Regal Inex

First Impressions.  Did the vise come in an attractive package?  Was it well packed and would the packaging serve as storage for the vise?  3.67

 

Directions, literature, parts lists and documentation?  Does this vise come with a set of directions that explain care and maintenance of the product?  Are there illustrations of the parts in case you need to order an accessory or replace a missing part?  Are there well written directions explaining calibration and set-up of the vise?  4.00

 

Vise fit and finish.  Is this a well finished product?  Did it communicate quality right out of the box?  4.00

 

C-Clamp quality:  Is the clamp well designed?  Did the clamp provide a solid, immobile mounting system for the vice?  Did it remain tight through a long session of tying?  Did it mark, or have the potential to damage the surface of the table to which it's clamped? 3.33

 

Vise stem finish, adjustability and length. Is the vise flexible in placement for a number of tiers and table heights?  2.83

 

Smoothness of operation of vise jaws.  Were they easy to open and close?  Are the jaws easy to calibrate for various hooks?  Do the jaws remain in the calibrated position or is it necessary to readjust the jaws after a few flies?  4.00

 

Rotation and adjustability.  Is the vise capable of rotating?   If so, was the rotating mechanism smooth and robust?   Use N/A if this vise doesn’t feature rotability.  N/A

 

Jaw grip, hold and clearance.  Does the vise hold the hook stable under both vertical and horizontal pressures?  Is there access to tie on any type of hook in the normal size range?  Can it reliably hold different sizes of hooks?  All vises must hold a minimum of size 20 to 2/0 to rate a 4 or better unless they are purposed designed and labeled as being designed for a specific hook size (tube, midge or saltwater, for instance). 4.33

 

Accessories. Is the vise capable of being customized with a bobbin cradle, material clip, background card, parachute tool, waste receptacle, etc.?  A good vise should have a material clip included as part of its design. 4.00

 

Reviewer’s Choice.  There is no category for this.  This is a gauge of “goose-bump” factor.  Did you like this vise?  Could you forget about the tool and do the job? 3.83

 

Country where manufactured?  USA

 

 

 

 

 

3.28 Overall Rating

MSRP   $110.00

Jim's Comments -  While I have no idea what INEX means, It didn't deter me from liking this vise. Regal uses a proprietary system where the jaws act as the spring for the vise. There is a large lever, operating a cam, on the opposite side of the tier (it can be switched to serve a lefty, as well). This serves to open the jaws. Regals vise heads are typical big and clunky looking. That said, they perform absolutely great. I have to listen to Joe tell me how great his Regal is, to tie on, and frankly, I needed to see for myself. With the exception that this vise doesn't rotate, it performs very similarly to the more pricey Regal models. There is a curved groove machined in one side of the jaw opening, for holding larger hooks in place. For me, the jury's out on the utility of this feature but in this instance, it was probably necessary. You can't really adjust the clamping power of the Regal jaw. It is what it is and can do no more (or less). I really like the fact that you can just start tying. No adjustments, No fussing. Just start tying. The jaw opens, accepts the hook, no matter what size it is and gives you great clamping pressure. If it rotated, it would have gotten higher marks. The only difference between this and the less pricey Griffins is just that; The Price. At 120 dollars, I think Regal gives up too much to get a entry level product. I'd much rather, they re-engineered this product to rotate. One other peeve is the lack of any padding on the C-clamp. It' will mar a wood tables' finish if you don't put something under it. A small piece of rubber or cork would have done wonders. I'd take any other price saving measures if you could just walk up to it and start tying and be able to rotate the fly.

Jim's Rating - 3.55

 

Joe's Comments - The only thing that keeps me from falling in love with this vise is the lack of rotability. No surprises here, I tie on a Regal every day. This vise is all Regal. Pull the handle, put in the hook and it doesn't move. Ever. I really like the jaws and the speed and ease of use. Fit and finish is very good, there's no doubt this is a serious bit of machining. I think this might be an excellent travel vise or even a primary if you are tying saltwater flies or, especially, jigs and don't need a lot of rotary ability. The bottom line is this: I tied for more than two decades and never saw the far side of my flies. It wasn't that much of a problem, but now I'm spoiled. I can confidently and quickly recommend this vise, but if your thing is little dry flies for trout you can do better for the money. If your thing is striper flies, billfish flies or big feather or hair jigs this is a very, very good value.

Joe's Rating - 3.20

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Mark's Comments -  This vise is quite nice with a real look of a much more expensive vise. It comes with a nice pedestal base but does not come with a C Clamp, I personally prefer the base so no complaints from me. I did like the ease of the cam mechanism and the quick changeability of the jaws. ( our test vise came with 2 extras, not sure if that is standard or not) One thing I really liked was all the room at the junction of vise and hook, the jaws allow for a lot of room and even has a simple but impressively smooth rotary. For someone who enjoys tying simple flies without all the fancy gadgets and add-ons, this would definitely fit the bill!

Mark's Rating - 3.15

 

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