Jim,

Your last question was:

"But for a fine art of fly tying should one use something lighter?"

No. Certainly not.

For a (the?) fine art of fly tying, the artist should use whatever works for him (or her, as the case may be).

You can tie absolutely AWESOME flies without ANY vise (see those tied by a fellow named Wulff).

Vise grips work just fine.

C-Clamps.

Plain old pliers stuck in a bench vise.

Cheap $9 import 'fly tying vises' DO work, and some work better than many of us would like to admit.

If you like tools, or find some inherent satisfaction in owning neat, fun, or just well made stuff, then the choice of a vise becomes more of an issue.

BUT, it's all subjective. No one 'best' vise out there. ALL of them work, to varying degrees. I really like mine, but I liked the ones I had before it too. EVEN the cheap import that I started on (at least until I broke it).

If you consider fly tying an art (surely debatable, but a nice thought), then it's the PRODUCT that matters. HOW you get there is the province of the artist, and the artistry is still there REGARDLESS of how it was achieved.

Use the vise that works for you. Upgrade it when and if you want to. No one 'needs' such things, so have some fun and be glad you woke up today on THIS side of the grass...

Good Luck!

Buddy



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