Material in the kits may not be the best quality but material kits are good for the first time tyer who's not sure what they are doing yet. I think of it as practice material. It lets you get basic techniques figured out with wasting good material.

Even though we only pay a few bucks for any one material (necks/capes and exception) lets face it, Fly Tying over the long haul can be an expensive hobby(obsession).The vise is your first step toward an obsession many of us embrace. But if you think Bass Pro is too high, you should give up now send the vise back. Their prices are at or a little less than most fly shops. Cabela's generally has higher prices but usually has a bigger selection( at least in the stores). Also between the 2, the retails stores carry more than the web sites (sometimes items are only offered online), and retail selections vary from store to store regional fishing. So whenever you get the opportunity to stop at one you should to see whats different.

Even though I'm a computer guy by profession, I've never bought from eBAy. Just never been looking for something I haven't found at a brick and mortar or a reputable web site. But thats just me.