Need Advise on a Tying Vise

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ghstrydr164	Need Advise on a Tying Vise		Lead	[-]
Posts: 120 08/30/2009 20:10	Tags : None Would someone please give me some guidance on this subject? I have been looking for a basic and inexpensive used fly tying vise on the xxx site and am not sure what would be a good brand. It seems that many of them are knock offs of better vises. I do not need a high end production vise. I just want to tie my own flies to fish with and need a vise that will hold the hook properly and tightly. Thanks in advance, Cyrus
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Marty		#1	[url]	[-]
Posts: 281 08/30/2009 21:10	I use an HMH Spartan and it is a solid workhorse but I don't know what used ones go for. I used a Thompson Model A for many years when I started and it worked well. I would imagine one of those could be found pretty cheaply. I would suggest holding out for a deal (they happen on ebay if you are diligent and look regularly) on a brand name good quality vise.. and scissors....other tools can be had cheaply and are fine but a good vise and scissors will save you a lot of grief. If I am not mistaken there are some newer good quality vises out there.... I'm just not up on the latest vises. I like mine (not perfect by any means) and am used to its quirks. I believe fly fisherman magazine has vise reviews on their website..... Good luck and if you can be a bit patient a deal will pop up.
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Eric Peper		#2	[url]	[-]
Posts: 339 08/30/2009 21:29	IMO, the best hook holder is without question a Regal. The simplest Regal is called the Inex. I paid less than $50. for mine new a few decades ago, and still love its simplicity and sturdiness. I suspect, however, there are enough people disenchanted with them (because they don't insert the hook into the jaws properly -- again IMO) that they should crop up pretty regularly on auction and classified sites. EP Last Edited By: Eric Peper 08/30/2009 21:32. Edited 1 time.
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narcodog		#3	[url]	[-]
Posts: 284 08/30/2009 21:44	For a beginner just get a Thompson A vise. You can go from there.
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catskilljohn		#4	[url]	[-]
Posts: 250 08/30/2009 23:17	I have seen the Thompsons for sale going for under $20.00 all day long. A great vise for the casual tyer, but be sure to pick up a real one, the overseas stuff is questionable. I know a guy thats been tying with one for over 40 years, and he wouldn't trade it for anything. CJ
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16 pmd		#5	[url]	[-]
Posts: 732 08/30/2009 23:53	I second the vote for a Regal. Simple, and clamps any hook solidly with no adjustments, just a squeeze on a lever. Had a Thompson A and tied a lot of flies on it years ago, but would never go back if I had the choice of a Regal (any model) instead. Many of the pros who tie thousands of flies use Regals because they are quick, simple, no-thinking-required tools.
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DrLogik		#6	[url]	[-]
Posts: 1681 08/31/2009 00:05	For the money, it's hard to beat an old Thompson vise. They can be had on eBay quite cheap. Then again, some of the finest flies to ever leave a vise were tied on an old jeweler's vise (Reuben Cross). DrLogik.com
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corlay.fiberglassflyro...		#7	[url]	[-]
Posts: 54 08/31/2009 10:04	if you can find a used one in serviceable condition, for the price, it's hard to beat a Thompson 'A'. If you want a new vise, look at HMH's budget model the 'SHX' (formerly 'Sillouhette'...). The collet and jaws are identical to their 'Spartan' model, but costs ~$100 less. Only drawback is a fixed head angle, but unless you're into spinning deer hair or tube flies you won't mind it. and the pedestal model requires an allen wrench for dismantling vs. the nicer knurled brass knob on the Spartan. "From my observations I think that most of us spend too much time worrying about our tackle and too little time learning the intimate characteristics of the fish and streams we fish most." - Ray Bergman Trout, New York: Knopf 1938
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mike valla	Vices	#8	[url]	[-]
Posts: 28 08/31/2009 11:18	Corlay...to each their own... However...that being said...Eric Peper and I agree on this. After many vices on my bench, I settled on the Regal...and actually left it and came back to it. There are so many now to try out. In my own cases, after having used a cheap, stamped metal "kit vice" my eyes were set on a Thompson Model "A". As as kid (and this is back say 1968) I couldn't afford a real Model "A". So I settled on the less expensive Herters "A" look alike. But the cam broke in short time, leaving me helpless for a while. Finally got a Model "A" (a relative got it for me) and used that vice for years. Through the 70's. Got a Regal Inex when they first appeared (Eric mentioned the vice in his post, too). Used that in the 80's for a long time. Then switched to a smaller rotary vice, then a Dyna-King, then HMH. Then went back to the Inex. Then purchased a brand new Regal, with a midge head, a couple of years ago. You can get Model "A"s on ebay for a reasonable prices. You'll see them listed all the time. It's still a great vice. However...when asked what is used on my own bench---it's the Regal. However...those other vices are great vices. --Mike
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mr flymph		#9	[url]	[-]
Posts: 179 08/31/2009 12:07	Griffin 2A. About $49 and made in the US. Very simple, no bells & whistles. Holds a hook just fine.
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DrLogik		#10	[url]	[-]
Posts: 1682 08/31/2009 17:53	The question of which is the best vise will spring to life a heated discussion for sure! This might help: http://flyfisherman.com/ftb/hwvise/ DrLogik.com
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waltryan1	Vise	#11	[url]	[-]
Posts: 49 09/01/2009 09:23	mr flymph wrote: Griffin 2A. About $49 and made in the US. Very simple, no bells & whistles. Holds a hook just fine. I hane an old model HMH Spartan, a Renzetti Traveler and a Regal. I use the HMH 75% of the time. It is a workhorse. I know a lot of people swear by the Thomson but I find it frustrating to keep in adjustment. For an entry level vise that will do the job I will second mr flymph's advise about the griffin 2A.
