Regal vises?

[troutfanatic]

Hey guys I got into fly tying about 3 years ago and have really become addicted to it. I am starting to look into upgrading my cheap vise that I have for something that will last me for hopefully the rest of the time I will be tying. I guess I have narrowed down my choices to either a Regal vise or a Renzetti. I have heard nothing but good things from guys who have Renzettis, but I haven't heard too much on guys that have Regals.

I guess I am just looking to hear any good or bad issues with the Regals. I really like the idea of the spring loaded cams, but I am kind of unsure on their hook holding abilities? I will be tying flies from size 2 streamer hooks down to size 26 and 28 midges. So I guess my biggest concern is the hook holding power. My vise now is terrible, so thats one of the reasons I want to upgrade! So if anyone has any advice it would be greatly appreciated.

Renzetti guys don't be afraid to chime in either.

Thanks guys

Mike

 

[torr8966]

I've got a Renzetti traveler and two Regals. One with traditional jaws and one with stainless jaws! I tie mostly trout flies 16 and down. I find myself going to the regal the most! Renzetti just collects dust! Don't get me wrong Renzetti makes a great vise and you really can't go wrong with either! You will be surprised how much of a difference a good vise makes!! Good luck and have fun!!

Cheers!
Adrian

 

[stl_geoff]

I have tied from size 3/0 to 32 with my standard jawed regal. The biggest problem is when you start to get into the really small hooks, the jaws work so well that they can smash the hooks to where they break.

 

[flytire]

head out to the fly fishing show in marlboro mass this weekend and try them out

or

head out to your local fly shop and try out their demo travelers and regals to ensure the hook holding capabilities meet your criteria.

i had a regal and never had a problem with it. theres always someone saying the regal spits out hook but personally i think it operator error in the way they insert the hook in the vise.

theres also reports of the jaws breaking on the the regal but it also happens on the traveler. again could it be operator error? i dont know. there will always be speculation on that the jaws were not heat treated correctly but nobdy can provide a Metallographic Failure analysis stating so.

in my opinion either vise will provide you years of fly tying if taken care of properly.

 

[bigjim5589]

I love my Regal! The majority of flies I tie with it are in the size 8 to 3/0 range, but I have tied down to size 22 with it. I mainly like the simplicity of it's design, and have owned several other vises in the past. Have not had a Renzetti however so can't comment on them.

The only con I can express about the Regal I have, as it has the standard jaws, is for me it won't hold all the larger hooks I might use. It doesn't hold all 2/0 or 3/0 size hooks, depending on the wire diameter, as a heavier wire may not fit into the jaws. Those are 2 hooks sizes I use a lot.

Since most of the tying I do is for warmwater or saltwater species, I would go with the big game version if I was purchasing another Regal.

I've had this vise for so long now, I got it before they offered the jaws for bigger hooks! Can't recall exactly when I got it, 30 years or so ago I think.
I've literally tied many thousands of flies with it and it's still going strong. (Tied commercially for 15 years.)

I also tie jigs, and have tied them on up to 10/0 size hooks. No commercially produced vise that I know of will hold a hook that big, but for the size range on which I primarily tie flies, I love the Regal!

 

[Jimmie]

I have a Renzetti, but have tied on a Regal. If I had to consider a new purchase it would probably be the Regal. The tie breaker would be the ease at loading different size hooks back to back.

 

[gretch6364]

Love my Regal with the SS jaws. It is really good for super tiny hooks and has good hold for most trout flies. If you ever found yourself tying big musky flies, etc. you can always get just another set of jaws for the regal vises. They make a big game specific head that has two grooves milled in it.

 

[stl_geoff]

theres also reports of the jaws breaking on the the regal but it also happens on the traveler. again could it be operator error? i dont know. there will always be speculation on that the jaws were not heat treated correctly but nobdy can provide a Metallographic Failure analysis stating so.

My jaws exploded actually. Two years ago I guess it was. Was in the middle of tying a fly and CRACK!!! Hook and bobbin feel to the floor and I thought it just spit the hook, but nope, the tip on the rear jaw had sheared off past the big hook gap. All the glorious pot metal was exposed. I sent the vice and my 40 bucks off to regal and a week or two later I got it back with new jaws on it. That being said, I've had this vice for........15 years now..maybe 16??

 

[troutfanatic]

Thanks for all the helpful advice guys. Sounds like all of you guys would definitely recommend a Regal. I am planning on heading over to the fly fishing show this weekend so I definitely plan on checking them out.

 

[stimmy7]

Two Regals, one for pedestal tying and one for c-clamp. A set of Standard and a set of Midge jaws, no Magnums. I tie mostly in the size 14-20 range and some 2-12 salmon/steelhead, streamers and wets.

