Reddit reviews Bessey BVVB Vacuum Base Vise,Silver

lockpicking. A set of picks, and any locks you can scrounge.

Note: having a small $20 vacuum-mount vise to hold locks in while you pick them is optional, but recommended.

You started off with a nice set. Sparrows picks are so much nicer than those cheapo sets that most people start off with from Amazon or eBay.

The Panavise is a really great vise but a bit on the expensive side. The Bessey Vise on Amazon is the one that I use and others pick up the green vise found at Harbor Freight. All of them serve their purpose and last a fairly long time.

Sure, you can do directly to your local locksmith and hit him up for assorted goodies but it is usually best to establish some kind of relationship with them before asking for anything. They are more likely to gift something to someone who has been in and out of their store buying things from them, than someone who walks in their door ending a conversation with "gimme stuff". It is best to be casual and let them know that you are fascinated with the elegant simplicity of how locks work and the innovative ways of how they make small alterations to the design to create more secure locks. That should butter them up a bit :D

Buy some locks at retail cost from them and always try to get in there and get to know them and talk a little shop. They are more than locksmiths and everyone enjoys a little personal attention.

You can also scour eBay. Just be sure to research what it is that you want to bid on before you do, so you have a better understanding of what the retail prices are, because you don't want to pay more than what the lock is sold for at retail cost.

Lastly, we have a bot here that can give you the lowdown on what you can start off with. Lemme call it for you: stab!

A good cable tester is a godsend for making and repairing cables, especially for a beginner. But Is it safe to solder into a connector plugged into a cable tester like that? I've always been afraid that the hot pins would fry the tester. I'm a big fan of securing the connector in a small table vice [like this](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0057PUR88/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_zZs-ub1KG1ZJ9
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0057PUR88/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_zZs-ub1KG1ZJ9)

Oh and clear heat shrink over Dymo Rhino labels is absolutely the way to go for labeling. Buy a spool of heat shrink off Amazon, it's waaaaay overpriced if you get the small bags of it in a store.

Do not grab the wrong end of the soldering iron.

I really love my Hakko FX-888. They've gotten really hard to find, but I prefer the analog version, as I can reach over and put the temp right where I want it without looking at it. (Soldering sounds so much better on vinyl.)

Good magnifiers and third hand (or zillion hands!) tools are a must. Head-worn jeweler's-type magnifiers can be good.

Clear (rather than opaque) components jars/boxes/drawers/bins are great, as it makes it easier to find stuff.

I bought my gf a Fluke multimeter for her birthday. I shouldn't have touched it. Now my meter seems old, slow, inaccurate and annoying.

A Panavise or Bessey is incredibly useful.

> Flooring is one of my current sticking points.

My ideal would be something tacky--I drop things a lot!

Here's a link! It's a Bessey BVVB and a good little hobby vise.

I like this one from Amazon because it is made of steel and has a vacuum base. $27 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0057PUR88?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00

It’s a Bessy brand vise. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0057PUR88/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1523170602&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=bessy+vise

I've got This Bad Boy and I love him.

Oh noez! This one is just a little more expensive.. https://www.amazon.com/Bessey-BVVB-Vacuum-Base-Vise/dp/B0057PUR88

http://www.amazon.com/Bessey-BVVB-Vacuum-Base-Vise/dp/B0057PUR88

Something like this could potentially save your life. Never hold something in your hand and drill, ever.

This Bessey stand on Amazon has treated me well since Christmas. Quick shipping, too. As for picks, Peterson's City Set is a popular beginning kit. You can purchase from other manufacturers if you prefer, but I'd recommend Peterson because they also sell their Prybar TOK tension wrenches, which can't be beat (edit: save on shipping if you buy those and Peterson picks). Highly recommended. All told, you should spend ~$100-$150 for the whole setup, practice lock and all. Even cheaper if you buy individual picks without a case.

If you use Amazon, The Bessey is sweet: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0057PUR88

There's always suction/vaccum based vices that just require a smooth surface to clamp to, vs the actual edge of the table. This one has rubber coated jaws so it should be pretty safe to use on gunpla parts!

I got mine on Amazon. Its made by Bessy. It was like $25. The company also seems really good cuz they replaced mine when I had a problem.
https://www.amazon.com/Bessey-BVVB-Vacuum-Base-Vise/dp/B0057PUR88/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1479480318&sr=8-1&keywords=bessey+vise

I did find a pretty nice vise. It looks like a jeweler's vise and vacuums the table instead of having to mount it


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0057PUR88/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_m.4nybY1H3VNR

Thanks everyone for the advice everyone, I probably would have bought them had I found them yesterday, but I decided to go the DIY route. Since picking must be a very budget conscious hobby for me, I went ahead and took the plunge and bought the important tools. I figured making my own pins would be difficult and require a lot of crazy equipment, but I looked into it and realized it was a lot easier than expected. So just for anyone who's curious, here's what I got:

• $50 Kwikset rekey/pin set from eBay. 200 of each type of pins, 8 types of pins. Clips, followers, springs, and anything else needed to reassemble locks. That leaves enough pins to make absolutely every security pin that I know of, as well as any others that I find from watching people pick challenge locks. There are a good variety of these sets, so you can save some money here by getting only 50 or 100 of each pin type if you prefer. I just decided to start off big so I hopefully never have to buy another.
  
• $35 Rotary Tool. Used for a huge variety of DIY projects, including and excluding lockpicking. There are some cheaper options, but in my opinion you're better off buying at least a decent one to start so you don't have to upgrade later.
  
• $7 Needle File Set. Used in conjunction with your rotary tool as cutting/smoothing tools
  
• $25 Base Vice. Also is very useful for holding locks while picking.
  
   
  
  So in total $112 for all the components needed to make as many locks as I can imagine, many of which can be used for other projects.
  
   
  
  To add supplies for a few other DIY projects I also added:
  
  
• $6 Rotary Tool Bit Set. Used for various DIY projects.
  
• $9 Cutting Wheels for your Rotary tool.
  
• $6 Wood Plank. I'll use this along with the dremel bit set above to make a nice pinning tray.
  
• $2 12" x 0.5" x 0.023" Stainless Steel Feeler Gauge. Used to make picks, tension rods, etc. making it $2 per 2-3 tools. If the thickness you want is expensive/in short supply on amazon you can buy directly from the manufacturer here but in my experience the shipping is slower and the price is usually a ~$0.10 higher per 12" rod. If you really get into making DIY tools you can buy stainless steel feeler coils from easterngage which are 25' x 0.5" x 0.15"/0.18"/0.23"/0.25"/0.26" or any thickness you want really. For 25', depending on the thickness it'll cost you anywhere from $50.64 to $64.95. You might need the 1" wide coils for making double sided tension tools.
  
   
  
  So another $21 brings it to $133 plus $2 per 2-3 tools that you need. Add in this $6 case and a few $4-$6 practice locks around aliexpress (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th 5th, 6th, 7th), and you've got a great starter kit that sets you up to DIY anything you might need in the future. I also took advantage of Peterson's mega christmas sale (plus the 10% discount code they gave us) and got a ~$25 order of $1-$3 picks to start me off

I have this one. It's very nice.

Bessey BVVB Vacuum Base Vise https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0057PUR88/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_6i22xb8NHX6HZ

Bessey Amazon link