Are you looking for the best drill press vise? If you are, then you’re in the right place. A great vise will hold everything in place while you are using your drill press for all kinds of building projects.
Whether you’re wood-working or using it for all kinds of building projects, you want it all held securely in place so you can make straight drilling and pressing rather than make it look like a complete disaster.
To help you find the best drill press vise for your use, we’ve taken the liberty of putting together a list of five of the best vises currently on the market. Before we get to the list, we’ll talk about what a drill press is and how you can choose one for your personal use.
At a Glance: Our Top Picks for Drill Press Vise
- OUR TOP PICK: WEN 423DPV
- Wilton 11746
- Irwin Tools Drill Press Vise, 4", 226340
Comparison of the Best Drill Press Vises
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What is a Drill Press Vise?
A drill press vise is used to hold down any kind of material as you use the drill press. It can be a piece of wood, metal, or any material that you’ll need for whatever project you’re working on. It will also allow you to use both hands while you are operating the drill press itself. This way, you don’t risk injuring yourself while you are holding down the material flatly on the drill press surface.
How Do I Choose a Drill Press Vise?
If you’re in search of a drill press vise, you’ll need to know how you can distinguish a great one from those that are considered unreliable and crappy in quality. It’s also important to know what kind of features and characteristics make a drill press vise the best. Here’s what you need to look for:
Price
If you’re a budget shopper, there’s a good chance that you may be able to look at the price tag first. The important thing to know is that it should not be the only reason why you purchased it. You should consider investing in a drill press that is affordable in terms of quality and performance. Don’t sacrifice any of this for the sake of saving a few dollars.
Ease of Use
You’ll want a drill press that is simple to use. In other words, you want the adjustments to be easy. At the same time, you want something that will allow you to tighten or untighten smoothly and quickly without any issue.
Jaw Length and Style
Drill press vises come in different jaw lengths and styles. They come in two types: flat jaws and V-Jaws. The first is self-explanatory. It is designed to fit all kinds of flat materials and objects that you can use for the drill press. If you’re looking to hold together round-shaped objects, the V-Jaw might be more of your style.
Review of the Best Drill Press Vises
The following is a list of the five best drill press vises that are currently on the list. As you look through each one, you must take note of the features and characteristics. You may have a good idea of what these vises do to a point where you might find one that will best fit your own needs and preferences.
If you come across one that is close enough to your exact description, you know that it might be a winning choice. Let’s begin by taking a look at the first choice on our list -- our “best overall” choice:
Best Overall:
WEN 423DPV
PROS
CONS
What Recent Buyers Report
New buyers were quite satisfied with the drill press vise in general. They stated that they managed to move the levers in both directions smoothly and without any grittiness. They were able to securely hold a lot of materials like wood and metal so the drill press could make perfect holes depending on the bit size.
Why it Stands Out to Us
This vise is measured at the right size to be considered a space saver on most workbenches. Not to be outdone, it’s neither too light nor too heavy. So you can move it and carry it back and forth from your workbench to the drill press itself. This might be the closest thing you can get to a universal drill press vise since it can accept all kinds of materials.
Who Will Use This Most
This will probably be used by a lot of users who use a drill press for all kinds of woodworking and metalworking projects. If you want an accessory that will keep everything in place while you’re drilling the perfect holes, this little unit will give you excellent gripping power so things will stay in place.
Bottom Line
The WEN Drill Press Vise might be the best drill press vise you can invest in if you’re planning on using it for a multitude of projects. Why settle for having to hold things down manually when you have a vise that can allow for easy clamping and more hands-free usage for you.
Runner-up:
Wilton 11746
PROS
CONS
What Recent Buyers Report
New buyers were quite impressed with the sturdy construction of the drill press. They were able to clamp down a bunch of materials like wood and metal with the greatest of ease. One user said that tightening and untightening were a cinch and the control levers were smooth like butter.
Why it Stands Out to Us
This might be a little heavier than some drill press vises. But it’s at a nice compact size that will fit most workbenches. It’s a really solid piece of equipment that can work to your advantage when you’re able to use it for projects that will require a drill press. So if you’re building your next woodworking project or working with metals for an upcoming automotive project, this drill press vise will do a good job in holding everything together while you’re getting the work done.
Who Will Use This Most
This will possibly be used by most users who would want nothing more than to spend time in their workshops and put together all kinds of awesome works together using wood, metal, or any other materials that a drill press can accept. If you need something that will make using your hands less of a possibility, then this drill press vise will certainly give you more freedom for your hands.
Bottom Line
The Wilton Low Profile Drill Press Vise will probably be one of your favorite accessories to have on hand whenever you’re doing your next building project. It can handle all kinds of heavy-duty projects and can provide you with years of trustworthy and faithful service no matter how often you use it.
Best for the Money:
Irwin Tools Drill Press Vise, 4", 226340
PROS
CONS
What Recent Buyers Report
New buyers found this to be more than “budget” vise. While it’s a lightweight unit, it does a great job of keeping a lot of materials in place. Even more impressive, they were able to widen the jaw enough so it can fit even thicker pieces of wooden boards. Regardless of the size, the jaw kept it in place and helped keep it secure with not even a single inch of wiggle room.
Why it Stands Out to Us
It’s small, lightweight, and does a lot more than any other low-priced drill press vise on the market. The jaw itself is designed to grip even the thickest of material. So it can handle thicker amounts of wood and metal. It will keep a good hold on it while the drill press goes to work and make each drilling look effortless. This proves that a vise doesn’t have to be heavy to hold something down.
