is a thin listing, not a reason to skip a clearer 100 mm cast vice.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You will measure the jaws yourself and you accept a 12-review file.
Less suitable: You want one agreed jaw size, or you thought the title meant a cross-slide table.
Specifications
The Wolfcraft Simplex 60 is a 490 g die-cast aluminium vice at £12.99, with a 68 mm jaw, an opening up to 65 mm, and 4.4 from 1,449 amazon.co.uk reviews. Horizontal and vertical V-grooves are stated for round material, plus a clamping claim of 200 kg that the file does not show how to measure. Reviewers use it with a Wolf drill stand, and one UK review says there are no bolts to hold it down. It is a light stand accessory, not a 3 kg casting for a full-size pillar drill. If you need more than 65 mm or a vice that stays put under a larger bit, look at the cast listings instead.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You already own a Wolf-style drill stand and you only need about 65 mm on light work.
Less suitable: You are drilling on a full-size pillar drill, or you need the vice bolted down from the box.
Specifications
The Wolfcraft 3423000 is an 80 mm jaw and 80 mm opening quick-adjust vice at £24.65 and 1.89 kg, with 4.4 from 910 amazon.co.uk reviews. Horizontal V-grooves and a 200 kg claim are on the listing, and a German bullet says the moving jaw has play and is pushed upward so the part is no longer square to the bed. UK reviews split: some praise the release on a Scheppach DP60, and one calls the quick clamp nearly useless and the thread clunky. Reviewers name a Wolfcraft stand, for bolt-hole alignment, and that Scheppach, where a cheaper vice had not fitted. Ten of the fifty review blocks are marked United Kingdom. It is the quick-adjust option when you want the stated 80 mm pair and you will check jaw lift on scrap.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want a printed 80 mm pair with a quick release, and you will check the jaw on scrap.
Less suitable: You need a vice that the listing does not describe as lifting, or you only drill tiny electronics parts.
Specifications
The Hozzwhoo mini bench clamp is a 200 g aluminium clamp at £7.99, with an opening stated as 0–55 mm and 4.4 from 342 amazon.co.uk reviews. Reviewers use it for models, RC parts and a mini bench drill, which matches its Bench Clamps rank rather than the 2–5 kg cast vices in this set. The box includes plastic pads and two clamping blocks described as 2.3 inch, and a jaw width is not printed. One UK review says the tapped holes cross-threaded and the screws for the plastic mounts would not start. Other reviews call it fine for small craft work. It is not a substitute for a slotted cast vice on a full-size pillar drill.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You are holding a model or an RC part on a mini bench drill, not a household pillar drill.
Less suitable: You need a 2–5 kg slotted vice for a full-size bench or pillar drill.
Specifications
The KATSU 100 mm drill press vice is the listing that prints a 100 mm jaw, a 110 mm opening and 13 mm mounting slots, at £15.99 and 2.09 kg. Amazon.co.uk shows 4.3 from 643 reviews, the same shared block as the 65 mm and 150 mm KATSU vices, so those stars are not a separate verdict on this size. Removable steel jaws are stated. A V-groove, a tilt and an accuracy figure are not, even though the title says milling. Bolts are not in the included-components line. It is the best value in this set when you need the printed 110 mm gap and you will measure the 13 mm slots against your table.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You need a printed 110 mm opening on a home pillar drill and you will check the 13 mm slots.
Less suitable: You want an independent review sample, a stated V for bar, or a milling vice with a pull-down jaw.
Specifications
The KATSU 65 mm drill press vice is the cheapest cast-looking listing in this set at £11.99 and 1.8 kg, with 4.3 from 643 reviews. That star line is shared with the 100 mm and 150 mm KATSU vices, so the 643 is one sample, not three. The title says 65 mm and the clamp-width field says 63 mm; an opening is not printed. The material field says chrome vanadium steel while the bullets say a heavy cast body, a steel screw and removable steel jaws. A shared review talks about a 2.5 inch vice fitting a small drill base, which may not be this body. Buy it only if you have measured a small part and you accept an unstated gap.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You have a small part and a small drill base, and you will measure the unstated opening yourself.
Less suitable: You need a printed gap, or you are treating the 643 reviews as a verdict on this size alone.
Specifications
The KATSU 150 mm drill press vice is the heaviest budget body in the KATSU trio, at 4.12 kg and £21.99, with 150 mm and 6 inch in the title. Opening and slot width are not printed on this ASIN; the 13 mm slot line belongs to the 100 mm page. The 4.3 from 643 is the same shared review block, including a note about a 2.5 inch vice, so you cannot read those texts as a 150 mm test. The title and bullets say milling, column drills and maintenance, with no accuracy or pull-down jaw. Buy it only if you have measured a wide part and you accept an unstated gap.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You have already measured a wide flat part and you accept an unstated opening.
Less suitable: You need a printed gap and slot width, or you are buying it because the title says milling.
Specifications
The Silverline 292674 is a 2.08 kg cast-iron drill vice at £15.50, with a 100 mm clamping capacity, hardened jaws and 4.2 from 1,748 amazon.co.uk reviews. That count is independent of the shared KATSU block, and it is also the slot-mismatch story: one UK buyer said the spacing was too large for a Scheppach DP60. Praise is for weight and price. Complaints include sharp edges, a loose thread, jaws that are not true, and too much play. Slot centres are not printed, so you measure the table before you treat the elongated slots as a fit.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want a 100 mm-class cast vice with its own review count, and you will measure the table slots first.