My biggest complaint is when you tie on them for 4+ hours a day, 7 days a week, the paint starts wearing off of the area where you tend to rest your off-hand =)

I haven't experienced the jaw breakage/chipping some have (knock on wood, my luck stays this way) but from what I've heard, this typically happens from people mounting the hook too far forward in the jaws rather than "in the pocket" designed for holding the hook.

I also have a Renz Traveler, bought it for when I do some production tying and want to prep hooks through the tail and body stage... I'll do a dozen of two partially rotary style on flies tied "in the round", then half-hitch them off and finish them on the Regal.

 

[flytire]

POT METAL

[ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pot_metal"]Pot metal - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]

i'll bet a dozen flies the regal jaws are NOT made of pot metal!

 

[stl_geoff]

I bet they aren't but it sure blew up and looked like pot metal. Maybe there was an air bubble in there that caused it to look the way it did, but it was goofy.

 

[fly_guy12955]

It's not pot metal. I know steel and the steel in Regal jaws is very good. Not that a flaw can not happen in ANY steel. It can, and it does happen. I have a Regal and plan to be using it when I die. I'd looked at them a few times before I purchased and was impressed with the sturdiness and simplicity of the vise.

 

[changler]

I've had mine for more than a decade, and used it to the point where I've worn most of the relief from the seal on the vise head. I've everything from bass bugs and muskie critters to tiny midges and haven't had any trouble aside from a few small hooks go flying- maybe 1 in 100, and likely operator error.

I couldn't recommend them highly enough, but I'd strongly suggest trying it and other vises in person- there's plenty of good products out there, and you may find something you like better.

 

[tsubeta04]

I finally decided to get a new vice and went to play with the regal. Instantly fell in love with it. Its so simple and nice looking.

Now I just gotta wait till I can find it at a better price.

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk

 

[tpo]

I too have a Regal (standard jaws, I use it with a Griffin pedestal base) and a Renzetti (Traveller). The Regal is rock solid, every part is steel or brass; it feels like it would survive a nuclear war. The Traveller has a lot of aluminum and doesn't seem as solid. That said, I've used it for years w/o a problem. I've never spit a hook with my Regal, but I did numerous time with my old Regal knock-off. I like both vices, and now I pretty much use only the Renzetti on trout flies in about size 14 and smaller, and I use only the Regal for bass and saltwater flies (wish I had the big game jaws now). In between sizes i use both. Both vices hold a hook very well (the Renzetti surprised me with its hook holding ability), with the larger hooks you have to make sure you get them placed properly in the groove on the Regal or they will move around when you put pressure on the hook, when you pack deer hair really tightly or when you crank down on on strong thread on big deer hair flies. The ease of putting a hook in the Regal is sweet, but it hardly takes any more time or effort on the Renzetti. They both work fine, but each has its own strengths/weaknesses. Good luck with your decision.

Tom

 

[utah daveii]

I have a regal and a renzetti as well. I like both, but 90% of my flies are tied on my renzetti. I like the full rotary and the cam jaws.

I have spit a hook and chipped my regal jaws. I still tie my big stuff on the regal.

 

[monkeyboy]

I finally decided to get a new vice and went to play with the regal. Instantly fell in love with it. Its so simple and nice looking.

Now I just gotta wait till I can find it at a better price.

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk

friend of mine bought 3 stainless Regals with saltwater jaws for a hundred apiece from a big box outdoor store. he said the clerks marked them down and it didn't matter to them if a Stainless Regal regularly sells for msrp $, so he bought all three.
he ties on them once in awhile but he likes the Nor Vise for rotary tying.
if I had a Regal I'd prolly use it but alas...
buzz

 

[stimmy7]

It's not pot metal. I know steel and the steel in Regal jaws is very good. Not that a flaw can not happen in ANY steel. It can, and it does happen. I have a Regal and plan to be using it when I die. I'd looked at them a few times before I purchased and was impressed with the sturdiness and simplicity of the vise.

I FULLY agree... I know POT, and I know METAL... and the Regal jaws are definitely metal, in fact, they're well machined steel. Almost every story I've heard about failures to the jaws have involved hooks clamped in the wrong position... typically, way too far forward in the jaws.

But me? I plan using mine until I die, but I'm not sure if I'll be using it when I die... I mean, it's a novel thought to "go at the vise", but I dunno... :weight_li .... and I'm not sure WHAT I'll be using AFTER I die, I guess it depends on what's available there.

I tied on a Thompson for a LOT of years before I bought a Regal, and I can't begin to tell you how happy I am with this vise... I can tie on it for hours at a time and get very little fatigue. Having the ability to rest your "off" hand on the top of the vise comfortably is a real plus.

 

[flytire]

I don't think any vise will cause anybody any fatigue

How you sit or don't sit at your tying area will cause fatigue