Vise vices!

After reading posts from many people here, on the subject of vise in various threads, I'm certain there are opinions on nearly every brand of vise on the market.

How about sharing the pro's and con's from the tyers point of view on what you have tied on and why, or why not, you like or dislike any particular vise. Features that you like or prefer etc. or if you just like the looks of it.

I started on the vise from a Cabelas Standard kit and after a year or so, upgraded to a "$25 Deluxe Master Vise" from Jann's. It worked fine for several years until I had time to see what was out there. Then I got a chance to get a new Griffen Montana Mongoose for $110. (retailed at $175 at the time, now $199). The Mongoose is true rotational, fully adjustable, came with pedestal & c-clamp bases, adjustable material spring, bobbin hanger and post extender (for c-clamp), and even came with a hackle gauge and ceramic bobbin. I'm not saying it's the best, but after three years, I've tied #18 to 3/0 flies with no problems. The range is #28 to 4/0. For the now $200 range I'm sure there are others on the market that rival this.

The Blackfoot Mongoose is the same vise with only the c-clamp base and current retail in the $145 range.

The Nor Vise is cool in the way it spins on bearings, and the demo I saw, you could bend the hook in half and it didn't slip. This trick is irrelevant, in the fact that even Kevlar thread will break before it bends the hook down that far, or it will slice your finger open after shearing off any material with that much pressure. That's IF your bobbin is till in one piece. As long as the vise holds the hook past the breaking point of 3/0 thread (the heaviest thread 99% will ever tie with) is all the pressure you need anything else is good for what? To show your vise can hold a hook while you bend it in half?

I've got a no-name vise from Hook & Hackle that I use for almost all my saltwater work in Louisiana. Big jaws and you can crank it down really tight. For that work it's a great vise and was about $30.

I have a pair of Travelers. The one in Louisiana is rarely used because of the pair of Crown vises there. The Traveler in Florida is used all the time because it is the only one there. I have no complaints about Traveler vises whatsoever, I just find the Crown to be faster.

The Crown comes from flyfishtools.com and is a Regal knock-off. The problem with these vises are that some can be VERY hard to open. The spring closure can be so tight it's a fight to squeeze it. The other downside is that you can't use a hook larger than about a 1/0... if that. So it's not a saltwater vise at all. That being said, I've probably tied thousands of flies on my oldest Crown and use it daily. The Louisiana Traveler sits in the corner of my desk like a bad child, not because it did anything wrong, but because I never have to adjust the Crown. Squeeze and go.

Of course the Traveler is a true rotational vise and rotates much better -- as in easier -- if you want that sort of action.

i started out with a no name stationary vise the instructor had us buy for the class he was teaching

i then graduated to a regal vise, which was OK.

then when renzetti came on the market, i bought their traveler (less than $100) cuz i thought that the true rotary function was really cool. having tied on that original traveler for almost 20 years, i find that i use the rotary function less and less (i know what the other side of the fly looks like) and tie with it in the stationary mode. i did change out the original tying head from the tightening screws to the cam lever. i also have 2 different length stems. 1 for a c-clamp anf the other for a pedestal.

Like many others, I started on a no-name $15 dollar vise because I wasn't sure I'd really want to get too deep into tying. After about a year, I upgraded to a Regal which I really liked but I wanted a rotary vise. I bought a Dynaking Baracuda and it was a very nice vise. Then someone wanted to swap a NorVise for my Regal and some cash. I took the plunge because the NorVise looked interesting. That was all she wrote. Once I tried the NorVise, the Baracuda started gathering dust. It sat in the corner of my bench for about 8 months when someone posted that they were looking for a good used DynaKing Baracuda and I sold it. I find the NorVise to be the best vise I've ever used (I've tried others with friends etc.) and I don't believe I'd swap it for any other vise on the market, including a LAW vise:)

Just one man's experience and opinion.

Jim Smith

Well, first off, I've got a Barracuda and like it just fine. If I tied in a rotary manner I might find a lot to love about the NorVise, but I have no interest at all in doing so, ever. It always seemed more like a sewing machine or lathe and less like a vise to me, but then again, I have no real experience with it so I'm not being fair.

I've used a LAW, and if I just had more money...yeah, I really loved it. It to me is ergonomically perfect. It rotates in ways others don't. It's comfortable. It has great clearance. Love at first site really.

I've used the Dynaking Kingfisher and have been threatening to buy one for a couple of years now. A great simple vise.

I've used Regals. Great. Renzettis, terrific.

I've used the Thompson A. There were things I didn't love about the Thompson A, but it will hold a hook.

