Vise advice

[Coin 0]

 I am sure you have been asked many times about a vise. I am new and would like to know if any one uses the Colorado Angler Crown Vise. At Sportsmen's Warehouse it is listed for 50.00 which would be the top of my spending limit. 

[Dave G. 0]

I haven't but I do have the same iteration of their 102 Supreme. Having switched to H#H for my two main vices simply because I had certificates to get them, I tied for 25 years on that 102 as my main vice and still keep it in my travel case. So when I go to Maine and tie there I'm using that vice. It's still good, the rotating tolerances were never great and still aren't but in function it works fine and it holds hooks fine. I know that doesn't help you with the Crown lol ! Their Crown I imagine is the same as the rest of the Crowns out there. These are all made in India fwiw. But the jaws on my iteration of the 102 vice still hold today. I can recommend that on the sheer longevity of use I've gotten from mine. Maybe someone will be along and answer your question more directly about the crown.

[Poopdeck 0]

The best vise is the one that you can afford. What are the reviews on the vise? It seems to be a knock off of a regal so it probably is branded under a dozen different names.

[Lesg 0]

It looks like my first vise. As Dave G. said it is most likely a made in India knock-off. I used mine for several years with no issues whatsoever but I don't tie hundreds of flies like some do. The only reason I switched is to try a true rotary but other than that the vise is still going strong. Welcome to the site and have fun. There is a ton of information and good advice available here.

 

Les

[gillage 0]

If you can S T R E T C H your budget just a little, I like this vise from J Stockard.

https://www.jsflyfishing.com/js-tools-ez-rotary-vise

 

[utyer 0]

When I looked up the Crown vise at Sportsman's I find a knock off of the Regal.  I have tied (and still have) a Regal vise.  I have not been that impressed with the knock off above, and I have tried similar ones used by some of my students.  This Crown from the Fly Shack is a clamp model for $39.99. I think you would do better to get the Crown from and one of these 3 shops.  just make sure you are getting the rotary version.  Save the $20.00 difference for hooks.

[niveker 0]

I like Poop's response. 

I've never used one, but you see these Regal imitations all over the place, seems every store sells them, only the mounting, the color of the head, and the shape and color of the adjusting knobs change, depending on where it is.  I'd say they're all from the same factory if I had to guess. 

The guy from a local fly shop was tying on one at the last small fly fishing expo my club was allowed to hold, he had nothing but good to say about it.  For $50 and free shipping its hard to go wrong.  The Fly Shack shows up on my screen at 44.95, add a pack of hooks and you get free shipping too.  Except for the things I mentioned above, they both look the same to me.  I prefer a pedestal over a c-clamp, even though I have a dedicated tying space now, I like to be able to move mine around alot.   If you don't have a dedicated tying space you can be limited as to where you set up to tie, either due to table thickness or other considerations.  For example, you shouldn't clamp it to your dining room table, if that table was a wedding gift to your wife's great-grandmother back in 1918.  It doesn't matter if the table is oak.  

[Noahguide 0]

Just to be clear, they aren't regals.  They stick when you rotate them and the set screws don't hold everything in place as you would like.  But they are inexpensive and work.  I picked mine up one trip to visit my mom when I didn't bring my vise.  They work will on big stuff and they hold down to 22s.  They do spit out hooks like their expensive cousin, if you aren't careful.

If you have $50 to spend and need a vise, they are worth the price of admission.

[Coin 0]

I Thank all of you for your suggestions. I have been reading a lot on this forum and will keep on doing so. 

[Iroc_Jeff 0]

This January I bought the Griffin Superior 1A vice to replace my old 10$ whatever one it was, which by the way worked fine for the past decade but doesn't want to grab onto hook smaller than size 2 or 4. I didn't want a rotary vice I just wanted something that would hold a hook tight and this one worked great. Got the pedestal model and couldn't be happier.

[Jacks Grampa 0]

There've  been millions of flies tied on Thompson A vises over the decades. If you tie small stuff they have midge jaws for them.

[Dave G. 0]

My first vise was a  non rotating chrome Thompson of which I do not recall the model but was thinking it was an A in chrome, and my now 47yo stepson still ties on that vise ( he ties some dry flies, elk hair caddis or simulators, but mostly streamers and woolly buggers). He's had it since his teen age years, so over 20 years plus my time on the vise prior to that makes it a very worthy investment.

[Coin 0]

On 5/3/2021 at 5:55 AM, gillage said:

If you can S T R E T C H your budget just a little, I like this vise from J Stockard.

https://www.jsflyfishing.com/js-tools-ez-rotary-vise

 

This vise is on sale for 48.00 at this time. Today is 6/21/2021.

[bass master 0]

I agree with the Thompson A vise. It was my first vise, used. Not sure what I paid for it. But they last forever and hold a hook. And that's all a vise needs to do. If you didn't already pick up a vise. I would think about getting A Thompson A off eBay. Save yourself a few bucks for hooks and material. 

[SilverCreek 0]

3 hours ago, bass master said:

I agree with the Thompson A vise. It was my first vise, used. Not sure what I paid for it. But they last forever and hold a hook. And that's all a vise needs to do. If you didn't already pick up a vise. I would think about getting A Thompson A off eBay. Save yourself a few bucks for hooks and material. 

Not all Thompson Model A vises are the same. The one on Ebay now has a weird blunt jaw.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/184939342413?chn=ps&mkevt=1&mkcid=28

 

This is what a Thompson should look like with a tapered jaw.

 

I also suggest the EZ rotary vise as noted by Coin.

For a bit more money get a Peak Rotary Vise which is an excellent vise for the money.

https://www.mudhole.com/PEAK-Rotary-Vise-with-Pedestal-Base