Who Will Use This Most
This might be great for a home workshop. So if you like doing woodworking in your garage or basement, this might be the drill press vise that will be perfect for you. For something that can open wide, it’s a pretty nice feature to have if you want to work with much larger amounts of wood.
Bottom Line
The Irwin Tools Drill Press Vise might be one of the most affordable drill press vises in the business. But it can do a lot more than any cheap or crappy model. If you want a vise that gives you a lot more than what you pay for, you’d be hard-pressed to find one quite like this.
4. Performance Tool W3939
PROS
CONS
What Recent Buyers Report
One of the things that new users were quick to point out how small the vise was. Not only was it small enough to fit on most workbenches, but it was also perhaps one of the most lightweight vises on the market for drill presses. They were quite impressed with how a small vise can create so much gripping power for most home projects.
Why it Stands Out to Us
By now, you probably have a good idea of why we love it. How can something so small and compact deliver such an excellent performance? You’ll swear that this little unit can do just about anything. Well, the bad news is that while it may not be ideal for your heavy-duty jobs, it’s still tough enough to handle all kinds of projects that go on for an extended period during the day. Let’s not forget, this also makes tightening and untightening easy as well.
Who Will Use This Most
This will likely be used for home projects only. So if you need a new addition to your garage, workshop, or wherever else you usually get your work done, this might be the drill press vise best for you. Most importantly, it can work with pretty much all kinds of drill presses that you use.
Bottom Line
The Performance Tool Hammer Tough 2-½” Drill Press Vise might be your favorite vise on the list if you want something small, delivers an excellent grip, and won’t take up so much space. You’d be crazy to pass up the opportunity to give this a closer look if you’re looking for a vise for all your home hobby projects.
5. Wilton 11694
PROS
CONS
What Recent Buyers Report
Most of the new users were in search of a vise that would work great for small-time projects. They found this vise to be the best possible option for a variety of reasons. For one, it can hold a lot of materials in place without any wiggle room. One user said he was able to hold thick pieces of wood in place while working on many woodworking projects.
Why it Stands Out to Us
Once again, this vise has a jaw that can expand quite a bit farther than some vises. So it can hold some of the thickest boards in place while you can drill holes in them. Regardless of how wide you expand it, it can maintain a great hold and will keep it straight.
Who Will Use This Most
While it may not be enough for heavy-duty projects, it can do a good job with some small projects that you can do in your workshop. This vise allows for smooth operation and tight gripping ability. If those are two things you look for in a drill press vise, this might be your best possible option.
Bottom Line
The Wilton 4-Inch Cross Slide Drill Press will not disappoint you if you’re looking for a vise that will be excellent for any in-home project. No milling task would ever be complete without a simple accessory that will allow you to use your hands more freely.
Benefits of Investing in a Quality Drill Press Vise
A great drill press vise might have its perks. Especially if you’re intending to use your drill press regularly on so many planned projects you might have lined up. Here are some benefits that you’ll get to enjoy:
Hands-Free Holding
It used to be that you needed to use one hand or even both just to get the piece of wood (or other material straight so you can drill a hole through it. The problem is, the drilling may not be as perfect. Thankfully, a vise will get rid of the problem just by simply keeping things nice and firm so you can drill perfect holes every time without having to worry about anything moving around or falling out of place.
Allows for Better Movement
If you’re cross-drilling or doing some other complex task, a drill press vise will certainly come into place to make it all easier for you. So it’s important to find a vise that will allow you to easily move around in the same direction as the drill press is going.
Compatible With Most Work Benches
You can easily clamp down on drill press vises on most workbenches. This way, you’ll be able to know where it is in case you need it. That alone will make transporting it from the bench to the drill press a lot easier regardless of how much it weighs.
Cautious Considerations to Keep In Mind
Before purchasing a drill press vise, it is important to know some of the considerations that should not be ignored. You should keep these in mind before you even choose what you believe is the best choice for a vise. Here’s what you need to mull over:
Not All Drill Press Vises Are Created Equal
Some vises are made for small scale projects while others are made for heavy-duty projects like machining metal. You need to know which drill press vise will be best not just for your projects in general, but also you need to choose one that will fit your drill press of choice. Much larger drill presses won’t be able to work with small, compact vises as you see on the list.
Pay Attention to Jaw Width/Type
The jaw type and width are a couple of things that you need to pay attention to. Remember, a certain jaw type will fit certain shapes and sizes. So if you’re consistently using flat materials like wooden boards, please remember that the V-shaped jaw is not the answer. Also, the wider the jaw, the better the chance something like a thick piece of metal can fit securely.
Conclusion
The best drill press vise is out there. It will only be a matter of time until you choose one for your personal use. Find one that will give you a better grip and will be compatible with whatever projects you use your drill press for. Once you find one, you can say goodbye to risking injury to your hands as well as drilling imperfect holes in the wrong places.
People Also Ask
The following are a couple of extra questions that will allow you to get a good understanding of what drill press vises do. Use these answers as a guide to help find the best vise that is right for you. Here are the following questions:
What Size Vice Do I Need?
The short answer: it depends. It depends on the kind of projects you’re working on. And it also depends on the complexity of it. You’ll probably need a smaller size vise if you’re doing home projects like woodworking. A heavy-duty vise large in size might be sufficient for your tougher tasks.
What is the Difference Between a Clamp and a Vice?
You’ll notice that a vise has two jaws that will hold something together. A clamp might consist of a brace or band that is designed to hold things together.