Vises

[Frank Whiton]

Hi to all,

The best advice is to take lessons before you buy. If you can't take a lesson ask a local shop to tye a fly or two for you so you can see what it is all about. If you buy a very inexpensive vice you will be buying a better vice later and you have wasted the cost of the cheap vise. If you buy a good and popular vise you can sell it if you find that fly tying is not your bag. Even if you have to discount it you won't be any worse off than if you bought a cheap vise and then stopped tying.

I may have to re-think my position after seeing this Anvil Apex vise. It looks like a great vise to start with. I have never seen one or used one but it looks like a great beginner vise. This is a vise you could travel with or use for Saltwater or as a backup. This is an American made vise and I am impressed by the design. It seems very robust and comes with both a pedestal and clamp base. It doesn't seem to be a great rotary vise but I could live with that.

Thanks to Sandfly for pointing out this vise. Sandfly, can you tell us how well it holds hooks and is the rotary feature easy to use? I assume you have sold these at your shop. For $100 these seems like a good buy.

Frank

Anvil Apex

1. Stainless Steel Construction
2. Tool Steel Jaws
3. Compact Design
4. Ties from 7/0 to 32 hooks
5. Simple Adjustment
6. Rotating Head
7. Infinitely adjustable up and down tilting head.
8. Simple lock up
9. Includes a Pedestal base AND a C-Clamp
10. Lifetime Warranty

[troutnut4]

I new to fly fishing and this forum and this is also my first attempt at a comment. I have entertained tying my own flies to beat the cabin fever here in Nova Scotia' winter. I have looked at alot of vises on the web and am fascinated with the NorVise. Any reason why this vise shouldn't be considered as a buy? A wealth of knowledge and experience displayed from your members. Glad that I found the site.

[s fontinalis]

while this is a very old thread (last comment before yours was 2008) i'll chime in that you should buy what you feel you can afford in terms of quality.
Nor vise has its backers, like pretty much any vise out there.

If you have the opportunity, get out to a fly shop and test out a few.

one caveat - Dont tie flies to save money. that is the wrong reason to get into it.

[troutnut4]

Originally Posted by s fontinalis

while this is a very old thread (last comment before yours was 2008) i'll chime in that you should buy what you feel you can afford in terms of quality.
Nor vise has its backers, like pretty much any vise out there.

If you have the opportunity, get out to a fly shop and test out a few.

one caveat - Dont tie flies to save money. that is the wrong reason to get into it.

Thanks for the advice. Especially the last comment. That would apply to fishing and hunting as well. I retired in 2012 and need a hobby (in addition to fly fishing) and I thought this could be one that I would enjoy, especially through the cold winter months indoors. Thanks again.

[jaybo41]

The good news from what I've gleaned from your post is that you have all of the RIGHT reasons to get into it. Tying is a wonderful hobby and a perfect complement to fly fishing. As you also mentioned, wonderful during the winter months. Congratulations on your retirement.

[nrp5087]

The Anvil Apex Vise is what i have now. I really like it and costs 99$. Its a rotary comes with a solid base and a table clamp and its all metal parts so no worries about cheap stuff breaking. Its good for beginners and for advanced tiers and will last a life time. Its an investment

Product Review: Anvil Apex Fly Tying Vise

HA didnt see that post up there woops! good choice though

[kayo]

WOW a 2008 post from Pocono on a vise. What you using now a days Pocono?

[dabluz]

I have been making flies for around 40 years now and I've always used cheap vises. Ok....when I started out, the only vises I found cost less than 15 dollars. A few years later I bought a vise for about 25 dollars and it has done me well but sometimes, hooks would move while in the vise. I tie size 28 to 5/0 hooks. The 2 vises I had used were type Thompson with the lever behind the stem of the vise.

I recently bought a 40 dollar copy of the Regal vise. I was a bit worried at it being too weak to hold hooks very well but the guy at the fly fishing shop showed me how strong these vises really are. I just love the vise.

[silver creek]

Originally Posted by kayo

WOW a 2008 post from Pocono on a vise. What you using now a days Pocono?

+1 on the above. We never get any follow up on these "beginner" thread. I bet that if he is still tying, it is even money that he has different vise.

Norvise would not be my first choice for a beginner vise. People either love them or hate them.

The number one vise I see at conclaves is the Renzetti Traveller. I use a Renzetti Master and the traveller as my student vise.

[Pocono]

Originally Posted by kayo

WOW a 2008 post from Pocono on a vise. What you using now a days Pocono?

Yup, started tying in 2008. First vise was a Regal Medallion. Second vise, and the one that I currently use, is a Renzetti Traveller; a Christmas present from my wife at the end of 2008.

I put tying on hold when we moved out of the Pocono Mountains in May, 2011, but I'm climbing back into my tying chair more now.

Pocono