WHAT VISE?

[Warm Water Fly Fisher]

gqualls, how long have you had your vise, and how have the jaws held up?

[Greg H]

The Griffin has been the travel and club meeting vise for the last 3 years while the Danvise has been my go-to for about 5 years at home (I have tied approx. 2,000 flies on it).

The Griffin does have a lifetime warrantee and they did send me a new bolt (I modified one, which was a mistake) quickly and for free. They are all metal and the jaws are very stong (I also have a 2A - and they are also indestructible). However the Odyssey jaws DO NOT close parallel - you have to find the sweet spot, which gets tiresome sometimes.

The Danvise has a delrin housing it is true, but no pressure is on the housing so who cares? The jaws are finer that on the Griffin - AND CLOSE PARALLEL! The problem some people have with them is tightening the jaws too much. The cam on the Danvise exerts more pressure than other vises, so you have to start the 'firm feeling' when the cam is already half closed (45 degree angle), not when the cam is at 90 degrees. They also had a batch of jaws that were not tempered correctly, but that was a couple of years ago. The bobbin holder on the Danvise is a model all vises should use as it keeps the thread out of the way for manual wrapping of hackle if you want.

Another point to consider is that most vises below the top price do not have ball bearings in the sleeve of rotation. The Danvise does. All rotating vises use some form of rubber or nylon to affect friction in order to keep the jaws from flopping around. The quality and precision of these parts has as much to do with the smoothness of operation and the stability of the tool as the machined metal housing parts.

For comfort of use & for low $, I would go with the Danvise. For lifetime warrantee and easily (locally) replaced parts (?O? rings & machine screws) I would go with the Griffin.

Here is the definitive article on current vises. http://flyfisherman.com/ftb/hwvise/

[harleybob87]

3 years ago my best friend gave me a danvise for x-mas telling me that with my abilities i deserved something really great. I have tied a few thousand flies with it from size 2 to size 24 with no problems. If used as the instruction video tells you to you will not have any problems. I will replace mine when it goes out in about 20 years with another.

[Red Dawg]

You will not go wrong with the Danvise. I have used one for about 5 years now and I love it. I recently purchase a Dyna-King to tie the 3/0 to 4/0 hooks that I tie the Atlantic Salmon flies and larger saltwater flies. If you tie in the normal ranges, you cannot go wrong with the Danvise. The "plastic" that is used on the Danvise is the same stuff they use on the space shuttle.

[kengore]

I have been tying on the griffin odyssey for over 6 years and find it to be a wonderful tool. In fact it's my favorite vice out of a collection of 4 others. Made in the USA and has a lifetime warranty.

I am not sure what the local 'expert's' remark on it wearing out is all about. Many thousand flies have been crafted on my vice and I don't see any signs of wear other than I have rubbed most of the black finish off of the jaws.

I particulary like the low profile and small size of the vice head. I tie a lot of flies in the 18-24 size range and find I can get in nice and close with my hands.

The 'plastic' used on the griffin is DERLIN, a high density material used for bearings and washers. It is very durable and has given great service.
I like to use it as a travel vice and I am often taking it apart or setting it up on road trips. The screws, o rings and other components are standard 'off the shelf' hardware and can easily be replaced at a local hardware store. Griffin is happy to send a replacement, but if you drop a screw in the great outdoors it's nice to be able to replace it quickly at the local ACE Hardware.

There are lots of more expensive products on the market, I paid about $80 for my vice and think it performs as well as many of the vices in the $200 range. I would recommend it to anyone with out reservations.

[bassman]

I use a Griffen Spider Vise. I tie flies from little size 20's all the way up to heavy 3/0 saltwater flies. I have never had a hook come loose. Never had a problem with the rotation or operation of the vise. I have not had to have any repairs done to it. My original cost was $70 dollars. I have been using it for about 5 years and I would say I have done well in access of 10,000 flies on it. I would highly recommend it. Just my 2 cents. John

[dragonfly1]

Hey,
Just thought I would drop this link by, insted of the $79 that cabelas wants for it this sounded like a lot better of a deal.
http://www.flytiers.com/data/store.asp? ... egoryID=88

[billknepp]

I've not owned a Danvise...But I have owned and loved the Griffin Odyssey...I sold it to another member here on the boards who seems rather happy with it..I paid like 85 bucks for that vise (Lifetime Warranty) and used it solidly for a good 5 years....NO Probs....
I sold it and got A Dyna King Supreme....and I will say DO NOT waste good money on a Dyna King Supreme!!!!...Maybe it's just this model...But It does NOT have the "Rock Solid Hook Holding Power" that is said of DK vises...I will be replacing it with a Griffin in the future!!!!....I've tried new jaws twice...and still not remotely satisfied with the DK...

[Warm Water Fly Fisher]

Has anyone here with a Danvise had to replace the jaws?

[ducksterman]

Yes...and it was with no questions asked and in my hands quickly.

You should realize there was an early problem with the jaws which has been rectified and is no longer an issue...at least that is my understanding....and I am pleased with the replacement...