Renzetti Traveler Vise

Review Date
May 1, 2001

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Visitors rate this review
1.00 of 5, 2 votes

Reviewed by: Anonymous User(Unregistered User) ,  50+ days a year , from Habersham, GA

Price Paid:  $150.00 at Unicoi Outfitters

Summary:
The key word in this vise is "Traveler." It's as good a traveling vise as you're likely to find, and also entirely suitable for a bench vise. A very good vise for the money. It's not a Dyna-King Baracuda, but it's about half the price. I now use the Baracuda for my bench vise, because it's heavier and doesn't jump around as much. Either vise does extremely well made, however, and does the a vise's primary job of holding a hook very well. And in the end, you can't tell if a fly was tied with a Baracuda, a Traveler, or a Thompson.

Strengths:
This is a very good vise, and an excellent travel vise. It's priced very competitively and is well made. I used it as my main vise for about three years. It has very good holding power; I've used it on hooks from size 2 to 24 with no slips at all. You can bend a size 2 hook held in the vise's jaws without it slipping. It's lightweight and simple to use. Adjustment from different hook sizes is a bit tiresome, but not difficult. Quality is very good.

Weaknesses:
The front jaw locking screw is simply too small, and hard to get to. I made a substitute for it, which was easy to do with stuff I had laying around the house, and that helped out tremendously. The cam feature is far better than the original screw locking method, but the upgrade is overpriced. Hook alignment with the axis of rotation isn't totally precise, but isn't a major problem, either.

Pedestal is lighter than I like, and is apparently of some non-ferrous metal, since a magnet won't stick to it. In fact, I glued my pedestal to my bench with super glue when I used this vise as a bench vise, which took care of the problem, but didn't do much for my bench. (Couldn't use a clamp on my bench; won't fit.)

Customer Service:
I've only ordered accessories (like the Clouser Minnow arm) but this was excellent and easy to do.

Similar Products Used:
Dyna-King Baracuda, Thompson, Patriot Cam.

Review Date
April 28, 2001

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Reviewed by: Anonymous User(Unregistered User) ,  50+ days a year , from Corvallis Oregon

Price Paid:  $160.00 at fly shop

Body of Water:
rivers

Summary:
This is a great vise. It improved my tying dramatically.

Strengths:
The true rotary is smooth it looks great and the cam lock jaws are fast and hold strong from the smallest size 22 to I think 2/0 large hooks. Great for the casual fly tyer as well as for the production tyer.

Weaknesses:
kinda spendy.

Customer Service:
Don't know haven't used it.

Similar Products Used:
Some old starter vise.

Review Date
April 7, 2001

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Reviewed by: Anonymous User(Unregistered User) ,  50+ days a year , from Highlands Ranch, CO

Price Paid:  $134.00

Body of Water:
Colorado/Wyoming

Summary:
This is simply the best vise on the market for the money. I have used many other vises on the market including the Dyna Kings. If you're looking for a true rotary vise that holds #28-2/0 hooks this is your boy. I don't know what the other reviewers are talking about but I've used this vice for 4 years with no problems at all. Not one. It's tied monster streamers and tiny midges with accuracy and grace. If you can't take the time to adjust the jaws, you're probably better suited to bait fishing. The vice is very smooth, if you take the time to adjust it properly. No other vice compares. If you ask people that truly know, Renzetti is indeed the best trout vice on the market. Hands down, no competition.

Strengths:
Fine Jaws
True Rotary
Superior materials and workmanship

Weaknesses:
Takes a bit of playing to get adjusted properly. Once it's dialed in you're in business. And business is good.

Similar Products Used:
Regal, Dyna King, Thompson, Abel etc.

Review Date
March 28, 2001

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 3 of 5

Reviewed by: Anonymous User(Unregistered User) ,  50+ days a year , from Littleton, CO

Price Paid:  $149.00 at Colorado Angler

Body of Water:
Any river in the west

Summary:
Pretty darn happy with this little unit. I had a Dyna King Barracuda Jr. in the past and it is a bit hard to compare this unit to the Dyna King. For the money, the Traveller is a great vise. I will tie alot of small patterns for the tailwaters I fish and this vise is more that adequate. I don't use big hooks, so this unit fits the bill. The fit and finish is a bit less than the more expensive Barracuda, but quite acceptable. I would recommend this as a first vise or an upgrade from a previous kit or a cheaper unit.

Strengths:
Great price, small unit, good holding power, very versatile

Weaknesses:
hook tension adjustment is a bit ackward, base is a bit warped and doesn't fit square on the table, the rotary movement is a bit off balance

Customer Service:
Not used

Similar Products Used:
Dyna King Barracuda Jr.

Review Date
February 9, 2001

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Visitors rate this review
1.00 of 5, 1 votes

Reviewed by: Anonymous User(Unregistered User) ,  30 days a year , from Auckland, New Zealand

Price Paid:  $150.00 at K & K Flyfishers

Body of Water:
Keys Flats

Favorite City:
Islamorada

Favorite State:
Florida

Favorite Country:
USA

Summary:
Great light weight vise, that you can see is a quality tool. Highly recommended!

Strengths:
Quality vise for the money, if you compare it to alot of other traveler vises. Good clean attractive finish. The new Cam lock works much better than the old knob, with this improvement alone there should be not much to complain about. Easy setup.

Weaknesses:
The jaws need to be kept oiled with WD-40 or CRC, as they tend to get a bit of top rust from finger acid. Would be nice to see a rust resistant metal used.

Customer Service:
Not yet! Hopefully never, I live too far away.

Similar Products Used:
Nothing similar this is my first rotary vise.