Perhaps a story

[Gene L 0]

I recently bought a vise I've been searching for for years.  A Griffin Patriot, which I've mentioned before.  I found one on Ebay, advertised as "like new" and had some "materials" with it. It wasn't cheap, and in fact was about what I paid for it 35 years ago.  I didn't need the "materials" but it was attached to the vise and was the  first one I've seen offered ever. 

Shipping added and I was in more than $200. But in for a penny, in for a pound, so I bought it.  The seller apparently was a power seller, and it shows.  I got the vise in four days, IIRC.

And here the story starts. The vise was as advertised, like new.  There were two pedestals for some reason.  Some pretty good hackle, hooks in size 10, 12, 14.  Only the 10s had been opened and used. There was dubbing, also unopened, deer hair patch, several spools of thread, like wise several cards of chenille. My detective mind imagined some guy bought the vise, new, with materials to tie dry flies, only something happened.  He started off with size 10 dry flies, used up half the 25 hooks and then apparently stopped for some reason.  I imagine the seller bought the entire package from an estate sale.  Perhaps the original owner died while learning to tie. Or he gave up in frustration.  I can't imagine a happy ending for the original owner. 

All in, there was close to $100 of materials with the vise, so it was a good buy. Good scissors, one of those foam caddies for materials.  I hope the Original Owner just got frustrated in the early learning phase. It wasn't a cheap vise when new, and the materials suggested that some guy got the urge to tie and then for some reason stopped early in the process.  Here, his story ends.

 

 

 

 

[DrLogik 0]

Gene,

I saw that same vise and contemplated....

I couldn't pull the trigger.  Yeah, that was a pretty good deal you got!  I remember when the Patriot first came out.  I thought long and hard but decided to buy a used Dyna King Pro off of FleeBay and it's been a gem.  How is the Patriot to tie on?  What vise is it similar to?

 

[Gene L 0]

It's OK to tie on, nostalgia-wise.  I think the Dyna-King is way superior.  But the Patriot fun to tie on so there's that.  Thing is, I didn't need any of the stuff that came with it.  Everything needed to keep a new tyer busy for a while.