Why I Drilled 800 Holes in a Vise?
I know what you are thinking: why would anyone take a perfectly good vise and drill 800 holes through it?
The answer is simple: I want to run a true, no-excuses comparison between two vises. We are going to be testing the Fireball Hardtail 510 high-pressure Vise with a handicap to show its superior strength. And the Wilton 600 Vise.
There’s a long-standing belief in the shop world that the Wilton 600 is one of the best bench vises ever made. It’s big, it’s heavy, it has 6-inch jaws, and if you can find one in good condition, it’s not cheap.
On the other side, we’ve got the Fireball Hardtail 510 high-pressure Vise. It’s smaller. It’s more affordable. It’s a 5-inch vise.
For these tests, I decided to give the Fireball Hardtail 510 high-pressure a real disadvantage.
Both vises start at roughly the same weight, about 145 pounds.
So to make things more interesting, I intentionally handicapped the 510. I drilled 800 holes throughout the entire vise, removing about 25 pounds of material in the process.
And I didn’t just pick one spot, I went after everything. The sides, the dynamic jaw, the swivel base, and the main vise body. The goal was simple: Make the Fireball 510 vise lighter, and at a clear disadvantage going into testing.
Now we’ve got a smaller, lighter, structurally compromised vise going up against a heavyweight that many consider the gold standard. I need your help with test suggestions.
This is not a comparison between the Wilton and the Fireball 614. That’s already been done. See our YouTube channel for the full video.
This is about little brother, the Fireball Hardtail 510 vise.
Some tests that I am open to trying will be hitting it with a big hammer, clamping strength, twist and flex, and dragging it from the back of a truck.
But instead of deciding everything myself, I want you to participate. What tests do you want to see?
What would actually prove which vise design is better? Drop your ideas, and we’ll incorporate them into the testing process.
This is going to be a fun one.