Viking Arm vs. Dewalt vs. Irwin

[cpw]

I installed a floating vanity this weekend, and was thinking of picking up a Dewalt cabinet jack.

The Concord Carpenter had a video where he compared them.  For the "precision drop" he said the Viking arm does 1/32" and the Dewalt does 1/8".  I'm curious how much people who have used both think that matters.  There is a big difference there in terms of getting something dead level, but I'm not entirely sure how well you can be ginger on the squeeze upward to account for the differences.

The wider Dewalt base and foot pedal look like they would be good features (and they are slightly less expensive), but if people who have used both strongly prefer the Viking arm compared to the Dewalt, I might as well just buy once cry once.

 

[live4ever]

I have not used the DW, but if the precision of the Viking Arms (either going up or down) was any less than it is, for me the utility would decrease.  But I also tend towards over-precision on projects where many would just eyeball it.  [tongue]

 

[DynaGlide]

The timing of this thread had me thinking it was a spoof of grabo-classic-vs-pro-vs-dewalt

Since it seems a legitimate question: the viking arms were my pick. I couldn't stomach the cost so I found one on eBay for half off and took a chance on it after closely studying the pictures to make sure it wasn't a knock off. I was lucky there.

There's good accessories for the viking arm. Can't say the same for the other brands. I've only set a few cabinets and the mechanism is easy to control. I suspect you'd be fine with any of the choices though.

 

[Packard]

I don’t install enough cabinets to warrant the purchase of a dedicated “arm” for that purpose.  But I do have a laboratory jack stand that I purchased for an ersatz router lift.  I see it adverstized nowadays for $30.00 to $40.00 ($36.00 from Home Depot) and it has a rated capacity of 88 pounds.  (I paid under $20.00 several years back from Amazon.)

I had to put a few books underneath to get the height I needed. But it worked fine.

[I’ve gone on line looking for an image.]. The video is more informative.  It shows 8” of travel. 

 

[Michael Kellough]

Today only, the genuine Viking Arm is $129 at Lowe’s.

 

[usernumber1]

i think they are targeting different groups. the viking arm has attachments to do the uppers and a 3mm foot (6mm stock). i got mine for those reasons

i don't think dewalt cares about that. they are however allowing you to use your foot to step on the handle when lifting.
maybe they will cobble something if they see a demand for attachments.

the viking arm is much smaller, or i should say, portable or packable. the dewalt and irwin seem huge

i think it's good to have a choice. the cost for the viking arm is absolutely obscene. maybe they will adjust now

 

[peter halle]

I wanted to get the Viking Arm after seeing my garage door service person use one.  My spring had broken (previous homeowner had switched to a single torsion spring (not recommended)and it broke.  Anyway, in order to calculate the correct springs and lengths he needed to weigh the garage door.  So he managed to get the Viking arm under it and jack it up far enough to get a scale under it.  Pretty slick I thought.  I ended up purchasing an Irwin one for that inevitable moment when I need one.  Haven't really played with it yet.

Peter

 

[rst]

I bought a couple of knockoff lifts from Amazon a couple years ago. Really crappy, worthless tools.  I bought a Viking on sale last year and it’s great for hanging commercial steel doors.  I  normally use a pair of the heavy weight Door Studs, but if the door jambs are set on a perpendicular wall, the one will not get close enough to the hinges to function properly.  The Viking lets me hold that side of the door in place instead shims, which are pain to adjust.

 

[waho6o9]

It made sense to me to purchase a pair of Viking arms that come in a case from Lowes. 
Thanks for the friendly advice.

 

[cpw]

I took the plunge on the Lowes sale, seems like no one who got an original Viking arm regrets it.

 

[waho6o9]

I took the plunge on the Lowes sale, seems like no one who got an original Viking arm regrets it.

My thinking as well. I wanted one when the knock offs came about but waited, glad I did.