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JeffK.fiberglassflyro...		#12	[url]	[-]
Posts: 39 09/01/2009 16:54	Here's a broken record. Used a copy Thompson A vise for 30 years and 1000's of flies. The shoulder bolt the cam was on broke fairly often and when I got sick and tired of fixing it I bought an HMH Spartan - which I like. Never tried the Regal, but I see plenty of good tiers using them. I'd say all the name brands are decent - some just add more features than you need to boost the cost. Like many others here have said, stay clear of the cheap foreign vises - they wouldn't hold up. My opinions are: 1. Keep it simple. People will try to sell you all sorts of features but all the vise has to do is reliably hold the fly. It's nice to rotate the fly around to see the back side, but you can do without it. Most pros I know use a simple vise. 2. I like a pedestal base vs a clamp. Most tables in my house have some sort of trim that makes clamping a PITA. Pedestal has worked better for me.
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Silver Doctor		#13	[url]	[-]
Posts: 75 09/01/2009 19:54	I've tied on a Renzetti Traveler and a Regal for more years than I like to think. Love em both, use then for traveling. I tie on a Nore Vice now and again love it. Here's what I would suggest. There are some great vices out there. Go to a reputable fly shop. If you can take a course adn try out a few different vices. It is a personal thing really. Try before you buy. Often I have been exhausted on trout streams, uncomfortable, wet, cold, briar scarred, sunburned, mosquito bitten, but never, with a fly rod in my hand have I been in a place that was less than beautiful.
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ghstrydr164		#14	[url]	[-]
Posts: 121 09/01/2009 21:33	Thank you all for your insight. I was given this vise by a member of my club. The jaws were damaged at the tip and it would not hold a hook but after regrinding and re-bluing the jaws and lapping the inside surfaces of them it now works great (about a 20 minute investment). It will hold a hook for the up and down thread break test and is tight everywhere with no wiggle or wobble everything is blued except the c clamp. If you push forward on the tightening knob it unlocks the barrel so the jaws can be turned 360 locking at the 180 points. No name on the vise and the patent number must be a foreign one because it does not search as a valid number "Pat. 4.134.577" the c clamp has the letter C and number 10 cast into it. I'll use this until I see if tying my own is my cup of tea. Thanks again, Cyrus
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WhoBeBoo.thebamboorodroom	I love my Regal Inex	#15	[url]	[-]
Posts: 44 10/09/2009 20:19	Simple design and holds every size hook very securely. Don't settle for a cheap vise. The forces required to hold the hook solid are extreme and anything less than the best quality will eventually break on you.
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oldtrout		#16	[url]	[-]
Posts: 121 10/09/2009 22:57	ghstrydr164 wrote: Thank you all for your insight. I was given this vise by a member of my club. The jaws were damaged at the tip and it would not hold a hook but after regrinding and re-bluing the jaws and lapping the inside surfaces of them it now works great (about a 20 minute investment). It will hold a hook for the up and down thread break test and is tight everywhere with no wiggle or wobble everything is blued except the c clamp. If you push forward on the tightening knob it unlocks the barrel so the jaws can be turned 360 locking at the 180 points. No name on the vise and the patent number must be a foreign one because it does not search as a valid number "Pat. 4.134.577" the c clamp has the letter C and number 10 cast into it. I'll use this until I see if tying my own is my cup of tea. Thanks again, Cyrus I bought a vise just like that at a show in the early 80s or late 70s. It's called a Price Vise. I donated mine to a good cause when I gave up tying only to have to buy a new vise when I took tying up again. The vise has a "rotary" function. Push the handle toward the jaws and you can rotate the hook. I think someone started manufacturing the Price vise again this year. Last Edited By: oldtrout 10/09/2009 23:00. Edited 1 time.
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Ben Kann	re: which vise	#17	[url]	[-]
Posts: 231 10/12/2009 07:56	Here's one more country heard from. I tied on a Thompson A for more than 35 years, but was given an old Regal earlier this year and would NEVER give it up. My Thompson A has a (third party - $12) base and a short stem, which works fine. The Regal has a long stem and that means you'd have to put it on a coffee table if you wanted to use it in a base. So consider that when buying. Also, most C-clamp jaws can be made "good furniture safe" with the addition of a scrap of that non-slip shelving material (the same that I carry to disjoint rods when they get playful). So -- one more vote for the Regal.
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Fairbanks		#18	[url]	[-]
Posts: 8 11/01/2009 12:44	Hard to go wrong with any of these suggestions. I tied for years on a Thompson A and then went to a Regal back when they were a fairly new concept. Both are great. About 7 years ago I talked myself into a LAW bench vise, very expensive but extremely well made and a pleasure to use. Steve
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tbc1415		#19	[url]	[-]
Posts: 197 11/02/2009 20:36	Like so many others I tied on a Thompson A for many years and like others discovered that the cam shoulder bolt is a weak spot. However, I found that a 16 penny nail cut to the appropriate length was an eminently handy, available and cheap replacement. It only takes a minute to pull out the old one and push in a new one. TC
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