PANAVISE 381 Vacuum Base PANAVISE

I ordered this vise for our test bench at work. I loved it so much I bought another one for my home.It's just the perfect tool for what it is. It's solidly built, finely adjustable, tough yet delicate.The vacuum base works great on Formica/laminate surfaces. If you don't have a smooth surface to cup this to, get one of the other variants with a different base. If it isn't suctioned down its a tad wobbly as it becomes top heavy with work clamped into it.The nylon padded jaws work great. Hard enough to get a good grip, soft enough not to mar most things.Not too big, not too small. Don't waste your time trying to save a penny. There is a reason why this company has been making this thing, unchanged, for decades. IT IS THE BEST. I use mine nearly everyday and it works as good now as the day I bought it. If something happened to mine, I would order the exact same thing the same day to replace it.I've used mine for small repairs, electronics, soldering, woodworking, RC Cars/Planes/Boats, static display models, rotating paint stand for airbrushing stuff. ENDLESS USES!You won't regret purchasing it.I also have the self centering wide mouth jaws... A major PLUS to have in your arsenal. I picked up the electronics board holder... I don't use it much but it works well if you have a loose board your working on.

Vise works great. The suction power can be good for "very" short periods but if used for more than 5 min I suggest you re-suction it to the table.

I've been a fan of Panavise for over 30 years, back when I owned an electronic repair business. When we closed the business we liquidated a lot of tools, among them was a Panavise. I've been presented with an opportunity to get back into the electronic repair and am slowly putting my shop back together. One of the differences is that the old Panavise had two arms that would support the board by the edge. That's great for adding stability to your workpiece, but it limited us to boards less that 11" in width. This vise, while isn't as stable, still works well enough to support the work and doesn't limit your board size. Plus, I'm able to hold other items besides printed circuit boards. The suction cup is very strong (as long as your workbench top is smooth) and doesn't budge an inch. Yes, there are cheaper versions but I don't think you'll find the quality in those that you'll find with Panavise. You get what you pay for.

I don't think I could say enough positive things about this vise. I admit, I expected it to work perfectly when I ordered it, imagining myself sticking it to my office desk for soldering projects and other hobby work.Sure enough, it works *exactly* as I expected. I was not disappointed! I absolutely love that I can secure this vise to my work table whenever I need it, and then easily move it out of the way when I'm done. That's something you just don't get with a traditional, permanent installation vise. This probably isn't going to work at all on any surface that isn't smooth (like a wooden workshop work bench), but for hobby use in a kitchen or office, it's absolutely fantastic. Now, I haven't done any heavy duty work with this thing, I use it primarily for soldering and other work that doesn't require a lot of force to be applied to the vise, so I don't know how well it will hold up to that sort of work.Pros:* Installs in seconds to any smooth surface* Can be removed in about 2 seconds* Holds *very* tight to the surface where it has been suction-installed* The swivel and re-positioning function of the vise is very, very easy to use, and makes hobby work so much easier. It's extremely convenient to be able to rotate and angle the vise grip in a matter of secondsCons:* May not stay secured to your table/desk surface if great sideways force is applied to whatever you're working on, but I haven't tested this. It goes without saying, though, that this isn't going to handle a bunch of hammering or lots of pulling/pushing since it's suction-mounted and not bolted to your work table.If you need a vise that can be secured to any smooth surface very quickly, this is the one!

This is a very sturdy, well made vise. Once I received it, I went ahead and ordered several other heads, bases and jaws. This particular model will stick to a very smooth surface quite well. I was hoping it would stay suctioned to my hardwood table but it will not. This isn't a deal breaker for me since I do not need to put large amounts of force on it. I did order the weighed base and that should work out better. I checked out and really wanted the surface plate base but I couldn't justify that much money for it.

Spray a little water on the base or the non-porous surface and it will hold a vacuum for days.

I purchased this to hold small parts for polishing. The suction base attaches well to a very smooth work surface and hold fast. The overall quality seems excellent. It is a bit pricey but its performance is excellent. Time will tell how the suction base holds up.

I bought this vise for Ham Radio Hobby use. I use it to hold cables and connectors for soldering. It worked perfectly for what I needed it for. The vise is well built, solid, and worked flawlessly. The head with the jaws will tilt and rotate so you can get an ideal position for whatever it is you want to be held in place. The vacuum base works great as well, although I don't always need to use that feature because the vise is heavy enough to stay put without the vacuum. I think it is a great product and I would say buy one without hesitation.