I don't think you can go too far wrong with any of the "name brand" vises, NOR, Dynaking, HMH, LAW, Regal, Renzetti, etc. Yes, they can get expensive but you get an awful lot for your money. My Baracudda is a tank. My first vise when I got back into tying was a Griffin something or other, kind of fiddly but again, a real tank. I still use it for a second vise at times.

I'm not wild about knock-offs, I'd rather spend a little more on something substantial. But each to his own. We could talk about vises for hours, and generally do.
Eric

I've reentered fly tying after most of my life away from it (since I was a kid).
I'm a fairly quick study in that when I see something that agrees with my sense for how a machine should work, I'll invest in it.
First, I had to see if the urge to tye was worth the pursuit. It was.
I bought Cabelas starter set with the "Pro" vise. It works fine, after I ran it through my shop and slicked it up on one of my lathes. But still, it was made in Pakistan, or India, or some such crap hole of the world.
It served the purpose to find out if I would once again enjoy fly tying.
In a couple of weeks of tying, I knew I wanted to go rotary, it just made sense to have the option of rotary with stationary. In that sense, I do enjoy progression in machines to help accomplish things. After all, we are on the Internet. :confused:
I read of some skirmishes with Nor-vise users elsewhere and wondered enough to do the research into the Nor-vise, as well as many other rotary vises.
Nor-vise was the only one that appealed to my mechanical thinking. If one is going to do rotary tying, that vise has to be able to spin if need be, not just turn around. And the vise has to handle the range the owner of it wants to tye. That was a small quandry for me, would the standard jaws do what I wanted to do?
Well, you ever seen a #28 hook? I tye them on the standard jaws. Mosquitoes. As well as my desired range down to a number 10, which is as large a hook as I use.
Oh, I've tyed some really big ocean sized hooks for hat pin gifts, with a safety pin on them. But I don't count those as fly tying. :grin:
I've bent several hooks while tying them in my vise. Then fixed them and tyed on to finish the fly.
But when building a body shape with 14/0 thread, that rotary spin comes in right handy as a pocket on a shirt. ;)
I don't need to try a bunch of vise's, just like I don't need a room full of fly rods. (I have 3 boo fly rods, 2 reels, and 2 tying vises, one a beginners vise, and the Nor-vise.)
I just have to be happy and able to do what I want to with what I choose to use. :mrgreen:

BTW, about any vise around can be adjusted to bend hooks, or not. It depends on what the user does adjusting it. ;)

So it boils down to equipment that does what YOU want it to do. How much YOU have to bang your head on the wall, buy and sell, or cuss and snort, kinda is your plot to get where you want to be. ;)

I started on a god knows who vise and tied on it for about 1 year when it finally gave out. I was happy with it cause my son gve it to me in a tyeing kit for x-mas. That year (2003) my buddy gave me a nor-vise. I have been tying on it for 6 years. I have tied from size 20 upto size 1/0. I think that a little more room behind the jaws would be nice but that is about it. I use the rotery technic a lot when tying. For the money this is the vise I will use till I quit tying.

I am new to the tying fraternity, tying my first fly just eight months ago. Like others mentioned I started with a kit from Cabellas that included a Master Vise which I really like. After reading about rotary vises, I was visiting a Cabellas store in my area of PA and saw a DanVise that is rotary and sold for 80.00. In a moment of weakness, I bought it and I must say I truly enjoy it; it works well. I suscribed to an online source "Mike Holt's Maine Rotary Tying Techniques" which I have found very helpful. So, I must admit that the rotary tying techniques have been challenging and compelling for me. I understand and appreciate the fact that each fly fisher will have their own preferences for the vise they choose, but I am glad I made the move at this stage of my tying life. I want to hone my tying skills, but above all I want to catch fish and enjoy being out on the water.

in my experience with different vices each of them has disadvantages as well as advantages over another...... all a vise is supposed to do is hold a hook and do it well without letting the hook slip up or down or even worse, let the hook pop out when your just about to finish a fly... ive had several vices as i went along, some worse or better than others... i like the danvise myself but it could use a little more room behind the jaws for tying large flies... i made a slight modification to the cam arm which used to hang down under the jaws so that it is on top the jaws and folds up beside them to lock the hook in... that added better ballance to the rotary function also... i can tie flies ranging from 2/0 on down to 30 with it...

