Good Beginner Vise for Nymphs

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jdgehman

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Hey guys, I just got into fly fishing last year and am looking to start tying some flies. I'll probably start with nymphs since that is what I have had the most success fishing. I don't want to break the bank on a vise, hoping to spend under $100, but would like to be able to use it for smaller hooks. Any thoughts or recommendations where I can pick up a decent used vise. Thanks!
 
Dear JD:
Welcome to a lifetime addiction. I suggest you start out relatively on the inexpensive side. Cabelas has a vice under $30 that should last you for the first several years of you tying experience. You might even be able to buy a used Thompson AA vice. You can troll the "swap forum" on this site for a used vice. Craig's List is another alternative.
You can also go to one of the Fly Fishing shows to see some really nice vices in action.
If you really like fly tying you can then shop for a vice in the big bucks category.
Enjoy tying and tight lines!
PM me if you want to discuss further.
 
Welcome to our online community jdgehman.

Salmo gave you some good advice above.
 
Great advise above. Once you find out if you like tying or not you can upgrade the vise and not be out very much. I recently upgraded from the cheap kit vise to a peak that was in the $150 range and yes it is a night and day difference but not necessary. A good vise makes tying enjoyable and it stays out of the way. The kit vise I had made tying small nymphs difficult because I needed to work around the vise.

Best bet start with an inexpensive vise and if you like it upgrade once you know what you want and are looking for in a vise.

Feel free to wander over to the fly tying section and start asking questions. There is lots of information and everyone is willing to help.
 
After a quick check the Griffin 1A is available for about $40 shipped. It has the same head as the Odyssey which is a rotary that goes for $75-$80. I have used the Odyssey and it holds and adjusts (double thumbscrew) just fine for small hooks and large.
 
DGC wrote:
After a quick check the Griffin 1A is available for about $40 shipped. It has the same head as the Odyssey which is a rotary that goes for $75-$80. I have used the Odyssey and it holds and adjusts (double thumbscrew) just fine for small hooks and large.

Has anyone else had experience with the Griffin vices?

The prices are reasonable, and the design looks similar to the Regal vices, which is what I use and like, but they have gotten expensive.

I used the Thompson A, which is a cam lever vise, and I hated it. It required fussy adjustments and the hook often slipped.

And most of the low priced vices are similar cam lever vices, such as the Cabelas AA. Surely millions of flies have been tied on these cam lever vices, but I wouldn't recommend them.
 
I have this one after 30 years, Its not sexy but I still love it. Its solid and servicable. I originally bought a Renzetti but took it back because I am a "heavy Handed" tier and it was too dainty for me.

Griffin Superior 3 AR Pedistal
 

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That Griffin vice looks good. Seems like a good value.

I'd try that over one of those "A" cam lever vices, which are fidgety.
 
troutbert wrote:
That Griffin vice looks good. Seems like a good value.

I'd try that over one of those "A" cam lever vices, which are fidgety.

I agree. I have a Griffin Odyssey Spider that uses the large thumb screw to tighten the jaws. It's a little slower than a cam lever, but in this price range of vice it is a better option IMO. It is easy to adjust so that it holds tightly with little fuss. Just use the small thumbscrew to adjust the jaws to the hook size, then use the thumb screw to lock the hook in the jaws.

The best thing about the vise is that the jaws are a high quality steel and haven't shown any signs of wear or deformation after 3+ years of constant use.

For $150 Griffin offers several vises that would fit your needs. I wouldn't hesitate to purchase any of them. They may not be as sexy as a Renzetti, but they hold hooks well. I've been tying for many years and the Odyssey Spider does everything I need. The rotary feature is spartan bordering on crude but it is true rotary.

There are other option beyond Griffins in the $150 range also. $150 gets you a heck of a lot more vise than just a "A" style model.

Kev
 
PennKev wrote:

For $150 Griffin offers several vises that would fit your needs. I wouldn't hesitate to purchase any of them. They may not be as sexy as a Renzetti, but they hold hooks well. I've been tying for many years and the Odyssey Spider does everything I need. The rotary feature is spartan bordering on crude but it is true rotary.

There are other option beyond Griffins in the $150 range also. $150 gets you a heck of a lot more vise than just a "A" style model.

Kev

For $150 or just slightly more you can get into the peaks, or renzetti traveler and those have silky smoother rotary operation. At $150 or slightly more I wouldn't settle for crude rotary operation but that's me.
 
Well, the spider can be had for $75 shipped so it is in the middle of the $150 budget. For the full $150 you can get into a griffin mongoose which has a significantly improved rotary feature amongst other improvements.

Honestly though, a stack of precision bearings (or whatever) does not tie better flies than a simple bushing. Really, it doesn't. Aside from the tier knowing that's it's a less expensive way of constructing a vise, there is no real tangible drawback. Ergonomics and jaw quality are the keys to a good vise IMO. As long as the rotary function turns freely, it's a matter of personal preference how it is constructed.

