Best bench vice
Updated: October 2026
A golf shaft at an angle, a wooden offcut on a kitchen table, and a bolt you want to hacksaw are three different vices. The highest star line in this set is a 1.5 kg hobby clamp, not a fitter's vice. This page names a best bench vice for each job, and who should leave it. The full table is the [bench vice comparison](/hub/workshop/vice). Products Compared used the stored UK listings on 16 October 2026, with no lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
A golf shaft at an angle, a wooden offcut on a kitchen table, and a bolt you want to hacksaw are three different vices. The highest star line in this set is a 1.5 kg hobby clamp, not a fitter's vice.
A golf shaft at an angle, a wooden offcut on a kitchen table, and a bolt you want to hacksaw are three different vices. The highest star line in this set is a 1.5 kg hobby clamp, not a fitter's vice. This page names a best bench vice for each job, and who should leave it. The full table is the bench vice comparison. Products Compared used the stored UK listings on 16 October 2026, with no lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Mounting | Jaw width | Weight | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Stanley Stanley 1-83-069 | Clamp-on | 75 mm (3 inch) in the item name | 1.5 kg | 9.2 | about £22.31 | View offer |
| Alternative |  Stanley Stanley 1-83-065 | Bolt-down | 100 mm (4 inch) | 5.04 kg | 8.6 | about £29.95 | View offer |
| Best value |  TEENO TEENO 70 mm | Clamp-on | 70 mm | 1.86 kg | 8.0 | about £18.99 | View offer |
On this page
Top pick for light angled work
The top pick is the Stanley 1-83-069. On amazon.co.uk it is £22.31, 4.7 stars from 12,585 reviews, rank 1 in Bench Vises, and 1.5 kg, with 75 mm in the item name. The ball joint tilts a small part and locks it, then the vice packs away. Rubber covers are listed. That is the job the review count supports.
Skip it for hammering, steel, or a lock that must survive vibration. UK owners call it light-duty. One clamp broke on a golf shaft, and the ball joint can vibrate loose while you sand. Stanley UK quotes about 227 kg of force, and RS lists the same model at £29.11. Neither replaces the Amazon file, and 227 kg is not a test.
Best value when the vice must come off the bench
The best value is the TEENO, at £18.99, 4.4 stars from 641 reviews, a 70 mm jaw, a 77.5 mm opening, and 1.86 kg on a 360 degree base. It comes off a portable bench. For light wood and hobby jobs you clamp on and clear away, that price and that review count are the value case in this set.
Skip it if you cut steel bolts or need the swivel to stay tight. One UK base loosened while the owner cut steel screws. The lock slips, and one owner found the jaws seized after light use. The title says cast steel and the table says alloy steel. An 800 kg line has no test method. A hacksaw on a bolt needs a bench you can drill, and the bolt-down vices here are still called light-duty.
When the bolt-down vices in this set are the better idea
Choose bolts when the bench can take holes and the vice will stay. The Stanley 1-83-065 is £29.95, 4.6 from 4,845 reviews, a 100 mm jaw, and 5.04 kg. Owners use it for bikes, toys, and other light garage work. The box includes no bolts; one UK reviewer fitted M5s. The swivel lock slips, so bolting the base does not stop the top rotating. The 50 × 50 × 55 cm block is not credible for this weight, and the opening is not stated.
The DAYUAN is £24.95, 4.4 from 261 reviews, 4.7 kg, a 4 inch jaw, and bolt lugs. UK reviews call it a compact home vice and reject industrial. They report oil, flashing, arrival marks, and a loose jaw. A Toolstation Irwin Record 4 inch at £49.99 sits outside this Amazon set.
What this page will not call the best
The BestEquip is 19.1 kg, 6 inch, £89.90, 4.6 from 694 reviews, with grooved jaws claimed. This file has no United Kingdom review text, the title says clamp-on while the bullets say bench-mount, and the opening is missing. Kn30 is unexplained. Mass does not make it the top pick.
A Record is a different class. One UK guide quotes forged Records in the hundreds of pounds. That is not an amazon.co.uk price. The BUYSK at £7.99 has 3.8 from 238 reviews and a report of points marking a bench. The DASBET, Zazafolora, and WinHub each have a UK crack or crumble report and fewer than 35 reviews. The Buyfun at £45.99 has one UK review, about lighter objects, not milling.
Common questions
Which vice is the top pick, and for what job?
The Stanley 1-83-069, at £22.31, 4.7 from 12,585 reviews, and 1.5 kg. The job is light work you tilt on the ball joint and then pack away. Skip it for steel, hammering, or a lock that must stay shut under a sander. Rank 1 in Bench Vises is an amazon.co.uk sales rank, not a stiffness test.
Which is the best value, and who should skip it?
The TEENO at £18.99, 4.4 from 641 reviews, with a 70 mm jaw and a 77.5 mm opening. It suits light wood and hobby jobs on a table you can clamp. Skip it if you cut steel screws or need the swivel lock to hold. One UK base loosened on steel bolts, and one screw seized after light use.
Why is the most reviewed vice not the heaviest?
Most of those 12,585 reviews are for a hobby clamp you can lift with one hand. The Stanley 1-83-069 weighs 1.5 kg. The Stanley 100 mm weighs 5.04 kg and has 4,845 reviews. The BestEquip weighs 19.1 kg and has no UK review text in this file. Review count is not how hard you can hit the vice.
When is the Stanley 100 mm or the DAYUAN the better pick?
When the vice lives on one bench you can drill, for light garage metal, bikes, or toys. The Stanley 1-83-065 is a 100 mm jaw at 5.04 kg and £29.95, with a lock that slips. The DAYUAN is a 4 inch jaw at 4.7 kg and £24.95, and UK owners say it is not industrial. Test the lock before you trust a swivel under load.
Why is BestEquip not the top pick at 19.1 kg?
The file also shows a clamp-on title against a bench-mount bullet, no stated opening, an unexplained Kn30 figure, a price of £89.90, and no United Kingdom review text. A top pick on this page needs a job UK owners describe. Weight alone does not supply that description.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources for mounting, sizing, and consumer-rights context. Listings checked 16 October 2026. Prices on amazon.co.uk move.
- HSE, PUWER overview (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- HSE, HSG129 health and safety in engineering workshops (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 22 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- Wonkee Donkee, engineer's vice sizes (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- Wonkee Donkee, woodwork vice sizes (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- Toolstation, vices (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- Faithfull, mounting a bench vice (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- ITS, bench vice (retrieved 16 October 2026)