Griffin Vises: 360-degree rotating head or fixed?

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seattlesetters	Griffin Vises: 360-degree rotating head or fixed?		Lead	[-]
Posts: 473 12/04/2008 20:35	Tags : None I am planning on doing some tying while recuperating from shoulder surgery, and want to buy an inexpensive, yet quality-built vise to keep around the house. I prefer the pedestal design as I don't really have any tables that will work for a clamp. I don't want to spend a ton of money and I'd like to get a vise made in the USA, Montana in particular. I've found these Griffin vises and was hoping a few of you may have had experience with them and could comment on their usefulness and durability. I'm considering the Montana Pro Vise II and the Superior 3ARP Vise as possibilities. I only fish dry flies and soft hackles, and am rather certain I'll only tie soft hackles as I have lost a bit of feeling in my index finger and thumb on my right hand, which limits the fine work I'm able to do. My question to tyers is, do I need a 360-degree rotating vise for soft hackles (like the Superior 3ARP) or will a fixed-head like the Montana Pro II be sufficient? Will a rotating head improve the quality of my flies or the ease with which I can tie them, given my somewhat limited abilities? I might even be talked into the Patriot Cam Vise or the Blackfoot Mongoose if roation makes that much a difference. Any help provided will be greatly appreciated...thanks! Last Edited By: seattlesetters 12/04/2008 21:03. Edited 2 times.
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ashbourn12		#1	[url]	[-]
Posts: 20 12/04/2008 20:45	I love Griffin Vises. They hold a hook very well, easy to use, and they back their products. The rotary feature I think is overrated for most tying and I tend to never use it other then to take a look at the other side quickly, but can easily live with out it. Other will feel quite different about this, but to each their own. Joe
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Buck Henry		#2	[url]	[-]
Posts: 188 12/04/2008 21:29	I have a Renzetti Traveler vise and have to admit that I rarely use the rotary feature other than to roll the fly over so I can see the back side. I am sure there are folks that like to use the rotary feature and I am sure it helps them tie better and faster flies. But I taught myself years ago how to tie on a stationary vise and it just seems natural to me to rotate the materials around the fly versus rolling the fly around. I guess I would still recommend getting a rotating vise as it does come in handy sometimes.
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czkid	Go Griffin!	#3	[url]	[-]
Posts: 3774 12/04/2008 23:12 Moderator	Great little inexpensive vises. I'll be using the heck out of mine while I recuperate with my new knee replacement. My Giffin is a rotary, and the extra cost was so minimal that I opted for it. The longer you use the vice, the more you tend to use the rotary capability... like you, I concentrate on soft hackles and other simple flies. There are just a lot of times that it helps to be able to turn the fly over to check on things and I use the rotary feature a lot for head cement. The rotary also comes in real handy for me for the occasional woolie bugger, or anything that requires floss. For the couple extra bucks... go for it!!! Ralph
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seattlesetters		#4	[url]	[-]
Posts: 474 12/04/2008 23:26	czkid wrote: Great little inexpensive vises. I'll be using the heck out of mine while I recuperate with my new knee replacement. My Giffin is a rotary, and the extra cost was so minimal that I opted for it. The longer you use the vice, the more you tend to use the rotary capability... like you, I concentrate on soft hackles and other simple flies. There are just a lot of times that it helps to be able to turn the fly over to check on things and I use the rotary feature a lot for head cement. The rotary also comes in real handy for me for the occasional woolie bugger, or anything that requires floss. For the couple extra bucks... go for it!!! Ralph Ralph - Thanks. Which model do you have?
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joaniebo		#5	[url]	[-]
Posts: 1687 12/04/2008 23:53	I have two of these vises ( http://www.coastalflyangler.com/salt/gear/vises.php) and am VERY happy with them ! Cheers and Safe Fishing Bob
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DrLogik		#6	[url]	[-]
Posts: 1547 12/05/2008 01:16	Griffin makes good stuff. I'd go for a Patriot if it were me. Looking at one of those myself. DrLogik.com
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roycestearns		#7	[url]	[-]
Posts: 80 12/05/2008 11:31	A quick thought. A rotating vise will allow you to tie with less arm and shoulder movement, and I think that might be advantageous to your recoup. One more thought, wouldn't fly tying be considered a form of PT, so your medical insurance should cover all material and equipment
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Winglas		#8	[url]	[-]
Posts: 21 12/05/2008 12:02	I have been using Griffin vises since they came on the market several years ago. Simply put, they work great! I know one professional tyer that has tied over 100,000 dozen flies on his. They are like the old Pflueger Medalist in that they always work and are the best product out there for the money. Last Edited By: Winglas 12/05/2008 15:54. Edited 2 times.
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seattlesetters		#9	[url]	[-]
Posts: 475 12/05/2008 13:57	roycestearns wrote: A quick thought. A rotating vise will allow you to tie with less arm and shoulder movement, and I think that might be advantageous to your recoup. One more thought, wouldn't fly tying be considered a form of PT, so your medical insurance should cover all material and equipment Then might I be better served by a *true* rotary vise like this small Renzetti? Is a true rotary a good vise for tying soft hackles, or does one of the rotating, angled-head vises like this Griffin do the same thing?
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riverfloggin		#10	[url]	[-]
