Machine vice – Vertex/Arc Euro Trade/Gloster?

[VicParticipant @vic]

This is it with a 2" in it.

[VicParticipant @vic]

This is the underside. As manufactured the two mounting holes are spot on with the axis of the vice. As a result all I had to do was turn a couple of sleeves (shown in the picture) to fit both the vice and the tee slots on my mill. Just placing the vice on the table and clamping it down and it's within .001" of parallel. A small tap gets it spot on.

[Stuart BridgerParticipant @stuartbridger82290]

I have a Vertex VA-4 on my Warco VMC and am very happy with it, but it may be a bit big for a WM-14.

[Bruce FormanParticipant @bruceforman62613]

Posted by Stuart Bridger on 30/04/2015 15:34:59:

I have a Vertex VA-4 on my Warco VMC and am very happy with it, but it may be a bit big for a WM-14.

That's another thing that was concerning me whether or not a 100mm vice might be too big for the WM14. Thanks for that Stuart. I think I may end up going for the 75mm Soba.

[Mick HenshallParticipant @mickhenshall99321]

I have a WM-14 and use a vertex 4" vice on it and have had no problems with size of vice, fair to say I removed the swivel base first and the odd time I have used base there has no problem either, I did buy a 6"rotary table which is sometimes awkward to mount and wish I had got a 4"

Mick h

[Enough!Participant @enough]

Posted by Mick Henshall on 30/04/2015 17:12:00:

I did buy a 6"rotary table which is sometimes awkward to mount and wish I had got a 4"

 

On my WM-16 lookalike, I started with a 4" RT and dumped it for a 6". While the 6" is sometimes a bit awkward to mount to the table (even more so now the RT has a stepper attached), it's nothing compared to the awkwardness I found in mounting things to the 4" table. It looks good until you need space for the clamps …

Edited By Bandersnatch on 30/04/2015 18:14:38

[Boiler BriParticipant @boilerbri]

I bought one of these for my Harrison vertical milling machine From arc euro. It was 100% better than the cheapo Indian one I hade. It transformed my my quality of milling in the home workshop. Some people on here have commented that it looks too big on my Miller, and it probably does but as others have answered I can mount a smaller one in it if I have to. I am currently building a sweetpea 5" and 4" traction engine and it does all I need.

Model number:

130-040-04125

Edited By Boiler Bri on 30/04/2015 22:53:28

[Philip PowellParticipant @philippowell34749]

Has anyone tried the Arc versatile (Kurt clone) vice? At £69.41 for the 100mm version it sounds almost too good to be true.

Phil.

[John Stevenson 1Participant @johnstevenson1]

Yes got two the 100mm blue one and the biggest of the SG iron ones but I might be classed as being a bit biast.

Use the small blue one daily on the Blidgeport which is a thinly disguised Warco WM40 so a tad bigger than a normal Bridgy. Bit small for a WM40 but have the bigger on if needed and it's light enough to throw around one handed so speed work up.

And use the bigger one as work calls for it. I have now sold the two Abwood vices I had before as being surplus.

The Abwoods were decent but TBH don't see why people rave about them so much but seeing as I got more for two S/H vices than I paid for these two off Ketan who am I to argue ?

I use the 100mm one without the swivel to get more rigidity and I like it. You put something in it, tap it down and tighten up and no need to bash it again.

[VicParticipant @vic]

The Kurt and clones look a bit too tall for my liking, ok for big machines I guess. Still like Abwoods but Bison (Polish) make a very decent copy if you can afford it.

[Philip PowellParticipant @philippowell34749]

Thanks for your replies guys, I'm a fan of the Kurt vices, I use them at work everyday I like the versatility they give but I can't afford a Kurt for home use. Seeing the Kurt clone at Arc for such a low price I was just a bit concerned that they might be like a chocolate teapot, but it sounds like they are a good buy.

Phil.

[Anonymous]

I swallowed hard and bought a genuine Kurt vice. No more worries about squareness, parallelism or jaw lift.

Andrew

[Ketan SwaliParticipant @ketanswali79440]

Posted by Philip Powell on 31/05/2015 22:27:10:

Thanks for your replies guys, I'm a fan of the Kurt vices, I use them at work everyday I like the versatility they give but I can't afford a Kurt for home use. Seeing the Kurt clone at Arc for such a low price I was just a bit concerned that they might be like a chocolate teapot, but it sounds like they are a good buy.

Phil.

Hi Phil,

At the price, the ARC one is a good clone vs the original Kurt vice. It is in line with the Vertex clone.

However, if you are expecting the same level of quality/finish/accuracy as the Kurt with which you are used to, then my honest opinion is that you may be disappointed. My personal feeling after about six months of good sales for this product is that they are overall 70% in comparison to a Kurt, and probably similar in comparison to a better clone such as Vertex.

These comments are based on observation of the products we have recieved, combined with feedback we have received till date, which have mostly been positive. Out of the 100+ sold so far, about five customers have chosen to modify them further to meet their requirements, and three have been returned becasue they failed to meet the users expectations.

All I would say is please do not expect a Kurt for the price. In any case, it is not like a chocolate teapot…In any case, a chocolate tea pot of the same weight will probably cost more…

Ketan at ARC.

[Philip PowellParticipant @philippowell34749]

Hi Phil,

At the price, the ARC one is a good clone vs the original Kurt vice. It is in line with the Vertex clone.

However, if you are expecting the same level of quality/finish/accuracy as the Kurt with which you are used to, then my honest opinion is that you may be disappointed. My personal feeling after about six months of good sales for this product is that they are overall 70% in comparison to a Kurt, and probably similar in comparison to a better clone such as Vertex.

These comments are based on observation of the products we have recieved, combined with feedback we have received till date, which have mostly been positive. Out of the 100+ sold so far, about five customers have chosen to modify them further to meet their requirements, and three have been returned becasue they failed to meet the users expectations.

All I would say is please do not expect a Kurt for the price. In any case, it is not like a chocolate teapot…In any case, a chocolate tea pot of the same weight will probably cost more…

Ketan at ARC.

Ketan

I'm not expecting Kurt quality at the ARC price but at the end of the day I need a vice that will work. I'm willing to pay more but I still like a bargain so will give the Arc vice a try.

Phil.

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