Fly tying - taking the plunge; which vise?

[wgmiller]

I've got an upcoming birthday and Christmas is around the corner as well. Now that I'm a bit into fly fishing, I'd like to take the plunge and learn the art of tying flies. I'm at that point now where I'm ready to "complete the cycle" and tie my own flies to hopefully land fish with.

That being said, obviously one of the most important (and expensive) components of fly tying is the vise. I've done a good bit of reading and everyone seems to recommend that you don't scrimp on a vise. I'd like to make the investment in a product that I won't have to replace a year, two or five down the road. I also don't want to spend three or four hundred dollars on a vise either.

The ties I'll be learning to tie will presumably be in the range of 1/0 (salt Clousers) to the smaller trout flies like 20's, 22's, etc. I'm not looking to get into large salt flies/streamers and I don't think I will have aspirations to tie micro flies like that of the trico,etc.

I'm looking for recommendations an input so that I can present a list to the wife. The vise I choose need not be a pedestal model as I will be perfectly fine with a clamp model.

I've read a lot of good things about Renzetti Travelers: http://www.questoutdoors.net/gear/tested/traveler/

Any other recommendations in the $125-$200 range?

Thanks in advance!

 

[harv06]

I really like my Regal. I have tied a ton of flies on it and the jaws are still great.

 

[tztrout]

I love Regal as well - keep trying to find a way to justify buying the stainless steel model- first one was the inex- which I still use for most of my larger flies- and a standard with midge jaws that I use for the bulk of my trout flies

 

[gfen]

If I had your price range, I'd buy a Regal and a pedestal base. Get the Regal that you can turn over to see all sides of the fly, whereas I've never used the rotary function of my vice for, err, rotating, I have used it for that many times and couldn't do without it.

 

[littlelehigh]

I would also say the rotary function is a must especially starting out you really have no idea how the bottom of your flies look and it is important especially when tying quill bodies (which I don't think many others besides me does anymore!)

I recommend the Griffith Odyssey for about $80 it will cover what you are looking for and use the extra money for materials, a slick kit etc. You can never have enough materials!!!!!!!!!!

 

[jayL]

In your price range, a true rotary would certainly be nice.

That said, I have tied on many rotary vises, and found that I still have no problem using my cheap old AA. I could buy ten of them for the price of a rotary. If you want to spend the money, by all means do. However, don't feel like you are taking a huge short cut by getting a simple, cheap, proven vise.

I tie sizes 2 to 26 on it without a problem. The only must have for me is a pedestal base.

 

[jaybo41]

Check out this discussion in the Fly Tying forum. There's some good dialogue there as well as a great link that reviews various models.

Orvis has the Renzetti Traveler C Clamp model on sale for $119. That sounds like the one that will fit the description of your needs. Let us know what you end up with and how you like it.

Good luck.

 

[gfen]

This is due to become a dueling thread to the other one, where I stated I owned a Griffin Odyessy Spider and also recommended the Regal.

The downside to the Griffin, and it would appear many true rotorary vises is there's not much room behind the hook to work, sometimes. Hindsight is 20/20, I probably wouldn't have bought it. I'm glad I didn't buy the more expensive cam-based version, though, because it has the same shortcomings as the one I do own, and mostly just cost more.

True rotory verus full, and easy, access to the complete hook with minimal spinning feature... I'd much prefer the latter.

FWIW, the simplest and cheapest AA vises that Jay recommends provide full, and easy, access to the hook. They may not feel or look as good as the top models, but they'll do the job, and most people never need anything more (I probably didn't).

The most important tools? A good set of scissors, and a ceramic bobbin, followed by quality hackle if you plan on tying winky little dries.

You may want to spend some more time checking out tying, first, before you drop the cash.

Or, buy the Regal, decide you hate it, sell it to me for pennies on the dollar!

 

[Rolf]

I don't tie but my wife does..........Regal.

Good Luck,
Rolf

 

[wgmiller]

In hindsight I should have posted this in the fly tying section. Mods, if you pick up on this, feel free to move it over.

Great input thus far. Like so many things in life, it sounds like vise preference could be as simple as the difference between vanilla and chocolate; it's all in your taste palate!

I'm sure the wife will cringe at the notion of me getting into another aspect of fly fishing, but I could always take my money to the strip club, right?

I'll be sure to let everyone know what I end up with come November/December.

 

[littlelehigh]

wgmiller wrote:
In hindsight I should have posted this in the fly tying section. Mods, if you pick up on this, feel free to move it over.

Great input thus far. Like so many things in life, it sounds like vise preference could be as simple as the difference between vanilla and chocolate; it's all in your taste palate!

I'm sure the wife will cringe at the notion of me getting into another aspect of fly fishing, but I could always take my money to the strip club, right?

I'll be sure to let everyone know what I end up with come November/December.

Or develope a coke habit :-o

 

[surveyor06]

coke habit is cheaper

 

[Fredrick]

Renzetti Traveler if you don't like tying you could sell it on ebay and just about get your monies back .....

 

[tobewan77]

never heard a bad word about a peak vise. True rotary at a very nice price.

 

[JoeE]

IMO, but the cheapest rotary vise you like. If it is 50.00 or 300.00.

Joe E

 

[troutslammer]

vise choices probably depend on how much u are going to use it , its kinda like a car , how many miles you gonna put on the thing in what amount of time !!!! if your not going to tie much then a cheapy would probably last a long time , but if u start selling and swaping flies and lose alot of them , then get a good vise so it last longer !

 

[wetnet]

The Renzetti Traveler.

 

[shakey]

thompson AA,till you know you're going to stick with it.spend the extra money on material.

i use a renzetti traveller that my girl bought me,i love it.

 

[afishinado]

shakey wrote:
thompson AA,till you know you're going to stick with it.spend the extra money on material.

i use a renzetti traveller that my girl bought me,i love it.

I agree 100%. Get yourself a basic vise that holds hooks well, that's really the bottom line on vises. If you really get into it, you will have a clue as to what is best for you, and can buy a more expensive vise. BTW, I too wouldn't trade my Renzetti Traveler for any vise.

 

[Darryl]

Like a few others have already mentioned, I've got a Regal and absolutely love it. I wouldn't hesitate a bit to recommend one. Mine has the pedestal base and the stainless steel jaws, which are more resistant to chipping and hold a wider range of hooks in "trout sizes" than the standard jaws do. I tie about 2,000-3,000 flies a year, so my vise really gets a good workout. I've had absolutely no problems with the Regal thus far. It will hold any size hook without adjustment, which is a really cool feature when you're tying a bunch of different sizes. The machining on the Regal is top-notch.

I've tied on (and owned) quite a few vises over the years including Renzetti, Dyna-King and HMH and my Regal is by far the one I like the most. Of course vises are very much a personal preference and what I like, you may not.

-Darryl