GS Tooling milling vise reviews?

[TorontoBuilder]

@kevinwantstoshred Wish I had an answer for you. Thought I would wait to see if kurt came on sale this black friday, but didn't happen. My last purchase in $USD had $1.42 exchange rate. Still searching at least once a day just to torment myself... Will be following to see what you get

Okay just gunna toss this out there since you haven't bought yet and must be as price sensitive as I am (yeah that is a euphemism for frugal)

At auction a decent Kurt 6" vise can be had for 300 to 400 bucks. At least in Ontario...

 

[Darren]

I have a very nice Rohm 6" vise with swivel base that I would sell. I've been saving it it for another project that never happened. These are around 2k new. I'll take 800 Plus shipping.

The jaws are reversible, smooth on one side, grooved on the other. Very smooth and accurate vise that opens up bigger than most.

 

[Janger]

Mine is also an Autowell, purchased from Thomas Skinner. I'm just not sure about the model number, but it is probably the exact model. I've had it for about 5 years.

@Janger has the exact same model as I do - we bought them at the same time. He also has a Kurt, so he can give you his opinion of the comparison.

Lunch time! Yes I have the two. The auto well vise is very good like dabbler said 90% of the Kurt. hot chips stick more in the paint on autowell. The autowell did not come with the small vise stop and the slot for it in the rear jaw. But at half the price the autowell is very nice. Solid and accurate. No regrets and I use it constantly.

 

[WilliamR]

Okay just gunna toss this out there since you haven't bought yet and must be as price sensitive as I am (yeah that is a euphemism for frugal)

At auction a decent Kurt 6" vise can be had for 300 to 400 bucks. At least in Ontario...

Thanks, seems like the prices of everything used for sale in Greater Vancouver area are highest in North America? A lot of it worn out junk with same price as new. Basically save the tax. If the word rare appears in ad just forget it. Better deal to buy new. Ag or construction equipment is right off the scale.

 

[Rauce]

I have a GS Kurt style vise I got used for I think $250. It’s the one with a smaller max opening (just shy of 6”).

It’s the best vise I’ve had in my home shop, way better than the busy bee or ACS ones I had in the past. Not as nice as the GS branded Gerardi vises I’ve used at work but those are considerably more expensive.

 

[TorontoBuilder]

My brother passed up literal dozens of Kurt vices at two auctions to go after a 6x18 Forza

 

[WilliamR]

My brother passed up literal dozens of Kurt vices at two auctions to go after a 6x18 Forza

Current kbc sale price...

 

[PeterT]

That's an interesting vise base I haven't seen before. I assume that's to accommodate variable spacing table T-slots? Beats flipping a coin to be in too far or out too far.

 

[Darren]

The vise itself also has multiple hold downs, including on the ends. Its very versatile. German engineering eh.

 

[Susquatch]

I have a GS Kurt style vise I got used for I think $250. It’s the one with a smaller max opening (just shy of 6”).

It’s the best vise I’ve had in my home shop, way better than the busy bee or ACS ones I had in the past. Not as nice as the GS branded Gerardi vises I’ve used at work but those are considerably more expensive.

This is gunna sound dumb but......


I have a Gerardi SPA on my mill. I love it. It came with my Hartford Mill. I'm certain that the seller had no idea what a GS vise was worth. Neither did I at the time. I sure do now though. For one thing, a hammer is not required with a Gerardi Vise.

So my dumb questions are: What exactly is a GS Kurt vise? What makes it different than a regular Kurt? Does the GS stand for Gerardi Spa?

 

[TorontoBuilder]

This is gunna sound dumb but......


I have a Gerardi SPA on my mill. I love it. It came with my Hartford Mill. I'm certain that the seller had no idea what a GS vise was worth. Neither did I at the time. I sure do now though. For one thing, a hammer is not required with a Gerardi Vise.

So my dumb questions are: What exactly is a GS Kurt vise? What makes it different than a regular Kurt? Does the GS stand for Gerardi Spa?

gold star? IDK but I see several companies all selling GS vises but I dont think it is a type.

