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fly tying vise

5K views 19 replies 13 participants last post by  jlsmithii 
#1 ·
i'm looking to get more serious with fly tying and am looking to upgrade my vise (currently have an old ty master style A vise)
primarily would be tying flies for trout but would also dabble in some saltwater ties.
any suggestions as to what vises i should look into?

thanks.
 
#2 ·
Some of this depends on if you are looking for a stationary or a rotary vise.

In stationary vises, the Thompson A, Griffin 2A, 3A, and Patriot, Several non-rotary vises by Dyna King, and the Regal are all excellent vises that will last a lifetime and do what you need for the type of flies you are tying.

In rotary, the Griffin 3AR Patriot rotary, and especially the Oddesy, the Peak Vise, the several models by Renzetti (depends on how much you want to spend), several models by Dyna King (especially the Baracuda series of vises), The HMH vises, and the Norvise are all excellent. There are some others as well; but these are the ones I'm familiar with.

All of these vises (stationary) run from around $45.00 up to about $200.00. The rotary vises mentioned run from around $60.00 up to over $600.00. If you pick the price range you have budgeted for and get one of the above in that range, you will be a happy camper and have a vise that will last a lifetime of normal use.
 
#3 ·
i have looked at the grififn vises. is the montana mongoose any good or would the patriot (rotary vise) be better? i imagine a lot comes down to personal preferrence, but quality is quality.
 
#7 ·
thanks for the advice.

i'm looking seriously at the renzetti travel vise (cam operated)
nice price and appears to be nicely constructed.

also liked the dyna barracuda but a little to pricey
 
#9 ·
Talking in generic terms.

"Don't buy any vise unless it has a rotary feature. like Juro says."
There are some cheap ones around. You can also buy used. Not much wear ever happens to any vise. Yes, some get careless and drop glue and epoxy over the base, but you will be able to find one that's in good condition.

Next, be sure it can holds the hooks you need. Some will hold a saltwater hook just fine, but try smaller ones? Small hooks will grab near the end of vise jaws, some vises often chip due to hardness problems. Look at the design. See if it is solid.

Lastly, you should have access in all directions to the materials being tied to the hook. Look for sufficient clearance to work on a fly.
 
#10 ·
jlsmithii,

My own personal vse is the Dyna King Baracuda (I got it the first year they were put on the market by Dyna King). It is a true lifetime vise that was built to hold up to the rigors of professional and commercial tyers. It is a little pricey though at around $325.00. There are two other Baradudas made now, the Baracuda Jr, and the Baracuda Trekker. The Trekker is about $225.00, which is not much more than the Renzetti Traveler and the Barucuda Trekker is a much nicer vise.

However, you asked about the Griffin vises in your next to last post so here goes. The Patriot is a good, easy to operate vise that will hold virtually any hook. A very good friend of mine has one and has been very happy with it. The Mongoose is also an excellent vise. However, the best Griffin for rotary tying in the Oddesey model, which sells for around $125.00. If you want a true rotary vise without spending much more than $100.00, either the Peak Vise or the Griffin Oddesey are the best choices.
 
#11 ·
jlsmithii said:
i'm looking to get more serious with fly tying and am looking to upgrade my vise (currently have an old ty master style A vise)
primarily would be tying flies for trout but would also dabble in some saltwater ties.
any suggestions as to what vises i should look into?
Why? Does your current vise not work?

I have an old vise that I got as a kid. IIRC it came from Herter's. It's probably at least 30 years old and still works fine. Recently I got a Renzetti Traveller. It's a great vise, and I like it well enough, but I don't consider the flies I tie on it to be any better than the ones I made on my old vise. The only reason I prefer the Renzetti over my old vise is that I'm really liking the rotory feature of the traveller.

I guess the point I'm making is that if your old vise is working for you why spend the money on a new one? Only buy a new vise if there is some feature missing from your old vise that you'd like on a new one.

P.S. The Dyna Kings are VERY nice but too much money for me. I'm happy with my Traveller.
 
#12 ·
baldmountain said:
Why? Does your current vise not work?QUOTE]

actually my vise has served me well but its jaws are shot and will not hold anything smaller than a #16. besides, everyone needs new toys:D

i did find a useful link with fly tying vise reviews. it reviewed many of the vises mentioned in this thread. its in flyfisherman magazine. google fly vise reviews if anyone is so interested.

guess i need to visit the local fly shop and play with the various models.
 
#13 ·
if youre interested inb rotary tying, but dont want to invest $300 in a new vise, check out the Dan-Vise. full rotary features for a price of $80 brand new.

ive tied on the renzetti traveller and the dan-vise, and i currently tie on a dyna-king barracuda jr. for the price, the dan-vise packs a lot of punch...
 
#14 ·
well, i checked out several vises. i must confess that the dyna king barracudas are nice vises but the price is up there.

i really liked the renzetti travel cam

also looked at the dan vise - something about the darlin (sp?) material it's made of. it just seemed bulky.

i just need to buy and start tying....
 
#16 ·
I have Nor- Vise that I use regularly. I also like the automatic bobbin. It is great for tying salt water flies. It rocks for making wooley buggers IMHO.
I also have Renzetti travel vise I use for my dry fly experiments:D A.K. Best I am NOT:chuckle:
 
#18 ·
dyna-king

I tie commercially for a shop in Michigan, and have been very happy with my barricuda Jr. trekker, the only problem is the plastic knob used to adjust the tension of rotation, i suggest this vise, but upgrade to a metal knob. they are available from Chris Helm (whitetail fly tieing supply) in Toledo Ohio. a lot of people around here use renzetti.
 
#19 ·
muskydx said:
I tie commercially for a shop in Michigan, and have been very happy with my barricuda Jr. trekker, the only problem is the plastic knob used to adjust the tension of rotation, i suggest this vise, but upgrade to a metal knob. they are available from Chris Helm (whitetail fly tieing supply) in Toledo Ohio. a lot of people around here use renzetti.
i assume this is easy to switch out? likewise, estimate of the cost of the knob?

thanks for all of the input. probably end up with the renzetti
 
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