I find myself in need of a new bench vice as my current one was a garage sale item that has seen more abuse than it deserved. My issue is that all vises share one design element that I don't want: the swivel base is locked in place by friction, provided by a teeny, tiny little handle. I can never apply enough force to keep it from rotating without bending the little handle to a curl.



Anyone know of a bench vise that can be securely locked into position in a series of stops or uses a better locking system?

 

You can get a fixed unit that doesn't rotate.



I've got a Ken-Tool K55 that has 2 locking nobs with handles that are 5" long.

 

There are also various degrees of quality to the mechanism that secures the swiveling base. Your old one may slip just because it's worn out. Mine has a handle on either side to tighten the base, and one handle is bent from being cranked with a cheater bar (but it doesn't slip!).