Pin Vise recommendation

[Bill H]

Group:
Somehow I seem to have lost my best pin vise. My current one, a double ender, does not have a chuck small enough to handle my most used drill bits, the #80 and #78 for adding detail parts. Does anyone have a recommendation for a pin vise that they know will handle that small a drill bit?

Kind regards,
Bill

[johnb]

I have an Xacto pin vise

[Colorado_Bob]

I think my favorite is the Mascot Precision Tools H812 Wood Ball Head Pin Vise Drill.  It has a nice wooden ball that fits in the palm of the hand, two chucks, swivels, and has a knurled grip.  I've had mine for nearly 20 years.

[Chris333]

I bought a Starrett 162a pin vise and it has been the best thing ever!!!!  They sell a whole set, but they sell them all separately.

[mmagliaro]

I bought a Starrett 162a pin vise and it has been the best thing ever!!!!  They sell a whole set, but they sell them all separately.

Woo hoo!
I just bought a Starrett 165 double-ended model (one end closes down to zero, the other is for larger bits).

I have high hopes for this.  I have a larger hand-chuck Starrett I use for things like 1/8" bits and it can't be beat.

They are very pricey.  You'll pay 20 bucks or more for one of these, (maybe over 30, depending on the model), and that's for a good price on eBay.  Retail prices on these things are over 50 bucks! 

But I am just tired of the cheaper collet metals wearing out over time so that they fail to grip very small bits.
I am expecting better from Starrett.

[jagged ben]

I use my jeweler's twist drill more than my pin vises.

[RBrodzinsky]

I bought a Starrett 162a pin vise and it has been the best thing ever!!!!  They sell a whole set, but they sell them all separately.

I just got one of these, too, a couple weeks ago. Now I am wondering how I ever got anything done with my old one.

[Chris333]

And don't try to force bigger bits into it and it should work for a long time.

[peteski]

Are those Starrett tools still being manufactured in Athol, MA, or have they outsourced their manufacturing to China or India?

[Chris333]

The few products I checked on their site had a US flag. If you hover over it the words Made In USA appear.

[mmagliaro]

The few products I checked on their site had a US flag. If you hover over it the words Made In USA appear.

The pin vises all appear to be USA made (they all have the American flag symbol on their website pages).  However, I do notice that in the list of manufacturing facilities, they have one in China (in addition to the one in Athol, MA and a few in other US states).

With a list price of about 60 bucks, that little pin vise better darn well NOT be made in China!

[C855B]

My father (a NASA engineer decades ago) had a classic wooden toolbox full of Starrett tools. I managed to snag one or two by virtue of "borrowing" and they ended-up in my trains toolbox, but I really have to wonder what happened to the rest. I hope my little brother didn't get 'em, he'd break a sledgehammer.

Thanks for reminding me how good they were and hopefully still are. I need to get a set.

Starrett currently makes a lot more than just the hand tools, so that is easily where the China facility comes into play.

[Lemosteam]

The pin vises all appear to be USA made (they all have the American flag symbol on their website pages).  However, I do notice that in the list of manufacturing facilities, they have one in China (in addition to the one in Athol, MA and a few in other US states).

With a list price of about 60 bucks, that little pin vise better darn well NOT be made in China!

@mmagliaro UNLESS Starret holds their global manufacturing base to the exacting standards that I'm quite sure on every drawing of every Starret component ever made.  Just because something is made elsewhere does not mean that it is garbage.  Not all suppliers are allowed to deviate from specifications, inspection or process controls, regardless of their location.

Starret would never let its rep as one of the finest toolmakers on the planet to be compromised.  They make tools that MEASURE the tools that make the tools they make, each step in tolerance being a magnitude of 1000 tighter.

@C855B My Dad was a toolie too, and I have a few of his prized possessions myself and know that feeling.  Just wish I know how to USE them!

[garethashenden]

I bought a square from them a year ago or so, maybe 18 months. I bought the Chinese one because I'm only using it for modelling, and the difference between 0.0002" in 6" and 0.0001" in 6" wasn't worth the $136 savings. They make it pretty obvious where they're made.

I bought this one: http://www.starrett.com/metrology/product-detail/3020-3 as opposed to this one: http://www.starrett.com/metrology/product-detail/20-3

[mmagliaro]

I bought a square from them a year ago or so, maybe 18 months. I bought the Chinese one because I'm only using it for modelling, and the difference between 0.0002" in 6" and 0.0001" in 6" wasn't worth the $136 savings. They make it pretty obvious where they're made.

I bought this one: http://www.starrett.com/metrology/product-detail/3020-3 as opposed to this one: http://www.starrett.com/metrology/product-detail/20-3

And note, the one you bought is tagged as a "global series" product, whereas the super expensive one has the American flag on it.  So I think that does mean that anything marked with the USA flag really is American-made.

Lemo: I agree, just because something comes from China doesn't mean it's terrible.  But I would not expect to pay USA-made prices for it