Yost Vises RIA-4 4" Compact Bench Vise with 360-Degree Swivel Base - Heavy Duty Workbench Clamp for Woodworking, Metalworking & DIY Projects

Review of Yost RIA-4 4" Compact Bench Vise with 360-Degree Swivel BaseVerified PurchaserI just received my Yost RIA-4 bench vise, and I am writing this review to share with you my impressions of this vise, and to mention a minor issue when unpacking the vise that might be helpful to others.But first let me speak for a moment about the vise:1. It is the closest to a perfect small vise that I ever have seen. I have been messing around with tools for many, many years. Believe me - - this vise is perfecto!2. Much “Chinese crap” is just that: “Chinese crap.” Badly designed, badly made, poor materials. No question about it. It is very hard to know what is good and what is junk.3, But this puppy is a genuine, certified, beauty! Of course you can refuse to buy this vise because it wasn’t made in Oshkosh, and despite the thoughtful reviews you are too darned smart to be taken in by Chinese crap. You can refuse even given Amazon’s ironclad return policy, OK. Different strokes, etc., etc.4. I am not an apologist for Chinese stuff. But fair is fair, and knee-jerk rejection of this vise is a mistake. I can just see this poignant scene in a heartland living room:.... Wife: Henry, what’s the matter? Had a bad day at work?.... Henry: No dear, it’s worse than that. I’m so ashamed.... Wife: You can tell me Henry. Is it another woman?.... Henry: Worse. I just bought a piece of Chinese crap from Amazon!.... Wife: Oh, Henry! How could you?.... Henry: Forgive me, dear…The price was right and I lost my head..... Wife: Oh, dear…. What will we tell the children?Kind of gives you a .little tug, doesn’t it?5. Now, if you want to break out a bunch of frozen bolts from a rusty diesel cylinder head, and you slip a three-foot hunk of pipe on the wrench to gain a wee bit of leverage, sure you can bust this vise. You also can drop a couple of sticks of dynamite into the lake when ice fishing because it’s faster than freezing your butt off waiting for a nibble (and they probably can winch your pickup out of the lake in the spring) ….Now, let me mention that minor moment of anxiety when unpacking the vise. If I seemed to be terminally clueless, I cheerfully admit it !After I unpacked the vise, I loosened the two hold-down clamps and tried to rotate the vise. Nada, Nothing, Didn’t budge. Not to worry, right? I am a tool-using animal of vast experience! Right….So I got out my trusty rubber mallet (I wasn’t going to hit that puppy with a nail hammer) and whacked it pretty hard sideways, in both directions. Still no movement. Bummer! But using my finely-honed powers of deduction (from my years hanging out with Sherlock) I thought: “Egad! It must be the paint!”So removing the hold-down assembly from the vise, I laid the vise on its side and carefully placed the end of a piece of scrap oak against the top of the base. One firm whack with the mallet freed the base, and all was well, except for the egg on my face.So, dear friends, I commend this vise to you without any reservations whatsoever. I guess you can buy “artisan” vises, etc., but in my opinion it is hands-down the best off-the-shelf small vise you can buy.Oh, I almost forgot - - it also comes with an amazing, honest-to-god, fully-dimensioned, engineering drawing, plus a mounting template, a parts list, operating instructions (yes, for a vise!!), and an exhaustive list of do’s and don’ts. Nobody ever provides such complete documentation for a small bench vise, but Yost did! Now, that’s pride in what you do! And the company is headquartered in Holland, Michigan…..