Good general purpose all around vise. It is now my favorite.
593709
I bought the Wilton 63302 6-Inch Shop Vise back on December 21, 2004. It is a really good vise and has a 6 inch jaw face with a 3  throat depth (how wide the jaws will open) It also has one small area that can be used as an anvil platform. It has a 25,000 pound casting strength. It weighs 42 pounds and cost me half again as much as this Yost vise.

This Yost vise is made with 30,000 PSI cast iron has a 5.5 jaw face but when the jaw is reversed it has a phenomenal 9  jaw capacity. Both of them have a swivel base with twin lock downs. The Yost weighs 48 pounds and costs a third less than the Wilton. You can buy a Wilton tradesman vise for many times the price of this one. Some models are over a thousand dollars.

First impressions. As soon as I opened the box my immediate thoughts were WOW this thing is huge. See the photo I uploaded. Maybe it is due to having twin anvil flat top surfaces. Both are directly above the base so they should withstand some abuse.  The pipe jaws can handle pipe up to 3 thick. The pipe grabbing capability is designed so that you can saw through a pipe or do other tasks that don't require you to bend it. If you had a 4 foot long cast iron pipe for example you can expect to bend it in this vise. The swivel base is a friction only base and stays in position well for normal use, but with a 4 foot pipe used as a leverage tool a friction base is not going to maintain sufficient grab.

The ground cast iron surfaces have a coat of something like cosmolene on them to prevent rust but it is not a gummy type. It is something you won't mind leaving on the surface. The point worth making is that this is a good vise that comes in at a good price point. There are lesser vices of course at cheaper prices, and better ones at much more money. Trying to compare this to a vice that cost many times as much is not a fair comparison. Are you a machinist, or a wrought iron worker for a living? Then of course you should get a better vise, but with that being said, my opinion is that this vise is worthy of most tasks you could ever want to throw at it. I am excited to install this in my woodworking shop. I have a dedicated vise for woodworking which is quite a bit different than this one. There are specific types of procedures that you need a good mechanics vise for, and I really like this one for that purpose. I even like it better than the Wilton that cost more. Highly recommended.
259609
Excellent vise at a great price.  One of the reasons I upgraded was my old vise (40 years or more) was too small and wasn't particularly sturdy.  This vise is very sturdy and has an excellent smooth operation.  My only complaint would be the lack of instructions/simple template.  This is not necessary but would have made it easier and quicker to install.
313905
This is a very nice light duty vise that will clamp to a bench or table top when needed.  It appears to be made of cast aluminum and is powder coated.  This vise can be positioned in almost any angle.  Good for small hobby projects.
2489899
Nice general purpose kit. I've used this several times already. Quality is fine for around the house tasks. I'm happy with the purchase.
1236062
WORKING OR JUST CLEANING THE VISE IS WONDERFUL ! HOLDS PISTOLS AND ALL LONG GUNS OPEN OR CLOSED I WOULD SAY IF YOUR LOOKING FOR A NICE ADDITION TO YOUR ARSENAL THIS IS IT .
3092148
I've been very pleased with this small vise. I don't have a good place for a permanent work bench and mounted vise. This works extremely well for the light gunsmithing I bought it for.
2555460
i like this vice.  It installed onto my workbench easily and it's nice and tight.  I use it to straighten bolts, hold things I'm cutting with my grinder, and occasionally for gluing wood together.  I got a set of magnetic rubber jaw protectors which are working great for me.  The anvil takes a pretty good bashing, too.
2009436
These are great general purpose pliers.  They have plenty of leverage and a convenient reach to get into tight places.  They are tougher than regular needle nose pliers and the cross-hatch jaw pattern gives an excellent grip.  The tips are small enough to form wire loops but strong enough to tighten fasteners. They are generally the first pliers I reach for if I'm not doing small precision work.  I never understood why Channellock stopped selling these in regular consumer channels.
1878506
This is easily the best vise i could hope to own.  No racking, no slop.  Well worth the extra money for what it does.  It is one of three different vises in my shop.
2391973
This thing has been a massive help since I got it. I've used it to hold a couple of canes so I could cut them down to size and sand one with my rotary tool, and this vise is super sturdy and effective. I love the fact that I can set it up pretty much anywhere around my home to work. Whenever  I'm working with something like wood that I don't want scratched up, I put a piece of EVA foam in the jaws of the vise and that holds very securely without messing up what I'm working on.
1816932
I love this vise it works perfect, swings, up down and all around, almost as good as a square dance partner, but really it is the BEST vice I could ask for, for a "third arm"
2918942
11/30/16 Update:
I've used this vise several times and it is excellent for my applications and space limitations. Very satisfied with my purchase, including build quality &  price point.

I haven't used this vise yet but it appears to be very strong for its compact size. All steel. The operation of the adjusters are as smooth as butter. I was able to install the clamp on the 1 1/2" edge of a counter top with 3/8" to spare.
Excellent vise!
4858397
I bought two of these 9" Shop Fox version after much online reading and research.  These are essentially a clone of the original Record vise of this style.  I was particular looking for the manual/lever style of quick release mechanism and a buttress thread which this vise has.  I believe these are distributed under several different colors and brands but are all essentially the same vise.

Several reviewers have commented that the vise jaws do not come together evenly.  On my vises the top line of the jaws closes before the bottom.  This was an original feature of the Record vise that helps keep the jaws in alignment under load.  As you tighten the vise the jaws come into alignment so the small gap at the bottom of the jaws closes.

This vise and similar is an incredible value but it is not perfect.  The buttress thread is a little rough on the flat side of the thread, a result of fast machining I expect and this is an area that really counts so TBD if there is any lasting impact.  The quick release seems to have very positive engagement and the handle position allows for single handed operation of that feature.  The spring tension is high on the release lever and some may find it uncomfortable to use only fingers to release however the entire handle and quick release can be grasped whole handed to position the outer jaw.

The outside surfaces are well finished but the corners sometimes have a burr or sharp edge that can be rectified with a file easily enough.  The holes in the jaws measure 0.330" so would suite a 3/8 X24 tap if one wished to thread them.  This vise should be fitted with jaw liners and I'm considering how much thickness and overlap I want.

The handle was a surprise to me and is finished very nicely with threaded knobs that will need a drop of thread lock keep them in place.

I'll post an update after installation and some use.  I'm giving 5 stars since the flaws are really about fit and finish and I don't anticipate any functional impact.
3820734
Good, sturdy forged vise at a fair price. The paint on mine is bad in a couple places, with some peeling and blemishes. It's minor, but noticable. Not worth the time/expense to ship it back since it doesn't impact functionality. It's a vise, not artwork afterall .  Still, not what I was expecting.

The feel of the clamping is a little tight in places but I expect that to smooth out with use. 5 stars if the paint on mine was as good as most of the other reviews.
692176
LOVE LOVE LOVE my new bench vise. For the price, it's got all the bells and whistles of the larger one on my husband's bench. You'll need the 4 bolts to install, which is usual for these things. Solid and good weight to it, the swivel is very smooth, easy to adjust and holds secure.
1594910
A solid vise in its class! An excellent price from Amazon. Highly recommend this item for quality use.
3606617
this vise was great addition to my shop ,solid,quick release works great. My table is 4x4 thick and I needed a good vise this was it. I bought 11" model.  Dave