Yost M7WW Rapid Acting Wood Working Vise, 7", Blue

  I was disappointed to discover that the mounting surfaces that connect the vise to the bench are not perpendicular when I first received it. This has been mentioned in a few other reviews, and I wanted to find out why because the vise appears to be well-made. I spoke with a Yost representative, who informed me that this is not a design or manufacturing flaw. A 90° surface cannot be cast in metal when it is cast in a mold. To remove the casting from the mold, there must be a slight angle (also known as a draft angle). The part would need to be milled or machined flat after casting to achieve a perfect 90 degree angle. The vice's face (where the jaws would attach) is machined perfectly flat, so the jaws will be 90 degrees to the table when bolted to the table. Yost suggests either leaving the slight gap or cutting an angled mounting block to attach the vise; in my case, I'll simply cut the angle into the bench to eliminate the gap (it's only about 3 degrees). You may also notice that the tops of the jaws will come together first, leaving a small gap at the bottom. This is referred to as a "toe-down" position. It compensates for the racking caused by the vise screw being several inches below the vise jaws. The jaws will close flush when clamped down. I was not aware of these issues when I purchased the vise and assumed it was a flaw. br>br>Overall, I am very pleased with this heavy-duty vise; the quick release is a little stiff, but it works well. Once it's been used for a while, I'm sure the action will smooth out. With only a few blemishes, the paint and finish receives a 4 out of 5 rating. Given the price, I believe this vise is the best value for money.

Chana McCann

| Mar 25, 2021

I just received it today, and I'm really enjoying it. The installation was simple and did not require the use of any instructions. The only issue I had was getting the screws through the jaw, but other than that, it was a simple installation. By the time I figured out where I wanted it and marked holes, it had taken me about an hour. I'd highly recommend it, especially given the low price. br>I added 2 15. I added 5" poplar jaws to it so I wouldn't scratch the wood while working, but it's not required.

Nova Sawyer

| May 20, 2021

Because my bench's top is 3" thick laminated, I had to remove about 1/2" of material to make it flush with the top. Based on all of the videos and pictures I saw for the Eclipse brand vises, which look almost identical, as well as some of the larger Yost vises, this came as a surprise to me. I expected to have to add a shim rather than chisel out material, but since my bench doesn't have a maple top, I didn't mind. Just in case anyone else thinks it's taller, I'd like to point it out. It's about 2 inches long, I think. Some larger models are 3", while others are 5". 5". br>br>Mounting the vise: I can only speak for the 7", but I don't see why the same method wouldn't work for the larger models as well. Yost included instructions in the box that must have been written for the larger models because it stated that if your bench top is less than 3" thick, you will need to use a shim. That was not the case on mine, as I previously stated, and the instructions also included what I believe to be the best method. For the back vise jaw, use 10 or 1/4" screws that are at least 2" long and screw it to the bench. I used 3/4" poplar for the jaw face and recessed the screws by 3/8". After screwing the vise to the end of my bench, I was able to mark and drill the lag screw holes on the bottom. I'm not sure if the two screws through the jaw will hold larger models, but they worked perfectly for mine. For the front holes on the bottom, I used two 3/8" lag screws that were 2" long and two 5/16" lag screws that were 2" long. The slotted holes in the back are 1/4" long. I would have used all 5/16" if I had more, but I didn't, and I would have used 3/8" if I had the 9" or 10" version. Some people believe that installing bolts through the top rather than lag screws through the bottom is necessary. My recommendation is to use whatever you feel comfortable with, but Yost recommended lag screws through the bottom, which I have found to be adequate. Once it was mounted, I added another poplar jaw face for the rear jaw and used my hand plane to flush both jaws to the bench top. br>br>I've been using the vise on a daily basis and am completely satisfied with it. The action is silky smooth, and now that I've tried one, the rapid feature is a must-have. I'm not sure why it took me so long to get one, but I'm glad I did. If I take proper care of this vise, I believe it will last me a lifetime. Yost suggests using a dry grease on the vise screw, and all I have to do now is keep the sawdust out of it. I'm thinking about making a shroud to go around the vise screw to keep it clean, similar to what some of the more expensive vises have. Finally, the Yost 7" rapid-action woodworking vise comes highly recommended.

Paula Callahan

| Jun 07, 2021

Overall, I'm disappointed with this vise because it has a number of flaws that aren't easily fixed. The first is that the jaws are misaligned in both planes (top to bottom and side to side). When closing, the top left corner makes contact first, leaving a 1/32" gap on the top right and almost an eighth of an inch gap on the bottom right. When clamping a 1x6, the left side was held tight while the right side remained loose until I tightened the vise VERY tightly. br>br>The second issue is that the mounting surface on the backside of the rear jaw is 5/32" wider at the bottom than at the top. The entire vise is now out of level as a result of this. The front jaw is 1/2" higher than the back one when fully opened. br>br>The paint is the third issue. The paint on the back jaw bubbled the first time I fully closed the vise after installing it because the misaligned jaws slipped sideways. It started out small, about the size of a golf ball, but grew in size with each subsequent use. To get a uniform surface again, I scraped the remaining paint from the rear jaw. It flaked off easily, and I'm guessing they didn't clean or prime it first. br>br>The vise appears to be sturdy, and I like the quick release feature. However, these few pluses don't come close to compensating for the product's flaws; I almost returned it, but the box was thrown in the recycling bin by accident and hauled away before I could finish installing it. This vise is not something I would recommend to a friend.

Dakota Mays

| Nov 06, 2021