I have been seeing a slew of motorized hobby vises meant for holding small and awkwardly shaped project parts, models, and other such things.
A couple of vises on Kickstarter – funded but none of them shipping yet – do look new, unique, and functional.
I find workholding products extremely interesting, as they can have a huge impact on your work.
Good vises can save you time and sometimes even improve the quality of your results.
But do they really need to be battery powered?
“All-day battery life.”
“Enough power on a single charge to support a week of frequent clamping and rotation operations…”
“Cordless freedom & unlimited [USB] Type-C power.”
Part of me finds the jaw designs and motorized approach to be appealing.
But c’mon, more built-in batteries?
Why rechargeable batteries? If a Li-ion battery lasts all-day, all week, or an extended length of time with more casual or infrequent hobby-type use, why not just power these devices with an AA battery or two?
Is it because USB-rechargeable devices can command a higher selling price?
I really liked iFixit’s approach, which was to build a USB-C battery-powered soldering iron.
See: New iFixit Cordless Soldering Iron Breaks the Mold
2 years later, and I’m saddened to have found that iFixit stopped there.
I think that I’d accept a USB-C-powered motorized hobby vise for small workholding needs. Built-in non-replaceable battery? I can’t help but see that as a huge downside.
One brand suggests that the built-in battery can be removed, but what are the chances the average user will be able to find a suitable replacement?
I regularly hear from tool users who can’t find batteries for tools for which replaceable batteries were once available. Tools with built-in batteries are essentially disposable and have to be recycled after a number of years.
When you can’t replace the battery, you have to replace the tool.
That’s… what it is. Sometimes there are advantages to built-in batteries.
But here? If the batteries last so long, maybe AA batteries – rechargeable NiMH and maybe even alkaline – could have worked instead.
Should more brands jump onto the electric clamps and vises bandwagon, hopefully they come up with powered options that can last.
With care, clamps and vises can last decades. Is that really going to be possible with non-replaceable built-in rechargeable batteries?
There was a huge surge of non-motorized fractal and pivot-jaw vises around this time last year.
See Also: There’s Been a Surge in Fractal Vises
Since the market has already been flooded with an abundance of fractal vises from generic brands – see the selection at Amazon – maybe the motorized versions are simply an attempt to expand the category in a new direction where money can still be made.
