Hands-On: Dremel’s Multi-Vise
By Sean O'Hara
Like you, we were skeptical about whether Dremel’s Multi-Vise — a tiny vise and clamping system designed to hold small projects — could command its $30 street price. But after spending some time with one this week, we were pleasantly surprised. It works well as a clamp, and read on to discover another feature that makes coughing up your hard-earned cash for it worthwhile.
Unboxing
When we first pulled the Dremel vise out of the box, we thought it looked more like a set of clamps than a vise. I suppose that’s not surprising, considering it’s a combination of the two. Besides the parts for the vise itself, you’ll find a wrench and a curious-looking eye-loop with a blue collar included.
Assembly isn’t too difficult. First we clamped the base to our workbench — it’ll clamp to any table or work surface up to 2 ½” thick — by tightening the large blue screw at the bottom of the vise. The clamp assembly then attaches to the vise’s base by sliding into a diamond-shaped bracket located on top of the ball-and-socket assembly. This tighens down with the help of a blue, lightning-bolt-shaped bolt.
The ball-and-socket connection between the clamp and base allows for a wide range of adjustment. You can turn the clamp 360 degrees laterally and tilt it up to 50 degrees vertically, then lock it in place by tightening a collar at the base of the socket.
A blue button located just under the tightening handle (and above the diamond-shaped bar) releases the clamp head to slide freely for large adjustments or to facilitate its complete removal from the bar.
This all sounds quite complex, but it’s not that bad with just a little practice. When in doubt, just remember that anything you can adjust is colored blue. Just turn or twist it to find out what it does.
Read on to page two for our in use experiences.
April 6th, 2007 at 9:17 am
That would be quickly reduced to a stinking pile of melted plastic in my garage. On the plus side, it has slots in the jaws that would be handy for holding circuit boards for soldering, but I doubt it dissipates ESD.
April 8th, 2007 at 4:52 pm
Here is another look at the Dremel…
http://www.rainydaymagazine.com/RDM2007/RDMHomeMar2007.htm#MultiViseFirstLook
Click on any of images for a closer look.
August 20th, 2007 at 12:45 am
Well, I just bought one, and it is ideal for many jobs with working on model planes. Any modeling for that matter. It is not at home in a garage, as it is not a heavy metal shop vise. But it is great for light weight multipositioning of parts.
August 29th, 2007 at 8:27 am
[...] Plastic hobby vises like the Dremel Multi-Vise are great for delicate work, but sometimes you need a portable vise that can handle some abuse — like a cast iron clamp-on vise. These vises are great both in the shop and throughout the home because they set up quickly and offer strong clamping force. And you’ll really love ‘em if you don’t have a large work area because they’re as effective attached to a computer desk as to a workbench. [...]
October 2nd, 2007 at 2:04 pm
[...] A few products that may interest you are the Dremel Multi-Vise, Dremel Work Station, Kreg R3 Jig, and Irwin Unibits. This is just a sampling of what’s on sale: here’s the full listing of 4-for-3 eligible products. While it is not yet clear how Amazon determines which products are eligible for this promotion, it seems that qualifying products must be $45 or less. [...]
November 15th, 2007 at 10:49 am
[...] Repositionable vises are great additions to any shop as you can temporarily attach them to nonconventional work surfaces such as mobile project centers and dinner tables. But while adjustable vises like the Dremel Multi-Vise are great for precision work, they’re too fragile for anything but light-duty tasks. On the other hand, cast iron vises are constructed to endure massive abuse, but are not adjustable enough for precision tasks. [...]