 

[Michael Kellough]

I don’t install enough cabinets to warrant the purchase of a dedicated “arm” for that purpose.  But I do have a laboratory jack stand that I purchased for an ersatz router lift.  I see it adverstized nowadays for $30.00 to $40.00 ($36.00 from Home Depot) and it has a rated capacity of 88 pounds.  (I paid under $20.00 several years back from Amazon.)

I had to put a few books underneath to get the height I needed. But it worked fine.

[I’ve gone on line looking for an image.]. The video is more informative.  It shows 8” of travel. 

I don’t think a lab lift is the right tool for the kind of work problems the Viking Arm is designed to solve.
The main use of the VA is to lift things you can barely slip a pry bar under.

I like the lab lift a lot for supporting the ends of sticks I’m cutting on the miter saw.
But maybe if I used the clamp to flatten bent stock on the miter saw’s table I wouldn’t use the lab lift so much…

 

[Michael Kellough]

I bought a Viking Arm the other day but now I’m gonna get a Dewalt too.

The Dewalt has a larger more stable base but the main reason is that you can operate the lift with your foot from a standing position. Maybe the can Viking be raised with the top of your toe?

 

[live4ever]

I bought a Viking Arm the other day but now I’m gonna get a Dewalt too.

The Dewalt has a larger more stable base but the main reason is that you can operate the lift with your foot from a standing position. Maybe the can Viking be raised with the top of your toe?

Definitely a useful feature of the DW and no, can’t really do that with the Vikings.  I know because I did want for that feature when I recently did a whole-house of sheathing/siding/windows and doors.  I might pick up a pair of DW if there’s ever a good deal and leave them for the tougher jobs where the foot action would be helpful.

 

[Michael Kellough]

[member=13462]live4ever[/member]  I bought a pair from my local Ace Hardware. They’re $99 each after a $20 Ace Rewards discount. You might have to sign up with Ace to get the reward but the only cost for that is getting more emails to toss.

 

[waho6o9]

A pair of Viking arms and Festool clamps made attaching a gate to the Adjust a Gate frame easy. Nice to have, and
the Festool clamps yielded the proper reveal.
Sure is nice to post pictures now.....

 

[Magpal]

No doubt that the Viking Arm is of really high quality and they have also made some nice accessories that is quite handy for kitchen assembly/protecting the materials being lifted.

For those with Viking Arm, I made some 3D printable accessories that I found useful:

Viking Arm Wall Mount:

Viking Arm Holder - Multimount by MP makes | Download free STL model | Printables.com

Dock you Viking Arm jack in this holder when not in use - fits Ikea Skadis, french cleat, wall mount and Festool MFT-3 | Download free 3D printable STL models

www.printables.com

Viking Arm Thin Base Pad and Lifting Pad:

Viking Arm Thin Base Pad and Lifting Pad by MP makes | Download free STL model | Printables.com

Thin base pad and lifting pad for the Viking Arm jack. Provides protection to the material with only 2mm added height. | Download free 3D printable STL models

www.printables.com

 

[Imemiter]

Yesterday at a door job I was pressed into service putting up a T&G porch ceiling, which I didn't mind as it meant getting the porch to myself today. We were getting to the end of those last few boards (that place where there isn't enough room to swing a mallet,) when it occurred to me that I probably had Viking Arms in my door bag, and that they might be just the thing to snug up those last three or four pieces of T&G. They were precisely just the thing. The micro-release feature is their strong point. I don't know if the knock-offs have that down or not, but if they don't the VAs are a no-brainer.

 

[luvmytoolz]

@Imemiter I had the same issue with some herringbone panels and bought one of these Wolfcraft hammer pulling ledges, sensational tool for pulling boards tight!

https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B01JAAODR6/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

 

[SoonerFan]

@Imemiter I had the same issue with some herringbone panels and bought one of these Wolfcraft hammer pulling ledges, sensational tool for pulling boards tight!

https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B01JAAODR6/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

@luvmytoolz thanks for sharing. Seems like a good solution that might be of benefit to me on a potential upcoming project.