I have a bicycle vise that I got off Amazon, I took two short pieces of angle aluminum back to back and mounted it to them and just put it in a big vise on my work bench to hold it. It works great.

 

I picked up a used yellow (Apple?) vice pretty cheap. I just use a bar clamp to clamp it to a small work table when I need it.

 

It will definitely work. I used one for a few years to do everything that you are looking to get out of it. An actual vice is more convenient to get the bow leveled in but a bike vice will definitely work in the meantime.

 

Bike vise is great for the money. I screw a fat stab into my bow and clamp onto it, then you can rotate the stab inside the clamp and you get an extra degree of freedom.

 

Seen this video yesterday on the bike vise.

 

I used a bicycle vice for several years and it was fiine. This morning I was working on my rest and my wife came down to the man cave to talk to me. I related to her that I use my OPM Versa Cradle more than any other piece of equipment in my bow shop. The bicycle vice has been sitting idle since the OMP arrived.

 

This right here. I have a very nice bicycle vise that is collecting dust. Hasn't been used since I picked up the OMP vise.

 

Bought this a few days ago and I'll pick it up tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing how it works. $22

Amazon.com: Get Out! Bike Repair Stand for Maintenance - Wall or Bench Mount Bicycle Repair Clamp - Workbench Cycling Work Stand Vise for Repairing Folding, Mountain, Electric, or Road Bikes : Sports & Outdoors

 

This is the exact one I've used a few years. I'm 50/50, it was $30 when I bought it. I have a hard time getting it level. The clamp is too big to clamp to one of my stabs and I have a hard time clamping it onto my grip because of front stab and interference with my Hamskea rest.

 

Have used a bike vise from Amazon that is mounted to a workbench for a long time now, it works great for everything except getting very precise levels on sights or rest because it can be just a little wobbly

 

I’ve used one, they do ok but a vise is a great investment if you plan to work on your bow(s) long term. There is a significant difference in stability and precision.

 

technically yes but honesely... just get a dedicated archery vise with micro adjustment. It's so much faster and easier to dial it in for bubble adjustments. If you already own a bike vise and want to try it out, go for it, otherwise buy once cry once.

 

Are you basing this response off of having used both? While I wouldn’t recommend using a bike vise for use in a professional shop setting, one will work just fine for at home. It isn’t any slower or any less accurate than a vise manufactured specifically for bows.

This is coming from someone who owns and uses a bike vise in my home shop after over a decade of working on bows professionally in a local pro shop.

Obviously, YMMV.

 

I was contemplating a bike vise as well and then saw a video on these on youtube. $105 on ebay and $109 on amazon. Anyone have experience with these? I'm a beginner, but want to learn to do the basics, leveling etc.

 

I was contemplating a bike vise as well and then saw a video on these on youtube. $105 on ebay and $109 on amazon. Anyone have experience with these? I'm a beginner, but want to learn to do the basics, leveling etc.

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The overall design is solid and it's better than the bike vise, but it also has it's flaws. The joint contact points are powder coated so you can't tighten the handles enough to keep it from slipping. I used a dremel to remove the paint which helped but still wasn't very good. The aluminum handles will strip/break from having to crank them down so tight. To me it's not worth putting expensive bows in garbage vises risking a drop. I would check out Howard's Total Vise, great products and even better people. I use mine in my home shop on a regular basis to work on my bows as well as a buddy's bows and my son's. It's $250 and built like a tank.

 

I used a bike vise for a while, drove me crazy without the micro adjustments. I'd adjust, tighten down and it would "settle" down slightly off from where it needed to be. After a while tried to adjust and allow for the settling of the bow and vise, but still hit or miss. Finally broke down and bought a Baker Archery Products vise, worth every penny to me. Not sure what I did with the bike vise, I think I gave it away...

 

Pretty much what I've experienced. Too much movement after locking it down. Plus depending on your bow, some grips don't fit well.