# Does A Bigger Screw Equal A Stronger Vise? Let's Put It To The Test! **URL:** \ **Category:** Vises\ **Created:** [October 8, 2025, 5:22pm UTC](https://fireball.discourse.group/t/does-a-bigger-screw-equal-a-stronger-vise-lets-put-it-to-the-test/3993 "2025-10-08T17:22:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Fireball-Tool](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/fireball.discourse.group/fireball-tool/32/4077_2.png) [@Fireball-Tool](https://fireball.discourse.group/u/Fireball-Tool)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2025, 5:22pm UTC](https://fireball.discourse.group/t/does-a-bigger-screw-equal-a-stronger-vise-lets-put-it-to-the-test/3993/1 "2025-10-08T17:22:01Z")
So what’s really better in a vise, a small screw or a large one? ![3",2",1 1:4",1" Screws](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/uploads/fireball/original/2X/2/274f812ee686fd0936b25cc43920891e861e616c.jpeg) In a previous Fireball 510 vs. Record No. 6 test, the 510 put out huge force numbers. A bunch of people said it was only because the Fireball has a larger diameter screw basically, that it was cheating. ![Previous Torque Test Record No.6](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/uploads/fireball/original/2X/d/dfecfa3a37f2a4af71d6ee90fb60df900eb9ddb9.jpeg) ![Previous Torque Test Record No.6 Results](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/uploads/fireball/original/2X/d/d48cfbacc39c0de41a177046e02dd8b6e63d9da1.jpeg) ![Previous Torque Test](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/uploads/fireball/original/2X/9/9933593470bd2ac796992a9bee390657b3c50793.jpeg) ![Previous Torque Test For Fireball Hardtail Vise](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/uploads/fireball/original/2X/f/f91a118d4ba35573e09d629aa245269d138fcb52.jpeg) ![Previous Torque Test Fireball Results](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/uploads/fireball/original/2X/d/d334b060c8ff9ee4654b012c9b10e488e55ffe5e.jpeg) ![Previous Torque Test Screw Comparison](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/uploads/fireball/original/2X/c/c40977983cc063d63d2b9beecfdc9e13e3300946.jpeg) Time to find out if that’s true. For this test, I built a small setup to measure how screw diameter affects output force. Every screw had 5 threads per inch; the only difference was the diameter. We applied the same torque each time (50 ft-lbs) and measured the output with a load cell. ![Screw Demo Test Display](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/uploads/fireball/original/2X/3/333fea998687d902bc08a58cc969afd49a626514.jpeg) ![Probe Inside The Testing Rig](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/uploads/fireball/original/2X/9/93fb1cad533d4cc890d498efa74cb6e4953950a0.jpeg) Here’s what we got: 3" Screw → 2,220 lbs ![3" Screw](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/uploads/fireball/original/2X/2/2b8b66160afdd877b2cf7a2891744b7c8f9650bc.jpeg) ![3" Screw Torque Test](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/uploads/fireball/original/2X/3/3c382c28a8fbae3e3132d1a993f688ce7193f0fe.jpeg) ![3" Screw Torque Test Results](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/uploads/fireball/original/2X/5/5de056c1b2b498e09dca0f9b6fd0f1dd77e111d4.jpeg) 2" Screw → 2,700 lbs ![2" Screw](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/uploads/fireball/original/2X/5/55fe2aa355838646ceda48395f2adf2aae9fca40.jpeg) ![2" Screw Torque Test](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/uploads/fireball/original/2X/a/a971ebf162437abd8d51a815dd8288f54fb6d986.jpeg) ![2" Screw Torque Testing Results](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/uploads/fireball/original/2X/2/2bc6fb6f764b14c341f88cdc2bee103bac8b50f0.jpeg) 1 1/4" Screw → 3,200 lbs ![1 1:4" Screw Torque Test](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/uploads/fireball/original/2X/a/ae328e776b5801eba9abc2faf50111a454a7f177.jpeg) ![1 1:4" Torque Test Results](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/uploads/fireball/original/2X/8/86da4aef9274648dc5e520759fc23a633aafbe7e.jpeg) ![1 1:4" Screw](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/uploads/fireball/original/2X/1/198fca742434c16f5c7f5713364b7a716f3f35bd.jpeg) 1” Screw → 5,164 lbs ![1" Screw](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/uploads/fireball/original/2X/2/23dee85ccd18cdc48212d50ee5424b2ceba63dec.jpeg) ![1" Torque Test](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/uploads/fireball/original/2X/0/015757a2f99116db48dd59f30758f1053e2e9eaa.jpeg) ![1" Torque Test Results](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/uploads/fireball/original/2X/9/9a8a0e55dcced639bd3598a09ec4813a4b69bf8e.jpeg) So, is the Fireball 510 stronger because it has a bigger screw? Nope. In fact, the Record No.6 and the Fireball Hardtail vise have the same screw diameter. A bigger screw diameter would also need a bigger handle; however, that also doesn’t mean it’s an advantage. If the thread pitch were the same, we could get away with a smaller diameter. ![Fireball 614 Hardtail Vise](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/uploads/fireball/original/2X/5/5fc45066066f583ad144b04f8160f37ee1c2fc26.jpeg) ![Record No.6 And Fireball Hardtail Screw Comparison](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/uploads/fireball/original/2X/a/aae14ee5ad20ac18fecff85265cb8a2330459846.jpeg) ![Record No.6 And Fireball Hardtail Thread Pitch And Screw Diameter Comparision](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/uploads/fireball/original/2X/8/887f3065c6914c207fd2b254866fd97c3de4fc72.jpeg) ![Big Screw, Big Diameter](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/uploads/fireball/original/2X/c/c1de64145c393afea99bd433d015e662d00feec6.jpeg) ![Big Vise Handle, Reed 208](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/uploads/fireball/original/2X/0/05c9cf76e68c07ecd8c49912ab03b2ffeb9ad263.jpeg) Screw diameter alone doesn’t make a vise better. It’s the design and efficiency that matter. ![Fireball 614 Hardtail Vise Handle](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/uploads/fireball/original/2X/9/987f7312c7519b184ae7d3aae8e06d95313d3889.jpeg)