Who is using the Eclipse 10" QR Record clone? (PLUS any Record clone history info)

[John McBride]

Hello, and thanks for the answers to my question the other day about this vise.

Now I would like to hear from current and/or former owners and users of the Eclipse Vise.

The joinery on my BORG wood bench is coming along nicely, and I am now finalizing my vise research.

Initially, I had been planning to go with a LV face vise for this beast. However, as of late, I have been leaning heavily to the Eclipse, as I feel it will serve my needs better.

Reviews on this vise on Amazon and a very few other places have been pretty stellar, but I want to hear from folks I trust (creekers).

So, let's hear the good, the bad, and the ugly folks.

FWIW, I would be mounting this to a bench top 8' long, and 5" thick.(24" wide in front of a 6" wide tool well.)

Thanks all!315765315766315767

[Tony Zaffuto]

I have never used the Eclipse vise, but I have the LV large QR vise that looks similar to the great Record vises of years past (I also have a Record). Simply put, the LV is every bit as good as the old Record. Each has a different type of QR, and I find the LV more to my liking.

[John McBride]

Tony,
Shoot man, I never even thought to look at any of the other vises at LV....thanks. I'll head over to look it up.

[John McBride]

Alrighty then, just checked out the vise Tony mentioned aabove at the LV site. The description mentions that this is a vise made in Europe. I am assuming that this is the Record clone from the Czech republic? If memory serves, this foundry got the casting molds from Record and was going to do the production runs for them just before they bit the dust. Eclipse is the company from India that also had the casting molds? A little confused here. Ill start searching now, but if anyone can shed some light, I would appreciate it...thanks.

[Tony Zaffuto]

Can't answer your question about the casting, as the LV is the largest vise and my Record is a bit smaller. The LV quality is quite good, as are most metal goods coming from the part of Eastern Europe.

[Jude Kenny]

John, I have the 10" Eclipse and I like it just fine.

The first vise I ever bought has a single ACME thread and I got used to using that, so when it came time to upgrade I went with the Eclipse. I like to use the screw to advance and retract and use the quick-release when I want to and I don't want to use it all the time.

I was looking for a quick-release and debated over Anant (India), Eclipse (China), Lee Valley/York (Czech) and Jorgensen (USA? who knows anymore?). I tried out the Eclipse and Jorgensen at a Woodcraft store and ruled out the Jorgensen right away as I didn't like the quick release style. The Anant was $200 from another store. The Lee Valley/York vise needs two counterclockwise turns to release and I figured this would drive me nuts.

I like the size and the width of wood it can handle. I haven't stressed it too much yet as I just got it in February and just got done building a new bench. When I do use the vise, I don't even notice it. So that says something as I only heed a tool when it doesn't do what it is supposed to do.

The spring on the release is a little bit stiff. I think it can be adjusted but I haven't bothered. That's the only thing I can complain about.

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[John McBride]

Jude,
Thanks a lot for the response. That helps a bunch. I have read what reviews I could find on the Eclipse. It seems that it is universally well regarded.

I'm with you on the QR. I think the trigger would be better for me as the "two revolutions to release" would drive me crazy too. Looks fairly straight forward as far as configuration and installation. I could mortise it in, or simply edge mount it...pretty versatile.
Anyhow, thanks for the post. It helps me track what gets built where. Thanks.

[Steve Meliza]

Paul Sellers seems to like the QR vises from Lee Valley: https://paulsellers.com/2012/01/looking-for-a-good-vise/
Down in the comments he says "I get used to the reverse turn QR very quickly and I would say that I actually prefer it. if I could get one with the OLD Record qualities I would get that over the lever type." Based on that I decided to get the large 10-1/2" version which will arrive in a few days but I probably won't be able to fully try out and give my opinion before you buy your vise.

[John McBride]

Paul Sellers seems to like the QR vises from Lee Valley: https://paulsellers.com/2012/01/looking-for-a-good-vise/
Down in the comments he says "I get used to the reverse turn QR very quickly and I would say that I actually prefer it. if I could get one with the OLD Record qualities I would get that over the lever type." Based on that I decided to get the large 10-1/2" version which will arrive in a few days but I probably won't be able to fully try out and give my opinion before you buy your vise.

Oh...don't be too sure of that. I'm sure I'll bounce back and forth between my options for awhile still.

I have a little more mortise chopping to finish plus clean up of tenons and mortises, so it will undoubtedly be a little while before I'm ready to mount a vise.

Guess I need to do some more reading up on the LV QR.

[Tony Zaffuto]

As far as the QR, since I have each vise, I like the LV better-you get used to the LV very quickly, and it always works. The Record always seems stiff and occasionally a bit fiddly.

[glenn bradley]

On QR vises, the feature I check for is that the screw stays engaged during back-off. Several models will skip during back-off; that is, the nut does not stay engaged under reverse pressure. The ones that unlock by reverse-turning the handle are useless for back-off operations so no problem there; if you get that format, back-off is unimportant to you. Just a little more fuel for your decision-engine.

[John McBride]

On QR vises, the feature I check for is that the screw stays engaged during back-off. Several models will skip during back-off; that is, the nut does not stay engaged under reverse pressure. The ones that unlock by reverse-turning the handle are useless for back-off operations so no problem there; if you get that format, back-off is unimportant to you. Just a little more fuel for your decision-engine.

Thanks Glenn, by "back off" I am assuming you mean to use the vice as a "pulling" tool, rather than clamping? Using it to pull chair parts apart for example? I must admit, I could use that function from time to time in my shop.

[Jeff L Jump]

316315I upgraded my front vise to the Eclipse 10" a couple of months ago and have been using it almost daily since. Much larger than my previous vise, one of the best tool purchases ever, I love it.

[Steve Meliza]

My QR vice from Lee Valley came in a few days ago. I haven't built my workbench yet so I'm not able to use it, but I get clean it up and play with it a bit. It is manufactured by York in CZ (http://www.york.cz/en/category.do?categoryId=28) and my large sized version is their part number "HVRQ 803". It is true that when you spin the handle CCW that the movable vice moves back out a hair then stops moving as it is now released. As you would expect it will move in as the handle is spun CW. Movement needed to engage or disengage the screw is only about 1/2 turn of the handle.

First impressions are that the machining is rough, as in made on a lathe that is much older than you in a dimly lit 200 year old building rough. The metal parts were covered in a thin layer of oil that was filled with metal particles, as if the parts went straight from the lathe to the shipping box without any cleaning. The screw and quick release nut threads were covered in metal particles and had to be brushed clean and several stubborn flakes of metal picked out of the threads. The blue paint shows brush marks and some areas don't look like the casting was particularly well cleaned up before the paint was slathered on.

Now that is a very critical assessment of the vice as I don't want anyone to buy it and be disappointed. You will need to clean and lube it but I see no reason why an hour spent getting it ready won't result in many years of good service. Paul Sellers did report at one point that the quick release nut tends to "crumble" after about 30 hours of use as seen on 8 of 20 vices at the USA school that he runs. I don't know what kind of prep they did to the vices, but I hope that my extreme thread cleaning and greasing will prevent that from happening. Whatever you do, this vice at least needs the contaminated oil wiped off and fresh lube applied before use.