Sorry, a tad off here but…Gringo…have you modified the handle to have a turning crank handle…or do you still use the straight rod handle. I would like to change mine to something like a fly reel crank instead of just a straight rod.
Gemrod
“we will be known by the tracks we leave behind”
Sounds like you have ruled out the Danvise. I think it would be an excellent starter. Just like fly rods…it won’t be your last. An advantage is BT’s sells a video on how to tie flies using true rotary vise. He does ALL his tying on the Danvise in the video. I would consider Al and Gretchen to be pretty successful and they use the Danvise. Being able to watch flies being tied on video in true video…on the same vise you have shoud be fun.
Gemrod
Oh…forgot to mention I have a Griffin Montana Mongoose. Just haven’t had time to tie a lot. Due to death in family my life has been pretty chaotic. I hope to get organized so I can tie. But when I told Al I had a Mongoose with a nice pedestal base…he told me how to modify the Danvise standpole to mount it into the pedestal. So it doesn’t have to be a clamp vise…and they are terrific folks and great to work with you.
Good Luck
Oh…I also forgot to mention the Mongoose comes with both pedestal AND c-clamp.
In the $100-$120 range, the Dyna-King Kingfisher and the HMH Silhouette stand out. For a bit more a Regal or a Renzetti Traveler would be the next most logical choices. If you decide that you really don’t like tying, any of these vises will fetch a pretty high resale price. If you stick with it, any of these vise will serve you for many years…
I up graded to the Renzetti saltwater traveler with cam jaw and absolutely love it. I use a “C” clamp on my tying station. I think this vise sells for a tiny bit over $200 with the cam Jaw.
I was lucky and got mine about when they had their last price change and got it for under $200 including shipping.
Skip
I’ve had one for a few years. It’s the best bang for the buck in that price range. The only reason it’s not on my bench right now is because I was given a Peak Vise (with pedestal and clamp) which also is an excellent vice. The Danvise still gets used from time to time as it makes a great travel vise. It’s very light weight, and it seems to draw some extra attention as shows. 8) My only beef with it was that you need to keep an eye on the little nuts holding the bobbin holder. I lost a couple. Other than that, I have tied down to #32 on that vise, just as a lark at a show once, but it held the hook well and I had no problem working with it. I do tie flies down to #28 on a pretty regular basis and it worked fine for me. I did have a couple of times when I would have liked the extended arm but from what I can recall…it was for long streamers and not small flies. I never ended up getting the extension so I must have figured my way out that one.
Like rods, I want something that does the job well, but I don’t want it for an arm and a leg. One doesn’t need to spend a lot to get a lot.