Upgrade Vise Prototype TEST REPORT

Just a quick note – the updated version clamps blades up to 3/16″.

First I want to say a huge thank you to Clay for making it even possible that we can check out and “kick the tires” on a new product before its even out. Its a real honor!

My first impression was its incredibly well designed and super rugged feeling. The thing that struck me the most was how QUICK it was to lock in a new blade without having to think about it nearly as much. In fact it took me a few knives to realize I could just flip the lever and be DONE.

I checked the angles & clamping on a FFG Spyderco, a 10″ chef knife, a WWII bayonette, and multiple small EDC pocket knives of varying edge geometries. Without exception the vise clamped the blade straight up n down with no side to side wiggle to worry about. Amazing!

With the chef knife I measured a low angle minimum clearance of 11 degrees but it would need to be a bit higher for normal use and smaller knives would need to be a bit higher still. Installing the vise on my double riser blocks didn’t change the clearance minimums one way or the other…but did make it look cool. 😛

My personal preference would be if it clamped down a bit harder but I think it clamps well enough. My results where the same as Blacksheeps in that I could lift up the base, but I could also with a medium amount of pressure tilt the blade in the vise while pressing down on the handle, shifting the blade position.

This is NOT something that I think would occur under normal pressures with paddles while sharpening and perhaps the super grippy nano stuff clay mentioned would remove blade play altogether? ….Also being still fairly new to sharpening I believe I may be a tiny bit on the heavy handed side still and the possibility of movement makes me maybe more nervous then others with more experience?

Again thanks to Clay for the incredible opportunity to be on the front line of a new product like this and I cant wait to hear from the rest of the crew. Its on its way to Gib now…

My personal preference would be if it clamped down a bit harder but I think it clamps well enough. My results where the same as Blacksheeps in that I could lift up the base, but I could also with a medium amount of pressure tilt the blade in the vise while pressing down on the handle, shifting the blade position.

This is NOT something that I think would occur under normal pressures with paddles while sharpening and perhaps the super grippy nano stuff clay mentioned would remove blade play altogether? ….Also being still fairly new to sharpening I believe I may be a tiny bit on the heavy handed side still and the possibility of movement makes me maybe more nervous then others with more experience?

Is there a preload adjustment? Something similar to a vise grip where you can twist a knob to tighten or loosen the clamp before you squeeze the handles to preset the clamping pressure?[/quote]

That would be nice! but i imagine WE would not want that as people would over tighten and then they would be replacing them all the time. It would be good if they had a set “safe” pressure they set it to that would hold the knife secure but not over tighten.

do we know when this new vise will be available to purchase yet or maybe it already is and i missed it.

please advise – farmers markets opening in may – i need one.
thanks

My personal preference would be if it clamped down a bit harder but I think it clamps well enough. My results where the same as Blacksheeps in that I could lift up the base, but I could also with a medium amount of pressure tilt the blade in the vise while pressing down on the handle, shifting the blade position.

Thanks Cliff! I’m glad you enjoyed using it. The newest iteration clamps even more securely because we added a little bit of play in the pivot pins which allows the jaws to better conform to blades with distal tapers. The play is so nominal that it’s very hard to detect but has a significant impact on clamping. I’m super excited to see how the nano-grip samples add to the equation.

Just to highlight a point by KnifeKnerd, the Dyson vacuum cleaner is one of the best examples of innovative engineering I’ve ever seen. And please understand that I was involved in mechanical and electrical engineering for more than thirty years. Every mechanical engineer should be required to assemble one about a half dozen times before being allowed to design anything him/herself. And I’m not talking about their cyclone technology.

Yea, UK!

Hi Cliff, I’m curious about FFG blades. Does it always clamp those blades straight because of something in the design? Or is it recommended, like with the gen 1 & 2 vises, to use something like foam tape to be sure such blades are clamped straight?

Just from an observation standpoint and what believe the mechanics are involved… The vise jaws are spring loaded against each other, that makes them self centering and when the clamp down both sides apply equal pressure. I actually didn’t think to try placing a blade in tilted way over and see if it self centered, I just set it, clamped, and checked…very close to perfect vertical every time! 😉

It’s funny Clay mentioned adding a small bit of play into the pivot pins, I was looking closely at that area when clamping down and had a passing thought along those lines. That should indeed help it adjust even better to different blade profiles & thicknesses.

As for the locking bar I didn’t mind it at all after clamping a few blades and getting used to the newness of it. Considering the torque that needs to be applied to the cam and the force on the lever arm to do that AND still make it comfortable to operate, I think they have done an outstanding job. I’ve seen many products over designed attempting to be clever that have lost that basic simplicity & most important… durability!