I started tying several months ago on a $12.99 Cabela's vise. It held a hook most of the time...that's my only praise for it. I've recently been reading the Beginning Fly Tying section here at FAOL, and based on that I bought a Griffin 2A just a week ago, along with the Griffin pedestal base. It's a fantastic vise...holds a hook very well and is easy to use/adjust. Knowing me, I'll probably upgrade someday, but for now I'm very happy.

Danvise. It does what I need it to do. Bought it from Al and Gretchen. Also bought the book about how to tye with a rotary vise. I read it. I practiced the steps and I'm happy with it. Jim

I started tying on a Thompaon A and continued to use it until it quit working (it lasted a long, long time). I've been through several other vises sincee then, Regal, Renzetti and a couple I don't remember. I finally got a vise I truely enjoy using. It's a Snowbee-Waldron Vise. It's a solid, precision tool designed by Lawrence Waldron, designer of the LAW Bench Vise. It is the last vise I'll ever need.

Vickie has tied on a number of vises in her 10 years or so of tying. She, at present has a Renzetti Traveller, Nor-Vise with most of the different jaws, and her newest, a J-Vise from Wasatch Fly Tying Tools. The Renzetti gathers dust, the Nor-Vise gets used for tying spun deer hair and Atlantic Salmon flies, and the J-Vise is used for everything else.

I will continue to praise the Thompson vise I own. It does what I ask it to do, which is hold the hook while I tie the fly. So far, it has held every hook I have put in it. The jaws have never failed (I have three extra sets here just in case, picked up from a bargain bin somewhere), but the cam finally wore out on the first one after, oh, prolly twenty or thirty thousand flies all told. Not bad for whatever I paid for it back then (the new one ran me $29 plus tax). On a per-fly basis, less than one percent of what a hook runs me.

Face it, holding a hook steady is all you really NEED a vise to do. The rotation, the adjustable jaws, the bells and whistles might make things a bit easier for you, and give you something to feel proud of, but in the end, you need something to hold a hook.

As for the base, I carry around a plastic cutting board when I travel, and clamp the vise to that. Not a perfect solution, but I have yet to find a commercial base that is large enough and steady enough for my taste, and if I made one on my own, it would end up weighing forty pounds *S*.

And all that money I saved on fancy vises over the years? Who knows. Probably spent it on a waitress or three.

Cookie

I have used an griffin oddessy spider rotational vice for years now. Have tyed flies from size 30 to 6 with no problems. Has worked great for me. Got if for $75. Find something that fits your style/$/comfort and you'll be set.

There's the really old Thompson with the big red knob, a few Thompson A's including a Hank Roberts still in the plastic wrap & a Griffin thumbscrew model in the desk drawers. Have been tying on a Regal for about 20 years, but finally chipped the big hook groove on a bendback #2/0 hook & had chipped the tip of the jaws on some trout sized midges years ago. The first time I tried the Regal with the lever arm, wondered why I had fooled around spending so much time adjusting other vises just to hold a hook? The Nor-Vise was a possibilty years ago, but didn't tie commercially & the spinning rotary feature just made less physical wraps on the hook by hand. Still tying on the Regal, but looking for another vise. The Mongoose looks interesting, but don't know how it's jaws clamp down. If it's as easy & as good as the Regals mechanics, would make a great improvment; but haven't seen one operate & as the fly tying habits go tend to tie maybe 4 # 3/0 tarpon size flys & then 4 # 12 cricket patterns & need jaws that don't need constant attention. Some of the newer Renzetti's look like they have this feature, the old ones don't. Probably should have just purchased an Abel when they first came out to replace the others forever.:cool:

I started on a Herter's many moons ago and 'up graded' to a Thompson A sometime in the mid '80s which I've used ever since.
The Thompson suits my needs just fine and I have no desire to change

My first vice was a peak and I liked it fine, although the jaws were difficult to open. I got a good price on a Swiss master vice and really like it. It is quick to adjust for different hooks, hold well and is easy to open. The vise is very well designed and has excellent quality in construction. In fact I like it a lot. freddyg

This thread brought back some great memories. Tying fliies in my buddy's basement on eagle claw hooks held in his dad's bench vise using pipe cleaners and mom sewing thread for materials. I guess you have to start somewhere.

My folks bought me a Universal ?rotary?vise somewhere back in the early 70's
We lived in the next town over from the Universal factory. I still have it and it served me well from my teen years through to my 40's.

But after 30 or so years it had served it's owner well and was retired in favor of a Renzetti Traveler. A well built serviciable vice that meets all my needs. Perhaps a little small and a bit light-weight but it is a ?traveler?after all.

I have my eye on the Renzetti 2000 perhaps the one in the black finish. That falls into the want more than need category.

