Vise Comments

[Bamboozle]

Many moons ago when I was a kid living in NYC I was hanging out at the infamous "Angler's Roost" chatting with the irascible Jim Deren.

When I told him I had a "Xuron" vise he about exploded saying HE invented it many years earlier and that it was called the "Angler's Roost Vise!!"

If you knew him or of him this about par for the course with Jim so of couse I corrected myself so he wouldn't throw me out of the store...

 

[fritzer]

I was in Jim's shop off Lexington Ave(?) once and only once! Each time I would ask him if he stocked a certain item, his reply was "You don't need it!". Don't know how he survived and afforded the rent in mid-town Manhattan then. An experience that I cherish and I count it a "privilege" nevertheless……………😂

 

[Bamboozle]

I was in Jim's shop off Lexington Ave(?) once and only once! Each time I would ask him if he stocked a certain item, his reply was "You don't need it!". Don't know how he survived and afforded the rent in mid-town Manhattan then. An experience that I cherish and I count it a "privilege" nevertheless……………😂

I frequented his third store at 141 East Forty-Fourth Street off Lexington Avenue, NOT the 43rd Street store (between 2nd & 3rd Aves) or the Chrysler Building location.

I lived a few blocks away so it was a Saturday "hang-out" for me. Just about everything I asked for he didn't have but he'd always offer a substitute that was about 80% off the mark...

In those days Abercrombie & Fitch was long closed and Orvis had yet to open their first NYC store so I also used to take the train up to Westchester and Peter Phelps from the Bedford Sportsman or Hoagy Carmichael would pick me up at the train station and take me to their shops.

Great memories and a great time to be living in the Big Apple...

 

[JohnPowers]

I’ve had a Traveler since they came out. Upgraded to the cam activated jaws. I use the rotary feature. Great vise. Handcrafted in The USA if that matters to you.it’s genius is its simplicity.

 

[lestrout]

I’ve had a Traveler since they came out. Upgraded to the cam activated jaws. I use the rotary feature. Great vise. Handcrafted in The USA if that matters to you.it’s genius is its simplicity.

I remember when the Renzetti first came out. It was in Jack's Tackle when he was in Phoenixville. At that time Jack had a TV repair shop - those were the days when you would end up shopping for the right type of tube to fix whatever problem came up. By the '70s, TVs were getting into transistors, so the tube business - uh- tubed. So Jack totally went over to fly stuff.

By the mid '70s I was upgrading from a Thompson - not the A model, but a B or maybe F that came with a Noll's fly tying kit ($10) that my brother gave me. i got fixated on a rotating vise, not for rotating hackle or ribbing while tying, but because I like to look on the other side of the fly while tying. For several years, I bought a new rotating vise a year, whenever a Swedish firm or Orvis or somebody would introduce one. Some weren't rotary in the sense of keeping the hook shank on the same plane.

One winter day, when I was scavenging blue dun necks from Metz while I was patiently awaiting my blue dun from Harry Darbee's flock, I walked into Jack's and saw Renzetti with this weird contraption. He was still in Coatesville and hadn't moved to Florida yet. He still had all his fingers. As an engineer (MIT) I was genuinely stunned by the sheer genius of Al's work. And it rotated on the same axis. That Traveler that I bought was the last vise I had to buy. I later did pick up a Thompson A when they went out of business, more for nostalgia than anything and as a remembrance of the time I couldn't afford one.

 

[lestrout]

I frequented his third store at 141 East Forty-Fourth Street off Lexington Avenue, NOT the 43rd Street store (between 2nd & 3rd Aves) or the Chrysler Building location.

I lived a few blocks away so it was a Saturday "hang-out" for me. Just about everything I asked for he didn't have but he'd always offer a substitute that was about 80% off the mark...

In those days Abercrombie & Fitch was long closed and Orvis had yet to open their first NYC store so I also used to take the train up to Westchester and Peter Phelps from the Bedford Sportsman or Hoagy Carmichael would pick me up at the train station and take me to their shops.

Great memories and a great time to be living in the Big Apple...

I visited Deren when he was still in the Chrysler Building. I loved to root through the necks and random furs in fly shops, but that wasn't Jim's style. He would keep the customer on the other side of the counter, ask what he was wanting to tie, and then root around and toss him what materials Jim thought he needed. No selection allowed or needed.

 

[JohnPowers]

Funny. Sounds like Seinfeld‘s Soup Nazi.

 

[dryflyguy]

I remember seeing pictures of that Xuron vise in Vince Marinaro's books.
Does it work with spring action - like a Regal?
Or is that lever a clamp?

My first vise was a Thompson 360 pedestal model.
It worked fine. But I was always adjusting the clamp for different size hooks.

Then a bought a Regal knockoff, for $50.
I liked the simple spring action. No more fooling with cams and levers.
But the jaws were made of inferior metal, which would eventually wear and not hold the hook as well.

I finally splurged on a Regal, and am quite happy with it.
I tie mostly dries, and it does everything I want very simply. Mainly, hold the hook well.
Really have no need for a true rotary vise.

I'll probably use that Regal the rest of my life

 

[Bamboozle]

I remember seeing pictures of that Xuron vise in Vince Marinaro's books.
Does it work with spring action - like a Regal?
Or is that lever a clamp?

My first vise was a Thompson 360 pedestal model.
It worked fine. But I was always adjusting the clamp for different size hooks.

Then a bought a Regal knockoff, for $50.
I liked the simple spring action. No more fooling with cams and levers.
But the jaws were made of inferior metal, which would eventually wear and not hold the hook as well.

