Vise Question and opinions sought

[rmccord]

I am new to the tying art and this forum but I am already having allot of fun. I am about to purchase a new vise. I bought and like my HMH Spartan vise but after watching allot of true rotary tying videos I believe I really would be even happier with a true rotary vise. I am also an RV'g fan so I want something durable but portable and within reason as far as price goes.
I have four vises I am strongly considering. They are the Peak Rotary, Griffin Blackfoot, Renzetti Traveler and the Danvise. The first three are all within $50 of each other. The Danvise is about 1/2 the price of the Peak and Griffin and about 60% less that the Renzetti Traveler. Everything I have read about all of them is pretty good. My current 1st pick is the Peak. Then it is more or less a tie and that is where everyone's opinion and experiences can help me. I would like pro's and cons on each and your recommendations.
I am keeping the HMH but I feel I will do the majority of my tying on one of the above.

Thanks
Bob

[Warm Water Fly Fisher]

i like the danvise, it is a true rotary and you can't beat the price. Comes with IMO the best c-clamp ever made for a vise. it comes with a material clip, and bobbin holder/rest. the vise is made to hold a wide range of hooks, and you can buy bigger jaws for those huge saltwater flies. the vice is made of delrin a type of plastic. don't be fooled by this though, it is a very durable vise. yes it is ugly. there isn't much space to work with directly behind the hook either, but this can be eliminated if u want. u can buy an extension for the vise which gives u more room to work with. they did have a problem when this vice first came out with the jaws chipping and breaking, but they fixed that. i have had mine for about a year now. any questions feel free to shoot me a PM

BTW welcome to FAOL
WWFF-Matt

[Gardenfish]

My investment in my Danvise is $85.00 including the jaw extension. I have tied on hooks fro #2 down to #20 with ease (well, ease is a subjective thing ) and have had no problems whatsoever in three and a helf years of use. The only reason I have not tied with smaller hooks is my poor vision with that small of a hook. Yes, they are ugly, not elegant in any way, but they fulfill their role extremely well. THe appearance of a vise has no relation to its utility. I bought a Renzetti Traveler and sold it. The Danvise, in my opinion, is a superior vise (with the extension).

[92Esquire]

I went through the same dilemma last year. I ended up with the Peak with some of the upgrades (brass screws, handle). I flat-out love it. I've tied everything from size 20 midges through 2 steelhead flies without any problems. The standard jaws are fine for all of it. I'm no production tier, but I've spent some time with it and am happy with my choice.

[fritz]

I recommend PEAK VISE. Well made and comes with a large stable base. I believe Cabela's now is distributor.

[rmccord]

In fact both Cabelas and Bass Pro Shops carry the Peak. Cabelas also has the Danvise and the Griffin, DanaKing and Renzetti vises. I am heavily leaning towards the Peak and the Danvise is right behind it.
Will probably decide this weekend.

Thanks for the feedback fellas
Bob

[darkknight]

I have tied with all three of the vises that you are considering. I was about to purchase the Peak Vise but, fortunately, I had the opportunity to tie on a friends Nor-Vise. It was truely a pleasure to tie flies at this vise. It is a true in-line rotary vise and accompanied with the Nor-bobbin cannot be beat in my humble opinion. I went back one day recently to tie on the Peak vise and was so disappointed after doing so that I will never tie on any vise from now on other than the Nor-Vise. You will hear that the Nor-Vise has more of a learning curve than other vises but it is well worth the effort when hackling or dubbing your flies. The Nor-Vise can be easily broken down and placed in the Travel Case that Norm Norlander sales making transport from you RV to home easy. Check out http://www.nor-vise.com to see Norm demonstrate the functionality of his vise and see for yourself. The Nor-Vise is worth every penny. I found and purchased mine from someone on another forum.

I'm sorry if I confused the issue for you but I don't want you to make the same mistake I felt I have made by purchasing so many different vises and then finding out about the Nor-vise. I hope this helps.
Thanks,
Terry

[fishbum]

I vote for the Renzetti. Well made and will last a life time. I tie on two vices. Most stuff on a Renzetti Master and a ton of stuff on a Regal. Some things the Regal does much better than any rotary made. (think egg patterns and rubber spiders)

fishbum

[MAC in NEOhio]

I'll add another vote for the Danvise. For the $$ I don't think you can beat it. Plus Al B's contributions to the forum make it a bonus.

Mike

[GATOR9]

Between my son and I we have Renzetti, Griffin, and the Nor-Vise. All three are good vises and the first two were all we used until observing the Nor-Vise at a show. This is one of the best fly tying vises we have seen in action. It takes some getting use to but it is worth the money. I don't think any tyer that has one would regret getting it.

Jeff