A few people have been asking about the vice I have been using for the step by step videos so I have decided to do a short review. The vice itself is a Jan Tvrdek Rotary Vice Harmonic it can be bought for the princely sum of £164.60. This of course is the sum once it has been converted to GBP, the vice comes from Europe where it is for sale €199. It came into my possession by chance, I had entered a photography competition and was fortunate to be selected as one of the winners the prize was a small tackle bag with a hefty £250.00 price tag.
Not needing this I asked the organiser to swap with the individual that won the vice. They very kindly let me pick anything from the website to the value of the bag. I liked the idea of the way this vice locked the hook into place. It is very simple and I don’t know why it has not been done before. The vice is made exclusively in the Czech Republic it comes with a pedestal stand and you can buy as an extra the heavy base weighing in at a hefty 5.5lb. I have tied flies from size 10 down to 24 with no problems. The vice allows hooks to be positioned in any vertical alignment and holds them securely. I have enjoyed using this vice and look forward too many years’ service from it. That said I can see a couple of disadvantages over a conventional vice. The attachments for tube flies may not be compatible with the jaw mechanism on this vice, but as I don’t use that in my tying it is not an issue.
A solid well-made bit of kit, I would give this vice four out of five stars and this is only because I feel the price could be a little cheaper.