Rockler 9″ Quick Release Bench Vise Review

Rockler 9″ Quick Release Workbench Vise

Every workshop and woodshop must have a good workbench vise! As part of my continued outfitting of the new woodshop I built a large workbench/outfeed table. The new workbench was also the obvious place for a large bench vise. The folks at Rockler sent me their 9″ Quick Release Workbench Vise to install on the new bench.

Features and Benefits

• Designed for benches up to 2-1/4″ thick.
• 9″ wide jaws with 13″ opening capacity.
• Jaws are drilled out for easy attachment of wooden vise pads.
• Features adjustable pop-up dog on vise face for clamping panels in conjunction with bench dogs.
• Manufactured from close-grained cast iron.
• With hardwood handle.
• Vise faces are 2-7/8″ high.
• 7/8″ screw diameter.
• Easy to install on your workbench top.

Picture above is the vise as it’s shipped from Rockler. The castings are very nice with no sharp edges and a great paint finish. The vise slides easily outward after releasing the quick release. The long hardwood handle combined with the large 7/8″ screw allows for quick clamping force and a quick release.

The vise comes pre-drilled so you can mount wood pads on the side of the jaws. I didn’t have any hardwood kicking around the shop so I decided to mount some plywood pads for starters.

Easy Installation

The Rockler 9″ bench vise is very easy to install. Once I acquired lag screws that were the right length it took about 10 minutes from start to finish to install this vise. Either have someone help you install the vise (hold it while you put the lag screws in) or you’ll need to have some clamps to help hold the vice in place. The vise comes with an installation template so you can pre-drill the lag bolt holes in the bottom of the bench top.

As you can see in my photos I added some reinforcing blocks to the bottom of my table. The blocks serve a couple functions, first they help strengthen the bench top but they also help keep the vise at the correct height so the jaw doesn’t interfere with the table top.

Great Features & Quality at a Great Price

Rockler’s 9″ Quick Release works great, has great clamping power, is built with top quality materials and still operates just like the shop bench vise your grandfather had! The machining on the vise parts is very good resulting in a VERY smooth action. The quick release feature means you just turn the handle counter-clockwise 1/4 turn and then you can just pull the jaws open which is a great feature when you want to open the jaws to a much wider width without turning the screw endlessly. This vise also features a pop-up bench dog.

The Rockler 9″ Quick Release Vise is what I consider heirloom quality and it’s a vise you’ll only buy once in a lifetime. Normally priced at just around $160 it’s a great value. Occasionally I see it on sale for a low as $100! To see the selection of bench vises at Rockler click here.