General Tools 93 Adjustable Pin Vise

Seems to be a very good product so far but it needs a good cleaning of the threads for the chuck to spin as it should. A few minutes with some cotton swabs and a paper towel should be enough to remove the dirty, gritty grease from the threads. A dab of fresh grease and it's good to go.

A manual pin vise that will hold both tiny drills and 9/64" drills too! this is just what my modeling study needed, because manual and electrical drills are too bulky, Dremel tools are too fast, and only a pin vise will work - but, until now, I've had a hard time finding one that would hold the variety of drill bits that I required. Now . . . worry and gripe no more!

As far as I can tell from limited use so far, this is a well-made tool. It is quite heavy and the chuck has a good grip. As advertised, the range of the chuck runs from 1/4” down to a very small size, less than 1/16”. I suspect that wear on the jaws will make it more difficult to hold pieces much smaller than that.An important thing to note is that the hole in the shaft of the handle is slightly narrower than 1/4”, approximately 0.24” on my measurement. This makes it so that 1/4” tools cannot be inserted fully (although many types do not require full insertion). I drilled the hole wider with a 17/64” bit and now those tools fit. I did not need a drill press to do so. I contacted the manufacturer’s customer service about this and the representative was very nice to deal with. He said that he would report the issue to the manufacturer, and perhaps it will be resolved in the future.The aforementioned hole in the shaft is about 1/2” deep, in case that is useful information.

...at least as far as pin vises are concerned!Read the "most helpful" 5 star reviews - I agree. Several people commented "I've wasted a lot of money on pin vices", so I should consider myself lucky I found this on only the second try!Just a few added comments:1) Continuously adjustable - the first pin vice I bought had two double-ended collets, the extra storing in the handle. Besides the annoyance of changing collets, a standard 1/16" bit was handled poorly - the jaws clamped flat without holding it tight enough on one size, while you could barely jam it into the next size down with the jaws relaxed. Continuously adjustable jaws cannot have this problem.2) Weight - someone mentioned the tool seemed a little heavy. I agree, but I think this is the price to be paid for a solidly made tool that should last a lifetime. If hand fatigue is a problem, you may want to include a lighter model in your tool box.3) This may seem like a silly observation, but the inside of the chuck smells like a precision machine shop or a freshly oiled gun! This small touch tells me that the manufacturer had the attention to detail to not only lubricate the jaws, but use a fairly high grade of lubricant. Good stuff.So remember, watch your diet, drive safely, and ALWAYS read the most recent reviews! Otherwise, there is no telling what you will get. As of December '13 I can say that the five star reviews still appear accurate. And if you buy something that is really all it's cracked up to be, be sure to put in a good word, at least to report that the product hasn't yet entered a quality nosedive - so tempting to the myopic or anonymous manufacturer.

It is so refreshing to buy a relatively inexpensive tool and receive something with a great fit and finish and a quality feel. The chuck jaws line up perfectly, the scroll is smooth. The handle has a solid feel, is dead center, and is aligned with the chuck.

Product came damaged when arrived did not appreciate that buyer beware

The item arrived promptly, and was the item I had ordered. Since I'd used one of these models at work, some years ago, I knew it wasn't the best on the market, but would probably do what I needed it to do, for home use. What I wasn't expecting is that the chuck was twisted on so tightly, and that after several attempts trying to loosen it by hand, I resorted to applying penetrating oil, and letting it soak-in all night. This didn't work, so I resorted to putting the handle in a cushioned vise, and taking channel locks to the knurled chuck, finally resulting in a successfully release of the jaws. Starrett quality, it ain't, that's for sure! This ordeal was kind of sad, since I've used a number of General tools over the years and never had any issues with them. In hindsight, should have just ponied-up the extra bucks for the Shaviv pin vise, which is a far superior tool. I guess you get what you pay for...

I was surprised it opened to accept a 1/4" (6.35mm) bit. But yes, this can be found in the published specifications. This surprising (to me) level of additional utility helped greatly in a project where I was focused on using it for 1mm up to 4mm holes.