Yost RIA-4 4″ Bench Vise Review

posted in: 4 Inch, Reviews, Yost | 0

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Not everyone has the money, the space, nor the need for a heavy-duty vise. Larger vises can weigh upwards of 40 pounds, take up a lot of space and aren’t always necessary for use in the garage. Even people who rely on heavy duty bench vises for large DIY projects can often get by with a smaller vise, and that’s where Yost RIA-4 comes in.

The Yost RIA-4 is a wonderful and compact vise meant for smaller jobs and applications. It is sturdy and strong and is sure to provide a good working platform for anyone in need of general clamping functionality.

Features

Like we said, the Yost RIA-4 is a small and compact bench vise. Weighing only 15 pounds, the vise provides a very good balance between clamping power and space economy. In fact, it is small enough to fit into a 6x6x12 inch box, making it viable for transport to and from a job site if need be.
The vise has a 4’’ jaw width with a 2-1/4’’ jaw opening and 2’’ throat depth. This allows the vise to hold objects of significant thickness. The jaws are made of steel hardened to HRC 52-58 (Rockwell scale), which ensures that the jaws resist wear even when clamping on hardened materials with corners or other texturing. The jaws are grooved for increased grip and are replaceable, which is a bonus since you won’t have to replace your jaws in the event that you damage them by mistake.
The vise also features an adjustable swivel base and a small anvil area that works great as a backstop for hammering against. The device has 5/16’’ mounting holes which allow you to mount it to a workbench or shelf as you see fit. Additionally, the enclosed lead screw assembly prevents debris and dust from getting into the vise internals and gunking up the threads, which means that you will enjoy smooth operation for quite a while before having to perform any maintenance on the vise. We should also note that Yost offers a variety of magnetic aluminum jaw caps that you can use with this vise as well.

Build Quality

As for the build quality, we have nothing to say about this product but the very best. The body of the vise has been made of class 30 gray iron, which means it has a 30ksi yield strength (which is plenty strong for any DIY project you can throw at it). This allows the vise to be lightweight but very sturdy. Gray iron doesn’t have that much tensile strength, but is very hard and is very difficult to chip and damage, effectively eliminating the need for constant maintenance.
Overall build quality is outstanding, which is par for the course when it comes to Yost vises. Yost makes top notch vises and the RIA-4 is no exception. The materials are good, the fit is good, and the finish is good. We have no complaints.

Value

Indeed, the Yost RIA-4 4″ bench vise offers great value for the money. Considering the make of the product and its great practical application, the vise is a steal. In its weight class, RIA-4 offers great quality for a relatively low price so it’s hard to argue. As for best places to buy, Amazon’s price is pretty darn competitive and tends to be the best deal around. Overall, we give the Yost RIA-4 our highest recommendation and think you’ll be highly satisfied!

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