Customer Reviews

Wilton 21111 5-1/2-Inch Multi-Grip Vise Jaws

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

 

 

Bought this a while back and have been a little disappointed. The first problem was that taking it out of the package turned my hands yellow. Had to clean the jaws about four times (with a scrub brush and dishwashing liquid) before the yellow stopped showing up in the rinse water. Fortunately, it hasn't presented a problem since -- no bleed into items being clamped. The other problem is that the magnets used are woefully underpowered. The attraction between the material used for the jaws is actually stronger than the magnets such that closing your vice (with nothing in it) and then reopening causes the two jaws to stick together and then fall to the ground. Highly annoying. I fixed this problem by digging the magnets out and replacing them with like-sized rare earth magnets (held in place with a dab of silicone). Now the jaws will actually stay attached to the vise.

With those issues solved, the jaws have performed well. They hold material in a wide array of shapes securely and have never damaged anything I have had clamped. Just didn't expect so much fettling before the product was useable.

I agree with the other reviewer,(12/9/05) these don't have a strong magnetic hold but this is not a huge problem. They do a fine job preventing marring of any delicate items needing to be secured. Get them at Lowes for around $8.

Soft jaws are a must have for me, they make a vise many times more useful. Less so if the jaws keep slipping on odd shaped objects.
These jaws have several preformed grooves for holding round stock. Square and rectangular objects also stay well. But other shapes tend to make the jaws buckle or slip.

High power Neodymium magnets are easy to get and not very expensive, so it's a pity they didn't provide them. I replaced the originals with very powerful N42 magnets, improving their performance considerably.

The magnets are way too weak! They even get knocked off the vice jaws accidentally! This is way too aggrevating.

If you're fed up of leaving marks on your work pieces' this is for you.
No more damage or scuff on them. It has 0°-45°-90° cylindrical openings.
It is not so hard but harder than rubber and not as tacky.


The only problem with this item is that it discolors to amber on your piece.

When compressed with torque it can be difficult to clean.
If you have so pieces that cannot be cleaned I strongly discourage you to use it.

This item is really nice, it does leave orange residue on things... But has strong magnets and has stood up to some abuse. Great item.

Nice set of soft jaws. These have v-grooves for holding odd-sized pieces. I was a bit hesitant after reading the reviews that discussed the yellow rubbing off, but I tried to duplicate that without success. No yellow on hands, clamped items, etc.

The magnets could stand to be stronger, but they serve their purpose. Neodymium magnets would probably collect metal filings and degrade quickly.

Manufacturing quality on these vice jaws are poor. They are rubbery and not very solid. In fact one edge of one of the jaws is wavy as if it was melted. Also, the magnets are weak and allow the jaws to move out of position. As someone else noted, the yellow die used in coloring comes off on everything that makes contact with them, even after scrubbing with detergents.

I haven't actually put this to use yet but the material is softer than I expected and I am not sure that it will be that useful. It will probably not grip the item firmly enough to work efficiently. I have other jaws inserts for my Wilton that I use for various jobs. I have rubber, felt, aluminum and fiber inserts that I use for various types of jobs. These were made by Wilton and are very good, but I don't think that they are available anymore.

I've bought other cheap ones because it is not something I use very often but they were junk. This cost a little more but is a quality product and I am very satisfied with it.