A drill press vise is undoubtedly the best option for certain jobs, like when you're drilling metal or small pieces of wood.

In addition to firmly holding a workpiece in place, a drill press vise also sets your two hands free and allows you more creativity in your job. If you've reached this point where you know you definitely need a drill press vise, then this review will help you along.

Following is a list of the best drill press vises in the market, as well as a buying guide to help you make the right decisions and choose the best vise for your shop.

Editor's Rating: (4.4 / 5)

• Clamping capacity: 4.5-inch capacity, 1,000 lbs clamping pressure
• Dimensions: 7 x 2.6 x 9.4 inches
• Weight: 7.4 lbs

First up on this list is the Irwin 226340 drill press vise, with a small and compact design at only 9.4 inches long, 2.6 inches high, and 7 inches wide.

Notwithstanding its small dimensions, this vise comes from forged iron, which guarantees its strength and long life in the shop without issues. It also boasts a clamping pressure of 1,000 lbs.

It features a 4.5-inch jaw capacity, with the jaws additionally textured to make its grips more secure. Its base is also slotted to offer you more flexibility during installation.

If you're after a simple and top-rated drill press vise for small workpieces, then you can't go wrong with this offer from Irwin Tools. It also comes with a lifetime warranty.

Editor's Rating: (4.1 / 5)

• Clamping capacity: 2.5 inches
• Dimensions: 0.8 x 7.2 x 3.5 inches
• Weight: 2.75 lbs

This vise from Performance Tool is for those who need a really small drill press vise. It has a 2.5-inch clamping capacity and is just 7.2 inches long and 3.5 inches wide.

Given its small dimensions, it's no wonder that it weighs only 2.75 lbs, making a super-lightweight drill press vise. Still, if you are after something really small for holding really small workpieces in place for drilling, then you can hardly go wrong with this vise.

Notwithstanding, it's built strongly to last a long while. Performance Tool made it from cast iron and includes etched jaws to provide a firm grip.

You also get 4 slot mounting holes for a quick and simple installation, plus a pivot handle for easy and leveraged turning. Performance tool backs it with a lifetime warranty and additionally offers a 4-inch model, should you need something bigger.

Editor's Rating: (4.1 / 5)

• Clamping capacity: 4 inches
• Dimensions: 7 x 10.5 x 5.8 inches
• Weight: 20 lbs

Two features set this Wilton vise apart from others on this list. These are its durable construction technology and its high-precision screwing system.

It's made from fine grain cast iron castings, with its screws coated with black oxide for long life and durability. Given its 20-lb weight, it's also obvious how much cast iron got used in making its 7 x 10 x 5.5 inches dimensions.

This vise includes side knobs in addition to the standard turning levers. These extra dials make it easy to precisely move your clamped workpiece in any direction in very precise 0.1 mm increments.

Other extras include the hardened V-grooved jaws, which are for holding different kinds of objects, including round ones, both vertically and horizontally.

Editor's Rating: (4.8 / 5)

• Clamping capacity: 3 inches
• Dimensions: 6 x 9 x 4 inches
• Weight: 12.5 lbs

In case you've got a fixed table but you'd still want to carry out some angled drill or tapping projects, this vise, the Wilton 11753 will help you to do that.

It comes in a cradle design with the ability to tilt from 0 degrees up to 90 degrees, and although it's scaled in 1-degree increments, hard locking with a pin is only available with 15-degree increments.

This vise has base dimensions of 6.5 x 6.5 inches and it comes with four 0.5-inch shoulder slots to position it quickly and easily on your machine's table.

Wilton makes this vise with a durable cast iron construction and hardened steel jaws. The screws are additionally coated with black oxide to offer steady pressure and a long service life.

Editor's Rating: (4.8 / 5)

• Clamping capacity: 4 inches
• Dimensions: 7.3 x 7.5 x 2.8 inches
• Weight: 9.15 lbs

Wilton makes this 4-inch drill press vise for serious industrial use. It offers a 4-inch jaw capacity, ideal for most applications and is 7.5 inches long and 7.3 inches wide.

Everything on this vise is perfect, as is customary with Wilton vises. You get cast iron castings for strength and durability, hardened steel jaws, and a black oxide coated screw.

V-grooves on the jaws make it easier to properly clamp round objects both horizontally and vertically, improving your efficiency.

You also get Wilton's lifetime warranty, coupled with precision and reliability.

Editor's Rating: (4.4 / 5)

• Clamping capacity: 3 inches
• Dimensions: 6 x 5.5 x 1.8 inches
• Weight: 4.1 lbs

The Wen 423DPV is a simple and straight to the point drill press vise. There are no extra features and the price is low and attractive enough to make it the best affordable drill press vise on this list.

You can also choose any of its other two versions if you want. They all offer a 3-inch jaw capacity, but one is a cross-sliding vise, while the other is a tilting vise.

