Product Reviews

Product Review:  Regal Rotary C-Clamp Vise

Made by: Regal Enterprises

So, like a good consumer, come late December I start trying to figure out what I'm going to gift to myself for weathering another holiday season.  At one point, I started thinking of replacing my fly tying vise.  You see, when winter comes, it's harder for w to get away and go fly fishing.  What I do instead is set up my fly tying station and get busy.

Like many of you, I find tying my own flys to be very rewarding.  Not only is it relaxing for me, but I believe the excitement of landing a fish is magnified when I tied the fly myself.  Now, I love my Regal.  It is truly a workhorse.  Mine is nearly 20 years old and has some cosmetic scratches.  But, it works as good as the day it tied it's first fly.  I'm willing to bet this thing will be fully functional long after I'm not and can no longer hold a fly rod.  I have one complaint.  Its rotary capability is limited and too cumbersome to effectively tie in the rotary fashion.  The rotary does, however,  allow you to view your work from all angles.  It rotates 360° and moves up and down 220°.  Although this is a huge plus, there is a difference between rotating and spinning.  If you are in the market only for a spinning fly tying vise, Regal does have its Revolution model, and if you've got the money, go for it.

If you've never used a Regal, they are built a little differently than other vises.  First off, you should know that no vise comes close to the Regal's holding power and strength.  

The Jaws are self adjusting and will hold hooks as big as 6/0 and down to size 32 (Because you're gonna tie that big and small you know).  Squeeze the handle to open the jaws, insert hook, release the handle and you're set.  There is no adjusting.  On the inside of one of the jaws is a groove to hold larger hooks.

I should mention that twice I had a size 24 hook shoot out across the room.  As you tie smaller, you need to make sure the hook is deeper set in the jaws to prevent flying hooks.  If you're not a fan of the C clamp, there is a pedestal model as well.

Bottom line, for about $160, I don't think there is a more solid vise on the market.  In fact, I understand that the Regal is the choice of many commercial tyers.  I enjoyed using my Regal so much that I decided to hang on to it.  Now I gotta figure out what to spend my money on.  I'm leaning towards my rent.

If you're interested Cabelas carries the full line of Regal vises.  

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