I am new to the tying art and this forum but I am already having allot of fun. I am about to purchase a new vise. I bought and like my HMH Spartan vise but after watching allot of true rotary tying videos I believe I really would be even happier with a true rotary vise. I am also an RV’g fan so I want something durable but portable and within reason as far as price goes.
I have four vises I am strongly considering. They are the Peak Rotary, Griffin Blackfoot, Renzetti Traveler and the Danvise. The first three are all within $50 of each other. The Danvise is about 1/2 the price of the Peak and Griffin and about 60% less that the Renzetti Traveler. Everything I have read about all of them is pretty good. My current 1st pick is the Peak. Then it is more or less a tie and that is where everyone’s opinion and experiences can help me. I would like pro’s and cons on each and your recommendations.
I am keeping the HMH but I feel I will do the majority of my tying on one of the above.
i like the danvise, it is a true rotary and you can’t beat the price. Comes with IMO the best c-clamp ever made for a vise. it comes with a material clip, and bobbin holder/rest. the vise is made to hold a wide range of hooks, and you can buy bigger jaws for those huge saltwater flies. the vice is made of delrin a type of plastic. don’t be fooled by this though, it is a very durable vise. yes it is ugly. there isn’t much space to work with directly behind the hook either, but this can be eliminated if u want. u can buy an extension for the vise which gives u more room to work with. they did have a problem when this vice first came out with the jaws chipping and breaking, but they fixed that. i have had mine for about a year now. any questions feel free to shoot me a PM
My investment in my Danvise is $85.00 including the jaw extension. I have tied on hooks fro #2 down to #20 with ease (well, ease is a subjective thing ) and have had no problems whatsoever in three and a helf years of use. The only reason I have not tied with smaller hooks is my poor vision with that small of a hook. Yes, they are ugly, not elegant in any way, but they fulfill their role extremely well. THe appearance of a vise has no relation to its utility. I bought a Renzetti Traveler and sold it. The Danvise, in my opinion, is a superior vise (with the extension).
I went through the same dilemma last year. I ended up with the Peak with some of the upgrades (brass screws, handle). I flat-out love it. I’ve tied everything from size 20 midges through 2 steelhead flies without any problems. The standard jaws are fine for all of it. I’m no production tier, but I’ve spent some time with it and am happy with my choice.
In fact both Cabelas and Bass Pro Shops carry the Peak. Cabelas also has the Danvise and the Griffin, DanaKing and Renzetti vises. I am heavily leaning towards the Peak and the Danvise is right behind it.
Will probably decide this weekend.
I have tied with all three of the vises that you are considering. I was about to purchase the Peak Vise but, fortunately, I had the opportunity to tie on a friends Nor-Vise. It was truely a pleasure to tie flies at this vise. It is a true in-line rotary vise and accompanied with the Nor-bobbin cannot be beat in my humble opinion. I went back one day recently to tie on the Peak vise and was so disappointed after doing so that I will never tie on any vise from now on other than the Nor-Vise. You will hear that the Nor-Vise has more of a learning curve than other vises but it is well worth the effort when hackling or dubbing your flies. The Nor-Vise can be easily broken down and placed in the Travel Case that Norm Norlander sales making transport from you RV to home easy. Check out http://www.nor-vise.com to see Norm demonstrate the functionality of his vise and see for yourself. The Nor-Vise is worth every penny. I found and purchased mine from someone on another forum.
I’m sorry if I confused the issue for you but I don’t want you to make the same mistake I felt I have made by purchasing so many different vises and then finding out about the Nor-vise. I hope this helps.
Thanks,
Terry
I vote for the Renzetti. Well made and will last a life time. I tie on two vices. Most stuff on a Renzetti Master and a ton of stuff on a Regal. Some things the Regal does much better than any rotary made. (think egg patterns and rubber spiders)
Between my son and I we have Renzetti, Griffin, and the Nor-Vise. All three are good vises and the first two were all we used until observing the Nor-Vise at a show. This is one of the best fly tying vises we have seen in action. It takes some getting use to but it is worth the money. I don’t think any tyer that has one would regret getting it.
The Renzetti Traveller is the only vise in your list that is in the same league as your HMH in terms of quality. The others are only relevant if you are very sensitive to price.
I have to go with the dan vise as well. For the money you can’t beat it. My friend has a peak and I tied on it. It was ok but the danvise once again took it out in all departments. The post on here that talked about tying on a rotery and make sure that is what you want was well put. I use the rotery feature a lot so take that into consideration also. Just my .02 cents
I bought a Peak about three years ago and absoulutely love the vise. In spite of opinions to the contrary previously posted a highly recommend it. It is a well made, nice handling solid vise to tie on. I would advise you get the pedestal model. I have both the c-clamp and the pedestal and never use the c-clamp. I take it on trips and it packs nicely and the versitility and steadiness of the pedistal are a big plus. I also find the white surface particularly nice for finding things you lay down on it.
If price were the only factor and money was tight I believe you could be happy with the dan vise. May hold very positive opinions about it and I’m sure it is s fine vise as well but having go through the same process as you all I can say is when it came down to it I bought the Peak. Good luck with your decision. Happy tying.
I believe the final concensus is that once you learn to tie with one decent vice it is hard to move to another. I personally feel all of these vices are good tools and I love my Traveler (Renzetti). To make the best decision though, I think you need to go to a place that has all of them, or at least a few of them, near you and see if you can purchase, try for a day or two, and swap until you decide which fits your tying style best. Of course, when doing that insure that the shop you are working with knows they are earning your trust and business not only for the vice but for many items you will likely be purchasing in the coming years.
Good luck,
Daren
Another great thing is you can get yours from a great FAOL sponsor, BT Fly Fishing Products. Al & Gretchen will fix you right up!
Mike
Mike posted a great link to reviews on vises…THIS IS A GREAT PLACE TO START - has a number of reviews on a wide range of vises so there is a “recommended” vise for just about any price range.
One suggestion - get a rotary vise if you can…once you tie with one - you will find it hard tying on anything else…
Personally - I use a Renzeti Traveller and wondered why I waited so long to get one.
Listen to Mr. Sullivan and try one first; any brand to see if you like the hand position and REALLY need the “true rotary” function. I know more people who own one just so they can look at the other side of a fly. They NEVER really use or need the rotary function. The non-wrapping hand position is awkward too on a rotary. Even after 5 years of using one; I STILL prefer the way my hand USED to sit on my old non-rotary vise.
I use a rotary and do the rotary thing a lot but NOT for every tying task. For wrapping chenille and ribbing bodies it really shines but having the hook exactly centered isn’t as critical as the vise manufacturers make it sound. Many vises have to ability to rotate the fly; albeit not on a true center-line axis.
BUT…
…if you think that “true rotary” is mission critical to your fly tying success and impossible to live without; pop a curved shank hook into a rotary vise; it wobbles just like a regular hook does in a non-rotary vise. If you can tie curved shank flies on a rotary vise; you can tie regular hooks on a non-rotary vice.
I’m not knocking the concept but some feel they are the natural progression from a regular vise; sort of like moving from spin-fishing to fly fishing. I say; if you like spin fishing; stay where you are.
In other words; rotary vises aren’t for everybody.
) and have had no problems whatsoever in three and a helf years of use. The only reason I have not tied with smaller hooks is my poor vision with that small of a hook. Yes, they are ugly, not elegant in any way, but they fulfill their role extremely well. THe appearance of a vise has no relation to its utility. I bought a Renzetti Traveler and sold it. The Danvise, in my opinion, is a superior vise (with the extension).