Depends on budget, better a decent quality 100mm one than a cheapo 125mm that’ll crack after a few years.

Axminster do a 125mm jobbie for £220 that we use at work and has been rock solid so far despite hard daily usage.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/235067323854?var=0&mkevt=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=710-53481-19255-0&campid=5338749401&toolid=20006&_ul=GB&customid=GB_11700_235067323854.142841786797~1871298995225-g_Cj0KCQjwlZixBhCoARIsAIC745AoPCg6fR7YOGDOPNC6ukHLBcgoG0qbbznRUAO_MMJavNB7m5bYWPwaAjRXEALw_wcB

Have I stumbled into a parallel universe where a man is asking is he purchase a smaller or larger vice? Of course you want the large one, nay, the largest. And an Anvil to go with it.

This is one of them bot threads that was mentioned earlier isn’t it.

*reports to mods.

Benchmaster do really solid vices that are not crazy money – https://www.benchmaster.uk/product/bench-vice-and-bases. We use them in our workshops and have no issues.

Look out on Gumtree/FB Marketplace for used vices.

I picked up a Record no5 and no6 (proper old ones too) in great condition for £15 each.

I bought one of the MacAllister ones from B&Q.

I’ve hammered the **** out of it, crushed hard things in it and genberally done things that would probably make a D&T teacher wince and it’s not cracked.  The only bit that’s broken is the handle end fell off when I tried to use it as a drift…..

The spinning on it’s base feature is a godsend in a small shed. Means you can spin whatever it is to a more useful angle when required if you don’t have access to all sides of your workbench.

Grab a used Record from these folks, bigger’s usually better eh?!

Secondhand Tools

The ‘just get a 2nd hand one’ advice seems to have aged a bit, I was after one about a year ago and everything local was either deeply buggered or not far off the same price as a decent new one.

I blame this place and ‘lockdown projects’

Obviously I imagine there’s massive variation depending on locality and down here in the soft South things are scarce whereas in God’s own county the roads are practically paved with the damn things.

Good price.

Record Imp Bench Vice, 80215931

These were designed as a motor mechanics vice.

Handy vice, as you can take outside and clamp to an outside bench. Includes a small anvil.

(Did not know about G & M tools…….tool heaven……)

4″ is a decent size for this stuff, 5″ you’re looking at it handling larger clamps and blocks which i don’t think bikes have as much off. The thing that’ll be more important is the workbench/table you’re attaching it too, it needs to be a decent lump with room and strength to manage any harsh usage, you can find cheap vices on facebook marketplace, ebay, etc, but a solid workbench, they’re always either overpriced and expensive everywhere you look.