Mobile Bench Vise
Roughly the same weight as a standard pipe wrench, the aluminum-body Pipe Vise is a great solution for holding pipe and fitting assemblies while you thread or solder them together.
When installing hydronic heating systems, I’m faced with dozens of fittings and components that need to be threaded together. This can be a breeze in the shop with a benchtop vise, but it’s another story when I’m out on a job site. Whether threading copper sweat adapters into a ball valve or threading black pipe fittings for a boiler’s gas supply, I constantly find myself juggling a pipe wrench in each hand, struggling to get a good grip. I recently got hold of a Bigfoot Ultralight Aluminum portable pipe vise made by Pipe Vise. This tool is basically a self-adjusting pipe wrench attached to a base, but it’s amazing what a difference a tool with a simple design can make. I now have a workbench vise with me wherever I go.
This aluminum model weighs in at 2 lb. 12 oz., which is one-third the weight of Pipe Vise’s steel version and weighs about the same as a standard 12-in. handheld pipe wrench. This makes a huge difference since a lot of my time is spent hauling around tool buckets, bags, and boxes. The base is equipped with nonmarring feet, and the spring-loaded jaws can secure pipes up to 11/2 in. and as small as 1/8 in. in diameter as well as nuts, bolts, and fittings within that range. I also use the vise as an extra hand to hold copper pipe while sweating on fittings, making it that much more useful and convenient. The Bigfoot Ultralight pipe vise (model APV01) costs $165. You can buy one at pipevise.com or at some plumbing supply houses.
—Jim Speranza, a contractor in Rochester, N.Y.
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