Vise vices!

[jimsnarocks]

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

[Ron Eagle Elk]

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.

[DG]

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

[kgarland]

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.

[saltydancindave]

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.

[dudley]

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

[freddyg]

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

[kmichael]

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.

[Cold]

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.

[Bluegill222]

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.