vise advise, lol

I'm pretty sure I've seen this conversation on this board before but couldn't find it again so I apologize if this is redundant. I'm looking to get in to tying but I don't think I want a kit, I just want the basics to tie an adams, bwo, a few nymphs and the occasional terrestrial. Any advice on what inexpensive vise I should get and a good source for tools/materials?

I've been using a Griffin Odyssey Spider vise for several years. Excellent quality for a great price. Strong jaws, but they're delicate enough to securely hold very small hooks (#24-28). The extra money that you could have spent on a $300 vise, could be put towards materials and tools. With that being said, Renzetti is also another great company that produces great vises and tools. The Renzetti Traveler is a very popular vise and is popular because of it's reliability and price.


Griffin Odyssey Spider

As far as materials and tools go, most fly shops will have a decent selection. I try to spread the love amongst shops and not buy everything from the big-box stores such as Cabelas or Bass Pro. Here's a few great shops that carry a wide array of tying materials and tools. Just to name a few though...

1. Casters Fly Shop in Hickory
2. Davidson River Outfitters in Pisgah Forest
3. Hunter Banks Co. in downtown Asheville
4. Little River Outfitters in Townsend, TN

If you're a hunter, you should have an endless supply of feathers and hair. If you're not, taxidermists will usually give you scraps from animal hides. Unless they're fly tyers, they are usually more than happy to be relieved of a box of unusable (for the taxidermist, but useful for the tyer) scraps.

Hope this helps!

How much are you budgeting for your vice, I mean vise ?

I'd like to spend somewhere in the $125 range for everything.

I have a Griffin Spider that I still use from time to time. I would have been better off to have stuck with it over a few purchases since. It's $85 on their site. I believe you would be happy with it. I'm hanging on to mine for my son in a few years.

Thanks guys, I'm still thinking this one through. Let you know how it turns out.

I am a novice tier myself. I started out with one of the cheap vises that you get in a kit and it made life difficult. I finally decided that I would get a nicer vise to make the learning curve not so steep. I bought the Renzetti Traveler vise and I am very happy with it's functions and manufacture. I haven't played with the Griffin vise but I did consider getting one. I also considered the Renzetti Apprentice vise for it's function and economical price. They run right at $99 and get good reviews. I would recommend finding a place that sells them off the rack and has floor demos for you to monkey with.