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

Bench vice buying guide

Updated: October 2026

You are looking at amazon.co.uk vices whose titles say heavy duty and whose stars sit close together. A bench vice buying guide has to start with the bench and the kilogram, not the slogan. An engineer's vice, a woodworking vice, and a table vice share a search and hold different work. Most of this set is the table vice you screw to an edge and take off again. Prices and the eleven listings are in the [bench vice comparison](/hub/workshop/vice). Products Compared read these files on 16 October 2026, with no lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You are looking at amazon.co.uk vices whose titles say heavy duty and whose stars sit close together. A bench vice buying guide has to start with the bench and the kilogram, not the slogan.

Our top picks

Stanley Stanley 1-83-069

Best overall

Stanley Stanley 1-83-069
9.2/10about £22.31
View offer
Stanley Stanley 1-83-065

Alternative

Stanley Stanley 1-83-065
8.6/10about £29.95
View offer
TEENO TEENO 70 mm

Best value

TEENO TEENO 70 mm
8.0/10about £18.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Three vices, three jobs
  2. 2.Five checks in order
  3. 3.What the words on the box do not prove
  4. 4.When to leave this basket

Three vices, three jobs

Wonkee Donkee's UK notes put an engineer's jaw at about 75–200 mm, with opening and throat growing as the jaw grows. A woodworking vice is often from about 150 mm, with liners for timber. A table vice is the clamp-on you screw to an edge and take off again. This set is mostly that third kind. Clamp-ons run about £8–£23 and 1.5–1.9 kg. The bolt-down pair is the Stanley 1-83-065 at £29.95 and 5.04 kg, and the DAYUAN 4 inch at £24.95 and 4.7 kg. The Buyfun tilt is £45.99 at 1.6 kg. The BestEquip 6 inch is £89.90 at 19.1 kg, with no United Kingdom review text in the file. Toolstation's Irwin Record 4 inch at £49.99 sits outside the basket.

Five checks in order

Start with mounting. A bolt-down vice on a solid top, over a leg when you can, is the stiff setup. A clamp-on suits a table you must not drill. LDHHYH and WinHub state a bench up to 62 mm, and BUYSK states 36 mm. TEENO states no bench thickness. RS aims the Stanley 1-83-069 clamp at about 60 mm, which is not in the amazon.co.uk file. Keep jaw width, jaw opening, and bench thickness apart. The TEENO's 70 mm jaw and 77.5 mm opening are not a 77.5 mm bench. The DASBET bullet prints 65 mm, 50 mm, and 68 mm together. Then put the mass next to the job. UK reviews call both Stanleys and the DAYUAN light-duty, even though the DAYUAN title says industrial. A 1.5 kg multi-angle vice and a 5 kg bolt-down can share a similar star line and still be different tools.
Stanley Stanley 1-83-069

Testsieger

Stanley Stanley 1-83-069
9.2/10about £22.31
View offer

What the words on the box do not prove

Heavy duty, industrial, and milling are title words here, not a rating. The Buyfun bullets call a 1.6 kg clamp a milling vice. The only UK review describes lighter objects on a bench or a Workmate, and it does not describe milling. The TEENO file shows 800 kg with no test method. BestEquip writes Kn30 and does not explain the unit. Cracks are the other limit. UK reviews include a Zazafolora that cracked after one use, a DASBET that cracked in half, and a WinHub that crumbled. Stop and speak to the seller. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 gives a 30-day short-term right to reject goods that are not of satisfactory quality. Northern Ireland shoppers have the same remedy. At work, PUWER 1998 applies when the vice is work equipment. It is not a ban on a hobby clamp in a shed. The Stanley 100 mm file prints 50 × 50 × 55 cm, which is not credible for 5.04 kg. The Amazon file for the 1-83-069 says 1.5 kg, 75 mm, and £22.31. Use that file for price and stars.

When to leave this basket

Use a swivel only if you must turn the work and the lock holds. UK reviews report creep on the Stanley 100 mm turntable, the TEENO base, and the Stanley ball joint, which can vibrate loose while you sand. Soft faces come last, and only if the covers stay on. A Zazafolora review says the included covers fall off. Leave this basket if you need a 150 mm wood jaw, a vice you will hammer, or British owner reports for the 19.1 kg listing.

Common questions

What should I check before the star rating?
Check the mounting, then jaw width and opening, then the mass against the job. The 4.7 from 12,585 reviews is the Stanley 1-83-069, a 1.5 kg hobby vice at £22.31. UK owners still call that duty light. Stars do not measure stiffness. If the title says heavy duty and the body is under 2 kg, believe the kilogram.
Is an engineer's vice the same as a woodworking vice?
No. An engineer's vice is the metalworking pattern, often about 75–200 mm across the jaw in Wonkee Donkee's UK notes. A woodworking vice is usually wider, often from about 150 mm, with liners for timber. Most of this set is a table vice that clamps to an edge. A 70 mm clamp will not hold a wide board the way a woodworking vice does.
Do I need a swivel base?
Only when the work must turn without you undoing the jaws, and only if the lock holds. UK reviews describe slip on the Stanley 100 mm and the TEENO, and a Stanley ball joint that can vibrate loose while sanding. A fixed jaw is simpler if the work always sits the same way. A swivel that creeps is extra movement, not extra capacity.
Are clamping-force kilograms a test?
Not on these pages. The TEENO file shows 800 kg with no method. BestEquip writes Kn30 without explaining the unit. Stanley UK quotes a force for the 1-83-069 on its own site, and that page is not the amazon.co.uk file. Products Compared did not measure any of them. Do not rank these vices by a kilogram printed in a title.
When does PUWER apply?
PUWER 1998 applies at work, when the vice is work equipment other people may use. The HSE expects it to be suitable and maintained, and the user to have been instructed. A home shed used only by you is not that duty. If you employ someone, the bench and the vice both have to be fit for that work. A cracked casting is not suitable equipment in either setting.

Related pages

Bench vice jaw width

Clamp-on or bolt-down

How to mount a bench vice

Bench vice

Best bench vice: top pick, best value, and who skips

Sources

Public UK sources for mounting, sizing, and consumer-rights context. Listings checked 16 October 2026. Prices on amazon.co.uk move.

  1. HSE, PUWER overview (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  2. HSE, HSG129 health and safety in engineering workshops (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  3. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 22 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  4. Wonkee Donkee, engineer's vice sizes (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  5. Wonkee Donkee, woodwork vice sizes (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  6. Toolstation, vices (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  7. Faithfull, mounting a bench vice (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  8. ITS, bench vice (retrieved 16 October 2026)