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Best drill press vice

Updated: 2026-10-21

You want one vice for ordinary holes on a home pillar drill, and several amazon.co.uk listings sit above 4.3 stars. The best drill press vice in this set is not the one with the largest review count. For ordinary bench-drill work, the Faithfull FAIVDP75 is the pick if you can use a 70 mm opening and you will measure the slots. Everyone else has a reason to choose differently. The [machine vice comparison](/hub/workshop/machine-vice) keeps the twelve prices and the scores. Products Compared read those listings and the review notes behind them, not a lab, on 20 October 2026. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You want one vice for ordinary holes on a home pillar drill, and several amazon.co.uk listings sit above 4.3 stars. The best drill press vice in this set is not the one with the largest review count.

Our top picks

On this page

Best means a job, not a star

A star line is a listing figure, not a fit with your stand. Three KATSU sizes share one 4.3 from 643. That is one sample, not a verdict on 65 mm, 100 mm and 150 mm. Irwin's 4.6 from 4,419 has only six United Kingdom blocks among fifty, and the page lists 454 g beside a 4 inch iron vice. Treat that weight as a bad field. Silverline's 4.2 from 1,748 still includes a Scheppach DP60 slot miss. Greensen is 4.6 from 12, the tilting listing is 4.6 from 28, and Faithfull is 4.6 from 207. Those lines are not the same evidence. Best here means clearance holes in flat bar on a household pillar drill, with the vice staying put. It does not mean side milling or a Micromot stand.

The pick for a home pillar drill

The Faithfull FAIVDP75 prints a 75 mm jaw and a 70 mm opening, weighs 3.58 kg, and was about £46.99, with 4.6 from 207 reviews. Prisms sit on the fixed jaw only: three longitudinal and one transversal. Slot centres are not in the specification. Width, opening and slots are the check on the drill press vice size page. The 70 mm opening is the condition. A UK reviewer measured a workpiece of about 83 mm that would not go in, and slot centres of about 110 mm. Those are review figures, not Faithfull's published centres. UK notes describe loosening two large screws and tightening a grub screw under the vice to free a stiff handle. That is a setup complaint. One review says the V is on one jaw and it would not hold pipe for cutting.
Faithfull Faithfull FAIVDP75

Testsieger

Faithfull Faithfull FAIVDP75
8.1/10about £46.99

When a cheaper vice is the better buy

KATSU's 100 mm listing at about £15.99 prints a 100 mm jaw, a 110 mm opening and 13 mm slots, at 2.09 kg. Choose it when the part is too thick for 70 mm. The 643 reviews are the shared KATSU block, including a note about a 2.5 inch vice. The title says milling, and there is no pull-down jaw. Silverline at about £15.50 states a 100 mm capacity and 2.08 kg. If your table already missed that spacing, elongated slots will not stretch. A measured match is a cheaper cast body, with complaints about sharp edges, a loose thread and jaws that are not true. Wolfcraft 3423000 at about £24.65 is the buy when you want a printed 80 mm pair and a quick release, and a review already named your stand. The listing says the moving jaw is pushed upward. Check the first hole on scrap. Irwin's light-duty wording and broken weight field sit it behind both.

What is not in the running

Proxxon MS 4 at about £26.99 is a Micromot vice. The Amazon page does not print a jaw width. The manufacturer page gives 50 mm and 34 mm. It suits that stand, not a first vice for a household pillar drill. Hozzwhoo at about £7.99 is a 200 g clamp with a 0–55 mm opening. It does not replace a 3 kg casting. The tilting 75 mm vice costs the same £46.99 as Faithfull, weighs 5.68 kg, and adds a 0–90 degree joint with no printed opening. UK notes mention a jaw that would not travel and a zero mark that did not line up. One use on a milling machine does not make it a milling vice. For ordinary holes in flat bar, Faithfull is the pick under the 70 mm rule, and KATSU 100 mm is the printed-gap alternative.

Common questions

Which vice is the pick for a normal bench drill?
The Faithfull FAIVDP75, if 70 mm opening is enough and you will measure the slots. It prints both jaw figures, weighs 3.58 kg, and has 4.6 from 207 reviews of its own. It is not a pick for a mini drill, for side milling, or for a part thicker than 70 mm.
Why not the one with the most reviews?
Irwin's 4.6 from 4,419 is a listing line. The file has six UK bodies, a 454 g weight field that conflicts with the iron claim, and light-duty wording. A large count is not a measured quality score, and it is not a slot-fit guarantee.
Is the £15.99 KATSU the best value?
In this set, yes, when you need the printed 110 mm opening and 13 mm slots. The limit is the shared 4.3 from 643 across three sizes. You are buying the stated gap, not three independent tests. It is not the top pick for ordinary 70 mm work.
Who should skip the Faithfull?
Skip it if the part is thicker than 70 mm, if you only have a mini drill, if you need a pipe vice, or if the cut is along the side of the part. One review already said an 83 mm workpiece would not go in. The buying guide is the measurement check.
Is the tilting vice the best if I sometimes drill at an angle?
It is the only tilting body in this set, at the same £46.99 as Faithfull, with 28 reviews and no printed opening. Buy it for the tilt, not as a better Faithfull. The extra joint can sit out of square, and a milling title does not add a pull-down jaw.
Does a best-seller badge mean it fits my stand?
No. Amazon's Drill Press Vices rank moves, and a live badge is not a measured fit. Silverline's independent 1,748 reviews still include a Scheppach DP60 miss. Measure slot width and centres on the table and on the vice. A badge is not a pitch standard.
What should I buy if I only drill tiny parts?
A Micromot vice or a mini clamp, not Faithfull. Proxxon MS 4 is the stand-specific option. Hozzwhoo is the 200 g craft clamp. Neither is the best household pillar-drill vice, because that job is the 75–100 mm cast class.

Related pages

Sources

Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings compared on this page. Updated October 2026.

  1. HSE: HSG129 Health and safety in engineering workshops (retrieved October 2026)
  2. HSE: PUWER overview (retrieved October 2026)
  3. BSI: BS EN 12717:2001+A1:2009 Safety of machine tools, drilling machines (retrieved October 2026)
  4. Protool: How to choose machine vices (retrieved October 2026)
  5. Pauli Mot: Types of machine vice (retrieved October 2026)
  6. Cromwell: Senator 100 mm workshop drill press vice (retrieved October 2026)
  7. Proxxon: Micromot machine vice MS 4 (retrieved October 2026)
  8. Bromley Council: Consumer rights for goods (retrieved October 2026)