Fly Tying Vise Buying Guide: Find The Perfect Vise For You!

[@smctrout4423]

Started on a Thompson A. Renzetti was the only rotary at the time. Thompson didn't hold hooks very well. Now I tie on a Peak rotary. You can get 3 sets of jaws for it - standard, midge, and saltwater. All 3 jaws hold hooks well. A good vice for the money.

[@chanceferguson3878]

Dyna King Barracuda. One of the best at any price. Love all of your videos guys!

[@seanfalconer7182]

My Mom bought me a Thompson Model A about 45 years ago. Andre "Andy" Puyans himself taught me how to tie the AP Nymph on that vise. I wish the company I work for would give me a weekday off so I can come visit you guys in the shop...

[@scottwilliams1041]

I went with renzetti presentation. The additional hinge point makes tying parachutes easy without taking the fly out of the vise. Not cheap at $350 but after 2 sub $100 vises I knew this is a lifelong hobby now. Worth the expense.

[@TightLinesNW]

I am very happy with my Renzetti Traveler. Does everything I need a vice to do for the flies I tie.

[@lennyboy57]

Great video . I really want to start tying flies. Like the renzetti features and price point. Can you recommend a starter tool kit with tools needed to accompany this vise? Thanks in advance

[@allieone8518]

Thanks for the great review! Any thought on Dyna-King vises revamped under the new owner Mayfly Outdoors?

[@SecondFloorOutdoors-gj8dt]

YMMV, but I have a Riverruns rotary fly tying vise, $63 on the jungle website. I have tied several hundred jigs and flies from #12 to 3/0 bucktails, no issues as long as I adjusted the jaws correctly. Is it the best bet for tying #22 midges or big musky flies? Probably not. But for the normal Joe that wants to tie hoppers, caddis, clousers, egg patterns, and most all normal size jigs, I think it's solid value for money. Hard to justify tying to save money when you spend ten years worth of flies just on the vise.

[@MiMiMiTours]

Thank you very much for your review and recommendations. I really enjoyed the overview and be really sad at the same time that some of them are not available over here in germany. I'm absolutey in to another vise just because i really like to have a brilliant piece of tool on my desk. I love to use them and atm i'm looking for my first Regal (probably the Revolution Stainless steel vise at ~750€) or the C&F Design Reference (also about ~750€). Sadly i couldn't try out neither of them. Can you recommend one over the other? I use the travel tying system from C&F and at home the tools from Marc Petitjean with his Swiss-Vise. I also like the Renzetti traveller in the limited edition with green finish very much but this is way to expensive over here with more than 550€ per vise. Thank you very much and i will have a look at your other videos 😊👍 Cheers mate

[@ruebdogg1]

Great video Curtis and team! I appreciated you mentioning Regal’s spring jaws loosening. I upgraded my regal medallion after 5 years and the hooks slipping. I now use renzetti Master vise and love the jaws, which can tie small trout size to large pike or blue water flies. Love it!!

[@FlyTyer1948]

Regals have a lifetime warranty, and they honor it. If you have a problem, just call them and they will fix or replace the vise. I have a Regal bought in the 1980s. I was due to tie for my club at a fly show and broke the tip off of the jaws by my error. I called Regal and they sent me a free replacement the next day even though I told them it was my fault. When I upgraded to a Regal Revolution 3 years ago, I had a problem with a locking screw, called Regal and they sent me a replacement immediately. This is not to say everyone should buy a Regal. I’ve used Renzetti vises and liked tying on them and respect their products. Vise selection is really personal and even small differences can be significant to someone who ties a lot.

[@dankochanek8056]

It's mind blowing on something that holds a hook in place costs so much.

[@jamesvatter5729]

Thanks. I no longer have true rotary vise. Used to have the original Renzetti Traveler. I use a Regal currently. Been thinking of giving rotary a go again. Was thinking Peak, but still haven't made up my mind.

[@xoshooter]

There is also the Stonfo line of vises. One thing you did not mention about Regal/Stonfo vises is the space available behind the hook bend especially when tying small flies. I have a Master and Traveller (and Danvise) both T for small flies the Regal/Stonfo is the one I grab.

