After several years of using cheaper pin vise products I finally decided to replace them with these Starretts. I work on guitars and other stringed instruments and I use pin vises allot for hand drilling and starting small screw holes. Recently I started to work on a mandolin for a client and I experienced an epic failure of the pin vise I was using. The bit kept slipping and the threads in the collet stripped out as I was trying to tighten it. I went straight to my computer and ordered this set of Starrett vises. I am a stickler for buying quality tools and as I was ordering these I knew I should have bought these to begin with. Yes these are a bit pricey but once you put them to use and you feel that precise quality of a well engineered and dependable tool in your hands, there is no better feeling than knowing your work reflects that. If you are in need of these do yourself a favor and make the investment. These are the best!

The threads are a bit rough, but that may help them stay locked.An old set that I lost also needed a final tweak with pliers. Otherwise, hard to get enough torque on these little collets.Didn’t want swiveling buttons on the hind end. Wanted to be able to insert this tool into the chuck of another tool. Removable buttons would be cool.A sticker on the box said “Made in United States”, but was covered with another sticker.

Very well made and finished. I experienced none of the problems described in the poor reviews. I wonder if these were cheap “knock off” items bought inadvertently.

Very versatile pin vice set will accept all small drill bits.

Excellent quaiity veru happy thanks

Will last a lifetime

Another great product from Starrett. These work well.

The set arrived in good time and in a package that fitted though the letterbox.The set was housed in the usual red cardboard Starrett box, with the tools themselves in a little plastic wallet.The tools themselves:A good heft in the hand and the knurling is excellent; deep and sharp, offering excellent grip. I'd expect nothing less given the price of these tools.The collets themselves look to be well made with well formed, machined tips that are highly regular, facilitating that the piece/bit being as central as possible in the tool.[Edited following first use]Cosmetically then, these look excellent. Closer inspection revealed some issues, however.I found that the screw threads on all the tools with the exception of the smallest one in the set, were packed with grit and dirt, making the collet rings hard to loosen/tighten. They felt dreadful. In point of fact, they nearly got slung straight back in the box for return before I even bothered to use themI didn't take a photo of them initially, but you can see from the shots I did take, even following liberal application of isopropyl alcohol and WD40 to clean them up, it's clear to see that the threads are pretty chewed up.Following a good clean to remove the manufacturing swarf they felt much better than they did before I cleaned them up but the reality is, given the cost of these tools, that the finishing should be of a much higher standard. Clearly the tooling they use to thread these things is pretty close to being end of life. I would argue that they are already shot and should have been replaced long before my copy got churned out. I'm a little surprised that this didn't get picked up by Starrett QC.In use:I tried out the vices with suitably sized drill bits and found that the grip on the collets was very poor. Even with light duty (1.5mm hole in soft wood with a brand new bit) trying to tighten the collets so they would grip the drill bit properly was very difficult.Summary:I guess for someone who appreciates the exterior look and feel of the tool, which is admittedly good, with occasional use for these tools to make holes in very light duty materials, e.g. soft plastics or balsa wood perhaps, then they might be OK.However, where general appearance of these pin vices is of a much higher standard than some of the junk I've bought in the past, the reality is that the fit and finish of these tools is very poor and offer a very poor grip on the tooling at the business end.If I these tools can't maintain a grip on a bit when trying to gently drill out soft wood without recourse to using additional tools to torque the collets sufficiently, then they're simply not fit for purpose.This pin-vice set is a very poor example of Starrett engineering prowess I'm afraid. They are nowhere near the quality that I would expect from Starrett and certainly not at this price point.Back in the box for return I’m afraid. Very disappointed.

Quality of Starret tools are always top notch.

I delayed buying these for a long time because of the cost. I finally got so sick and tired of my piece of junk pin vise I decided to try a Starrett so I bought the one in the size I use most often just to try it out. I was amazed the first time I used it--so quick and easy to chuck a #78 bit, held it accurately with no slippage. It feels good in my fingers and is comfortable to use. It is so superior to my old vise I immediately ordered the whole set. You pay dearly for Starrett quality, but it is so well worth it! My old pin vise is now in the garbage. I won't be missing it!

Very good tools but fit and finish is not as good as other Starrett tools I have.

They are made by Starrett, what else is there to say? After running the collets in an out a few times, these pin vises hold the bits true making hand drilling very easy. Pay more for more quality, you won’t be sorry.

These are beautiful. Buy once, cry once, then live with the great tool. The regrets are usually buying cheap tools that don't perform. These are amazing.I drilled out vias on a PCB rework with a 0.5 mm bit by hand. It took some finesse, but worked beautifully.