The other day I was asked which vise I thought was the best for a first time fly tier to invest in. I was struck by the word, invest. Usually, I’m asked which vise will work and is the cheapest.
Whenever I give an answer, I always relate that I own at least five vices that I use for my tying and a dozen or so I use for classes I teach. I also mention that I’ve been playing at fly tying off and on for almost 40 years and have amassed quite a collection of “stuff” and vises compile a portion of the collection.
I own several Regal vises, several types of Renzetti vises and the old AA type. I probably use the Renzetti and Regal vises equally, but I tell them, If I were buying one today, I’d buy a HMH Spartan Vise. In fact, I bet a lot of the old-time tiers use some kind of HMS – they’re that good and they last.
Having said all that, it’s good to remember that all a vise does is hold a hook; everything else is just window dressing. But then, if owning a vise was totally by function, and I applied that to owning a fly rod, well, suffice it to say I’d still be using my Shakespeare Wonder Rod.
TD