Customer Reviews

PanaVise 209 Vacuum Base Pv Jr.

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

My husband and I have been working on some projects at home since we had to close our lab and the PanaVise is great because of its size and portability. In fact, this is the second one we have purchased so that we can use one on each end of the testing area to send and receive. The suction cup mounting was originally a problem but when we discovered using glass it was fantastic. Two flat pyrex type surfaces and you can take them anywhere and place them in any position needed. I would recommend this vise for everything from hobbies to lab testing. It covers the gambit as far as possibilities are concerned.

When i first got this vise i was unimpressed. it hardly stuck to anything and even when it did it would fall over on its own over the course of a couple of minutes. but if u add a bit of water to the suction cup it sticks to flat surfaces like a champ! i even had a hard time getting it off of my counter :P

but despite how well it can stick to surfaces, its still only for smaller to medium sized projects because the whole arm wiggles a bit no matter how tight u make it. i had gotten this so i could do some filing work on some knives, but the wiggling would be a pain and would eventually screw me up. but it still works very nicely on my electronic projects so it wasn't a complete loss :)

Nice vise that does the job. It is well built and all functions are smooth and precise. Right out of the box I used it to repair circuit boards. Works exceptionally well. Great value for money. Highly recommended.

It's a very versatile product, no doubt about it! I love the gripping mechanism as well as the practically unlimited motion of the gripper, but the suction cup left much to be desired. For those who have a clean plastic or metal surface the product is great and grips excellently and this is definitely the product for you! But for those of us who have wooden or less perfect surfaces the cup almost never sticks well and required me to purchase a ceramic tile to mount it on.

I have been using the PanaVise 209 Vacuum Base Pv Jr. for couple of months now quite intensively while assembling electronics kits. It is a great vise for small electronics. It makes it very easy to hold a printed circuit, attach the components at the top and then easily flip the printed circuit over to solder the components without having to remove the PC from the vise. It is quick and easy.

Couple of things to be aware of:

As the name implies, it can hold only relatively small printed circuits.

Since it uses a vacuum base you will need to attach it to a smooth surface. I attached it to a 20cm X 20cm (about 8" X 8") acrylic tile and it works very well.

The only thing I wish it had is a faster way to move the jaws since it can take a little while to move from the fully open position to a fairly closed position.

Highly recommended.

I am very pleased with the product. I wouldn't recommend this vise for anything heavy or large,thus the "Junior" in its name. However, it is perfect to set up on the kitchen table while fixing something lightweight. It adjusts well in all dimensions. The suction cup held extremely tight once I read the directions on how to secure it :-) Definitely a big help for small projects.

Bought this for painting miniatures.... too bad it won't stick to any surface. I tried dampening it and it always loses its suction.

I bought this so I could work on an iPhone (for repair). I have two other panavise vise products, both of which are metal with some ABS plastic parts.

I like the vacuum base. It works very well on my wooden bench. Very easy to get it attached, and a simple locking mechanism.

The articulating arm has a good range, and the tightening mechanism works well. It gripped my iPhone4 nicely and was very solid.

The screw used for moving the clamping arms is a little smaller than I'd have preferred, which is making me wonder if it will hold up to a heavier load. The clamping arms are also plastic, which showed when I was tightening the vise to hold the phone. It worked, but at one point I began to wonder if they should have been made of metal.

Sorry for the basic review, but I wanted to get it out there that my experience with this vise is a good one.

This vise is just right for holding the circuit boards for SMT soldering, able to adjust as needed to be able to solder surface mounted components.

If you're looking for a PCB vise, save up and get the more expensive Panavise with a metal base. This thing is more trouble than it's worth.

Pros:

--Heat-resistant vise grips with nice grooves that hold on to a PCB

--Articulation works well and feels sturdy

Cons:

--Jaw threading is stiff and difficult to operate

--Jaw handle is small and uncomfortable to turn more than fine adjustments

--The suction cup base does not stay down, even on a very even non-porous surface

I could forgive the suction cup, since I could do something like glue it down, but the vice jaws are too difficult to open and shut due to the combination of the stiff threads and crappy adjustment handle.