Posts: 71 12/05/2008 14:25	seattlesetters wrote: roycestearns wrote: A quick thought. A rotating vise will allow you to tie with less arm and shoulder movement, and I think that might be advantageous to your recoup. One more thought, wouldn't fly tying be considered a form of PT, so your medical insurance should cover all material and equipment Then might I be better served by a *true* rotary vise like this small Renzetti? Is a true rotary a good vise for tying soft hackles, or does one of the rotating, angled-head vises like this Griffin do the same thing? Both of those appear to be true rotary vises. I prefer the angled jaws like the griffin because i think angled jaws are easier to tie on. I have a dan-vise, a relatively cheap true rotary vise and I love it. Its great for getting nice straight even ribbing as well as a hundred other things.
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vette89		#11	[url]	[-]
Posts: 17 12/05/2008 14:30	If you are considering a true rotary vise, I 'd like to suggest a Peak vise. I used a Regal for 20+ years and finally made the switch to a full rotary a couple of years ago. I did some research on the internet and found that the Peak vise was favorably rated as the Griffin vises are, but I liked the looks of the Peak vise better. The pedestal base is the perfect size/ weight and everything else about the vise is great. Peak also has come out with several accessories to go with the vise since I bought it which were reasonably priced and well conceived. For the money I don't think that you can get a better bang for your buck!
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roycestearns		#12	[url]	[-]
Posts: 84 12/05/2008 18:27	The rod doesn't cast the line and the vise doesn't tie the fly. If you are convinced that you will only tie a few soft hackles, I would encourage you to find an inexpensive rotating vise and "true rotating" is not important. I've never tried the Danvise but it is a very inexpensive rotating vise with a lot of proponents. A great suggestion is go to your local fly shop and ask to try a few out. I've owned and tied on a noname, thompson, regal, renzetti, and a norvise. They all have their benefits from cheapest to most bells and whistles. Rotating will allow you to hold your material still - dubbing, feathers and ribbing and rotate the hook. Tying in tails and wings will still require you to rotate the thread around the hook. tight wraps
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czkid	Odyssey Cam Vise	#13	[url]	[-]
Posts: 3783 12/06/2008 13:15 Moderator	Seattle; Sorry it took so long getting back... I'm off doing other things. I've got the Odyssey and it's a great little vise. I tie a lot of small stuff, and it holds it well. You can generally find the Odyssey at a substantial discount at times... IIRC I got mine for less than $100. Ralph
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92Esquire		#14	[url]	[-]
Posts: 18 12/06/2008 15:35	vette89 wrote: If you are considering a true rotary vise, I 'd like to suggest a Peak vise. I used a Regal for 20+ years and finally made the switch to a full rotary a couple of years ago. I did some research on the internet and found that the Peak vise was favorably rated as the Griffin vises are, but I liked the looks of the Peak vise better. The pedestal base is the perfect size/ weight and everything else about the vise is great. Peak also has come out with several accessories to go with the vise since I bought it which were reasonably priced and well conceived. For the money I don't think that you can get a better bang for your buck! I have been tying on a PEAK for the past 3 years, and I absolutely love it for trout flies. Get the midge jaws, material clip, and brass screws and it's just about perfect.
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flyfshn76		#15	[url]	[-]
Posts: 10 12/07/2008 08:08	Thats what makes the griffin models so nice. You don't have to trade jaws out. I do agree about peak's vises. They are really nice. I have the griffin odessy spider, bought the optional cam locking jaws and absolutely love it.. I tie anything from 2/0 down to size 32's and have yet to have a hook come out of it. Can't beat the lifetime guarantee.
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seattlesetters		#16	[url]	[-]
Posts: 486 12/12/2008 21:24	Just an update: I ended up going with the 2009 model Montana Mongoose. It's very nice, and I felt better about getting a made-in-USA vise from a company run by a Montana family. I fish in Montana every year for at least 10 days, sometimes more. The people there have always been gracious to me and my family, and keeping the money where I fish and with these people just made great sense. Thanks to all who participated in this discussion! Last Edited By: seattlesetters 12/12/2008 21:27. Edited 1 time.
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FFOD	Montana Mongoose	#17	[url]	[-]
Posts: 6 12/15/2008 14:20	The Griffin is on my short list for a new vise. I'll be very interested to hear what you think of it.
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pittendrigh	rotary comments	#18	[url]	[-]
Posts: 193 12/15/2008 16:10	I have two Renzettis a (fixed) Regal, the Cabalas rotary and a Nor Vise. While the Cabela's rotary (like the Peak vise and others) can be rotated, it cannot be rotated at high speed. That's what I like about the Nor vise. When I'm tying I usually set up at least three and sometimes four vises....one for each of several mass-production steps. The Nor vise is nice for wrapping the shank with thread, and with spinning dubbing (you don't need a separate tool anymore, you just use the vise) wrapping body material, etc. Plus it has several convenient, 90 degrees apart lock positions. The Cabelas vise free rotates and to same position each time. You can lock it in place, but it takes both hands and several turns of a dial to do it. I like that Nor vise a lot. / salmobytes >--O0> have code, will travel /
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Griffin Vises: 360-degree rotating head or fixed?

Griffin Vises: 360-degree rotating head or fixed?

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