Hey everyone, I’ll apologize in advance if I’m opening up a huge can of worms here, but I would really appreciate any/all insight you all may be able give me.
Now that life has slowed down a bit, for a multitude of reasons, I’m starting to get back out fishing more, and thus tying more flies. It’s becoming painfully obvious that my beginners tying kit vise isn’t going to cut it any more, so I’ve been looking at upgrading. There-in lies my dilemma.
I realize this may not be terribly dissimilar to the ages old Coke v. Pepsi, Ford v. Chevy debates, but I’d like to hear your thoughts on the various vise brands, more specifically what you’ve used and why you like it. If you’re comfortable, advantages/disadvantages to particular vises would be great. While it will play a factor in a final decision, cost does not outweigh functionality, i.e. I’m looking for something that will last so I’m willing to spend the money but I’m also not a firm believer that higher price = better product.
Thank you all for any input you’re willing to share.
I’ve never been smart enough to avoid a can of worms…so;
I have a Regal and a couple Renzetti’s on (or near) my desk. I find myself using my Renzetti Traveller about 90% of the time just because I’m so comfortable with it. I like the Regal for it’s ease of use, no adjusting for different hooks, but it’s not a “true” rotary.
For ease of use the spring loaded jaws on the Regal are hard to beat. They offer a range of jaws, so choose the ones that suit your tying. I have the stainless Steel jaws that hold everything from #10 to 20 with no problems - I rarely tie anything outside that range so I’m happy. I go to the Regal when I’m tying hairwing flies because the design allows me to get the material positioned tightly and level on the hook.
I have an older Renzetti Presentation, but the cam jaws on my Traveller are so much better I seldom use it. If you like the Renzetti range I strongly recommend the cam jaws! I wasn’t sure about the rotary function when I got the vise, but I use it quite a lot now. It’s probably the reason the Traveller is my go-to vise. At around $200 it is, IMO, really good value for the money!
If you tie a lot of streamers, or like to spin hair, the Dyna King jaws are probably worth a look.
HMH, like Dyna King make solid, well engineered vises, there’s nothing I can say was bad about either of them, but I never got completely comfortable so they don’t live here anymore. Your mileage may vary…
In an ideal world, which we certainly don’t live in right now, I’d say go to your local fly shop and handle a few brands/styles, see if you can tie a couple flies on whatever you’re considering, and buy the one you feel most comfortable with. Unfortunately that may not be possible until ???
I’ve owned tied on the Regal, the Dyna-King Barracuda, and the NorVise. Once I tied on the NorVise I sold the other two and never looked back. For me, the NorVise is the best vise for my style of tying and the patterns I tie. Like you said, a lot of this is simply personal preference, but I would encourage you to watch a few videos on the Norvise system before you make your final decision.
I can’t offer much more than has been discussed, but after owning several of the vises mentioned, I am a Regal fan. I do have a rotary body on my Regal and substitute all the jaws. I have a midge jaw, big game jaw and the newer stainless steel jaw that I use 90% of the time. I don’t think you will be disappointed, but do recommend you try several in your fly shop to select the one you are most comfortable using. They are all good.
I do strongly second James and the Norvise. We have 3 or 4 of them around here that get their use. The Regal, the Barracuda, and some others are pretty much drawer bound. I would only add that Norvise concepts and procedures will seem strange at first, depending on your time with “normal” tying, but well worth the venture.
I sure do miss Norm and Ruthie at the shows!
…lee s.
Yes, I really miss speaking with Norm. Great guy to talk with and he stood behind his products 1000%. I stopped by the NorVise booth at the Atlanta show this year and quite frankly, it wasn’t that impressive. The main NorvVise guy spent his time talking with one of the other people in his booth while the guest Norvise tyer tried to help me with my purchase. We even both had to stand there waiting for the “main guy” to stop talking with the other employee just to get a price on the items I bought. That said, the products are great and I’ll just chalk this experience up to people getting bored sitting in a booth for 10 hours per day.
I’ve got a couple of Regals and a Danvise. Regal works great for me with the types of flies I tie. The first vise I bought was a Regal clone; bought it at a fly show for 35 bucks about 19 years ago. Both Regals have midge jaws and when I need to tie something larger I use the clone and it works like a charm.
Sorry to hear the new guy is not the salesman Norm was… my son and I were on the Nor-Vise Prostaff for quite a while, so take my comments into account that way.
I have or have had virtually every vise made, including the very top-end ones. I am a gear junkie and cannot help myself. It was a transition for me to switch to the Nor-Vise after decades of everything from fingertips to a Law… but once I got it into muscle memory I absolutely love the real rotary function. There is no fly you cannot tie on a Nor-Vise and there are a lot of lies you can tie better and faster on it.
A local fly shop, Mossy’s, designed a better way for Regals to hold shanks as we use tons of the them up here. it is a simple slot in the jaws but it works very well. If you plan to tie on shanks I would contact Mossy’s to get one of their vises.
Thanks everyone for the advice and comments. With the current state of things, getting into a shop to test drive a vise is going to have to wait, but it’s definitely on the ‘to-do’ list once things settle back to ‘almost’ normal.
Out of curiosity, does anyone have any experience with the Griffin vises?
Funny you should ask. I was going to suggest the Griffin Odyssey Spider but didn’t think it was what you were looking for. I have used the Griffin for about 20 years. For about three years I tied for a fly shop and all my own flies that I use while teaching and guiding. The vice came with one set of jaws and I tie everything from #22 midges to Muskie flies on a #3 Gamakatzu salt water hook. There are no chips in the jaws. There is an ‘O’ ring that tightens the jaws and an extra one that comes with the vice. I have never needed the second one. It has full rotary function which is easy to learn how to use. When I bought mine it was $114.00 Cnd. Cabela’s in Canada has them for $129.00. I would buy another one in a heart beat but can only use one at a time and this one hasn’t even started to wear:lol:. I think you would be pleased with the Griffin. I purchased a pedestal base for mine. I also have a portable wooden tying station that it attaches to. Great vice.
After posting this I see that there is a new Griffin Spider Cam. Looks like the basics are all still there with some additions. Don’t know anything about them. However if they are indeed improvements then it is going to be a great vice. (additions: quick release cam, and material coil. - looks good) Chck U tube for a review.
I have an Odyssey Spider cam vise on a clamp I use for my lightweight traveling vise where weight really makes a difference. I have had it for close to 20 years and it works well enough for the compromises. It is rotary but not for tying, just for viewing. Hooks slip in it once in a while and it is not really a high end vise. But it is functional and mine has been used for a huge number of flies for a long time.