[@xfire301]

Like trout reels, vises are macho jewelry. I love my Renzetti Presentation 4000. And my high end trout reels.

[@keithgrandin3542]

I tie my flies on a 1968 Herters vise that my famous fishing couple neighbors bought me. Still holds hooks just fine but does not rotate. Just need a bit of patience to attach body material.

[@NDFlyFisher]

Do you have info on the HMH TRV? How does it compare to the Talon you discussed?

[@xfire301]

The Renzetti travelled is anodized clear.

[@jamesdemmons2767]

I know your in the business of selling vices...but why would I buy a thousand dollar "high end vice" when I can but the Renzetti traveller and can always buy replacement jaws if the wear out or I want to tie larger flys for a lot less money? Money that I can use to buy fly tying materials!

[@tightlineklein]

For the same reason someone buys an Escalade versus a Tahoe. Under the hood, they’re identical. But the Escalade has nice leather heated and cooled seats, and other luxury features that the average person doesn’t find necessary. They do the same job, holding a hook. The master just does it with sleek anodization and some other enhancements. (I own the traveler in the video)

[@GaryEdge-u1w]

I have a Stonfo Transformer vise, it is a great value. 😊

[@sierrafrogs5765]

I still tie occasionally with my Thompson Model A, which I purchased in 1969 when it was considered the best available. Over the years since, I've acquired the Regal, the Renzetti Traveler, the Dyna King Barracuda, and the Peak Rotary. At the time I purchased the Thompson the only rotary available was the "Universal Rotary," which Eric Leiser rightly criticized for the lowish quality of its materials and construction. The Veniard "Salmo" was also available, the Cadillac of vises but not a rotary,, and it has long since faded from the market. All of the vises I have and use now are good to great vises and I mostly use the Renzetti, but for some tying the 1969 Thompson Model A is still the most useful. Never underrate it.

[@T.N.TFly.company]

I’ve been tying on a Montana mongoose for the past 9 years and just upgraded to a regal vise this last winter and I can say both are very reliable vises.

[@skooter2196]

True rotary? Axis of hook shank? Look, adjusting the camber or "cant" with the hook still seated doesn't mean it isn't true "rotaty". It's still aligned. Still rotary by definition.

[@willshunting]

Owned many models over the years but my Dyna-king Barrucuda Deluxe Rotary will go to my grave with me. Perfect design, bomb proof and handles midge ties through to sailfish bait flies faultlessly.

[@FlyFishFood]

I have struggled mightily getting it to hold normal sized hooks. Great for large stuff, but I don’t love it for anything else.

[@willshunting]

@FlyFishFood Thanks for raising your response. I have seen this concern expressed several times before. It's so long ago that I neglected to mention that there was a short period after I started using it, that I thought that it was unsuitable (fitted with the standard size jaws) for small flies and I was disillusioned at the thought of having to spend more money on a set what they then described as "midge" jaws; not to mention the envisaged hassle of doing jaws changes. My faith was restored after I realised that I was not correctly placing smaller hooks in the standard jaws. I had been incorrectly assuming that the greater the degree of contact between the flanks of the hook bend and the inner surfaces of the jaws, the better the hook hold would be. I accordingly tended to set the adjustment on the forcing cone so that the hook bend was well back from the tips of the jaws and roughly centred in said tips. Alas the hook would sometimes move! Moreover, this way of placing the bend left the jaws tips monstering the shank so as to obstruct material placement. The turn around came when I realised that I was not factoring in the long length of the jaws relative to the influence of the cam and the resulting pinch dynamic of the design. Although it still seemed somewhat counter intuitive, by moving the bend close to the jaw tips and positioning the shank higher up and then always snugging down the forcing cone at the start of each batch using the same size hook the hold was/is unshakeable.

