Record Vice bites dust.

[DickDastardly40]

I'm not sure of their standing if any anywhere else in the world but in the UK, Record is considered a quality bench vice(vise) manufacturer. I was rather to stunned to see the outcome of trying to straighten an aluminium deck cleat. I was not even present, let alone the person providing the motive power, but was surprised to see a vice fail in this way. In the two later pictures you can see where the cleat was peeled from the deck shearing the weld by an impact and the bent cleat.






Al

[aboard_epsilon]

probably made in calcutter ...painted in england

all the best.mark

[JRouche]

Oh, I see the problem.. It say "made in England" on it. Didnt you see that before buying it.. Shoulda went with a reputable Chinese manufacture.

That is odd, and Record is a good manufacture. Just how were you "trying" to straighten that part. Hmm, me thinks it was not the prescribed method to protect ones vise... JRouche

[DickDastardly40]

That is odd, and Record is a good manufacture. Just how were you "trying" to straighten that part. Hmm, me thinks it was not the prescribed method to protect ones vise... JRouche

Unfortunately with a long lead time to procure a new item and the craft being required for training, often it's a case of 'needs must where the devil drives'.

Fortunately no-one was injured in either incident, which is the main thing.

Al

[lazlo]

I was rather to stunned to see the outcome of trying to straighten an aluminium deck cleat.

Wow, now you have me worried Dick!

The Record plant in Sheffield closed down years ago, and Record Tools went out of business around 2003-2004.
Irwin (the American company) bought the Record name and turned the Sheffield office into the Irwin UK sales office, and immediately started outsourcing "Irwin-Record" tools to China.

I bought what I thought was a New Old Stock Record vise on Ebay back in 2004, but it sure looks a lot like the one that failed on you!

[Alistair Hosie]

Shoulda went with a reputable Chinese manufacture.

or even better still made in Scotland were things are made properly first time I bought a groz milling vice because it was low profile and it did the same thing firstb time I tried to use it.I never got any answers to my many emails to groz so it "minus the jaws which I gave to a friend "went in the bin not the friend the viceAlistair

[lazlo]

Shoulda went with a reputable Chinese manufacture.

Isn't that an oxymoron?

If that Sheffield vise is a counterfeit, then it probably was made in China.

[A.K. Boomer]

. Just how were you "trying" to straighten that part. Hmm, me thinks it was not the prescribed method to protect ones vise... JRouche

I think this should be taken into consideration, look at the size of that deck cleat for one, Iv found that I can break about anything if I set my mind to it I think many of us take a vise for granted, its almost like the word vise translates to "indistructable" in the english language...

torsion is a vises worst enemy, many are meant to take direct load, but twisting the free jaw away from the dead one whilst under extreme load will cause one piece to try and get away from the other one sideways, Vises of that design are not very strong "sideways", not sure if thats what happend and the breaks actually look very uniform side to side like it was a direct load..

[BadDog]

You also tend to break them with the jaw extended, and so providing more leverage (tortional, but down, in the stronger direction) against that part of the base. I broke a big ol' vise just like that years ago trying to press out the piston pin on a cracked 455 Pontiac piston. Learned my lesson, GET A PRESS FOR THAT STUFF! Might have been a good lesson for the operator of that vise.

[Peter S]

I have seen two Record vises break, but still consider them to be good vises. The first was a No. 4, I was tightening it with the help of my boot, hefty kicks and not-inconsiderable weight. Eventually it broke! On reflection, I don't blame it.

The second was a No. 5, and the breaker was a little guy with a long length of pipe which turned him into Hercules. Once again, I don't blame the vise.

Over here the "single Number" Records eg No. 4,5 etc are reasonably priced (some times quite cheap) while some of their other models were more expensive and I think used stronger materials. Still a great vise, just don't use "power assist". I don't like their jaws as supplied (hard, sharp serrations which will mark everything they touch) but a session on a surface grinder fixes that.

[Timleech]

I
Over here the "single Number" Records eg No. 4,5 etc are reasonably priced (some times quite cheap) while some of their other models were more expensive and I think used stronger materials. Still a great vise, just don't use "power assist". I don't like their jaws as supplied (hard, sharp serrations which will mark everything they touch) but a session on a surface grinder fixes that.

Some of the bigger models used to be described as 'unbreakable'. Those models were/are very expensive, though.

The Record name, along with Marples & one or two others which were in the same group, is now owned by Irwin, the local tool store recently had boxed sets of Marples wood chisels, with Irwin on the box, labelled 'Made in England'. Are they really?

Tim

[matador]

Looking at the damage,it seems to me the user must have applied a BFH to the item held in the vise.The shock load would have been enough to fracture the cast iron.Horses for courses.

[lazlo]

Looking at the damage,it seems to me the user must have applied a BFH to the item held in the vise.

You guys are making me feel better about what I think is an authentic Sheffield vise

[Lew Hartswick]

Another case of using a tool for the WRONG job. Or vise a versa.
I hate to see a VISE used for a PRESS. Way too many folks do so.
...lew...

[JRouche]

Another case of using a tool for the WRONG job. Or vise a versa.
I hate to see a VISE used for a PRESS. Way too many folks do so.
...lew...

Yeah, me too.. Haaa. Thats why I put some flat roller bearings at the screw flange face of my Starrett vise. So I don’t need to use the BFH. Hey! Thats what vises are for, clamping and over clamping parts. Never saw a shop where the vises were not abused, beating on parts held in the jaws.

My Starrett has seen way more load than it was designed for, never given up the ghost yet.

From the fractured metal pieces lying around the broken vise I would venture to say it had a whole LOT of addition force applied to it, maybe a moving force with some horsepower..

Hey, thats what they are for, they are tools to get the job done. When they don’t, you move on to the next heavier piece of iron in the shop and don’t look back..

That being said, I would be real upset it I broke my Starrett, I love the thing. It is a great tool.. JRouche


Oh, I do like that quick release for the screw on that Record, I have to crank for some time to get the throat openned up.. And that being said, I would not hesitate buying another English made Record vise, good vises..