This vise is from cast iron and machined to perfection. It comes with four mounting slots and they are well-positioned to fit most standard table holes. It also offers a 1-inch throat depth.

Measuring 6 inches in length and 5.5 inches in width, Wen promises this is one unassuming vise that you'll come to love and depend on its safety and accuracy.

Editor's Rating: (4.2 / 5)

• Clamping capacity: 4 inches
• Dimensions: 10 x 7 x 3 inches
• Weight: 8 lbs

Delta's 20-621 drill press vise boasts of a cast iron construction to make it strong and last long. It also comes with jaws up to 4 inches wide and weighs just 8 lbs.

Most other features of this vise are standard, including its look and dimensions. It's 11 inches long and comes with 4 slot holes for easy installation.

One outstanding feature is the built-in groove which supports dowels with up to 0.5-inch diameter while drilling. Delta machinery offers a 2-year warranty on it, which is comparatively short anyway.

Editor's Rating: (4 / 5)

• Clamping capacity: 3 inches
• Dimensions: 10.3 x 10 x 5.9 inches
• Weight: 13.4 lbs

For its price, this HFS drill press vise is almost a steal, when you consider all that it offers. First off, it's a cross-sliding vise, so you can have more flexibility in your work.

Secondly, it features high-precision movements on both axes, and you can additionally use it as a quality milling vise. The cranks have measurement dials and the longitudinal can travel for 4 inches while the cross-section will travel for 4.5 inches.

This is a cast iron vise and it's designed for both wood and metal work. It's also compact at a 10-inch length and 5-inch width, with its crank handle hinged, so it can easily drop out of the way.

If you would like something larger like a 6-inch drill press vise, but with the same features, HFS also makes it. In addition to this 3-inch version, the company offers this vise in 4-inch, 5-inch, and 6-inch versions.

Editor's Rating: (4.6 / 5)

• Clamping capacity: 3 inches
• Dimensions: 8 x 4 x 5 inches
• Weight: 6 lbs

Yost's DPV-3 heavy-duty drill press vise comes designed to last for many years in service. Featuring a 30,000 PSI tensile strength cast iron, you can tighten this vise without any worries of breaking anything.

The handle is extra-large to help generate enough clamping pressure and a V-groove in the jaw makes it easier to clamp circular stock and work on it.

This vise is well machined and has a nice powder coat finish, but its mounting slots may not fit easily everywhere because they offer little chance for adjustments.

It has a 3-inch jaw width and a 1-inch throat depth. Two other versions with 4-inch and 5-inch jaw capacities are also available, but the only issue with them is their rather short 1-year warranty.

Editor's Rating: (3.5 / 5)

• Clamping capacity: 4 inches
• Dimensions: 13.5 x 6 x 3 inches
• Weight: 3.84 lbs

Featuring a 4-inch clamping capacity, this Bora 551027 drill press vise offers features that make it stand out from the rest. Yes, it's a drill press vise, but it's a very modern one.

You get a handle with a colorful soft-grip, that it'll even pivot sideways to allow to apply more pressure. A quick-release button is also available. Simply press it for faster opening and closing of the vise.

The main screw is a chrome-plated steel screw and the body is from die-cast aluminum, while the jaws are made from steel.

One issue with this vise is that it's not very heavy-duty and you can also see this from its looks. Else, it's an exciting tool which brings some fresh air into the world of drill press vises.

All you need is to install your drill press vise on your drill press for the first time and you'll wonder why you ever held your workpiece with one hand to drill before.

Fortunately, attaching a vise to a drill press is easy and following are the steps you'll need to take:

#1. Initial Considerations

You'll need to consider a few things first before carrying out the installation. The first is the weight of the vise, because if it's heavy enough, then you don't even need to fasten it with a bolt.

The second consideration is your drill press table. If it's a fixed table, then you might want to consider getting a rotary table that can swing in any direction. This allows you to drill holes at amazing angles with ease.

#2. Position

You need to decide where to fasten your vise beforehand, depending on the type of vise and table you have. If you're using a fixed table with a fixed vise, then directly beneath the chuck should do it.

If, however, you have a rotary table or you're about to install a cross slide drill press vise, then you have more options and are free to get more creative with the installation.

#3. The Installation

You'll need to place the vise directly over some of the holes on your drill press' table. For securing it to the table, you'll need at least four bolts.

You can use more bolts if you like, but using fewer bolts might make the vise less stable. After securing, test it to make sure.

#4. Test

Don't forget to test your installation to make sure it doesn't shake or do something else it's not supposed to do. If the test goes well, then congrats, you've successfully installed your drill press vise.

Conclusion

Coming to the end of this best drill press vise review, you should have a clear choice of a vise in your mind by now.

The different features like tilting, cross sliding and quick release, each appeal to different people, based on the type of work they do.

You'll, therefore, need to take the particular needs of your type of work into consideration when making your choice, because it's you who knows it best.