george@g... wrote:

>
> "Modern" ones have a built-in safety mechanism: The main lever simply bends
when you've overdone it.

On a loosely related theme, on a well designed vise, the length
and strength of the handle is designed to NOT allow a normal
human to destroy the vise.

This is sort of obvious (at least in hindsight,
or when you finally think about it consciously),
but was bought home to me when I acquired
a high quality forged-steel vise (not cast iron).
The handle was, by cast iron standards,
disproportionately both in length and strength.

This merely tells us that the vise is "quite robust"

Of course, all this careful design work
can be circumvented by a fool with a cheater bar.

  BugBear