Thanks for the memories.

I've only been tying for about a year, so I'm sure that affects my perspective.

I started off in tying when, after showing some interest, a mentor of mine gave me a Sunrise vise. It served its purpose of being a good, inexpensive introduction to the art of tying, and I'd estimate that hundreds of flies were tied in the jaws of that vise, but it needed tweaking to adjust to different hook sizes and when I sterted tying dries on 2X fine wire hooks, it didnt seem to like holding them. After one too many near-completed flies slipped from the jaws, I started looking for a replacement. I settled on a Regal after noting that the guy that taught me uses one, and the guy that owns the local fly shop I frequent most often also uses one.

Got it set up and haven't looked back. For the sizes I tie and the range of sizes I like to bounce between when I tie, I dont think it can be beat. :) Since making the switch, I've already put several hundred flies through the jaws, and not once have I had anything to complain about. It's not a "true" rotary, but in all honesty, I've never encountered a situation where I wished I'd have had that feature. Usually, the only thing I need to rotate for is to check out the other side of a fly or to apply some Sally Hansen's at the head. In both cases, the Regal's rotation is all I need, possibly even better than the true rotary for applying the SH, as it flips the head up into a more accessible position.

:)

Just my 2 cents...of course, with inflation, you all now owe me a nickel. ;)

My first vice, um, I mean vise, was one that my father made for me that I used for a lot of years (I still have it and get it out when I need perspective on things). I then bought a real cheap vise that turned out to not be any better than the one dad made. When I got older and had a little disposable income I bought an HMH Spartan which I've used ever since and absolutely love. It's well built, it's not true rotary, but it turns enough that I can easily tie clousers and see what the back of the fly is looking like. That's about all I need it to do. I bought the extra magnum jaw (which is super easy to change in and out) and between it and the standard jaw that came with the vise I'm good for anything from 22 (the smallest I tie) to 2/0 (the biggest I tie). It also travels really well which is important since I do a lot of classes, demos, etc.

I'd completely forgotten about the Sunrise & Universal vises, along with one of those little streamside thumb vises ! Similar to 45 rpm records with the plastic spindle inserts in this day & age; just a faded memory of tying flies in days of old :cool:

I started out tying about 13 years ago on a sunrise and used it for about 6 years. Decided that I wanted a vise that was rotary and went with a griffin. Finally retired it last year and bought a Renzetti presentation 2000, couldn't pass the deal up. Brand new in the box for 200.00. I use it the most. Also bought an HMH spartan about 3 months ago, like brand new, that I use for my articulated streamers and the bigger bass bugs. Have a set of the small jaws on order and may use it more once I get them. I have tied on all kinds of vises...Dynaking(loved how smooth the rotary function was, a tank but just to big for my likeing), Regal standard( the ease of it is awesome but I use rotary to much), Peak( jaws to hard to replace), anvil( actually thought about getting that one but never did), LAW(if I only had enough money..What a machine..No cons, just don't have enough dough to get it..yet), and finally Danvise( again a little to bulky for me, and although seemed like a well bit machine I just don't trust the plastic). Besides the LAW my favorite would be my Renzetti.

I've been tying about 18 months. My first vise was a Thompson that a buddy loaned to me. I the only vise I've ever owned is a Peak. So far, it has done everything I've wanted it to do.
Jeff

A little background :
The company I used to work for manufactures fire fighting equipment. One of my projects was to create a light weight nozzle for fixed equipment installation. We already had aluminum nozzles that that were about 1/3 the weight of a brass nozzle, but still weighed 18 to 20 pounds, depending on configuration. That was still to heavy. We started researching composite (plastic) materials, and found a glass-filled Nylon-6 material with a shear strength that exceeded that of carbon steel, but only weighed 1/4 as much. This stuff is strong, resilient, and light weight. It machines like steel, producing a clean, smooth surface.
I guess us older folks mainly have a problem with plastic because of our experiences in the earlier days of the technology. Plastic used to be an inferior material for all but the least expensive of products. Modern composite materials are every bit as good as the brass and steel products they are replacing.

