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After posting a request for how to find a material spring for my Regal Vise, I did the simple thing - wrote Regal Engineering an e-mail inquiring if I could buy one from them - soon I had a response that they would send me one, and today it came, without any discussion of a charge. Oh if only all companies would go the extra mile and spend the extra $5 bucks or so to keep their customers happy.
I've experienced nothing but the same from Regal over the years as well. Good to hear that you once again have your spring. :)
+1 on Regal customer service. Anytime I've ever contacted them for anything they've gone above and beyond my expectations. It helps that they also put out an outstanding product.
Herefishy;
How old is your vice? Mine is 5 + years and small hook want to slip under thread tension. It may just be a cleaning problem, but could be a week spring.
To add a bit of balanced perspective to this topic, my own dealings with Regal have not been satisfactory. I own 2 Regal pedastal vices, one of which is an earlier model that was made with brittle jaws that were easily chipped if you put a small hook in them, or did not set a larger hook farther back in the jaws than you would customarily do.
I contacted Regal and was told it was my problem and I would have to pay for the repairs, including the shipping costs, and although I do not remember the exact amount, it was a rather substantial sum of money at the time relative to the cost of a complete vice.
I am not a novice tyer, and own other vices on which none of the jaws have ever chipped. I no longer use, or will again buy, a Regal product.
My understanding is that Regal later improved the heat treating of their jaws so the newer models do not continue to have this manufacturing defect.
Jack, mine is about 5 years old also, but I don't use it everyday, kind of alternate back and forth depending on my mood. Haven't had any slippage problems.
John, was the chipping a known problem? Or has it just recently become common knowledge, maybe if you wrote them again it would go to a more helpful person, or if you called instead of writing.
This is a known problem that Regal and most owners of Regal vises, past and present, are very well aware of.
Regal has invariably contended, incorrectly, that all chipping is caused by user error. I know how to properly place a hook in a vise, and the chipping on my vise was caused, as I said, by defective material, not by user error.
Here is their present warranty qualifier in this regard:
This warranty does not cover damage caused by :
(1) Improperly placing hooks into jaw mechanism; Improper hook placement will invalidate your warranty and may cause damage to the vise jaws. Your regal vise is designed in a specific manner to hold hooks securely while tying. Care must be taken when both placing a hook into the jaws and taking a hook out of the jaws. When a hook is properly placed and secured you will find tying easier and safer. Improper hook placement may also cause sudden release of the hook from the jaws under tension. Always wear eye protection when using a fly tying vise. Please read and review Proper Hook Placement information that is on the warranty card and/or the web site.
I should also mention that the jaws on my newer model Regal vise did not chip, just the earlier one, which I understood were improperly heat treated. One would think that a stand up company would stand behind their products better than they have in my case.
I have tied with a Regal for 10+ years, I have had the jaws replaced once in that time period because of chipped jaw tip. I contacted Regal and they asked me to send them the chipped jaws, I did and received a new set of jaws 10 days later, the only charge I was responsible for was the shipping to get the old jaws to them. The day that the jaws chipped I was tying some midge patterns with size 20 hooks and put the hook a little to close to the end of the jaw tip, when I put a little thread tension on the hook it popped and went somewhere, thats when I noticed the chip in the jaw. This happend about a year after I purchased the vise, haven't had a problem since.
You are the only person I have ever heard of NOT having to pay for replacement chipped jaws.Quote:
Originally Posted by MidgeMadness
I was expecting to pay something for the replacements, but when they received the jaws that I sent back I didn't hear anything from them until the vise arrived at my door. Maybe when they inspected the jaws I sent they found something that caused them to think it was a manufacturers defect. After I received the new jaws I sent them a very nice thank you letter for the replacements!! This happend many moons ago, so maybe things were a little different then.