i would just like to know what everyones opinion on vises im thinking about getting a dan vise but not for sure

A Danvise is a good vise. There a lot of other good vises out there as well. Fortunately the Danvise is not all that expensive so it's not a huge leap. Most tyers worth their salt have three or five vises anyways....

I have been tying on one for several years and am quite satisfied.

I love my peak rotary, ,and it is not too complicated to set up and tie with

I've had my Danvise for a little over 2 years, and love it. I've tied from size 18 up to 2/0 in the standard jaws. They also make a set of Midge jaws if you tie a lot of small flies. A lot of folks have a problem tying small flies on it. They want more room at the back of the jaws. I haven't noticed a problem. The Midge jaws also address this issue.

Kirk

Now my new vise itch is acting up again.

i'll recuse myself on this one because i'm on prostaff with peak (who makes the best vise for the $$$ in the world...oops). LOL

I have a Danvice and think it is just fine for the task at hand. No, it will not win a beauty contest nor does it have a sporty European look. It is functional and durable. I am going to get the saltwater jaws for the extra space for my hands to work.

My first vise was a Dan Vise, which I had less than two months and bought a Peak. I like my Peak, but am still not satisfied with how well it holds a hook. It also won't spin on the center of the hook shaft with many sizes of hooks, but not so much out of line that you can't work around it. It has no adjustment to allow true center of hook shaft rotation. I love that it is American Made and I have called them a couple of times and they have fantastic service.

Like someone else mentioned, many people don't buy a vise, they buy a first vise, then a second, then ....

Think how much money it would really save you if you just bought a nice vise to begin with. I really like the Renzetti Traveler or the Dyna-King Baracuda Junior for entry level vises if your budget allows. You will never NEED another vise in your life but you just might want a LAW or a full Grown Baracuda one day. If you buy a $350 Baracuda you will probably save money over buying an $85 Danvise. I have $85 in a Dan Vise, $150 in a Peak and I will probably buy a Baracuda one day in the not to distant future. Did I save very much? Hell no! and I could have been using a better vise all along.

You might enjoy these two reviews:

http://www.flyfisherman.com/ftb/hwvise/index.html
http://www.flyfishohio.com/Vise%20Review%201/Fly_Tying_Vise_Shoot-Out.htm

Good luck with your decision,

Rick

I just got a Danvise and love it! I know someone who is selling a Danvise for $57 and Dyna king Barracuda for $239! PM me if your interested.

Jwinit, thanks for starting this post. My answer to your question prompted a change in my own equipment. I found a Barracuda in the Bargain Cave at Cabelas and bought it. Now, I have 3 vises and one has to go. Probably the Danvise.

How much for the Danvise?

clay, if you're not satisfied with the grip a peak puts on a hook you're either not using the right size jaws or (more likely) you're not seating your hooks deeply enough in the jaws.

i haven't found a hook on which the peak vise doesn't turn true or grip solid if i'm following the guidelines.

any hook smaller than a 14 and you need the midge jaws. if it's a wide gape and/or really long shank 16, you can get by with the standard jaws. and anything bigger than a 1/0 needs saltwater jaws.


you will need to seat the hook in a peak vise just a bit deeper than you do in many other vises. hope that helps.

Ken, thanks for the tip. I placed some of the hooks a little deeper and it did help. Like I said earlier, great customer service (they acutually sent me a new set of jaws when the original jaws were defective, they did this very quickly indeed and were a pleasure to work with). The Peak will become my daughter's or wife's vise.


The DanVise will probably become the vise that I just leave at the cabin instead of carrying the vise back and forth, so the more that I think about it, I won't sell it. At least not until I buy the next vise.

Rick

I edited the post to reflect Ken's good advice helped.

clay, it took me a few weeks fiddling with my peak vise to discover this myself. i had tied on a crown for years, and was used to barely sticking the hook in the jaws at all. and many of the rotary vises i had tied on were the same way. so i was perplexed that the hooks slipped in the peak regardless of their size no matter how much i tightened the jaws. but i knew this didn't happen to anyone else i knew who tied on peaks, and i was too proud to ask for help. so i stuck the hook in a bit deeper and presto! no more slipping. then i began working my way back out little by little until it began slipping again. then i tried all different hook sizes. i eventually figured out how far in i needed to seat the hook to get a good grip. it isn't very muchfurther than with others, but it is a bit.

glad it helped you.

After 14 years I still like my Regal.