I finally splurged on a Regal, and am quite happy with it.
I tie mostly dries, and it does everything I want very simply. Mainly, hold the hook well.
Really have no need for a true rotary vise.

I'll probably use that Regal the rest of my life

Dryflyguy:

I don't know what goes on in a set of Regal vice jaws but the Xuron vise has a simple long jaw with a gap between the halves and a stop hole to keep the jaws apart and "springy."

There is a short screw through the gap that you tighten to close the jaws with a long threaded lever that you can place in four different positions in the screw head to keep it out of the way and facilitate faster hook placement.

Here is a photo of the top of the jaws:

And you are right about the Vince Marinaro photo, there is a picture of him at his fly tying desk with a Xuron/Phelps/Anglers Roost/Thomas vise on the back cover of later editions of "A Modern Dry Fly Code."

My first fly tying vise was a vise peddled by Orvis that for some reason I think was called the "Orvis Supreme." It was basically fancy a clamp version Thompson A style with jaws that freely rotated 360 degrees and a red plastic coated cam lever.

It also had this little sliding stop lever on the vise head that you used to keep the jaws from rotating. The lever engaged in two positions, one with the hook shank in the "normal" position and a second stop where the hook was slightly canted (maybe 15 degrees) toward the tier.

It was a nice little vise but I was lured into buying a Xuron years later and used it for decades until I sprung for a Renzetti.

FWIW - "True Rotary" is really nice for certain tasks but the only time I use it is when I'm winding conventional hackle, winding floss or ribbing. If I am dubbing, I just wrap with my bobbin.

Bottom line, If I'm not tying a fly with hackle, floss or ribbing, I don't bother and it's a totally unnecessary for just looking at the other side of a fly.

Good move on the Regal, everyone I know who has one loves it and I've been temped myself.

 

[dryflyguy]

Dryflyguy:

I don't know what goes on in a set of Regal vice jaws but the Xuron vise has a simple long jaw with a gap between the halves and a stop hole to keep the jaws apart and "springy."

There is a short screw through the gap that you tighten to close the jaws with a long threaded lever that you can place in four different positions in the screw head to keep it out of the way and facilitate faster hook placement.

Here is a photo of the top of the jaws:

View attachment 1641231787

And you are right about the Vince Marinaro photo, there is a picture of him at his fly tying desk with a Xuron/Phelps/Anglers Roost/Thomas vise on the back cover of later editions of "A Modern Dry Fly Code."

My first fly tying vise was a vise peddled by Orvis that for some reason I think was called the "Orvis Supreme." It was basically fancy a clamp version Thompson A style with jaws that freely rotated 360 degrees and a red plastic coated cam lever.

It also had this little sliding stop lever on the vise head that you used to keep the jaws from rotating. The lever engaged in two positions, one with the hook shank in the "normal" position and a second stop where the hook was slightly canted (maybe 15 degrees) toward the tier.

It was a nice little vise but I was lured into buying a Xuron years later and used it for decades until I sprung for a Renzetti.

FWIW - "True Rotary" is really nice for certain tasks but the only time I use it is when I'm winding conventional hackle, winding floss or ribbing. If I am dubbing, I just wrap with my bobbin.

Bottom line, If I'm not tying a fly with hackle, floss or ribbing, I don't bother and it's a totally unnecessary for just looking at the other side of a fly.

Good move on the Regal, everyone I know who has one loves it and I've been temped myself.

On Regal vise, the jaws are in a normally closed position by spring tension.
Moving the handle spreads them open to insert the hook, and clamps down hard again when you release handle. Simple and effective

 

[Bamboozle]

On Regal vise, the jaws are in a normally closed position by spring tension.
Moving the handle spreads them open to insert the hook, and clamps down hard again when you release handle. Simple and effective

Oh I've used one and know how they operate in regards to putting in a hook, I just don't know what is under the "housing" where the jaws & the lever sit and whether there is a spring in there or natural "spring" in the jaws, similar to the way the Xuron has "spring."

The Regal is an extremely comfortable vise to tie on which is why I considered one. Even though I am happy with my Renzetti vises, I don't find them as comfortable to tie on, but I guess that's me...

 

[dryflyguy]

Oh I've used one and know how they operate in regards to putting in a hook, I just don't know what is under the "housing" where the jaws & the lever sit and whether there is a spring in there or natural "spring" in the jaws, similar to the way the Xuron has "spring."

The Regal is an extremely comfortable vise to tie on which is why I considered one. Even though I am happy with my Renzetti vises, I don't find them as comfortable to tie on, but I guess that's me...

Oh I've used one and know how they operate in regards to putting in a hook, I just don't know what is under the "housing" where the jaws & the lever sit and whether there is a spring in there or natural "spring" in the jaws, similar to the way the Xuron has "spring."

The Regal is an extremely comfortable vise to tie on which is why I considered one. Even though I am happy with my Renzetti vises, I don't find them as comfortable to tie on, but I guess that's me...

No coil spring in there.
Just tension from the jaw halves being locked together.
Sounds like the Xuron uses the same method too

 

[JMP]

I have been tying on a Regal for over 35 years. Never thought a rotary vice was necessary, as I use the bobbin or hand to wrap materials. You can rotate the vice to view all sides of the fly. I did upgrade to the stainless steel jaws a few years ago. The Regal holds any size hook securely by simply squeezing the handle. Regal offers a true rotary vice for those who prefer the option.