Vises

[Caneghost]

Started with the basic Thompson, then a Regal after a year or so. First Regal had the lightweight pedestal base and the rotary head (not that hook spinning crap) for maybe $120 if memory serves. Never cared for the spinning idea. I still use my Regal now with the stainless steel jaws. A couple of Dyna Kings have done time too, mostly my little Kingfisher which lives in my travel kit. About the only travelling it does now is back and forth to Guild functions, a bonus of living in the Catskills!

[Bill Terry]

I can't remember what vise I started with, but it is long gone. For decades, I have tied on an HMH Standard and love it. I have an assortment of jaws for every conceivable fly. I have the C-clamp model, with various attachments, so I don't travel with it. When I take a tying kit on a trip, I pack a Dyna-King Aristocrat. However, after a day's fishing and making dinner, I rarely have enough ambition remaining to tie a fly.

[ted patlen]

Started with one of those "kit" vises circa 1958, the cheapest of the cheap, then onto a Thompson about 1960. HMH 1987, then added a Regal around 2015.

[chugbug]

I started on a traditional Thompson, and I abused it til it couldn't hold a hook. I upgraded to a Renzetti true rotary, which I loved (the skies seemed to open), but after a while I found I had trouble at various times getting materials to the hook. I posted here and there about it, and from responses from far more experienced, far more expert tyers I assumed the problem was with me and not the vise. Then I read AK Best and bought a traditional rotating DK (not true rotary). My difficulties getting materials to the hook were not imagined. Huge difference. I keep the rotary because more than a few flies are just so much easier to tie wrapping materials on a true rotary.

The Renzetti and DK makes and models all have different feels to them, but for me by far the main difference has been just true rotary v traditional rotating. And each shines for different flies. Everything else is more a matter of personality, fashion, and taste. New is better but not better enough to get me to pay retail.

Fwiw, I bought both my vises well used, and I'm very happy. Rz Master, DK Supreme. The Master was an upgrade from a Traveler.

[Hardyrod1974]

I bought a Thompson A at Reed Tackle in 1972. A few years later I purchased the midge jaws for it. I tied a lot until 1982 or so and started tying again in 2018. I haven't had any problems with my "A" over the years and except for a few instances when I would have liked to spin the hook around a bit, I haven't seen the need to upgrade. Edited

[chugbug]

[Eperous]

Carl,

Like you... I started tying in the early, mid-60s... with a clamp vise from a Noll kit... then saved my pennies moving to a Thompson B, then a knock-off Thompson A, before a Thompson 360 SLT as I wanted a rotary function, though it was not a true 360 rotation... though I still have all of these "tools", for years now been tying on a HMH Standard.... love it, guess I just love that Thompson approach....

Ed

PS... growing up in NJ, I frequented Reeds when it was location on Route 46 in Caldwell... those were the days... necks from India at $5 a pop, with thick stems, not worth the $5

[ibookje]

As all started with a Thompson style vise in the early '80's, mine was I believe a Sunrise made in India (or Pakistan?). In the early '90's bought a Dynaking Professional and have been using it ever since. I really love it. Tie everything from deer hair bass bugs to delicate Catskill style dries.

My friend Hans Weilenmann had this peculiar vise made by a friend of him. One year we were driving to attend the Danish Fly Fair and Lawrence asked me if he could make a vise for me. Being a poor college student I said I had no money and I already had an expensive vise...

Some years ago I bought an exact replica of the Law vise. Yes, it's nice but I prefer my Dynaking!




Oh I also use a no longer made German travel vise. It's pretty neat.

[driftless angler]

I started at a young age smoking and drinking. When I got a job, I added gambling and womanizing. Then it got really bad. I cut out my previous vices and starting fly fishing and tying!

Ok, bad joke. I started with a Regal and that is all I have every needed.

[jhuskey]

Gotcha covered on the first two, not the 2nd two though. About 1980ish, I made the decision to tie flies - bought an Orvis fly tying kit, but not the tools/vise part of the deal. Taklked with a couple shops, bought a Regal standard clamp on and a couple Materelli bobbins and a whip finisher. The Regal was donated to The Brotherhood of the Jungle Cock in Michigan, the tools I still have. The Regal spit out trout to tarpon flies for years - great vice!

[alberta al]

I started when I was 8 years old with my Dad’s Thompson A vise. I tyed a pile of flies on it and 2 other Thompson A vises.

