mvalbano

Available now. 

It’s a great jaw, especially if you tie small flies on curved hooks like emergers. I tied with it at the International Fly Tying Symposium. Regal had a booth there and was showing over the medallion and revolution versions. If you have any questions about it let me know. 
 

Mike

https://youtu.be/2FchhK9QRfo
 

Does anyone have picture Of the special edition dyna king pro that came in a wooden display case? I believe it was made in all brass and made in the 90s, Their used to be one on the internet but I cant find it anymore. Thanks so much! Mike

The Pro Vice was sold by Virtial Nymph in the UK. They make a great product called nymph skin. They only made about 25 pro vices and have been sold out for close to a year. Dale the owner said they are not making anymore for now because of problems with the company that makes them. I have heard a mixed bag on the vice as not as quality as a LAW.

I was one of the tyers and it was probably the best attendance in the last 5 years. absolutely a better spot then Lancaster.

Michael

Hi DFoster

I have one of the 1st 100 HMH TRV's & I also just got one of their new 2nd gen jaws that does have a better finish. I am a big vise collector and I am lucky enough to own a LAW as well so I can give you a good idea of what you get compared to a LAW and just how the vise is in general. Also, if you are going to the International Fly Tying Symposium I will be one of the pro tyers there and will be tying on my TRV so I can show you in person.

It would probably be easier to make a video and I might do that if I have sometime but for now Ill go over what I like about the TRV (I have the exhibition with brass base)

• The jaws of the TRV are cast compared to the LAW which was machined and then hand finished by Lawrence Waldron
• The new TRV jaws are still cast but they are not as "rough" as the original casts were and have a darker finish (its almost black)
• The original wheel to open and close the jaws was very "sharp" and hand hard edges. Jon Larrabee (owner of HMH) quickly made new ones where he rounded out all the edges and its a lot better. He swapped out the wheel when I saw him at the Fly Fishing Show in Edison
• Performance of the TRV is very good I have put a 4/0 - 26 in it and it hold fine
• adjusting the angle of the jaw so you can get the hook inline for true rotary is nice (you can't do that on a law)
• The fit and finish overall is very good, the brass base is nice and heavy and the rest of the HMH components are from their other vises where are all top quality
• The grooves work but I like the ones on the LAW better.

If you happen to have the chance to get a LAW I would get it because overall its better (in little ways) but the TRV is the closest most people will get and it works well. Let me know what questions you have and I will be happy to answer them.

Thanks,

Michael

Thanks Pete! I hope your enjoying your new home! Hope to see you at the symposium or fly fishing show this year.

Mike

Thank you so much!

Hi Everyone,

I was wondering if anyone on the forum owns or has experience with the Marc Petitjean Swiss vise? Specifically I'm looking for information on the hook holding power especially in the bigger sizes. In my brief hands on with a friends, bigger streamer hooks and even long shank dry fly hooks were slipping in the jaws under moderate pressure and I was wondering if any owners out there had the same experience? I know its rated for hook sizes 9/0 - 32. Any info would be greatly appreciated, thank you!

Michael

You also have the HMH TRV as an alternative.

I actually picked a few colors yesterday mainly because I heard they have been deadly. Im going to experiment and Ill post what I come up with.

Mike

Andresere, you can also send the vise to get fully restored by Renzetti. If you go to their Facebook page they post pictures all the time of restores they have done. You can also buy the cam jaws and they will fit right on the vise you just bought. Happy new year!

Here is one comparing the LAW to TRV...

Here are a few more, this one shows the jaws and hook grooves ff both the TRV and the LAW...

Here a few pictures I will try and attach more. I apologize that they are rotated the wrong way this happens automatically when they are uploaded. If anyone knows how to remedy this please let me know.

Thanks,

Michael

Hi Everyone,

Yes, Jon the owner of HMH said they will be at the Edison show and they will have the TRV there. I’ll give you a little background on myself since I don’t post a ton but check this site several times a week if not almost everyday. I have by tying for 10 years and for about 7 of those years have been tying on a LAW vise. Also along the way I have become an avid vise collector so over the years I have accumulated quite a collection. I personally think all the vises made today are great. Regal, Renzetti, HMH, Stonfo, peak, nor vise etc. all make great products and it really comes down to what you like personally and how much you want to spend.

