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What Vise do you use?

What is your primary vise?  

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Hi. I just the bought the Renzetti Master Deluxe fly vise. It is marvellous.

I also have the Renzetti Traveller and the Apex vise. Fill free to ask about the

vise. my email is techbts#hotmail.com

 

Hi, I sold my Renzetti traveller and the Apex vise. the Apex vise need a cow strength to operate.

It need a lot force to lock the the hook.

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Hi Guys!

 

I hail from Pawleys Island SC, a guide and professional tyer for 45 years. As a former Orvis dealer in CT (74-86), fly tying was an elemental profit center for and one of the centerpieces of my flyshop. Fly tying classes for young people were how I brought the next generation of customer to be. A once monthly Kids Class was always FREE! I make it a point to always tie with a presentation model vise, the reason being, I liked the handling of them best and, secondly, students usually emulate their guide or instructor's equipment choices and make the leap, as interests and monies permit. As an educator, I always believe that it is my responsibility to demonstrate what others should strive for! I use three vises, Presentation HMH and Regal's and one of the very few USLine Co, gun-blued Elite Rotary Vises manufactured in 1979 also, of which only a few were made but none were ever sold, due to soaring machining costs prior to introduction to the market.

 

My opinion of vises applies to rods and reels also, it is simple and fair-minded, I think. I always encourage customers who had funds available, to purchase a vise that would last a lifetime. Many whose fishing interests still go full-bore, like mine, are quite happy that they heeded my advice. For most, budgets restrict purchases to what people they can then afford, My advise continues to be, to always encourage people to make due with what they can to start with and wait until they can leapfrog to the top of the food chain and acquire items "that will never again likely need be replaced." This makes buying the best tool, not necessarily the most expensive tool I might add, the most economically sound choice in the long run and saves many the aggravation of purchasing 20 vises over the course of a lifetime.

 

Bill Hunter sold me my HMH Standard vise in 78 and it has the original standard and micro jaws in perfect working order. I might add that they are in constant, unfailing service to this very day. Their Incomparable quality has led me to select their tube fly chuck upgrade last week. Finally, I am moving out of my ancient "jury rigged system," into HMH's well-designed, collet-style conversion head and into the newest trend in tying! Sounds rather silly now that I think about it, because I have been tying European style tube flies for 45 years on blue cue tip swabs, tied on a piece of wire, chucked in my vise. HMH truly offers the best solution to tube tying I have yet to see. Incidentally, John's easy to follow videos and HMH materials are superbly well designed and of consistent high quality. I like the fact that HMH allows the chucking of any rigid tube, either metallic or plastic, directly into the collet without pins, if you like. How simple is that!

 

On a daily basis I also use the Regal Vise, one of the early anodized gold head versions with a bronze lever knob and matching solid bronze base. Regal is easiest to chuck of any vise I know. Self-adjusting from real small midges to really large SW hooks in the same vise with the same simple pull of the opening lever. With Solid, unfaltering hook tension, the Regal is my other "Go-To" vise. The HMH and the Regal sit side by side on my bench, both having served me, nearly a lifetime so far and counting. So I am happy! I am Not happy however, about Regal's CS department. Not as responsive on getting me set up to convert to tube flies on their product. No contact from them after emailing a week ago, in fact, after visiting their website I was disenchanted in fact. The scant information was all too lacking! In fact, the video showing the tube fly adapter and how to tie a tube fly is poorly done and not customer useful. I needed to see a simple video of a tube fly being chucked in the tool, set up for tying so a potential buyer can see how easy or difficult it is to use. Maybe Regal can redeem itself this week and if so, I may edit this threaded conversation. Regal vises and tool quality, having been in production since the early 80's, certainly warrants a second chance from me as I feel that "for tying conventional flies", the Regal vise is in a very fine place, offering high quality equipment that will serve for a life's duration and worthy of purchase by even beginning tyers.

 

Bob Dimesky

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Robert,

The Regal tube fly accessory is made by Jay Smit and is the same item he sells as an option for his Jvice. Here's a video of Jay securing the attachment to his vise and then mounting a tube for tying. It's not the greatest quality video, but it should help. Jay may have some additional information on his site, and I'm sure he'd respond to your email inquiry without delay.

 

http://youtu.be/toSKDj92fqM?list=UU2LsfypjVu--ZRlKLg85S9Q

 

If you haven't looked at it yet, ProSportfisher makes a fantastic tube fly tool that works in most vises for $17. The HMH collet tube vise is particularly nice for metal tubes; but for most of us tying on "plastics," the Pro Tube system is the most versatile I know of.

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I ordered the Dyna King Barracuda Ultimate Indexer for an early birthday present,this year before the prices went up. I had been tying on a vise I bought when I used to work at Gander MTN back in 1978, but after dragging it around thru Germany, England and back to the USA, I realised I need a vise that will hold the hook without me torquing on the cam. I am really looking forward to tying with the Dyna King.

