Independent comparisons. We may earn from shop links. More info

Clamp on vice vs bench vice: which mount to buy

Updated: October 2026

You can screw a small vice to the table and take it off again, or drill a bench and leave a heavier body there. Clamp on vice vs bench vice, in this amazon.co.uk set, is that choice. A clamp is removable and light, mostly 1.7–1.9 kg. A bolt-down swivel here is about 5 kg, stiffer for filing, and still only a joint. Hammering belongs to neither. The [Swivel vice](/hub/workshop/swivel-vice) comparison lists every card. This page does not crown a single ASIN. Weights are the UK figures from 16 October 2026. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You can screw a small vice to the table and take it off again, or drill a bench and leave a heavier body there. Clamp on vice vs bench vice, in this amazon.co.uk set, is that choice.

Our top picks

Stanley Stanley MaxSteel multi-angle vice

Best overall

Stanley Stanley MaxSteel multi-angle vice
8.6/10about £22.31
View offer
Stanley Stanley MaxSteel 4 inch light-duty vice

Best value

Stanley Stanley MaxSteel 4 inch light-duty vice
8.0/10about £29.95
View offer
TEENO TEENO 70 mm table vice

Alternative

TEENO TEENO 70 mm table vice
6.8/10about £18.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Clamp-on, when the bench is not yours to drill
  2. 2.Bolt-down, when the top is solid
  3. 3.The ball-joint vice is a clamp with angles
  4. 4.Neither mount is for a hammer

Clamp-on, when the bench is not yours to drill

Choose a clamp-on when the top must stay unmarked and the work is small. A kitchen table, a windowsill, or a rented corner sits there. The cards run from the MUXHEL at £16.14 and 1.7 kg through the TEENO at £18.99 and 1.86 kg to the VonLux at £21.50 and 1.81 kg. VonLux owners report a clamp that slips and a casting that broke on first use. TEENO, 4.4 from 641 reviews, loosened while steel screws were cut, and reviewers say the body split. A table vice is a poor holder for a cut that twists, because the only fixing is a screw on the apron. When you are ready to drill, the steps are on how to fit a bench vice.

Bolt-down, when the top is solid

Choose a bolt-down vice when you will file or saw often and the top is solid enough to drill. The Stanley 4 inch is 5.04 kg at £29.95, and the title says light-duty. Both HYCHIKA cards, the 5 inch at £31.86 and the 6 inch at £50.42, state 5 kg. Spending more, inside that pair, does not buy a heavier casting. Bolting removes the table screw. It does not remove the swivel. Excel lists an all-steel swivel at 7.5 kg, 11 kg, and 14.5 kg for 100 mm, 125 mm, and 150 mm, which are catalogue figures, not our listings. Chipboard does not become a bench because you bought longer bolts. Jaw and weight checks, before the mount, are the bench vice buying guide.
Stanley Stanley MaxSteel multi-angle vice

Testsieger

Stanley Stanley MaxSteel multi-angle vice
8.6/10about £22.31
View offer

The ball-joint vice is a clamp with angles

The Stanley MaxSteel 1-83-069 is easy to file in the wrong column. A ball joint turns the work, and the mount is still a screw clamp. The card weight is 1.5 kg, the jaw line is 75 mm, and the price is £22.31, with 4.7 from 12,585 reviews. It is the top pick for models, keys, and carving. Treat it as the clamp path with more positions, not as a substitute for the 5 kg Stanley. If you will saw on your own bench, leave it. The best swivel vice page keeps the top pick and the best value apart. The Buyfun card also sells tilt, at 1.6 kg and £45.99, with 5.0 from one review.

Neither mount is for a hammer

Wonkee Donkee bans a pipe on the handle and a weld repair. Clamp it if you will remove it and the work is light. Bolt it if you will file or saw on a solid bench, and you accept about 5 kg and a lock you tighten by hand. Leave this set if you will hammer, bend bar, or dress structural steel. The £50.42 HYCHIKA lists 5 kg, and the £45.99 tilting clamp lists 1.6 kg. If the casting cracks in ordinary use, stop and do not weld it. This is not legal advice.

Common questions

When is a clamp-on enough?
When the piece is small, you will take the vice off, and you must not drill. Expect about 1.7–1.9 kg and a jaw around 60–80 mm where it is stated. Retighten the screw after the first cut. It is enough for hobby clamping. It is not enough for repeated sawing of steel.
When must I bolt it?
When you will file or hacksaw often on a bench that can take holes. The bolt-down cards here list about 4.7–5.04 kg, stiffer than a table clamp and still light beside a 9–14 kg trade vice. Chipboard and a hollow door do not become that bench because the bolts are longer.
Will a table vice hold metal?
It will hold a short screw or a small bracket, clamped close to the jaws. TEENO reviews include a base that loosened while steel screws were cut, and a split body. For a bolt you mean to saw, a bolt-down light vice is the nearer tool, and even that has snapped on a 12 mm bolt in this set.
Is a swivel bolt-down as stiff as a fixed base?
No. Wonkee Donkee calls a swivel base less sturdy than a fixed bolt-down, because the lock is another joint. You gain positions on a small bench and you give up rigidity. In these reviews the lock creeps if you only nip it. Hand-tight, then a twist test, is the minimum.
Can I hammer on either?
No, not on the clamp and not on the bolt-down. A DAYUAN anvil cracked under a bearing, and a Stanley 4 inch dented under light tapping. A pipe on the handle is the same mistake. Riveting needs a heavier vice than either mount.
Does more money mean a heavier vice here?
Not in this set. The 6 inch HYCHIKA at £50.42 lists 5 kg, the same figure as the 5 inch HYCHIKA at £31.86. The Buyfun tilt vice is £45.99 and 1.6 kg, with one review. The Stanley bolt-down at £29.95 lists 5.04 kg and has 4,845 reviews. Read the kilograms beside the price.

Related pages

Swivel vice

Best swivel vice UK: top pick, then the best value

Bench vice buying guide: mount, jaw and weight first

How to fit a bench vice: holes, bolts and the lock

Vice for light metalwork: filing and sawing at home

Sources

Public UK sources used for this comparison. Listing prices, stars, and review counts are the amazon.co.uk lines from 16 October 2026.

  1. HSE — PUWER overview (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  2. The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  3. HSE — Safe use of work equipment (L22) (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  4. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  5. HSE — using the right type of PPE (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  6. Stanley UK — MaxSteel multi-angle vice 1-83-069 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  7. Stanley UK — MaxSteel 115 mm light-duty bench vice 1-83-065 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  8. Excel Machine Tools — all-steel bench vice weights (retrieved 16 October 2026)