There’s a long-running claim on the internet that says the Record No. 6 is “The best vise ever made.” To evaluate that statement, we’ll focus on a different aspect of engineering and design compared to the Fireball hardtail vise!
Since the Fireball Hardtail 614 is substantially larger (+200 lbs compared to the No. 6), I included the Fireball 510 for a closer comparison.
For context, the Fireball 510 is a 3/4-scale version of the 614, but still equipped with a swivel base. I also brought in the “Record No. 5 Vise” to provide an additional reference point for the Record No. 6 Vise.
Now that we are in a similar playing field, let’s do a size comparison. Let’s do the Record No.6 first!
Mass (Weight) Measured Results:
Record No. 6 → 70.9 lbs (32.2 kg)
Now, let’s see how much the Fireball 510 hardtail weighs.
Fireball 510 → 144 lbs (65.3 kg)
Even when scaled down, the Fireball 510 has more than double the mass of the Record No. 6. While weight isn’t a complete measure of strength or performance, it does indicate a significant difference in material volume and overall build.