The Nor-Vise

[FlySmyth]

Anyone ever tie on a Nor-Vise?

They sure look cool.

Ken.

[jdubya]

they had a booth with nor vise factory guys: damn they could do everything and FAST FAST FAST!! pretty amazing.

looking on the floor the nor vise was the single most popular vice. behind that, regal and danvise, then renzetti, etc. but the nor vise in that crowd was definitely industrial strength tying. and their spring bobbins rock too. but i don't want to spend $350 for a new vise/bobbin set.

but if i was getting out of a thompson and wanted to upgrade (and money wasn't that much of an object) i'd probably pull the trigger on a nor vise based upon what i saw this weekend.

[FlySmyth]

I saw them there too.

I was impressed enough to almost buy one. My fear is that nothing is a easy to use at home as it is for those guys that do it all the time so I hesitated and thought I'd come here and ask all of you if you'd ever tied on one.

Thanks.

Ken.

[Larry S.]

My thoughts exactly. I should have bought one years ago when I first seen them. Then maybe I would be as proficient as Norm is. I don't know if I could justify one in my life now but the bobbins are another story. I just might go that route.

As long as we're on the subject........ did he ever use scissors?

[jdubya]

no,not that i saw. but then a lot of guys did not use scissors when i normally would. everything is time, time, time.

and, by the way, i am gonna get me a pair of those wiss (?) scissors: the kind that have the spring that keeps the jaws open and fit in the hand nicely. i have never been able to tie with regular scissors always in my hand: those may just be the trick.

[Curtis Fry]

JW: Kinda off the subject, but I switched to Wiss scissors a couple of years ago and absolutely love them. Just don't buy them off of a fly fishing website. Go to sewing sites.....they're much cheaper.

Plus they cut like no other scissors I've found and they fit right in your hand and can easily swivel out of the way.

[carpman]

Ken,

I've tied on the Nor-vise. Norm puts on a real neat "dog and pony show" but try tying regular patterns and it wasn't nearly as handy. Also, you have to use his bobbins which are not only expensive, but were uncomfortable (IMHO) and much too large. He shows you all those neat tricks, but in all the demos I've never seen anyone tie a fly start to finish, that I would actually use........

Just my two cents...........

[Larry S.]

Then you have to watch Charlie Hune..........

[jdubya]

there were a lot of people (expert tyers all) using the vice at the expo. my guess was it was the most popular vice there (or decently close to it) in adding all the tiers up.

and i noticed a lot of people were using the bobbins who did not have the vice.

also talked to Bob Jacklin about his/AK Best SW bobbins. nice little cheap, short bobbin and they both like a lot. hard to find, though.

[hookjaw]

...and love it. There is a little bit of a learning curve about the dubbing aspect of it but once you get past that you will be wondering what you ever did without it. But don't believe Norm about the hackle twisting the fly around, he says that just to sell the vice.

[Fred]

It's on sale here for $220.00:

http://shop.store.yahoo.com/lewis-and-clark/norvise.html

Refilling spools seems like kind of a pain? Is it?

[Larry S.]

After a week of thinking it over I have come to the same conclusion............ Perhaps the refilling of the bobbin spools offsets any advantage ?

[carpman]

Good to hear some people actually use the vise. The spool refill would be a bit of a hassle........

[Ouzel]

is dead on, they were developed for and have been used in the textile industry (cut & sew operations) for a very lone time. There are basically two styles, the slightly less expensvie model does not have replaceable blades.

You could do as A. K. Best does and attach a large needle to it for dubbing.

[flyty]

"I have never been able to tie with regular scissors always in my hand: those may just be the trick."

I don't see how. They take up way more room in the palm of your hand than scissors. I've seen some mini ones for around $15 at SW, that look like they would be handy to attach to a vest. They slide firmly into a sheath to protect the points.

[carpman]

It's all a matter of what you get used to. Any change in technique requires some "break in" time........

[tomswango]

I have the vise and love it