As you can probably tell, I'm a convert. And yes, I own a Danvise.:D

Kirk

I started out with a tying kit I bought back in the late eighties. The vise that was included in the kit I still have and use. It's the most basic of vises. After a year of use my wife gave me for my birthday a DK Barracuda outfit. A great vise, but a bit to much at times so I bought a DK Voyager II. After that the Barracuda collected dust most days. The Voyager II fit me like a custom made glove. It packs down nicely into a small travel bag including the base. With base, the vice is heavy for a so-called traveler vice, but manageable. About a year ago, I got to corresponding with one of the guys on the board here and long story short, traded the Barracuda with accessories for a Nor-Vice outfit. Best trade I ever made. The Nor-Vice does both stationary and rotary tying very well. The Voyager II still gets plenty of use. These two vises serve me well and will probably be the last vices I buy. :rolleyes:

I started tying on my dad's thompson A and after he quit tying sort of took it from him when I graduated college. I've tied on it for about 6 years now and it's served me well, but the jaws are starting to slip regularly. It's over 15 years old. My wife just got me a graduation present and am looking forward to tying on it. It's the C&F reference vise that was posted on the "for sale" board. I haven't tied with a rotary vise before, but as my thompson A had trouble even turning at all, I am sure I'll love it and will enjoy many years tying with it.

Greg

I started with a rotary vise. I not only bought the vise, but two DVDs. One from AL Beaty and one from Mike Holt of Rotary Fly Tying. Incorporated many techniques right from the beginning and have never looked back.

First vise was a DanVise. Bought it on solid recomendations and it functioned fine, but was looking for something else.

Bought a Peak, recomended winning vise in a review of vises under $150. Good vise, solid, Made In Good Ole USA.

Bought a Dyna King Barracuda. Hopefully have arrived at the promised land. Next stop is Law or I'm retiring with this one. Hopefully the latter of the two.

Note on buying vises - just buy the one that you want to begin with and save yourself all of the shopping and start enjoying the one you want right from the beginning. Sure I could sell one of the other vises, but I keep them for my family or friends to tie on when they come over.

Positives:
1) Solid hook holding power from size 2/0 to 20.
2) The tightening screw is in a perfect position to hang my thread and bobbin over it. This always me to have two hands free to whip finish while holding hackle back out of place.
3) True rotary
4) Price.

Negatives:
1) I've tied 22s and 24s on it, but one has to be careful that the hooks are seated properly. If not, one has a tiny, barbed projectile on one's hands.
2) The shaft is slightly larger than standard - that means parachute posts and clipping bags don't fit.

I've tied on quite a number of vises since I began tying.

My first "good" vises were a Renzetti Traveler followed by a Dyna-King Barracuda. I liked both vises but the whole "true-rotary" thing never really caught on with me. I've also got some nerve damage in my hands and it became painful to hold my left hand in the position that these two true-rotary vises forced me to.

Next I moved on to an HMH Standard Bench Vise. I loved this vise very much and tied on it for about five years. It's not true rotary but it allowed me to hold my hand in a position that didn't cause pain. It was/is a great vise, but after several thousand flies, larger hooks (#4 and bigger) began to slip a bit.

I currently tie on a Regal Medallion with the optional stainless steel jaws. This one is by far my favorite of the vises I've owned. There is no messing around adjusting jaws between hook sizes and it holds hooks solidly. I've been tying on it for almost six months now and have not experienced the "shooting hooks" some mentioned. I've tied the full spectrum of hook sizes from 2/0 salmon flies down to #26 midges and have had no problems with either hook holding or hook access. I love my Regal!

I can only say...."Griffin Rules!!!!".

I started out with a Thompson vise that came in a Herter's Fly Tying Kit that I got for my 6th Birthday. That was in 1969. I used it up until about 6 years ago, then I got a Griffin Montana Mongoose on EBay. It opened up a whole new world of tying for me, and I've seen no reason to get another vise. I sold my Thompson on Ebay, cheaply, to give someone else a chance to get started, at a modest cost.

Things I like about my Mongoose:

The option of using the pedastal, or the clamp. It lets me take it with me to fairs, and Sporting Goods places to do demonstrations.

It clamps all sizes of hooks from #22 to 4/0, with no modifications, or changing anything.

It spins easily, and almost everything on it is adjustable, allowing me to fully customize it to my tying style.

I got it with the optional Parachute attachment, clamp on Magnifying Lens/Light, and the attachable Waste Basket. These options make tying, tiny flies, and Parachute Flies mere childs-play, and keeps my work area clean (most of the time).

I love my Mongoose!

Gigmaster,
Love my mongoose, too. It's an all around excellent vise.
Coughlin

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by coughlin

Gigmaster,
Love my mongoose, too. It's an all around excellent vise.
Coughlin

---

Mongeeser fly tyers, how do the jaws clamp & how may adjustments does it take to switch from #3/0 tarpon flys to #12 2-xlong dry fly cricket hooks ? :cool: