THE NOR-VISE

[FKROW 0]

I have a Nor Vise and like it very much, it is not my primary vise however, when you use it for rotary tying with the Nor Bobbin,,,,well just an excellent design.

 

I believe you will find more tyers who like the vise than those few that prefer the fixed Regal and gave away their Nor.

 

Check out the work of Ronn Lucas in the Classic Fly Tying section and Jay "Fishy" Fulum in the Fly Tyer magazine monthly articles. If the Nor Vise was crap these guys would no be using it for so many years.

 

Regards,

FK

[whatfly 0]

Well lots of negatives here. [snip] What works for one may not for another.

 

Sorry, I think there's a lot more to the argument than answered by a simple 'it's all relative.' For any other conventional vise that might barely suffice but the Norvise is VERY unconventional and should be judged accordingly.

 

Now, I was surprised by the negative comments about the workmanship of the Norvise, although my understanding is the early versions had a few problems that Norm has "fixed" in the current crop along with retrofitting many of the older models.

 

That being said, the negatives of the Norvise's "revolutionary" far outweigh the positives. As mentioned, it is probably the least portable of all vises currently on the market, and easily requires the most real estate to set up as well. It is the smoothest in-line rotary vise out there but unless you plan on doing most of your tying that way, this feature is irrelevant. The jaws are not the best for working with small flies (and no, the midge jaws are not much better) and adjustment mechanism takes just a bit too much fine tuning for my taste.

 

The automatic bobbin really should be discussed separately although if you buy a Norvise you almost have to buy one to keep up with the rotary function. The bobbin is longer than a conventional bobbin and works well with a Norvise (but not other vises with less clearance between the clamp and table) and if you don't like the tension level than you have to resort to the old wrap-the-thread-around-the-bobbin fix until it reaches a level you are satisfied with. It requires that preload the thread on to special spools. For anyone who uses more than a few spool of thread, this is a major inconvenience especially if you happen to need a thread not already on the spools. Yes, you can load on to a new spool, but why would one want to waste time loading thread onto spools when you could actually be tying?

 

Regardless of the Norvises shortcomings, there is a small group of tyers who use this vise but they are in very small percentage of fly tiers in general. Personally, I think the most telling indicator of how good Norvises really are is the fact that so few folks use them even though they've been on the market quite some time.

[Guest]

Regardless of the Norvises shortcomings, there is a small group of tyers who use this vise but they are in very small percentage of fly tiers in general. Personally, I think the most telling indicator of how good Norvises really are is the fact that so few folks use them even though they've been on the market quite some time.

 

So, by this line of reasoning; the Nor-Vise is great because a few people have one and a Renzetti is not because a lot of tyers use them. There a a lot of former N-V users (I am one of them) and none that I ever ran into is sorry they left the Nor-Vise behind. It suits SOME tyers tying style but not many.

[JRG 0]

I use a nor-vise and I love it. I can see why people put it down as well though. I guess I was lucky enough to get one that was made right. I mounted it on the travel base and keep it on my tying table. I don't see why it isn't so portable. A lot of of other vises have a much larger profile than that vise which has a relatively small profile. Yes, you need to accessorize it to some degree or get used to the design. It has a learning curve and you need to adjust to it or it will not work for you. Is it the best vise out there....no, but it has some cool features if you learn how to use it.

[flytire 0]

If the Nor Vise was crap these guys would no be using it for so many years.

 

those guys could tie on any old vise and the results would be the same. years of experience is what tie flies of that quality, not a vise.

 

[purolohi kalastaja 0]

Brent: Would you please explain the rotary feature of the Nor-Vise for those of us NOT familiar with how the rotary feature of the Nor-Vise differs from any other "rotary" vise.

[Fishyman 0]

Regardless of the Norvises shortcomings, there is a small group of tyers who use this vise but they are in very small percentage of fly tiers in general. Personally, I think the most telling indicator of how good Norvises really are is the fact that so few folks use them even though they've been on the market quite some time.

 

So, by this line of reasoning; the Nor-Vise is great because a few people have one and a Renzetti is not because a lot of tyers use them. There a a lot of former N-V users (I am one of them) and none that I ever ran into is sorry they left the Nor-Vise behind. It suits SOME tyers tying style but not many.

 

 

Hey Trout-B....Reread his statement. I believe you may have misunderstood him. Put good in quotation marks or substitute the word "poorly designed" or "unpopular"

 

 

Scotty.

[Silver Doctor 0]

Brent: Would you please explain the rotary feature of the Nor-Vise for those of us NOT familiar with how the rotary feature of the Nor-Vise differs from any other "rotary" vise.

I apologize for stepping in but you can see movies of the vice in action here.

http://www.nor-vise.com/multimedia/video.htm

[RDL 0]

 

 

Having owned Dynaking, Renzetti, Regal, HMH, Snowbee waldron, Griffins, Anvil, Danvise, and a boat load of cheapies I think I can at least speak from Experience, rather then A friend heard it was junk kind of thing..

 

I know at least a couple here have had one generation or another of Norlander's vise, I've yet to see anyone post specific details to support the bad mouthing. Comparing current production with early models is kind of silly. Fit and finish is on par with most other vises, and from the vises I've owned only HMH was a clear cut above the rest. I've not had to use any kind of support on the Nor-vise but from what i've heard it is no problem, and you can expect great service as long as Norlander is around.

 

Functionality, like some other vises it is a bit fussy on setting the jaws properly, once set it will hold most any hook, the optional jaws are nice but not required (much like many other vises). I own every optional Jaw set and it does make for a nicer tying experience. As for what the Nor-vise can do that others cannot, not much, maybe a couple very specific dubbing techniques. However using the vise properly can and will speed up production tying.

 

 

Portability Anyone who says the vise is to big, bulky, not portable has obviously not used it to any extent. First point, C clamps are readily available if you don't like the board system. The small board Norm sells as a travel board is perfect. The size is just right, it is light, and easily moved with one hand. I can kick back in my lazy-boy and tye no problem, this is the only Vise i've had that can do this with ease. I can pick it up off the table and move it anywhere, much less effort then a heavy pedestal, or a cumbersome C-clamp. The travel board is also much more stable then any pedestal I've used. The vise can be completely removed from the board in only slightly more time then a c-clamp consumes. While this is not a stream-side vise, it is far from what a few have described.

 

 

The Nor-vise is not perfect, it is not for everyone, it is neither the best fit, and finish, nor the worse. Norlander stands behind his products as well as any, and better then some. I know of nothing that can be done on another vise that you cannot do on the Nor-vise, though a few techniques would be extremely difficult on other vises. I do agree the design could be improved, and should be. Am I trying to talk someone into buying one? Absolutely not, I would really suggest trying it before investing.

 

 

I would really like to hear specific details to support the negative comments.

 

 

[Harold Ray 0]

I have multiple friends in Dallas who have tied with Nor-Vises for years; several are on their 2nd or 3rd Nor-Vise. They tie all types of flies, have no problems, and sing the praises of the brand. I am comparatively a new comer and total novice compared to these people, but I am very familiar with quality instrumentation. The Nor-Vise I have had for the last 2 years meets all of the requirements for quality that I look for in my other instruments.

 

I would have loved to have been here for the free one; I would have taken it immediately. If anyone else here is dissatisfied with their's and wants to toss it, my address is 419 Lake Air Drive, Waco, Texas 76710. And, I will refund your postage.

 

Ray

[Guest]

I'd still think it was a China built p.o. :poop: even if i won one.

What other vise causes this much drama that grown men cry back and forth about it

It's drama enough that i'm reminded of the robbery every time i take a dump.

I'd rather spend some quality time picking my nose and rolling boogers than beating this dead horse another word.

 

 

:cheers:

[Steeldrifter 0]

I believe that about covers the whole norvise topic.

 

 

Closed.