Getting back to the TRV I think it’s a great vise that you can buy right now and be very happy. I am comparing it to my LAW so I think their are some small thing they can do to make it even better. If you didn’t have a LAW you might not even think about these things. First, the TRV is cast tool steel and it is not polished smooth so their is a slight grain to it and you can see some imperfections. It’s not rough or anything like that but just not super polished. The LAW is machined tool steel then hand filed and polished. The TRV holds hooks very well and their no no slippage. One change I have written HMH to make is that their are 3 hook grooves in the TRV and I think they really only need two and they should just be milled a little wider. The stem, chassis & brass knob that turns the vise is very high quality and overall it’s a very pretty looking vise. I have the brass base and for anyone that owns an HMH brass base it’s beautiful and the right amount of weight. Another critique is the wheel that opens and closes the jaw should have smoother or rounded edges. I mean it doesn’t hurt your hand when you lay it on top of the wheel but I think they should be smoothed out a bit.

Right now this is an initial offering of just 100 vises. It’s not even up on the website yet. Just like all vise manufacturers do I know HMH will continue to improve this vise and their others over time but right now this is the closest thing you can get to a LAW vise without spending $2000 or more. Even though it has a few small flaws nothing really takes away in the performance front it holds hooks really well and it one ups the LAW because you can adjust for perfect centerline which you can’t on the LAW. The LAW does have better fit and finish when it comes to the jaws and have perfect hook gap placement. If anyone has specific questions let me know and I’ll answer.

Merry Christmas,

Mike

Hi AK Skim,

Yes I have one and think its a solid effort that will get better with time. Please let me know any specific questions you have an I will answer.

Mike

Cody,

I just ordered one from amazon its about $50 not $100 like regal charges for the same exact light. This light would be exclusive to tying at shows or at clubs for me. I actually have two giraffe lights with LED bulbs at my main tying desk. The D20 is a staple at the tying shows and I just tied at the symposium in Lancaster and close to a dozen Tyers were using it and nobody had a bad thing to say about it. Thats why Im getting one.

Bazzer,

I don’t believe Lawrence licensed the design, he never patented it in the first place so now other companies are taking advantage of that ie the pro vice, HMH TRV & the jaws of the predator vise.

I’m a vise nut so I bought one as well. I’m going to do a video review because I have a LAW and will do a comparison. I like how you can adjust so you are always in the center line of the hook, that’s something you can’t do with th LAW. Also, when I saw the TRV in person at the Somerset show, Jon (owner of HMH) told me their is a hole on that big brass wheel to screw in a lever knob if someone wants too. If you look carefully at the picture in the previous post from flytire you can see it. The jaws on the TRV are what concerns me the most as they are cast and not CNC and hand finished like the LAW. Also Lawrence put two hook groves in LAW for bigger hook sizes and that makes for very light pressure to hold hooks without moving. I heard the TRV has three which was interesting, the original prototype had none, I’m glad HMH changed it. Finally, I’m interested in the knob that tightens the jaws. The star wheel on that LAW is extremely smooth and was designed to operate with just your thumb. I hope the TRV is smooth as well and you can operate one handed. For anyone interested but wants to play with the vise first, Jon told me today they will be at the Edison show in January and will have some for sale.

Mike

That was an original design that never made it to market, they changed it. Look at their instagram @forceflyfishing

Hi, I heard another vise called the predator vise has a similar jaw style and is trying to patent the design so HMH is being very cautious and had a attorney looking into it. This was several months ago so I don't know what exactly is going on today. It's a little ridiculous since that style has been around since 1989 with the LAW vise. Please post if you hear anything.

Back in the late winter / early spring there was a buzz about HMH introducing a true rotary vise. As I recall, they were anticipating an introduction in the spring. Has anyone heard about this highly anticipated product?

Hi Spiralspey,

I believe the issue you have is because your using head cement instead of super glue. For a task like this you should be using a very thin coat of super glue like CA as others have said, head cement is basically varnish and not adhesive at all, if you want to glue something down use super glue and it should make that biot a lot more durable after you catch fish on it.

Mike

I really appreciate it!