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Hello Everyone:
Hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving. Now that I am back from my favorite Turkey Abyss, I thought it might be cool to find out what type of vises you guys tye on. Also, are there any plans to possibly upgrade to a newer vise. For me I started out on a Thompson's model A vise and like it very much. The only trouble is I did not like the clamp so one Xmas Mrs Santa got an Idea on her own and bought me a Thompson Pro II vise with a base. Learned to tye on this vise and tyed on it for 10 years. I still use this vise in Hotels and on streamside. I finally wanted to upgrade mainly due to wanting something new and different. I bought the Thompson 360 SLT and after a year of working with this vise had enough. Constant adjustmants always had to be made. The hook holding power after a few fly's would lesson and the hook would move. After seeing BestBugs Renzetti I thought nice vise but really how good. So this time I went shopping and tried out a numerous amount of vises. I finally bought the Renzetti 4000 Presentation vise with cam locking jaws and a saltwater base. I love this vise and would'nt give it up for nothing. The one thing I still practice and preach. It's not the vise that makes the fly tyer but the person and materials. I love the rotary function and it has improved my speed and has given me the ability to view my fly at different angles. Just keep in mind, that I can still tye fly's on my old Thompson vise and they come out just as pretty. Just some food for thought. So, let's here your stories.
Andy B
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What brand of vise do you use, and why?
I use the Nor Vise. I'll have to admit that I like gadgets. When I saw Norm tying on this thing, I was amazed at how easy he made everything look. After working with this vise for almost a year now, I'll have to say that I wouldn't settle for anything less. It's a bit pricey and doesn't look as pretty as some of the other vises available, but I'll tell yah, it's quite functional. It's a True Rotary vice. Others claim to be true rotary, but this one is TRUE rotary.
Ok, you want the downfalls on it? Here they are... You've got to fasten your hook into the clamp via two knobs. I'd prefer if this was a more simple task. Well, I'm used to it now. My other only gripe is that I purchased the Midge Jaws for it and it's sad to say, they're a bit clunky. I think they were an extra 70bux or so, and I don't use them. Maybe I'll put them on E-bay. It's not very modular either. As a matter of fact, if I want to take it with me, I'll have to take my entire setup because of the way it's bolted down. Yes, bolted!
I do have a Dan Vise too. The rotary doesn't compare to to the Nor-Vise though, so I don't like to use it. My Dan-Vice is probably an excellent vice for traveling because it's got a clamp attached to it which makes moving it around fairly easy.
What I think I'm going to purchase is a real traveling vice in the near future, then I'll have something to take with me on my road trips.
Last but not least, one of the plus's of my Nor-Vice is that it came with this retractable bobin. I don't know how anyone ties without these things. Even if you don't care for the Nor-Vice itself, you should invest in a few of these. They're not cheap though, I believe it's $35.00 for a bobin and a few extra spools.
Here's the vice with the standard fly holder:
And here it is with the Midge fly holder. To change from standard to midge or the other way around, it takes about 10 seconds. It's no task.
12-02-2002
With Regards to Andy B's Post on Vises 
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