Don’t worry team WEPS. You know you’re still my one and only. 
WEPS Update: New Vise: http://youtu.be/akl7xO0IqcY
Just got my new one as well. Check it out!! 
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I think this means a whole batch of jaws went out just like this. It’s probably going to throw a wrench in the system for the guys at Wicked Edge.
Bahahahaha!!! Yeah, man, that’s EXACTLY how I feel.
I’m surprised this thread hasn’t made its way up the chain yet. I guess I need to call Wicked Edge again. I’m pretty positive that a whole batch went out like this. So, if a handful of people are expecting a replacement, chances are some ENTIRE units have been shipped to dealers, new customers, etc.etc… Not good. Not good at all. :pinch:
Still silence? I am surprised.
Yeah. Me too.
Here’s a simple solution, use a diamond stone and flatten out the screw.
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Thanks Dan, I concur:
Meanwhile on an adjacent thread with the same complaint, I posted the following:
The damage shown in the photo was caused by the end of the jack screw galling the softer aluminum in the vise. Probably caused by a burr on the end of the screw. The design of the vise requires that the screw be turned under load - a premise which requires a flat end on the screw. I think that all that really needs to be done is to clean up the damage and flatten the end of the screw. I recommended a couple of years ago on this forum that users polish the ends of their jack screws and apply a little grease at the point of contact. And on the screw threads.
There’s a lot of users who’ve been tightening their vises for years without this problem. I think adding a stainless insert is overkill, trying to show that WE is living up to their rep as a first class service company. It should not be inferred that they’re admitting to a design flaw in their product. Come on, it was a crummy screw.
Whenever you have one metal part scraping against another, one of them will have to give. Designers make sure that one part is hard and the other part is soft. Didja ever notice that sleeve bearing are always brass or bronze or babbit? Either the two will slide against each other or the soft part will “smear” until it conforms to the shape of the hard part. Unless you solve the problem of the end of that bloody screw, stainless on stainless will still be a problem. One solution might be to put thrust washers under the insert so it can rotate. Or make the insert harder than Japanese arithmetic.
Isn’t he at the great American outdoor show?
Man… As I read, and the issue gets slowly swept under the rug while WE give solutions to a problem that shouldn’t be a problem, I’m kinda in awe.
I don’t know about you guys, but I spent A LOT of hard earned money on my system…
Hold on there. I have not seen anything being swept under the rug. This thread still exists for all to see. There has not yet been an official response from Wicked Edge or Clay Allison in particular. A couple of users have suggested that the problem isn’t all that great. (I disagree, by the way.)
At this point the only negative in the handling of this issue that I see is the slow response time, but if the crew is all busy at a show it’s understandable. Wait until you hear from Clay Allison before coming to any conclusions about this. From how he has handled past issues I seriously doubt his reply will be “just file down the end of the screw a little and don’t worry about it.”
Mr. Wizard,
You’re right. I guess I’m making a mountain out of a mole hill. Thanks for checking me.
This is 4 years of use (after the tip of the lower screw was cleaned up):
Clay doesn’t seem to have been around the forums much lately so I am sure there is a perfectly valid reason. When all else fails simply give them a call in a couple of weeks when the new vises are supposed to get in.
I recently got a replacement as well and ended up noticing that neither the replacement nor the one before that had the stainless steel insert… doesn’t bother me however because 1. it doesn’t wear fast at all (as seen above, thanks blacksheep) and 2. if it ever becomes a problem I will pick up the phone and the Wicked Edge team will send me a new one in about 2-3 business days. They have never let me down. But I actually bend my vises far before this ever becomes an issue and then I get a replacement (and no, I am not over torquing… I only turn the bottom screw about 1/4 turn).
I got my WE second hand from a forum member out in the woods somewheres…mine has the SS insert for the bottom screw. Just chimin’ in.
Yikes! I’ve been out of town all week at our plant in VT. We’ll start looking at the new batch today. Thanks for the heads-up! I’ll keep everybody posted as to what we learn.
[quote quote=“razoredgeknives” post=21396]Clay doesn’t seem to have been around the forums much lately so I am sure there is a perfectly valid reason. When all else fails simply give them a call in a couple of weeks when the new vises are supposed to get in.
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It’s true I haven’t been around much in the last two weeks. I was out sick on Thurs-Fri of last week and then away at our plant in VT this week. I’ll continue catching up today and tomorrow.
Just to follow up on the issue - our original design did not include the SS insert. The galling from the screw was bothering some people though it doesn’t really impact functionality, just the aesthetics, so we finally decided to include the insert, just to eliminate any worries about it and to give the machine a better overall fit and finish. When we receive the jaws from the plant, they’re already paired together and we haven’t been in the habit of opening them up before shipping since there hadn’t previously been any issues with the insert not being present. Now we know to look. Hopefully it isn’t a large scale issue though it may be. Only an inspection of a big sample of our latest batch will tell. If it is widespread, that will be a major bummer because the turnaround for the parts isn’t quick… It may be that we can find a way to add the insert without having to strip and re-anodize the jaws. We’ll see.