Professional Tools EWWQR7 7" Quick Release Woodworking Vise, Grey

If you're considering getting into woodworking, either with modern power tools or with traditional hand tools, a front vise for your workbench is a must. The Eclipse EWWQR10-NA is big enough to handle the largest stock, but has very responsive screw travel for more delicate gripping needs. I lined my jaws with half-inch birch plywood secured with some flat-head screws to add a bit of softness to the grip without losing much travel. The quick release feature works very well and will get you open or closed against your work piece in a snap. You may notice a bit of slop when cinching the jaws up on a workpiece, but this is due to how the release mechanism bites the screw again upon release of the trigger. A simple fractional-turn of the screw and you'll be snug against your workpiece again with little-to-no effort.This is a large 10" model and might be overkill for the hobbyist or enthusiast. I bought this big-bore vise because I plan to build furniture and some of my oak stock is 8/4 thick and pieces can weigh over 50 lbs. I wanted to ensure I had enough jaw width to grab longer-thicker stock and still hold strong while I plane the edges by hand. I've been using the vise now for a couple weeks and I absolutely love it for furniture making. It holds the workpiece in place through even the most rigorous planing.The built in dog feature is nice, but it doesn't sit flush with the top surface of the jaw. If this is an issue for you, I suggest you take a chop saw or a bench grinder to the dog prior to use--just mark off the portion you wish to cut away and have at it. Also, you may think the thumbscrew and washer are missing from the box--check the plastic wrap that the vise was encased in and you'll find them secured inside near one of the corners--I missed them at first and contacted their service department (who got back to me a few days after I left a voice mail)--I ended up finding them prior to them getting back to me, but it was nice to know they actually listen and respond to messages!If you don't have a workbench with bench dog holes (like me), no need to worry. I just attached 1" x .5" strip of scrap oak I had at the opposing side of the vise so I can pinch work pieces between the vise's dog and the oak cleat to hold workpieces for face planing. This method works pretty well--just make sure you're screwing the cleat into enough material to ensure a firm hold as the vise can generate a lot of pressure with very little effort.Mounting the vise was also pretty easy despite having to retrofit my bench a bit (lack of foresight on my own behalf). It mounts pretty easily to the bottom of a work surface using some 1/2" lag bolts (length of bolt determined by your table thickness). Once it's in place--you'll be ready for nearly anything. Enjoy!

Nice solid vise

This Eclipse vise is a beast. The cast iron construction feels incredibly solid and the jaws grip with a force that's hard to match. I've used it for everything from delicate woodworking to heavy-duty metalworking, and it hasn't let me down yet. The quick-release mechanism is a real time-saver, and the overall design is both functional and aesthetically pleasing. If you're looking for a vise that can handle anything you throw at it, this is the one.

I'm a professional woodworker and I bought this for my second workbench. I already have two 35 year old Wilton vises with quick release features that still work perfectly. As I understand it this is a reproduction of the old Record No. 52 vise. It arrived undamaged from Amazon, the exterior box could have used more padding but it's ok. The action is smooth and is generally of high quality fabrication. The fast release mechanism works easily and the guide rods move without much friction and no binding. Everything is heavy duty and it should last a lifetime.I knocked it down one star for the following deficiencies (from a woodworker's point of view):1) The Lead Screw is pitted from chatter marks made during machining (see photo closeup). This is probably due to vibration during milling and also from using a dull cutting tool edge. Really dumb error on the machinist's part.2) The Lead Screw is not of Acme Thread quality (see photo of small section of an Acme Thread) like my old Wilton vises, which are very slow to wear out. However, I think this screw will also last a long time as the pitting does not affect the screw smoothness of movement.3) The movable end stop for your wood item being worked does not recess all the way into the moving face plate so that you cannot lay a board down flush on the bench top and over the vise. So I had to hacksaw it off flush, about 1/4 inch taken off.4) The face plates are designed to protrude above the bench top about 2.0 inches so you have to put a thick spacer block between the underside of the bench and the top of the mount casting. My spacer was about 1.75 thick for the thickness of my top. I think this was designed by a metal worker not a woodworker where the piece being held never lays flush on the bench top.I looked at a lot of vises and most were wimpy or just cheap. I even rejected Wilton who have really downgraded their vises from when I bought several decades ago. The woodworking stores were the worst, selling cheap hobbyist stuff that will be very disappointing in a short year or two. They should be ashamed.Overall this is one of the best vises in this price range for the 10" size and will work fine in a heavy use woodshop bench environment. I have included several photos as it is hard to really see the vise in the sales ad photos.