Vigor crystal lift

[Lc130]

There are some for sale in ebay.  But they don't have the base part shown below.  Is this base needed?

Thank you

 

[jdm]

The base is needed to compress.the crystal before reinstalling. If you look on AliX you can find an even better price for the set.

[Lc130]

Thank you.  Are the Chinese copies just as good as a used Vigor?

[Chopin]

I would say that if you need just this part then just get a new one. The cheap ones will do the job. The claw part I have heard some people to be a bit dissatisfied but I guess it depends on what crystal they were trying to grab...

[jdm]

1 hour ago, Lc130 said:

Thank you.  Are the Chinese copies just as good as a used Vigor?

There are few postings on the subject, use the search box top right.

[MrRoundel]

I have the Vigor vise and have now used it successfully a few times. I bought it in advertised "new old stock" condition, but it may have had a few uses. Still, the jaws were in great shape, which seem to be very important. One thing about the Vigor is that it has a rubber tensioning ring that resides up in the tapered cylinder. Oft times, and in the case of the one I bought, the rubber is stretched, dried, fatigued, etc., so they don't work very well. Without that rubber ring, the jaws just dangle around. I used an O-ring that may be a bit small , but does the trick. I also store it with the vise at near its largest setting, as this relaxes the o-ring so it will probably last longer. If you pull the jaws up inside and leave them there, it probably won't be long before replacement.

IMO, if you buy a used one, make a note of how much use the business end of the jaws show. If you find one in the box, that's probably good too, as the ends of the jaws are protected instead of bouncing off of things in bench drawers, etc. Good luck.

 

 

[watchabit]

On 3/14/2018 at 12:44 PM, jdm said:

The base is needed to compress.the crystal before reinstalling. If you look on AliX you can find an even better price for the set.

That base actually holds the crystal in place and the metal sides space the compressor up slightly to leave enough plastic at the bottom of the crystal to insert into a case. Am I correct?   

[MrRoundel]

Yes, I believe this is correct. I didn't use the base on the first crystal I used the Vigor on. If you have the old crystal, size the jaws until they're just large enough to easily accept the crystal. With the tool jaws up, set the crystal on top. Carefully lift the tool and start closing the jaws, watching how equally they're grabbing the edges.

I found the amount of tension I needed to put on the crystals perimeter very nerve-wracking. I mean I really had to crank down on the tool. it makes one wonder just how much they can take before exploding. Good luck.

[watchabit]

I often use it without the base, sometimes it doesn't allow enough crystal protruding.