ryveradair 0 Report post Posted March 28, 2014 Do you think expensive vices such as the renzetti master vice is worth it? What kind of expensive vice would you recommend? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
petegray 0 Report post Posted March 28, 2014 there are cheap tools and there are good tools... but you won't find too many cheap good tools... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Piker20 0 Report post Posted March 28, 2014 Value is what you are able to justify. If you can afford a Ferrari and a 10bedroom mansion paying £500 for a vice that looks good is peanuts. I set my limit at £200 and went just slightly over with a Jvice. I think the vice looks good and more importantly holds the range of hooks I use. It has lots of extras I could add if so inclined. I chose the J over a US brand vice purely because in the UK the price point of the J is the same as a more entry level renzetti but higher quality, also more individual than buying a mass market vice. Could I tie the same flies with a cheaper vice, definately. Would the cheaper vice last as long? My previous cheap (still £40) Thompson knock off didnt last 4years. I fully expect the J to outlive me. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flytire 0 Report post Posted March 28, 2014 Do you think expensive vices such as the renzetti master vice is worth it? sure! but its only worth it to the tyer who wants one. my renzetti traveler is worth it to me. to me its totally irrelevant what other people tie flies on. to each his own Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SilverCreek 0 Report post Posted March 28, 2014 I would say that a single malt with a Cuban cigar is an expensive vice........ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FlaFly 0 Report post Posted March 28, 2014 As far as I'm concerned, smoking and gambling are expensive vices. But I'm one of those who uses an inexpensive vise for tying my flies. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gene L 0 Report post Posted March 28, 2014 I've got a Master vise and it does about everything. Nowadays, one of the Presentation series (2000?) looks a whole lot like the Master and is a lot less money, but it wasn't being made when I bought mine. My vise holds the hook extremely well. It is my main vise after tying a couple of years on a HMH Standard, which is also a fine vise. Is it worth it? I thought/think it was to me. Does it make tying easier? A little bit. But all that being said, all things considered, it's the tier and not the vise. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
s fontinalis 0 Report post Posted March 28, 2014 beauty and value are in the eye of the beholder. Look at a Cottarelli Vise, a J-Vise, a Ekich Damasteel....Two of those are no more expensive than a top of the line regal. FWIW, i use a cottarelli. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bryon Anderson 0 Report post Posted March 28, 2014 "I haven't a particle of confidence in a man with no redeeming petty vices." --Mark Twain Sorry, couldn't resist since others were riffing on the vice/vise thing already. As for the actual topic of this thread - I would heartily second Piker20's comment, "Value is what you are able to justify." Very well said. As far as I understand, the only thing a Renzetti Master is able to "do" that some other vises can't is hold a very broad range of hook sizes--basically all of them, I think. Personally, I seriously doubt that I will ever tie on a hook larger than 2/0 or maybe 4/0, and I can tell you with confidence that I will never tie on one smaller than a #20. So, for me, the Master wouldn't be worth it's considerable cost. But again, that's just me. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
utyer 0 Report post Posted March 28, 2014 As long as a vise will hold the hooks you are using in a comfortable position, you don't really NEED an expensive vise. The first thing any vise should do is hold the hook properly. Cheap vises will do that at first, and many will continue to be serviceable for awhile. Depending on just how much you tie, you could need to replace a cheap vise in a little as 4 to 6 months, or they might last 4 to 6 years. An expensive vise should first hold the hook properly, and depending on the cost differences, last much longer. If your first vise was a $6.95 kit vise, and lasted one year, then a seventy dollar vise should last at least 10 times as long. A 7 hundred dollar vise should out last you and your kids. No one NEEDS an expensive vise, but a lot of us WANT one. Through the years, I have owned about 15 different vises, several of these were what would be considered expensive at the time I bought them. Almost all of the vises I have owned, are still in use, I know where most of them are, and who uses them. I was lucky enough to work in the tackle industry for more than 25 years, and was able to try out dozens of different vises. They all worked. Today, there are so many good quality vises, its hard to choose. There would be a lot fewer expensive vises if people didn't buy them, just like there would be a lot fewer brands of expensive golf clubs or skis. Just buying a more expensive vise won't make you tie flies any better, but you may like using your new toy enough to tie more, and tying more is the way to get better. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FlaFly 0 Report post Posted March 28, 2014 Since utyer brought up the option, let me say I agree with him. Mikechell put me onto an inexpensive vise that I just purchased. I suggest you read this review of vises costing less than $50: http://www.flyfishohio.com/Vise%20Review%201/so_many_vises_$50.htm The one I got is Cabela's Super II at $20. It and the Bass Pro (same vise) both were rated by the reviewers better than others that cost 2 or 3 times the price. I can appreciate that a pro tyer (one who sells flies and needs to maximize output) would want one of the fully rotary vises. If you're just a hobbyist like me, and not in any particular hurry, my Super II does all I need. These vises are rotary in the sense that you can turn the fly over to work on its tummy without unlatching the hook (very important no matter who you are). Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chase Creek 0 Report post Posted March 28, 2014 Gotta agree with utyer. I've had some expensive models with all the bells and whistles, and some cheap bare bones ones. There usually is a difference in quality. As in a lot of things, you generally get what you pay for. Looking at it in a "practical" way, the only function of a vise is to hold the hook securely while you tie dead animal parts to it. Most vises on the market today do a decent job of that. Wanting and Needing are two very different things. But if you want an expensive vise, get it. (I use a Regal Medallion) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oldtrout58 0 Report post Posted March 28, 2014 Absolutely, the vise should outlast you. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
phg 0 Report post Posted March 28, 2014 Only you can decide that, but if you appreciate precision machining and superb quality in your tools, you will appreciate it. I have the Presentation 4000, the step below the Master. (I also have a traveler that I use when traveling.) I hesitated to spend that much money, but I'm glad now that I did. The vise will definitely outlast me, and I intend to keep tying on it for at least another 20 years. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rockworm 0 Report post Posted March 28, 2014 My first vise was a Thompson knock-off that cost about $20. It lasted a week. I learned my lesson and bought a Regal for about $150. I was a student at the time and this was honestly more than I could afford. But this vise has been so good to me I have never regretted the expense. When the company introduced their stainless jaws I bought one and now use it for most of my small flies. I use the original jaws for anything bigger than #8. Now, the Regal is not a rotary vise. But you can rotate the fly to access all its parts. Which is all I need. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites