considering rotary

I am considering buying a rotary vise, but i have no idea what kind would work best for me. I tie mostly size 10 and up warm water style flies. Lately i have been tying quite a few large bass/pike flies. any suggestions?

Fish

Fish,

Danvise or the Ron Abbey DynaKing.

Danvise will cost less, and I know guys that do lots of warmwater flies and get along fine with one of these.

I have the DynaKing. Great vise, but you pay for it. Best investment in leisure/fun I’ve ever made, though.

The DynaKing jaws have hook grooves in them that allow you to hold larger hooks securely without too much tension…I spin lots of hair and do other things that require lots of tension on the hook/vise jaw connection…them grooves are right handy.

I prefer the Ron Abbey version because of the turning handle/wheel…it’s more like turning a reel handle than pushing on a stick.

All that being said, though, there are lots of fine rotary vises out there.

After you get your vise, buy either the Beatty book or Video on rotary techniques. There is a significant advantage to be had from a rotary vise.

Buddy

Renzetti Traveler vise.
True rotary.
Have two, one in Louisiana and one in Florida.
So, I mostly tie size 6 and larger – up to 2/0.
Not the cheapest, but no complaints.

go to a local fly shop and sit down and tie some flies with the samples in the shop. thats the only way you will know which one is right for YOU

Fish,

I’d seriously consider the Regal.

No, it’s not “true” rotary but after having a Regal, a couple of Renzetti’s and now a Snowbee-Waldron I’m of the opinion that true rotaries aren’t absolutely necessary! Especially if you aren’t stuck in your ways.

I tie lots (lots!) of those warmwater flies too and the Regal is superb for exactly that. You can still rotate your fly to get to all sides easily enough if you need to but I honestly don’t think it’s the most important option on a tool for your type of ties.

Jeremy.

Does 10 and up mean 10, 12, 14 etc? Or 10, 8, 6…

Check out the vise reviews at http://www.flyfishohio.com/Vise%20Review%201/so_many_vises.htm and http://www.flyfisherman.com/ftb/hwvise/index.html
But I agree you should try out before you buy – for me, I have an Anvil Atlas that’s just perfect for all my tying needs – came with C clamp and pedestal – bullet proof – and holds all sizes of hooks especially larger sizes
My other choices when I was looking were Anvil Apex and Peak vises – all nice too – and any of which are not that expensive – decided against Danvise because of plastic – but know it’s a great vise too

I have both a DynaKing and a Renzetti. Both work well but I find myself using the DynaKing more. I think each vise will have its followers. I’d develop a list of requirements of what you want in a vise before going to purchase one. List things like price, durability, portability, griping action, expect length of use and accessories. Go to a local fly shop and “try” several of the vises side by side for the “feel” of the vise. A lower end vice may only last a few years vs. one like a DynaKing that is built to last a lifetime.

Nor-Vise

The Nor-Vise is a fantastic vise, a true in line rotary. I used a Griffin Patriot for many years but then I bought a Nor-Vise. Now my Griffin collects dust until I bring it along to fly tying shows so other people can use it if they want to.

There are so many advantages to the Nor-Vise. You really have to try it to appreciate just how great it is.

Norm Norlander broke his DVD down into a series of You Tube shows. Here is a link to part number one. Watch all of the parts, then go out and buy a Nor-Vise.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYmt0lJgDPo&feature=related

Larry :smiley: —sagefisher—

PEAK vise.

Mike posted two reviews earlier in this thread. I read both of them and bought a DanVise, but even though it did a fine job, I wanted something a little nicer and it would also allow my daughter to tie with me from time to time. The second Vise I bought was a Peak. My interaction with the conmpany has been wonderful. American Company, using American parts and if you have a question you talk to someone involved in the company not an answering machine some place with voice recordings. I love the Peak but would like to have a DynaKing Baracuda Indexer someday. Between the Renzetti Traveler and the DynaKing Trekker, I liked the Trekker and it can be found at one of our sponsors on sale right now: http://shop4.mailordercentral.com/hookhack/departments.asp?dept=340

If I read that sale right there is a 10% off right now and in addition to that they have $10 off purchases of $100 or more. They have the JR Trekker for $196.10 if I cruched the numbers right. They also sell Peak too and Regal.

regal vises come in true rotary

If you are mainly into larger flies, I would highly recommend the DK junior. I bought mine from Hook& Hackle also. It is a quality vise with excellent holding power on the larger hooks. Stay away from the EZ Rotary vise. It’s fine for size 10 and smaller but poor for holding larger hooks.

Dave

If the majority of your tying is standard to large flies then the Peak with the Salt Water jaws option would be a logical choice.
As stated before, communication with the folks at Peak, Karl in particular, is excellent and the advice they give is not biased when defining what vice would suit.
I have the Pike’s Peak package with midge jaws and it is worth every cent I paid for it and the accessories I bought to accompany it.

ditto the peak.

I spin my bass bugs on Mustad 3366s up to a 2/0. The standard jaws hold those big hooks rock steady. I can’t speak much for small hooks (<18s)…I just don’t tie much small stuff.

simple…well made…American Made

I had a Danvise, loved it & the price is right. Then I got an unbelievable buy on a Renzetti Traveler, so I now tie on that. You can’t go wrong with either of these, & I have a friend who owns a Peak…another very nice vise without “breaking the bank”.
Get one you like, use & enjoy it.
Mike

Danvise. I tie down to size 20 without problems, and size 10-16 are easy. Can’t beat the price.

One that you should look into would be a Anvil Atlas vise, I just purchased one after doing several days of home work on them. It was a toss-up between the Anvil Atlas or Peak vise, check it out and most of all the price $139.00 at most fly shops

I had a DK Barracuda for years, then I traded it for Nor-vise with one of the guys on the bb. I am really happy with it. It does some things faster than what I could do with the Barracuda. That is not to say the Barracuda is a lesser vise, just a different style of rotary feature. Like Normand said, you owe it to yourself to try several vises before buying.

I have the Danvise - like it!!! easy to learn. Also have the DynaKing Barracuda Jr., Voyger, Kingfisher and a Surpreme. My last vice is the Renzetti Traveler. I like DynaKing products. Pricy but mostly problem free. I would recommend the Danvise first, just to see if you like the rotary aspect. Forgive my spelling.

DT