I took a chance on this fully expecting to be disappointed and return it. I bought a 3" ball vise from another vendor a few years ago that had an endless list of quality control issues and expected a similar experience. Turns out this is a great ball vise at a great price. The ball rotates nicely on its base, the white nylon balls really help and a bit of mineral oil made it even better. The fit and finish is very good, it came with a very light film of oil on it, no rust or heavy packing grease to deal with! The vise rotates freely on its main bearing throughout its full rotation, it will rotate 5-6 times before stopping with a flick of the hand. The setscrew "break" to adjust tension works well, it doesn't hang up in any spots and it feels the same throughout its rotation. I'm sure its not as sensitive as a grs vise but it does its job well enough. The vise jaws weren't timed properly when I recieved it. The didn't start both jaws on the threads at the same time. I used the allen key to spin them off the vise and got them started back on the threads at the same time. They seem to be centered very well now. The jaws wobble a bit in the T slots. I clamped a piece of round bar in them at the very top and measured the jaws, there was 0.018" difference from top to bottom. Not bad all things considered. I've been using the vise a fair bit and it hasn't been an issue. The top plates fit well in the jaws, having one fixed on two pins and the other centered on one really makes a big difference for clamping odd size parts. The pins for the top plates were 0.003" smaller than the holes in the jaws, not to bad really. The holes in the top plates are all equally spaced and the same size, these were cnc machined. The other one i bought years ago looked like it was done on a drill press using a transfer punched setup. The holes weren't even the same size! The accessories suprised me. I was expecting them to be junk and be forced to make my own, they actually work quite well. The two inserts for rings look like they have real leather padding. The pins are crimped evenly and the larger ones are well machined. The pins with rubber on them are well done to. The pins were a bit further undersized than I would have liked. They ranged from 0.003" to 0.006" undersize depending on the style. The same style pins were all the same size though. Its not a perfect vise, they could have made the t slots for the jaws a better fit. The accessories could have had a fit with the top plates. They should be ensuring the jaws are timed properly so you don't need to remove them and do it yourself. Other than that I can't find much to complain about. Its not silky smooth but it is smooth. Considering the grs version is just under $1000 this is an incredible value. Very happy to have this!
brett childers 
