Hello all,
What a great site here! I’m a noob from MO with a question about vises. I have been tying flies off and on for about 15 years (the military keeps me from it once in a while). I am looking for a new vise, have been using a Thompson style vise. Any opinions on the DanVise or any other rotary vise for under $100? Or, should I stick with the Thompson? Would like to start tying bass and other panfish flies…
ty1on88,
Welcome to FAOL. Be prepared for a plethora of suggestions on how to spend your money. We have as many opinions here as we have members, and every one of them is correct!
IMO, the Danvise is a good buy for the money. It should last you for many years with minimal maintenance, and you should be able to handle a wide range of hook sizes. You can purchase that vise from BT Tying supplies, a sponsor on this website, and they can give you excellent information that may not be covered here. They can be found at http://flyanglersonline.com/about/bts/
Good luck, and thanks for your service to our country. There are a lot of vets on this site.
Joe
Ty1on88 -
Welcome.
Rest assured you will get comments on a variety of vices if you hang around here.
John
From the many posts about rotary vises under a $100, the Danvise is always mentioned. It has a cult following. I don’t recall anyone every giving it a bad review. Give Al a call or email him. He is a professional tyer, writer, shop owner and so much more. Friendly as the day is long too.
Oh, I almost forgot. Welcome aboard!
Thanks for the quick responses! I will definitely check out BT’s and the other links provided. I did another forum search and found a plethora of info. Searched yesterday and found nothing, must have been in a forum for waders or something:confused: Thanks again!
Well, at a price limitation of $100 for a true ‘In-Line Rotary Vise’ (ILRV), you will probably not get any recommendations other than a Danvise.
The question is, do you want or need a true ILRV? If yes, than you’ve just about made your choice. If no, than you can continue to use the Thompson (I’ve had mine for over 35 years and prefer it over several other vises I have). You might consider getting a set of different jaws for the Thompson including the Magnum and Midge depending on the variety of flies you tie though.
Deezel
TY1on88;
WELCOME to FAOL!
I’m just going to “sneak in here, under the radar”, and try and get out again before the shrapnel starts flying on your question…
As Joe V. mentioned, you’ll get a million suggestions, from members here, because we all have our own personal favorites and personal reasons for the vises we like and use.
Your question gets asked a lot, here, on the boards and it’s a tough one to answer, due to all the variables involved in choosing a vice.
Hopefully, you’re going to be “stuck with it” for a very long time so it’s not something to make a “snap decision” about!
Personally, I like using my Apex Anvil. Great little vice, rotary function, cam lock jaws, and comes with both, pedestal and C-clamp mounts, USA made, and sells for $99.95 most places.
http://www.anvilusa.com/fly.htm
I don’t own one, but have tied on the Danvise and they’re another great choice and you can’t beat Al for service, either!
I'd honestly suggest, if at all possible, to visit your local den of evil, (better known by some as "a fly shop"), and ask to tie on a few models they may have in stock.
Check ease of use, height when sitting in front of it and adjustability to various ways you may like tying. Jaws and how well they hold a hook, and a lot of other features, you may not realize are important until you set down, in front of any given vise and begin tying!
Good luck and let us know what you finally decide on!
Also, don’t be a stranger to the BB, here!
There are many vets, here, at FAOL but unfortunately, a lot like myself, served when muskets were the weapons of choice.
Ty1on88,
There are a couple of vises out there that would fit the bill for you. The only one I’ve ever tied on was a Danvise from Al Beatty. We did get the jaw extension because of where I place my hands when tying. Just made it more comfortable for me. Great value in a sturdy tying tool. Also, the customer service from Al and Gretchen is super, they really stand behind what they sell.
Hook and Hackle, another FAOL sponsor sells a true rotary vise, the E-Z Rotary Vise. The C - Clalmp model is $45 and the Pedestal model is $59.95. A buddy who was stationed at Ft Lewis tied on one and it, too was a sturdy, no nonsensee tying tool.
