Pin vise recommendations

[kgstakes]

Hey everyone

 

I'm looking to upgrade my old pin vise.  Any recommendations?  I've seen some on Amazon but I figure what better place to ask then here on tools.

 

Let me hear what you suggest

 

 

[vossiewulf]

I much prefer ball end pin vises. I have three, each with a different chuck.

 

[Nirvana]

Here is another site to look at. More expensive but the quality is outstanding.

Starrett Pin Vise set.

[CPDDET]

I purchased a 3 piece set from Starrett years ago and never looked back. Expensive? Yes. But a quality too that will last a lifetime.

[DocRob]

I use pin vises a lot for resin and white metal and sometimes wood. I have one from Tamiya since years, which is very good, has a rotating knob at the end and uses collets for the drill bits. Four diameters are supplied.
The other, I use frequently is from DSPIAE, also equipped with a rotating knob at the end, but uses a chuck to hold the drill bits. That is very useful, when you have drill bits with varying shaft diameters in frequent use. Though the changing of bits is much faster, the quality of the chuck isn´t that good, but sufficient for most uses.
For infrequent use, I recommend a collet pin vise, but I learned to love the one with the chuck during my MFH car and bike builds, where you have to drill hundreds of tiny holes with varying diameters permanently.

Cheers Rob

[palmerit]

Can I jump on this thread and ask a related question: What are good brands, material, and sources to buy drill bits for a pin vise? The ones I bought on Amazon were garbage. I just ordered some from Otto Frei that I hope are better - on there, I could order just the small sizes I needed and get 6 of them each.

 

For the pin vise I have (which is certainly not a Starrett - maybe someday), I need bits with a 3/32 shank. I ordered one set of drill bits and realized they weren't wide like the ones I had and wouldn't fit into the pin vise. I'm guessing that with something like the Starrett set you can use any size shank on a drill bit that'll fit whichever one of the four pin vises that works. 

[CPDDET]

I often use McMaster Carr. Also jeweler supply companies. 

[RossR]

I have had much better luck with a collet type vs a chuck.   My chuck pin vise wasn’t very expensive, so a higher quality chuck may work better than what I experienced.  

[wefalck]

On the original question: the question is always what one wants to do with a tool. One may need different sizes and different types for different jobs. I have a whole range of sizes and types.

 

There is also a short version used by tool-makers to hold small files or reamers, which I find quite useful for certain applications. I got them in a second-hand lot by chance, but one could also shorten commercial ones, of course.

 

For drilling, there are also miniature archimedean drills. I got one from a watchmaking supplier nearly 40 years ago that virtually clamps down to zero. The advantage is that they have free-spinning head, which allows you to put pressure on the drill, while moving the dolly up and down. There are also spring-loaded 'single-action' models.

 

Don't go for the cheap small archimedean drills that have appeared on ebay & Co. a few years ago, buy quality.

[Landlubber Mike]

On 3/4/2025 at 8:22 AM, CPDDET said:

I purchased a 3 piece set from Starrett years ago and never looked back. Expensive? Yes. But a quality too that will last a lifetime.

I have the same.  Having tried a bunch of different pin vices, including the ball end ones for the palm, the Starrett are my go-to.