Kev
 
Wait, WHAT? Fly tying vices have bearings? ka-pwoiugh!!! Mind blown!
 
Kev,
I agree on all counts. It's not the tool its the operator. I just wanted to point out that crude isnt acceptable at $150. Like you said Smooth rotatory operation regardless of the means is what is important after that its personal choice. For rotary vises at least what I noticed when I was shopping was that $150-$200 was the sweet spot where function and quality came together. Not saying spending less wont get you a good rotary vise. Just it seemed that the $150-$200 price point had lots of offerings and you really couldn't go wrong.
 
I still tie on the cheapo vise I got with a tying kit. Granted its started to fail dramatically now after 2 years of hard tying, doesn't hold hooks anymore unless I get I set the hook in perfectly where there isn't any damage to the jaws.
I cant wait to get a regal.
 
Opinions about vises are like "you know" everybody has one. I own a couple vises, for the money it's hard to beat Peak. It's maybe a little more money than a beginner may want to spend, some of the less expensive vises are quickly outgrown as your skills increase. A Peak will last you many years. Again, my opinion.

Don
 
For someone looking to start tying in the not too distant future, would it be recommended to build a set up from components (vice, spindle, materials, etc) or just pick-up a full kit from Cabelas/Orvis/Gander Mtn?

 
FlyGuyGlen wrote:
For someone looking to start tying in the not too distant future, would it be recommended to build a set up from components (vice, spindle, materials, etc) or just pick-up a full kit from Cabelas/Orvis/Gander Mtn?

The conventional wisdom is don't buy a kit especially with materials.

Here's a blog article on kits:

The Best Fly Tying Starter Kit

Here's a material list I created for a few basic flies:

Below are the most common and basic four flies to start off with. For anything you can not buy locally, refer to the links for JStockard, a very popular Internet source for materials


Buy some: nymph hooks (size 10, 12 & 14); beads in gold and copper (size 1/8 & 7/64); round wire for weight (size .015).

Greenie Weenie
Fluorescent green fine chenille
http://www.jsflyfishing.com/hareline-chenille-fine

Walt’s Worm
Hare’s ear plus dubbing:
Assorted dispenser:
http://www.jsflyfishing.com/hareline-dubbing-dispensers-with-12-colors
or single pack in hare’s ear or hare’s dark:
http://www.jsflyfishing.com/hareline-hares-ear-plus-dubbing

Pheasant Tail Nymph
Pheasant Tail in natural or brown:
http://www.jsflyfishing.com/hareline-ringneck-pheasant-complete-tail
Peacock herl:
http://www.jsflyfishing.com/hareline-strung-peacock-herl

Hare’s Ear Nymph
Dubbing see link below walt’s worm


Lastly, develop a budget for a vise and tools.
 
I've been using this vice for the past 9 years. Vice

I bought it as a starter kit because it came with all the tools. I always intended to upgrade if I stuck with tying, but never did. I got a better pair of scissors and bobbin, but never felt the need to spend more money on a vice, this works just fine. I've used it for 2/0 saltwater hooks down to size 20 without issue. The draw backs are that you can't flip the fly without taking it out of the jaws and sometimes hooks slip. If I upgrade it will be to something that has a rotary feature and better jaws. That said, for the money, this kit is a darn good value.
 
RCFetter wrote:
The conventional wisdom is don't buy a kit especially with materials.

Here's a blog article on kits:

The Best Fly Tying Starter Kit

Here's a material list I created for a few basic flies:

Below are the most common and basic four flies to start off with. For anything you can not buy locally, refer to the links for JStockard, a very popular Internet source for materials


Buy some: nymph hooks (size 10, 12 & 14); beads in gold and copper (size 1/8 & 7/64); round wire for weight (size .015).

Greenie Weenie
Fluorescent green fine chenille
http://www.jsflyfishing.com/hareline-chenille-fine

Walt’s Worm
Hare’s ear plus dubbing:
Assorted dispenser:
http://www.jsflyfishing.com/hareline-dubbing-dispensers-with-12-colors
or single pack in hare’s ear or hare’s dark:
http://www.jsflyfishing.com/hareline-hares-ear-plus-dubbing

Pheasant Tail Nymph
Pheasant Tail in natural or brown:
http://www.jsflyfishing.com/hareline-ringneck-pheasant-complete-tail
Peacock herl:
http://www.jsflyfishing.com/hareline-strung-peacock-herl

Hare’s Ear Nymph
Dubbing see link below walt’s worm


Lastly, develop a budget for a vise and tools.

Great info! Thanks RC. I was actually looking at the Griffin Odyssey Spider Cam recently. Not a bad price point if it truly is a "lifetime" warranty. Will do some further research over the next few days and hopefully take the plunge soon!
 
The only thing I will disagree with RC on is the hook sizes. For nymphs 2xl size 14 and 16 will be just right 90% of the time. I rarely tye the nymphs listed in 10's or 12's.
 
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