HMH TRV Revisited

[XPATier 0]

Well it has been almost a year since I came here asking for opinions on the HMH TRV Vise and the Renzetti Master Vise. If some of you may recall, I went ahead and bought the Renzetti Master with the Deluxe base .I tie daily and the Master Vise has been just phenomenal. My only complaint  with it was how light the  pedestal  base was when tying "some" flies. For most flies the base was fine but I felt for $800 they could have done better....and they finally did. They came out with an addon for the Deluxe base (it screws on to the bottom) that added 3lbs to it. The vise now weighs just shy of 7 lbs. Now it doesn't budge at all. So now the Renzetti Master is just perfect. 

So.......I recently decided to sell off 4 vises that were just not being used, all 4 were of higher quality and brought a pretty price for me. After banking most of the money I decided to revisit the HMH TRV since that vise has been on my mind probably daily since last year. Yes...I suffer from VAD ( Vise Acquistion Disorder ). Well JStockard just got 4 in From HMH and since I had an opportunity to use a 10% discount....so i did. I've had it for a week now and I have to say I really like it. Been tying on it a lot the past week and I find its been great. Fit and finish is wonderful. The jaws are nicely finished as well and hold hooks securely. I tried hooks from 1/0 to 24 and all held just fine with no slippage. Overall I can see the TRV and Master Vises with me the rest of my tying days.

Cheers all......Terry

[Gene L 0]

 I got rid of my TRV and agree it's an excellent vise.  My carpal tunnel was exercised when torquing it down.  I had a Master Vise and sold it long ago for some reason.  That was a mistake. I now have a 4000, which is also a very good vise.  I suffer from the same VAD illness.

I had also a Traveller, which had a light-mass base.  I solved that defect by gluing the base to the desk.  Caused problems later but fixed the problem for the short term.

[DFoster 0]

Well Terry welcome to the club!  IMO the Master and the TRV are two of the finest vises produced.  I’ve tied on my TRV since 2019 and still absolutely love it.  Other than a little bluing wear right at the jaw tips and the brass dulling to a wonderful patina you would never know the vise wasn’t brand new.  Yours will serve you well for many years. Here’s a photo of mine. I purchased the taller stem from HMH. This made the device a little more tippy than I liked so I built the wooden base that effectively creates a larger footprint and keep the vice solid.
 

[Mark Knapp 0]

I have them both, and, I like them both. I tie on them both. Good on ya.

[Gene L 0]

I use a Peak base; it's heavy and works well.

[flyflinger 0]

Nice purchase!  The HMH TRV was on my short list for a new rotary vice last year, and I ended up buying the Petitjean Swiss Master.  I too suffer from "VAD", but don't plan on a cure anytime soon . . . after all I'm down to my last 10-12 vises in my collection.  

Regards, 

 

[flytire 0]

sold mine a long time ago. hand had a hard time the tightening knob

[SalarMan 0]

Terry -

Well done on the HMH TRV purchase. I own 3 vises...They are Renzetti Master, HMH TRV and the Cottarelli T-Rex Kit. Thanks to Mark Knapp my TRV now holds larger hooks than the usual upper limit of 2/0 straight from the factory. When tying 3/0, 4/0 or 5/0 classic salmon flies with protective plastic (.011") bent around the hook his modification was all I needed to make the TRV my go to vise...most of the time. I too suffer from VAD, but have slowed down as I get older. With your Master and TRV you are set for many, many years of tying on the very best.

I've attached a photo of my TRV with a 4/0 hook in the jaws with a fly underway.

George