Nor-Vise Spicific

[Sonny Edmonds 0]

Returning to fly fishing and tying, myself. Been away for a lot of decades.

I say that because it has been a hit and miss sort of fishing world. But retiring in 9 months has me rethinking my priorities, and teaching my Grand Kids to fish.

So I got a Cabelas Master vise and got back to fumbling around with my extra large size paws and found that old flame still burns as hot as it did as a kid in hip waders fishing a wide quiet spot in the creek.

My how the world has changed!

I've studied the vises of the trade and settled on the Nor-Vise because it made the most sense to me.

1. It's a true rotary. It is intended to be used as a rotary at the speed the tyer chooses.

2. It is made in the USA, by a simple entrepreneurial guy that took his love of fly fishing to the next level.

3. It is going to get me around the dreaded dubbing issues that often stop my tying for the evening. I want to tye a good fly. I can't get the consistency I want with a fixed vise. And I'm a Borg, a machine head. I love mechanical things that help me make better things.

The drawback is..... I'm gonna have to live about 127 years longer to make all this pay for itself. :bugeyes:

 

I'd like to hear from the other 18 Nor-Vise users who clicked on Day5's vise post.

You other guys can just go tye fly's. Thank You.

 

[Guest]

At a estate auction last week I let a big box of tying material go for $65 to another bidder cuz it had a Nor-Vise in it.

Brent

[Bulldog5485 0]

WORTH EVERY PENNY !!!!!!

[Sonny Edmonds 0]

WORTH EVERY PENNY !!!!!!

 

Glad to hear it, Bulldog.

Mine is on the way. Thanks for the reply.

 

[DrVette 0]

I have had mine now for about 2 years and am still not impressed with it. I have been kicking around the idea of buying the small hook add-on jaws since most of my tying is small and my biggest problem is getting around the barrel-like jaws.

I have had an automatic bobbin for a long time and can't say enough good things about it though. I actually have three now.

[utyer 0]

I have had mine since 89, or 90. Recently, I sent the vise to Norm to have it upgraded the vise with some of the new features. I got new brass hubs, and the friction clamp. I had it converted for the new small jaws, and got the gallows tool. I like using mine, and it makes a really nice dubbing spinner. Winding hackle with the vise is a snap. I can use the vise in the full rotary mode, or lock it down with the friction clamp in any position. Its a top quality tool, and I have no doubt that it will outlast me.

 

I have two of the auto bobbins, and they work great for me. I know this isn't the most popular vise out there, fewer than 5% of the responents to the poles admit to using it, but I like mine just fine. Would rather sell my Renzetti, and my Dyna-King than part with the Nor-vise.

 

Oops, just rechecked the latest vise pole, and the Nor-vise is just over 5% now.

[Sonny Edmonds 0]

LOL!

Well your 20 years of experiance tells me I probably made the right choice.

'Scuse me, I think I'll go chase the mailman down... :whistle:

[Guest]

Please post what you think of the vise after 6 months of using it. 3/0 waxed mono cord thread will pulg the bobbin almost every other fly doing buggers. Do at least 600 flys before judging the vise and posting results. I hope it works out for you after spending all that cash that could have been spent on a real vise.

[Sonny Edmonds 0]

Well bud, it's real enough for my needs.

I don't need something to stroke my ego.

But hey, if your little chicken picken makes you feel good, stroke on.

I was asking for input from actual users of the Nor-Vise.

But heck, there always seems to be one of your kind ready to stick a foot in the door.

I tye and fish for fun, found what I think is the right vise for me, and bought it.

Opinions are like A'holes, everybody has one so pull your pants back up.

Like I said, go tye flies.

And sure, I'll be glad to post about how it works out for me.

But what works (or doesn't) for me is really no reflection on your ability (or lack of) to succeed with the same tooling.

I just asked for input from actual owners/users. Not your scratch.

[Guest]

Post some pic's of your flys .....................and take your meds. that vise is gonna wear you out! LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I bet China can hear me laughing about your post.

[Guest]

Is there a nicer way of telling someone not to step in a bear trap?

[JRG 0]

Still love mine. Going on 5 years. Tied size 32-2/0 on it. Have all the jaws and some spares. If you tie small I would recommend the extra fine conversion as is gives the vice a more universal feel and you lose none of the features. Brent had a pretty bad experience with his as you know already so I can't blame his attitude. So maybe you don't want to use waxed monorcord with the bobbin but since I tie using mostly extra fine mono or 14/0 Gordon griffith's I've never had a problem. Once you get used to it a regular bobbin will feel so useless.

[Sonny Edmonds 0]

Thanks JRG.

14/0, and the automatic bobbin didn't give you fits? Datsa really fine tyin!

I'm not sure my old eyes could begin to thread a hook that small onto a leader, even with my desk magnifier. :dunno:

 

Is the spring mechanism adjustable for the different thread weights? (Much as drag is for different sized leaders/line) Seems to me there would be range that works best, and the extremes at either end would suffer.

I'm pretty specific and narrow minded in what I want to tye ultimately. So I'm working towards that end, my favorites are between 10-20 hook sizes, and Adams, and Elk hair Caddis', as I target stream fishing for pan sized trout when I'm wading. (High Sierras, Eastern)

 

I don't normally use fly fishing for bass at the Colorado River were we take two of the Grand Kids on Easter vacation, but watching the large mouths rise and jump before dawn this last spring rekindled my fly fishing fire.

Lots has changed since the 1960's and now in the fishing world. And a lot of what I've seen appears to target buyers, not fish. I like the old time fly's the best, not the glitz stuff. I don't go fishing to catch fish, I go for the fun of it and being in nature. I get a much bigger kick out of watching the kids fight and land fish than catching them myself anymore.

But the adrenalin rush of the swirl and the zing of the hook-up when a fish takes a fly is something I want to share with my grand kids that do fish with me.

 

Anyway, Thanks for sharing your experiences with the Nor-Vise with me. Real soon I will be able to reciprocate and ask more intelligent questions, hopefully.

 

[longears 0]

you're going to love the Norvise system! they're my vise of choice now for my classes. tying small fly's? you might want to spend a few scheckles and invest in the midge jaw conversion. There is also a great tube fly conversion that norm came up with. Don't tye tubes? I also use this setup to make extended mayfly tails to mount on fly bodies. You won't be disappointed in your purchase nor the Customer care that Norm gives.

[JRG 0]

Sonny,

 

I would say there's no real tension on the thread for the most part with the bobbin unless you extend the length to the point of the where the clutch or the spring has reached max tension and it has to release tension as you keep pulling more thread out. For the most part you never hit this point as it's about 12" or so. If you use the travel board it's about the length from the vice to the post. So, if you just put the spool in and thread up and tie in, when you let go of the bobbin it will spool out due to the weight. This is counteracted by wrapping the thread around one of the bobbin legs, about 2-3 times is about right to where when you let go the bobbin will stay where it's at just barely. Not an ideal set-up in my opinion but maybe the most practical. I have some ideas to maybe improve upon tension control but haven't had any time to mess with it.