[JinMTVT]

I only have a little more than 6" of clearance on my Z axis ( AXYZ 4008 modified with HSD ATC spindle )
and only 7" of Z movement...that said

my current "****ty" vise has a bed height of 2.75"

i would like to find something with a bed height of between 1.5 and 2"

anything you guys could recommend ?

i don't want to spend a fortune, but i don't mind
investing in quality tooling.

Other option is to mill down my table where the vise is, so it goes down maybe a inch in the table when installed
but i would prefer not to do that if possible

most quality vises i've seen ( Glacern and up ) seems to be set on 2.5" bed height.

[JinMTVT]

the one i've got now looks awfully like this one :
Grizzly G7154 Premium Milling Vise, 5-Inch - Power Milling Machines - Amazon.com

[Heflin]

have you looked into drill press vises? Should be about the lowest profile out there.

[JinMTVT]

I have not because i read somewhere here and there that they do not hold the stocks properly for side milling ?

do they not ?

anyhow, perhaps some of them could still be usefull enough for a low end milling

[Gilmax]

Search for tool makers screwless vise on google or ebay. Plenty of affordable options. They come in difference sizes but offer the lowest bed heights I have seen for vises. There are some Pneumatic vises out there the can be bolted directly to the machine table and come in two pieces, which would offer the lowest bed height possible.