10-01-2007, 04:48 PM
I have a Danvise. I don't think that you can buy a danvise with a table top base. When I got mine there only was the clamp-on base. But I know that some people have bought a table top base from another manafacturer's line and drilled out the hole to accept the Danvise stem. (I would bet that Strouds Tackle has some bases) Or you could make you own base out of wood that you clamp onto. Or take some kind of chunk of metal drill a hole for the vise stem. Then drill and tap a hole for screw to tighten against the stem.
I like my Danvise just fine. It is what I use for all of my tying. I started out with a very cheap vise in a kit that quickly gave up. I moved on to an inexpensive Griffin clamp base vise but I kept having problems getting and keeping the correct jaw tension on hooks. So I then got the inexpensive Danvise. I use it all the time for flies down to size 26. It will hold smaller I just don't tie smaller. It will hold Hooks for ocean fishing great also. I have not had the need up to now to do those size hooks.
If I wanted to spend several hundred dollars I would buy one made out of all those cool shiney metal ones. I just love finely machined and finished stuff. That may have something to do with running a machine shop at one time.
Unless you are going to be tying hundreds of flies smaller than size 20 at a time I think you will be quite satisfied with a Danvise. It operates reliably and smoothly. It is very sturdy. When tying the small stuff some times I want a little more clearance around the the back of the fly. But it really is not a problem. If i was tying hundreds of flies at a time it might leave me with wanting a different vice for the small stuff. At the same time the design of the jaws and the fact that it rotates give you a nice way to hang spooled wire and ribbons, which are on a bobbin, out of the way while you tie the rest of a fly.
I wanted a clamping base because when I used a table stand model I would pull too hard on the thread. It would cause the vise to tip forward and or rotate towards me. I found it very agrevating because it always happened at least once in a tying session. But the draw back to a table clamping base is that some tables have scuptured edges so that the vice will not clamp well on the edge of the table. My work around has been to have a piece of wood hanging off the table that I clamp the vice onto and then put a heavy weight on the wood and maybe also clamp the wood onto the table edge with a couple of C clamps. If you do not think you will be continuely taking your vise to different friends's house then it probably is going to be a none issue.
The Danvise is very light to lug around as opposed to a vise with a heavy metal base.
I don't know anything about the other vise you are looking at.
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I like my Danvise just fine. It is what I use for all of my tying. I started out with a very cheap vise in a kit that quickly gave up. I moved on to an inexpensive Griffin clamp base vise but I kept having problems getting and keeping the correct jaw tension on hooks. So I then got the inexpensive Danvise. I use it all the time for flies down to size 26. It will hold smaller I just don't tie smaller. It will hold Hooks for ocean fishing great also. I have not had the need up to now to do those size hooks.
If I wanted to spend several hundred dollars I would buy one made out of all those cool shiney metal ones. I just love finely machined and finished stuff. That may have something to do with running a machine shop at one time.
Unless you are going to be tying hundreds of flies smaller than size 20 at a time I think you will be quite satisfied with a Danvise. It operates reliably and smoothly. It is very sturdy. When tying the small stuff some times I want a little more clearance around the the back of the fly. But it really is not a problem. If i was tying hundreds of flies at a time it might leave me with wanting a different vice for the small stuff. At the same time the design of the jaws and the fact that it rotates give you a nice way to hang spooled wire and ribbons, which are on a bobbin, out of the way while you tie the rest of a fly.
I wanted a clamping base because when I used a table stand model I would pull too hard on the thread. It would cause the vise to tip forward and or rotate towards me. I found it very agrevating because it always happened at least once in a tying session. But the draw back to a table clamping base is that some tables have scuptured edges so that the vice will not clamp well on the edge of the table. My work around has been to have a piece of wood hanging off the table that I clamp the vice onto and then put a heavy weight on the wood and maybe also clamp the wood onto the table edge with a couple of C clamps. If you do not think you will be continuely taking your vise to different friends's house then it probably is going to be a none issue.
The Danvise is very light to lug around as opposed to a vise with a heavy metal base.
I don't know anything about the other vise you are looking at.
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