MYTEC Bench Vise, Multifunctional Jaw, Quick Adjustment, Universal Rotate 360° Work Clamp-On Vise, 3.3" Black

Despite the negative reviews, I have been pleasantly surprised with this little desk vice. Being a more or less unknown brand from China, you never can be sure what you're going to get. Or when for that matter. So after a fair amount of thought, I decided to risk it and ordered the 2.5 inch vice.The first thing to note about this vice is that is a light duty vice. A simple look at it clearly shows that it is in no way suitable as a workshop vice for serious work like sawing wood or anything of that nature. No, this is best suited for lighter crafting type work. It holds light objects in place while you work on them. Some light filing or cutting for modelling or similar activities. The included rubber jaw covers indicate that this is what the manufacturer intends also.Out the box you are immediately are presented with not only the vice, but the included rubber accessories. These take the form of one pair of soft jaw covers and rubber covers for the clamp. I recommend installing all of there straight away before they are lost. There is no point in waiting until you think you need them, because you will, definitely. They are easily removed again if necessary.The next job is to inspect the various metal edges. I found a few small burrs or sharpish edges. A few strokes with a small file took care of those easily enough.The jaws meet nicely. Not perfectly, but we expected that, right? It is close enough unless you are trying to clamp tin foil for some strange reason. They are also removable, which is nice. The slide mechanism works well although it came almost entirely dry and needed lubrication as does the screw. The main screw is tensioned by a spring and washer setup which does make it feel and sound a bit grindy. There is no retention on the slide so it will come off if you keep open the jaws too far. This is nice for maintenance, but could be a problem if you are working and not paying attention. The rotating section likewise needed lubricating and it isn't as smooth as it could be. But it works just fine.Finally I turned my attention to the small anvil. This is probably where it could use the most work if you want to take the time. The construction of the whole body is cast steal and in anvil seemed like wasn't quite ground down properly after casting. It's not bad by any means. But it's not entirely flat either. There was a little cupping in the surface that seems to have been caused by whatever first stage grinding method that was used. The effect is pretty clearly visible and needs some work sanding down to reach proper flatness. But it's not bad as is really. For the price it is pretty good and there is room for touching up these things yourself. Which I would rather be able to do than be stuck with a product that can't be tweaked to how I want it. Being a bare steal surface, the anvil and a few other parts must be kept oiled to prevent rust.In conclusion, I like this little vice quite a lot. I am glad that I took the chance on it. But like all vices, it is designed to do a certain level of work. I am confident that it will perform well as long as it is not abused and overworked.The one thing that failed any sort of quality check was the included gloves. They were too small for an adult and would probably have disintegrated in water. But in fairness we're buying the vice, not the gloves.

Brass work