While planning to build my DIY woodworking workbench, I scoured Amazon for the best vise I could afford and came across the 10″ Yost woodworking vise. Retailing for about $65, it had the best reviews on Amazon, scoring 4.5 out of 5 stars.
I read through the comments and questions before hitting that “Add to Cart” button. It arrived assembled, as you can see in the picture above. It came less than a week later, wrapped in sturdy plastic but without any instructions.
Getting Through Vise Setup & Handle Making
This is one of those reviews where you have to a lot of work before you can even properly use the item and come to any conclusions. So, I postponed this review until I could figure out the best way to get it installed and working correctly.
Here are two essential steps, each with complete instructions:
Here’s a quick shot of how to mount the vise to your bench:
Here’s how the completed vise assembly looks like on my bench:
After going through these steps, and using the Yost vise for almost a month, I am finally ready to review it.
Yost 10″ Woodworking Vise Review
A woodworking vise is an essential investment for any woodworker.
After finally building my own woodworking bench and making good use of a proper vise, the quality of my work improved tremendously. I can’t believe I tried to get along without one.
However, let’s not get carried away. I will keep it short with some pros and cons.
Yost 10″ Vise Pros:
- Excellent quality – It’s heavy, durable, expertly cast, and worked flawlessly when I first got it.
- Not too difficult to mount – This, of course, depends on your workbench, and where you position the vise. I placed mine 3/4 to the left of my workbench, and I am right-handed. My tabletop was approximately 1 1/2 inches thick, made from Pine.
- Sturdy threads – The main thread and clamping mechanism is sturdy and solid. It clamps securely.
- The price – $65 is a lot, but there are more expensive woodworking vises out there. There are also alternatives like the Mophorn 10.2′ vise, which costs about $10 less, and knockoffs on Aliexpress cost even less. You get what you pay for with the Yost.
Yost 10″ Vise Cons:
- No instructions – It did not come with instructions, which is a con. I searched everywhere for instructions on mounting the Yost woodworking vise. Thank god for YouTube.
- No quick release – I don’t think I personally need this, but of course, having one would be much better.
- It doesn’t come in black – I know it’s petty, but I wished it was black instead of blue.
In the end, I did not regret paying for the Yost 10″ woodworking front vise. This is something that will help me take my woodworking to the next level and will last me for decades with proper care.
I highly recommend getting the 10″ Yost woodworking vise for your first workbench. If you want something smaller and easier to start with, with a built-in handle, try the Irwin woodworking vise.