Ours and yours are both very similar IIRC, both name in Mediterranean countries, huh

 

[Susquatch]

Ours and yours are both very similar IIRC, both name in Mediterranean countries, huh

Yes, GS stands for Gerardi SPA. They are an Italian company. Basically SPA is somewhat equivalent to Corp.

Some have said the S stands for Sowa since Sowa has partnered with Gerardi. You can even find them labelled that way, and I can say that I ordered new jaws for mine from Sowa and they fit perfectly.

I believe both are correct and the company is quite happy not to have to laser etch them differently.

 

[TorontoBuilder]

Yes, GS stands for Gerardi SPA. They are an Italian company. Basically SPA is somewhat equivalent to Corp.

Some have said the S stands for Sowa since Sowa has partnered with Gerardi. You can even find them labelled that way, and I can say that I ordered new jaws for mine from Sowa and they fit perfectly.

I believe both are correct and the company is quite happy not to have to laser etch them differently.

Ah well I learned something new.

At that auction we passed up a bunch of GS vices too to opt for the spanish Forza. I can't say we have any complaints as it is a great vide and the price was okay, although a fair bit more than we could have gotten a Kurt

 

[kevinwantstoshred]

That's really helpful having 2 people with Autowell vises that can compare them against Kurt. I was sceptical as I couldn't find much for reviews of them but now I'm seriously considering them. Too bad I didn't get my mill sooner as I have an old KAR flyer that expired April 1 this year which lists the 6"x8.9" for $606 and now it's around $780. I called them to see if they have any sales coming up but they said there's nothing they're aware of.

I'm tempted to just pay the $200-$300 extra for a Kurt DX6 but milling is brand new to me and I don't even know how precise my machine is yet so I think I'm better off saving the $200 and spending it on the other tools I still need/want (collets, surface plate, indicators, rotary table.....)

Anyone have any experience with GS Tools' GS890 or GS160G? The GS890 looks like Kurt's old D688 and the GS160G looks almost identical to the DX6 and both are 6"x9"

 

[Rauce]

This is gunna sound dumb but......


I have a Gerardi SPA on my mill. I love it. It came with my Hartford Mill. I'm certain that the seller had no idea what a GS vise was worth. Neither did I at the time. I sure do now though. For one thing, a hammer is not required with a Gerardi Vise.

So my dumb questions are: What exactly is a GS Kurt vise? What makes it different than a regular Kurt? Does the GS stand for Gerardi Spa?

I should’ve been more clear, it’s a GS branded vise that looks like a Kurt.

 

[kevinwantstoshred]

Has anyone ever had to make a warranty claim for a vise? Autowells have 1 year warranty but the GS160G I mentioned in my last post has 10 year and Kurts have lifetime warranty, but I'm not sure how much I should factor all that in to my decision making.

 

[Dabbler]

I've owned 6 milling vises over the years - I've never had any sort of failure. The two that I have sold worked well, but I've managed to upgrade to a Kurt and Autowell as my primary vises for mills. The other ones are for the horizontal mill and as spare for setups.

Given my experience, start with the best vise you can afford/feel comfortable buying, so upgrading is less of a thing. I lost money in selling the other two vises.

 

[PeterT]

Anyone have any experience with GS Tools' GS890 or GS160G? The GS890 looks like Kurt's old D688 and the GS160G looks almost identical to the DX6 and both are 6"x9"

Pretty sure they are made in Taiwan, I want to say comparable to Vertex type equipment. Hopefully 'up there' but never owned or seen one though.
One thing to keep in mind is their spare parts / jaw dimensions. Sometimes they look like a Kurt from a distance but they have their own (metric) bolt pattern. Not that you will wear them out with good care but things happen. Also different kinds of jaws can be beneficial, stepped or vee. Also check the casting thickness relative to your overhead room because some can get pretty thick.

GS Precision Milling Machine Vises

 

[John Conroy]

Seems like there may be more than one supplier using the GS Tooling name. These guys say they are made in Italy.

 

[TorontoBuilder]

Seems like there may be more than one supplier using the GS Tooling name. These guys say they are made in Italy.

View attachment 28705

That's what I'd thought.

I've seen GS vices with different yet similar logo.

Maybe GS has a lesser line made for them in Taiwan?