Flybinder gave you some great advice. If possible, go to a fly shop and test out a couple to get an iedea of what your looking for.
As mentioned, there are a lot of vets on this site, but I find it hard to believe that Flybinder was issued a musket. I was thinking more like a big rock.
Bow and arrows for me.
REE
Speak for yourself my friend. Sure, muskets were the weapon of choice for a lot of folks for a variety of reasons, but I found the flintlock to be far better in terms of an unrifled firearm.
Also, you need to ask yourself if you really need to spend the extra money for a firearm at all. For most applications, a pike would serve just fine.
… 
I was going to make a quip about the Aussi military still using pikes, but I won’t…
Re the Danvise, I had one when I started and they are a good unit for the money and a lot of people like them but I found it too unsturdy, like it seemed to flex a lot and it drove me crazy.
Now I have Renzetti, Regal and Mongoose, and the Mongoose is brilliant, for only a little over the $100 budget.
Just to consider.
(Welcome aboard by the way!)
I just recently picked up a Renzetti Traveler for a good price, but kept my Danvise. I have no complaints about it, & they are consistently rated as the top “sub $100.00” vise out there. Hard to go wrong, & you get to support an FAOL Sponsor who supports you.
From an ol’ Army vet…THANKS!
Mike
I definitely agree with the suggestion of trying vises at the fly shops. That is probably the best thing for me so I can get the feel and options I want. I am leaning toward the DanVise based on reviews and options. I will get out there as soon as this MO ice melts, going nuts with the kids out of school for 3 days now! I will let you all know which vise I pick.
Thanks back to all the vets out there, you secured our freedoms!
GO ARMY!!!
I have a thompson vise and it works just fine. And you don’t have to adjust it for each size hook. Good vise
I was saving for a Griffin Spider, went to pick one up after Christmas, shop was out so I passed as was going to buy it from my local shop.
Came across the Hook and Hackle EZ-Rotary…on sale for 36.00 or 38.00, 20% off sale on their site.
Anyhow, the shop got the Griffin in and I was able to play around with it a bit…didn’t seem like 80.00 worth of vise…seemed a little, well cheap…though I am sure it is just fine.
Just got the EZ-Rotary and sure enough, it’s heavier, more stable and half the price…sure seems like a nice vise for the price!
Ree: “As mentioned, there are a lot of vets on this site, but I find it hard to believe that Flybinder was issued a musket. I was thinking more like a big rock.”
Uhhhhh, REE, my EX-friend, aren’t you needed SOMEWHERE ELSE about now?
In fact, I heard Westfly was looking for a new moderator and THEY don’t care, WHO they get!??!
I bought a danvise before Christmas and had to return it due to the three seperate sets of jaws being defective. That was enough for me and I have also read that happening from several other people. I personally think the danvise is junk! I ended up buying a Griffin Mongoose and am much happier with that than the danvise.
Regards,
Shawn
I have had the flu so please pardon my late entry here. I had a Danvise and it preformed well for the time I had it. However some how the jaws started getting some dint or roll over on the edges so I sold it. I still like it, but I bought a Renzetti Saltwater traveler with cam jaw and I like it really well, but it is around $200.
Since that time I have become enamored with the Peak and all I hear about it is good things and it’s like $150 or maybe a tiny bit less. I even would like to have one, but my want for a Nor-Vise is getting in the way of me buying a Peak even though it’s a lot more cost.
Skip
Santa got me a Danvise for Christmas this year and I love it. I have tied everything from a #10 to #26 with no problems.
What are your thoughts on a cam-locking jaw vs. a knob? I have used cam-locks but not sure, do the knob style tighten sufficiently to hold the hook without movement?
Both the knob and cam tighten very well, with good hook holding power. The cam is just quicker between flies. After tying on a screw type (knob) vise for several years, I opted for a new set of cam jaws. For me it was a matter of convenience.
Flybinder, my application on westfly was turned down, something about unstable, maniacle attitude when not fishing. Go figure.
REE