Also plan on building a bench for fly tying, reloading and putting arrows together. Which brings up another side of this topic, pedestal or C clamp. Anyone have a preference?

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i'm using a Royal imitation made by Integra. inexpensive (i got mine second hand), as does the job.

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TMC 2 is going to be my new toy this year, got a price from my friend in the flyshop, 500euros! 100euros more expensive than Regal medalion!

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I have a number of vises. My primary vise is a griffin mongoose. I also have a number of sunrise and a royal vise.

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I started tying on a crap vise that with a kit. It was truly aweful. So after about a year of tying I wanted to get a nice vise. For the most part I think vise are resonably priced. It is a very important piece of equipment and I don't mind spend what it takes to get exactly what I want. So I did research new I did not want a true rotary vise. Just have never seeing the point. But I did want something that could rotate when need. Like tying crazy charlies or other flies like that. So I settled on the DK Professional. It has been an amazing vise. Really have no complaints at all and see no need for any other vise. The best feature is the easy adjustment for angle of the vise. It is incredibly handy. I like tying any fly. Whit the ablitity to adjust on the fly the angle it makes easy work out of tying any pattern. If I am tying saltwater flies I set it flat. I can flip the fly up and down as I work like a rotary vise. Average trout flies I keep it in the 45 degree setting this allows me good room behind the hook. If I want to tie something really small I can set it vertical to allow maxim room behind the hook. So all in all I really do find it to be prefect. At least for me.

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I started with a very cheap kit vise which wouldn't hold a hook from the moment i opened the kit box. The local shop offered to trade it in for a used Griffin 2A. That worked great but I wasn't really tying much at all. Years later when the threads on the thumb screw started wearing out, I contacted Griffin and they said send it in.

 

I have yet to do that. I have recently purchased a Wolff Industries Atlas vise. It's a bit rough in finish at certain points but not where it counts. The designer was the one who insisted I contact him by phone. After a nice chat and a couple of adjustments, the vise is smooth and works great. He explained they saved on the purchase price by shaving off some of the cosmetic finishing. It came with a pedestal as well as a nice c-clamp. The seller sold me a bobbin cradle of his own design, one so nice, i think Wolff should contract with him. The final purchase price was less than what one sees the vise typically sold online sans cradle.

 

I didn't need a true rotary vise. But for just a bit more than a non-true-rotary, i now have the option for future needs. I think I paid around $125. I'll send in the Griffin at some point and will use it as a travel vise if needed.

 

eric

fresno, ca.

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I started on a Thompson Model A vise. I started selling flies in the early 90's so I could afford a HMH Standard vise. I've since tyed thousands of flies on it without a hiccup. I have a HMH Spartan for my travel vise. I've tried tying flies on friends Renzetti vises, but found it very awkward, my left hand wouldn't fit right. I do have a collection of older vises, mostly Herters, with a few other brands that I've collected over the years.

 

Mark

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I shouldn't even look at this thread...a visaholic. I've used alot of vises over the years, and liked most of them. Now I use DK Barracuda for most deerhair work-except big pike deerhair. On those I use DK Ergonomic. Still like my Regals and Renzetti Master for tails and streamers. I haven't believed getting a new "super-vise" would solve my tying deficiencies...I just like the doggone things. I suppose there are worse "vices" than that. Cheers, Ed

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Hi folks, new to the forum but to answer What vise do I use.

 

I have several that I use depending on what type or particular fly I am tying.

 

I have a Silverado that I purchased at Gander Mountain before they decieded to become the worlds biggest gun store. I use it for dry flies. I can comfortably put my hand on it when appling materials.

 

I have a Cabela's that I use for saltwater. I also have a Griffin Spyder (my first true rotary) that I use for my "secret" smallmouth fly. The proportions of the vise gives me excellent reference points for applying and trimming materials.

 

However, the vise I use the most is the Griffin Mongoose. When ever I go to a tying night or work a both at a show it is the vise that goes with me.

 

I have a "few" others that have been used at various times but just mainly set in a drawer.

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Good Lord! Some of you people have more than a dozen vises!? Why? I have one piece of sh*t vise that came in a Gander Mountain fly tying starter kit! To say this thing is "crude" would be a compliment! It looks like something hammered out of old beer cans by a group of small children chained to work tables! I am not sure, but, I think it is an AA vise....about $12 anywhere on the net and some places that includes shipping!

If anyone here is wanting to get rid of a working vise, I would be happy to take it off of your hands and make a little more room on your work bench....I would even be happy to pay the postage, so long as it didn't cost more than the vise! I saw the price on the Renzetti vise......it costs more than my kayak and I have a damn nice yak! It's no Hobie, but, I like it.....even if I had to sell a gun to get it!

Old, retired, fixed income and numerous medical issues, but, I love tying flies. Almost as much as using them!

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maybe it's because they keep buying pieces of .... not the vise they really want, so they keep trying hoping they'll get it right.

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