General Tools 93 Adjustable Pin Vise

For the price, I have zero complaints about this pin vise/hand drill. The handle is solid and durable, and allows for a good grip. The chuck is decently made, with jaws that meet almost perfectly square. I find it works best with bits that are 1.5 mm diameter or larger, but it can maintain a grip on smaller bits as well.It's a faster alternative than using a hand drill that has collets for the bits since I often change bits when doing hobby work. But, it does not maintain as firm a grip on the bit as a collet does.For the price, I'm very satisfied with the quality and performance.

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.

This is my first pin vice. The size, heft, and functionality was exactly what I wanted. I wanted a big handled pin vice that could hold the smallest of drill bits. My only complaint, and hence the 4 star rating, is that on my copy the jaws don't always line up or engage properly on the first try. Sometimes one of the three jaws will lag behind and I have to work the jaw assembly open and closed a couple times to get it to line up again. It's not a difficult motion, but it's annoying and happens rather frequently on mine. One of these days I'll take the jaw apart and give everything a nice rub down with some emery cloth to get rid of whatever burr or tool mark that is causing the action to not work smoothly.The handle is a nice and beefy black PU type plastic. The jaw head has a nicely knurled head and the jaws themselves close without much effort. Happy I own it, just needs a small amount of TLC to be perfect.Update July 2019:Had some time and drowned the chuck in CRC contact cleaner. The stream of schmoo was surprising yet satisfying. Over the years I've definitely worn through whatever burr was in there. Evident by the metallic glint the schmoo had. A light lube with 3in1 oil and now the action is much improved. It's not effortless. It's not a joy to operate. But at least now I've got a slight smirk just shy of a smile when I do.

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.

...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.

Strongly-built pin vise that should last a long time. My main issue is its inapplicability for my specific use case, which was for very small, finely-detailed drilling. As a fairly large pin vise this is not a great tool for small drill bits under 3mm. The vise top has no add-in chucks; the vice clamps are a one size-fits-all design that is not as exact as removable chucks common on smaller pin vises. As a result bits around 3mm and down are difficult to align exactly for precise drilling; there is some slight wobble in small bit rotation.This vise is large, durable, works fine for imprecise drilling above 3mm, and should be useful for a long time if you are not dealing with high precision tasks.

I've owned a number of General brand tools and love them, this one, not so much. The chuck has zero holding power. You need to use wrenches in order to tighten it enough so the bit doesn't slip. I was going to use mine to hand drill into plastic parts, unless I use a wrench to tighten it, the bit just slips. I have another lower quality pin vise that hold the bits fine but it doesn't have a handle so using it by hand is inconvenient, thus my decision for buying this one. So on the hunt again for something that might actually work...

Holds bits securely and is easily operated. Just screw handle in or out to adjust for bit size. Seems very durable and should last many years of my minimal usage. Has a little weight to it too, which for me, helps in controlling the tool.