Then I got a Renzetti. What a nice vise to tye on it was. One of my hockey players has it now and he really likes it.
Had a rotary Regal with midge jaws. I really liked it, but my #2 son liked it more.

My current vises are an HMH and a Peak. I like both of them, but the Peak sees more tying time these days.

[henkverhaar]

Started with an Indian Thompson clone. Then a Danish Flymate - which I still use for odd jobs now and then (fishing-related but not for tying flies). In 1992 or so, after visiting Duluth, MN and seeing a Norvise in action in a local fly shop, I got one, and used that for quite some years, before I encountered and fell in love with the LAW, which I got as a birthday present some 20-odd years ago...

[Norm Frechette]

renzetti traveler since 1988

[Perry Palin]

I didn't have any money. I made my first vice from metal scraps I found in my dad's garage. That served for a few years until the soft metal parts wore out and it couldn't hold a hook anymore.

The next one, the fake Thompson from some foreign land was better but still couldn't hold a hook.

I eventually bought a Thompson A, and that was and still is a great vise. I picked up a couple more A's and an Ultra at garage and estate sales. The best of these was Ben Egger's vise. Ben was a regionally famous Midwestern tier about 50 years ago, and his vise is magic.

Our children grew up and left home and got good jobs and made some real money. One of them bought me a Renzetti for Christmas. It isn't magic, but it's a really nice vise.

[DrLogik]

I started with a Thompson Model A also back in the mid-1970's. I now mostly use my Regal and Dyna-King Pro. Had a Renzetti Traveler when they first came out and didn't like it much and sold it. I have a number of old vises as well with my favorite being a Thomas (Darbee) vise.

[Flykuni3]

Renzetti for me, after the Regal (and two shattered jaws) I started with a Traveler model, then upgraded to the top. Now I have that and a pedestal (bought here) for travel, and that's all I need for what I tie (trout flies).

[RaspberryPatch]

I started with a Renzetti Traveller in early 90s, but its tension for rotation was fincky and needed to be constantly adjusted.i upgraded to a Presentation more than a decade ago, which is my goto.

I have replaced the Jaws on the Traveller (when they broke)

[flyfishermann1955]

I started with a Thompson Ultra vise in 1970. After 2 years, I had a pedestal base made for it by a local guy. Still have this vise. Eventually wanted to try a rotary vise, so I bought a Danvise, which several reviews called the "Best vise under $100". Unfortunately, I had trouble with 2 sets of jaws. Bought a Peak vise here on the Forum about 10 years ago and it's great! Don't really use the rotary function to its full potential, but that is okay.

Tight Lines- Ken

[dder]

Started with a pair of needle nose vise grips, then got a Indian made regal style , had good hook holding power but blunt jaws, then an Atlas anvil, then a real Regal and now using a Renzetti traveler . like it, still have the Regal and the Atlas,it goes on the odd trip if I take a vise. will take regal down and use it some again soon , they hold hooks better than most I think but the Renzetti is a nice vise to use for me and maybe someday will get a better one,like a master although with traveler have no complaints. I used( friend had it) a Dana king on a trip once and thought it was a very nice vise as well, not a rotary though.

[JohnDe]

Like many here I began around 1980 on a used Thompson A. A few years later I got what I think was called a Thompson 360 with base. This vise frustrated me as it had a couple of delrin washers that were sensitive to adjusting for hook size. Around 86 I watched Dave Whitlock tying on a renzetti presentation (3000 model) and I knew after talking to Dave that I would own one. A shop in Somersworth NH had one with with a c clamp and I traded the 360 plus cash for a true rotary vise. Within a few years I got the base and a set of jaws for larger hooks. I still tie on this vise and consider it to be ideal for trout flies from size 6 to twenty something. In the mid 90’s after getting into saltwater (the return of the striped bass in the northeast) and spinning and stacking deer hair I obtained a mint Renzetti Master from the big auction site. The in-line rotary makes trimming deer hair, setting eyes, working with five minute epoxy for surf candies, coloring crease flies and a whole lot of other sub tasks easier. These two vises are more than enough but… I told myself if a Pamola lathe ever became available I would maybe adopt it so ten or so years ago I added one to my collection. I found it here. I put a piece of cardboard over the base of all my vises so they stay clean.
I appreciate nice hand tools, whether it be a hammer, screwdriver, chisel or fly vise. Thanks to Bill Hunter HMH for realizing that that there would be a market for quality fly tying vises.
Tight wraps.