[@allieone8518]

@@willshunting I own and use Dyna-King Ergonomic Supreme Vise (aka Saltwater Special). While it is great for #6 or larger hooks that fit in the grooves, it does struggle to hold #8-#12 hooks securely. I could not make the vise hold those hooks securely without a lot of time-consuming tinkering with hook placement and Forcing Cone adjustment. Furthermore, Dyna-King jaws are soft that they wear out prematurely. Renzetti Master Vise's original jaws last 20 years easily without replacement, whereas Dyna-King Vise's do not. Charlie Craven, a big fan of Dyna-King Professional Vise, has confirmed this. In my experience, Dyna-King Vise is overrated!

[@willshunting]

@allieone8518 Interesting. I purchased my unit over 20 years ago from the original makers after consulting three professional tyers and don't recall criticisms regarding jaw softness/wear. Ironically, one of these guys said back then that he thought their heat treatment process resulted in jaw tip edges that could be so hard as to be potentially brittle! Makes me wonder if they have changed their hardening specifications or maybe let QA program slip. Thanks for mentioning Charlie Craven. Hadn't come across him before and enjoyed checking out his channel. I indeed noted his finished ties are all held in the jaws of a Dyna-king. I do like the Renzetti Master jaw design and have always wished they did a full stainless steel, more robust model, but as I say, I can't fault my unit. Each to their own I guess.

[@FlyFishFood]

@@willshunting yeah. It’s black magic until that magical spot wears a smooth spot (happens). With the ol renzetti, you can put a hook kind of close to where it should be and it has 100% lock down with very little pressure.

[@robertyetsko80]

DYNA -KING WORKS WELL AND IS REASONABLY PRICED

[@allieone8518]

Not reasonably priced any more under the new owner Mayfly Outdoors~

[@ThueyOutdoors]

I'v been using a $20 vice for 5 years. My jaws have seen better day...💀

[@portland503]

It’s too bad Renzetti doesn’t make a shank jaw

[@larryalbert1027]

Less than 100 dollars for me

[@Podobed]

Honestly- this is something I've been struggling with since I started tying. I haven't found a single vise that does everything I want it to do for me. Now- I haven't tried them all by any means- I would love to. Just to see all the pros and cons and how comfortable I am. I've had 1 Regal Medallion C clamp, 2 Regal Revolution standard jaws, 1 Regal Revolution Shank Jaws, 3 different Renzetti Travelers, a Dyna King Excalibur (high end barracuda) and a tube fly vise that I forget- maybe stonfo. and a Peak Rotary (my first and ultimately least favorite) I'd love to get a Norvise for a 5-6 months to really get to know it. Some tyers that I really respect use them (Ru Harvey, Petruzzi, etc) I wish manufacturers could lease trial vises to tyers even for like a month or two weeks or something. I don't think any 1 vise is going to work for me- I'm a generalist type fly tyer. I can tie midges and 6/0 Geet flies in the same day with anything in between. I think Regal with all of the head options would be the way I'm currently leaning. That or I might just reorg my shop into specific fly type sections so I have multiple vises for each kind of tying I do. I'm a big Adam Savage Tested fan so I've been tearing my tying cave apart right now and I'm trying to figure out how many different "stations" I would need and what vises I would use on each if I go that route. How do you guys manage? I know Cheech and Curtis tie all sorts of flies and own practically every vise- do you just swap out when you want to tie a type of fly?

[@andrewwebster13]

Don’t buy a kingfisher the post doesn’t fit the adapter for the pedestal base, terrible sloppiness!.

[@chili1593]

I’m married to my Peak. But don’t tell her….

[@leapingsilver6112]

kzbin.info/aero/PLbFObbcx08s6DrMp79wp6YKNxbvXXPjLx&si=E4RauCilR2PP5rKk I started tying on a traditional vise some 40 years ago and did very well. October of 95' I bought a Nor-vise and never looked back. Norms slogan was "Tie Better Flies Faster " and he was absolutely right!! I can tie 3 or 4 on a Nor-vise, to the 1 on a traditional with less effort and less thread breakage. Something to consider down the road for you that are maybe just starting out?!

[@FlyFishFood]

We’ve tried them. They are very limited in which flies they can really make faster. Try tying 4 to one on a size 18 klinkhahmer

[@Tony-fish1]

Metz makes a good vise well under 100..will last decades