Less suitable: You already know your Scheppach DP60 missed a Silverline spacing, or you need jaws that arrive true.
Specifications
Shelf prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures already stored for these twelve listings. There is no laboratory test. The score is 0–100 from four parts. The highest total is the top pick, once. The highest value-part score is best value, once, and it is not given to the top pick. The three KATSU sizes share one 4.3 from 643, so that block is not counted as three samples.
Stars
35%Star points are the amazon.co.uk rating divided by 5, times 35, rounded to the nearest whole number. A missing rating line would score 0. A 4.6 from 12 reviews does not lead on stars alone.
Evidence
20%An independent sample of 200 or more, with UK review text about that model, scores higher than a shared block or a handful of reviews. The KATSU 4.3 from 643 is one sample. Under 15 reviews the evidence mark stays low.
Fit for a home pillar drill
30%A cast vice with jaw and opening printed, a consistent mass and prisms scores highest. A missing opening, a conflicting weight field, a light aluminium body or a 200 g mini clamp scores lower. This is not a measured clamping test.
Value in this set
15%Shelf price in GBP against a readable listing. The stated 100 mm jaw and 110 mm opening near £16 takes the highest value mark. That award is not given to the top pick.
Buy the slot fit and the printed opening before the word milling in a title. A machine vice on this page is a drill press vice for downward holes. Jaw width is the length of the jaw. Opening is the gap. A cast body with a slotted base is the ordinary choice for a home pillar drill. A 200 g clamp and a light aluminium quick vice are different tools. HSE's HSG129 says clamp the vice to the table on a small bench drill, and do not wear gloves around an open chuck.
A machine vice, in the way UK shoppers search, is a drill press vice. It is a low vice that bolts or clamps to a pillar drill, a bench drill or a drill stand so the workpiece is not in your hand. Jaw width is the length of the jaw. Jaw opening is the gap. Faithfull FAIVDP75 prints 75 mm and 70 mm at about £46.99. A 100 mm name is not a 100 mm gap unless the listing says so. KATSU B07NL98RYT states a 100 mm jaw and a 110 mm opening at about £15.99.
A 100 mm name is not a 100 mm gap unless the listing says so. The KATSU 100 mm prints both a 100 mm jaw and a 110 mm opening. The 65 mm and 150 mm KATSU pages do not print an opening. The Faithfull prints 70 mm, which is the limit for flat bar on that vice.
Side cutting wants a low-lift jaw. This set does not show one. A milling word on the KATSU 100 mm, the 150 mm or the tilting 75 mm is not a pull-down jaw and not a stated accuracy. The Wolfcraft 3423000 listing describes the moving jaw lifting.
The 65 mm, 100 mm and 150 mm KATSU listings share one review text and one 4.3 from 643. That is one sample. A review about a 2.5 inch vice is not a test of the 150 mm body. The Silverline 1,748 and the Faithfull 207 are separate counts.
Elongated slots help only if they meet the table slots. There is no single UK pitch. The listing has to print a slot width, or you measure the table before you buy. Silverline 292674 buyers report a miss on a Scheppach DP60. Wolfcraft 3423000 buyers report a fit on that Scheppach and on a Wolfcraft stand. The KATSU 100 mm listing prints 13 mm slots. The 150 mm KATSU page does not print a slot width, and the 13 mm line is not on that ASIN.
A 100 mm name is not a 100 mm gap unless the listing says so. Jaw width is the length of the jaw. Opening is the gap. The KATSU 100 mm states a 100 mm jaw and a 110 mm opening at about £15.99. The Faithfull FAIVDP75 prints 75 mm and 70 mm. The Wolfcraft 3423000 prints 80 mm for both. The Simplex 60 prints a 68 mm jaw and an opening up to 65 mm. The KATSU 65 mm and the KATSU 150 mm print a title size and do not print an opening. The tilting 75 mm states 0–90 degrees and does not print a gap.
Three typical situations, each with a recommendation from this comparison.
You drill ordinary holes in flat bar and brackets, and about 70 mm is enough. The Faithfull FAIVDP75 is the top pick at about £46.99: 75 mm jaw, 70 mm opening, 3.58 kg, prisms on the fixed jaw, and 4.6 from 207 reviews. Measure the elongated slots. It is not a pipe vice.
You want the gap printed, not only a 100 mm name, and you will check 13 mm slots against the table. The KATSU 100 mm is best value at about £15.99, with a 100 mm jaw, a 110 mm opening and 2.09 kg. The 4.3 from 643 is shared with two other KATSU sizes.
You drill electronics, models or jewellery, not brackets on a household pillar drill. The Proxxon MS 4 is the Micromot vice at about £26.99, with 4.6 from 552 reviews. The Amazon page does not print a jaw width. The manufacturer page is the geometry source at 50 mm and 34 mm.
The top pick is the Faithfull FAIVDP75 at about £46.99. It scores 81, the highest total here: a printed 75 mm jaw, a 70 mm opening, 3.58 kg of graded cast iron, prisms on the fixed jaw, and 4.6 from 207 reviews. Slot centres are not in the specification, and 70 mm will not take a larger flat bar. Best value is the KATSU 100 mm at about £15.99. Its total is 74, below the Wolfcraft 3423000 at 75, but its value part is the highest in the set: a printed 100 mm jaw, a 110 mm opening and 13 mm slots. The 4.3 from 643 is the shared KATSU sample, not a separate test of this size.
KATSU 100 mm drill press vice
Highest value part in the set: printed 100 mm jaw and 110 mm opening at about £15.99, and not the top pick.
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.
