I have been tying for about 6 months now with the vise from an old Hank Roberts beginners fly tying kit my wife and son found in a garage sale, vintage '50’s or '60’s since this is the same kit I bought around '65 and tied with in when I fly fished between ages 12 - 15. The vise that came with the kit is most basic and is better suited for larger flies, size 12 and up because of the jaws being so large. Got permission from the better half to upgrade the vise and went into research mode.
Wanted something I will be tying on for some years to come, but stay within the budget of about $100, it had to be a rotary and have jaws to handle #1 - #26. Found a couple of other Fly Fishing sites with comparison reviews and other individual reviews, unfortunately not here since there are no comparison reviews and the vise reviews I did find were not in my price range, and chose the Danica Danvise. The Danvise got top reviews on the review sites and was compared favorably with vises in the $200 - $250 range. And, to top if off, found it gently used at a deep discount. The seller says it was used for fly tying classes and everything is there and has been checked out. A bit trusting maybe, but I am finding the fly fishing community to be a pretty trust worthy bunch.
Now I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of the new vice. I will give a review from the beginners perspective when I receive it and tie up some flies.
I’ve had one for many years. It will do the job for anybody except maybe a professional commercial tyer.
Just be careful to really seat well hooks under size 20. If you screw this up, the hook will go flying at the speed of sound. I’ve tied down to a 24. Just got to be careful.
I love my Danvise ! Pay close attention to the adjustment instructions. Over the years the vise has gotten a bad rap for the tips of the jaws chipping. I believe this was caused by failure to properly adjust the jaws for hook size and can be avoided with a little attention. One other piece of unsolicited advise ( which is worth every cent you pay for it). For about $20 you can obtain an extension to move the jaws away from the rotary mechanism making more room for your left hand to access the fly with materials. The only other complaint I ever heard about the Danvise was limited left hand access. CONGRATULATIONS AND HAPPY TYING !!!
I used a Danvise for several years, and overall, was quite pleased with it. The big drawback for me was tying with #24 or smaller hooks. The vise just didn’t hold them well, and of those that didn’t get spit out, about 50% of them broke. Since I tie a lot of midges from #24 - #30, eventually I replaced it with a Regal Stainless. No major complaints about the Danvise tying sizes #20 and larger, though. It is an inexpensive way to get a true rotary vise, and is quite durable.
Not but this weekend I gave away the vice I managed enough flies on since 1981.
…Ok…not necessarily; I gave it away, as much as I lent it.
it was one of those beavertail pull=down mushroom jaw’d thang’s what attaches itself to the edge of a table.
Having anything better than the beastie I managed to learn and tie on will be just fine.
The vise should be here tomorrow, at least it has gone through the USPS Seattle sort center.
Thanks all for the alerts on the jaw adjustment. Watched the instruction video on You Tube and it was clear that the jaw adjustment was critical. Video is clear on how to make the adjustments when changing hook sizes.
to upgrade the vise and went into research mode.