Specific Vise Question

[RedwoodOriginal 0]

I'm not new to tying or flyfishing, though I admittedly haven't tied freshwater in over 13 years and I wasn't very good. I just recently bought a couple new rods and moved to SW Virginia and would like to start tying again. I'm looking for a full setup of Vise and then tools bought seperate or together. I wil be fishing exclusively for trout and will be using a 3,4, and 5 weight reel and rod setups. So I plan on fishing from 22s down to 14s at the largest. I really need a some advice on a good pedestal vise magnifier light combo and tools. Thanks in Advance Jake RedWood

[day5 0]

HMH has the best micro jaws made.

[maddog48 0]

If you go Dyna-King their standard jaw handles from 8/0 down to size 22. I have 3 Dyna-Kings and have no problem recommending them to anyone.

 

 

Mike

[carlp5351 0]

I would also recommend the Dyna King Vise for tying trout flies, They have a lot of different models to choose from. Great service from the company. There standard jaws will work fine with the hook range you want to work with. Also the standard jaws will work great with bigger hooks also.

 

 

carlp

[RedwoodOriginal 0]

I would also recommend the Dyna King Vise for tying trout flies, They have a lot of different models to choose from. Great service from the company. There standard jaws will work fine with the hook range you want to work with. Also the standard jaws will work great with bigger hooks also.

 

Thanks for the tips in the right direction.The Dyna king is well within my price range, any personal preferences for model from other trout fly tyers?

[92Esquire 0]

I own a Dyna-King Barracuda Indexer, a PEAK, and an HMH Spartan. ANY of them will be a great vise for trout flies. The HMH has the benefits of being very small for travel, and the vise holds hooks very, very well. The negative with the HMH is that in order to really tie in rotary, you have to set the hook so that the shank is parallel with the axis of rotation (i.e., the jaws are holding the "middle" of the hook bend). This works, but you lose a LOT of space with trout flies. However, I rarely tie rotary fashion with trout flies (other than woolly buggers), so this is not a huge issue. It might be if you find yourself tying streamers, however. One problem that I do see with tying on the HMH with small flies is that I'm always running out of space BELOW the hook - between the vise shaft and the bobbin, I seem to get claustrophobic on size 16's and below.

 

Between the Dyna-King and the Peak, it's a tough call. The PEAK midge jaws are better for a lot of what I tie than the Dyna-King. The PEAK also approaches the hook from a steeper angle below the fly, which gives the tier a bit more room behind the hook (especially with the PEAK midge jaws and their deep cutaway). For trout sized hooks, either vise will hold extremely well. I do like the fit-n-finish of the Dyna-King a bit better, but the PEAK is still a very well-made vise (and about half the cost).

 

Another vise to consider is a Regal with stainless jaws. Regals are also very well made, and the stainless jaws have a finer point that will cover your tying sizes very well. Lots of guys have been tying for decades on the same Regal, and never want for another vise.

 

I realize that I'm not giving you the one great choice, but the truth is you really need to go and lay your hands on a bunch of them. If I were making a short list, I'd include the Dyna Kings (Barracuda, Barracuda Junior, Barracuda Trekker, Supreme, Pro), the PEAK vise, the HMH Spartan and Standard, and the Regals.

 

Get to a fly shop. One of them will scream "MINE" to you, I bet.

[maddog48 0]

For the size flies you're talking about, the Dyna-King fits what you're looking for. I use my Trekker more than any of the others but all 3 .. Trekker, King-Fisher and Voyager2 .. have their specific uses in my "grand scheme" of things. Another reason I like Dyna-King products is their customer service is top-notch IMHO. I special ordered some additions to my Trekker last Christmas season and had them in hand in 2 days. That's not bad I don't think considering how messed up delivery can be around the holiday seasons. But I agree with 92Esquire also. If you have a fly shop near you, go tell them what you're looking for and see if they'll let you play with any vise they may have. That's the best way to find a vise that fits you and your needs.

 

This is a bit dated but there's some good info from a classic tyer.

 

http://www.flyfisherman.com/ftb/hwvise/

 

 

Mike

[sandflyx 0]

one word----------ANVIL made in usa

[kodiaksalmon 0]

Dyna-King.

 

Also made in USA.

[glm38 0]

I tie mostly the same range flies as you do. Size 10 to 22. I'm kind of a vise "junke". I've owned about 10 or 12 different vises. The 2 I like the best (so far) are the Peak vise and the apex anvil. I probably slightly prefer the Peak. It's just a great all around vise. I just have the standard jaws but #22 hooks are no problem. But the midge jaws might make it even better for those smaller hooks. The pedestal is very nice on the Peak too. I really see no drawbacks to the Peak nor have I ever seen a negative review.

 

I like the anvil too. My only complaint with it is that the pedestal is too light and to effectively use the rotary function you have to move the jaws parallel to the ground because it is not a true or in line rotary vise.

 

good luck,

 

Greg

[maddog48 0]

Jake .. I think you're starting to get the picture. This is what happens when you ask .. what do you think about. Ten different people will answer with 10 different "which is best." That's another reason to go to the local shop and find one vise that fits you and your needs and style the best.

 

 

Mike

[92Esquire 0]

Jake .. I think you're starting to get the picture. This is what happens when you ask .. what do you think about. Ten different people will answer with 10 different "which is best." That's another reason to go to the local shop and find one vise that fits you and your needs and style the best.

 

 

Mike

 

Mike's got the right of it. It's similar to another of my hobbies - guitar playing. As 25 different guitar players which model of Fender Stratocaster is best (Fender's made about 150 different models, FWIW), and each of the players will tell you (for the most part) a different one. In almost every case, it's either a guitar they own, a guitar they sold that they wish they hadn't, or a guitar that they aspire to own someday. The truth is, every Fender Stratocaster makes music.

 

Vises hold hooks so that you can tie materials on them. It's as easy (and as hard) as that. Every vise is a tradeoff - either in ease of adjustment (screw vs. cam), functionality (rotary, rotational, fixed), materials (aluminum, steel, titanium), or finish quality. That's where the differences in brands (and prices!) come in. Every one of the vises on the market today is the result of a tinkerer somewhere saying "I can do that!" and trying to make a better, or cheaper, or easier to use vise.

 

Each and every one of us on this board has access to a vise. We get used to it, we get used to working how the vise needs to work. If we can't get used to it, we get a different vise. But none of us wants to think (or admit!) that we're foolish and spent money on the wrong vise - if ours works, it's the best out there and we did the research to prove it.

 

One more thing to consider - if you do have a local fly shop, go there and see what THEY tie on. Some shops tend to be Regal, some are Dyna King, some are Renzetti, etc. See if you can try their vises. I'd suggest you consider (if it works for you) buying a vise that your local shop stocks and uses as the "house" vise. Preferably, buy your vise from the local shop, even if it costs you a bit more. The benefit there is that the local shops are the first line of defense for problems. If you have an issue with your vise, that local guy will often bend over backwards for you while the problem gets worked out. He may loan you repair parts, or a whole new vise until yours gets back. Also, you'll be able to bring your vise in if you're struggling with it in any way - and getting hands-on help from guys who know a vise beats text based 'net help any day of the week.