By Bob Reece

The Renzetti 2300 Series Traveler Vise is a serious upgrade.

Years ago I was blessed to receive a phone call form an elderly lady in my community.  She knew that I was a young fly tier and fisher.  Her husband had passed away several years earlier and had left behind a life time of fly tying tools and materials.  Through her great generosity, I happened upon what has been the most valuable asset of my fly tying career. 

When I arrived at her house she guided me into the basement and toward a bedroom.  When the bedroom door opened I found myself looking at chest high boxes wall to wall.  Each box was filled with either fly tying tools or materials.  After recovering from the shock, I began the process of working through the extensive collection.   As I worked my way toward the back corner of the room, I opened a small tattered box.  Inside sat the slim silver frame of a Renzetti Traveler vise.  Never having tied on any form of quality vise, I was elated over the find.  Looking back, I could have found any brand of vise in that box.  With the fly tying experience that I now have, I’m thankful that it was a Renzetti.  

Until recently, every fly that I have constructed since has been on that vise.   Several weeks ago I moved on, to another Renzetti Traveler.  With the creation of their 2300 Series Traveler, I couldn’t help but reach for the upgrade.  

Renzetti’s are known for their buttery smooth rotary function.  This new member of the family maintains that solid reputation.  The vise structure provides three optional length positions for the jaws.  This allows the tier to make rotary adjustments as hook sizes change, ensuring that the rotational axis does not induce wobble as the vise turns. The petite but strong bobbin cradle effectively fills in for the role of side kick during rotary applications. 

The range of hook sizes that I spend time tying on fall into the typical trout sizes of mid twenties up to one.  Within the jaws of the traveler, all of these sizes remain firmly locked down during the tying process.  When constructing patterns on these hooks, I tie with pedestal variation of the vise.  With the 2300 Series, Renzetti beefed up the weight of this all-important foundation.  As a result the stability during the tying process is rock solid.  

While all of the above features are important, the most valuable element of the 2300 Series Traveler is the construction of its frame.  Many popular vise brands sport various elements of their frames that are large and bulky.  The Traveler has maintained its slim streamlined form.  This is hugely important in terms of how the vise interacts with the two most important tying tools, your hands.  The sleek frame of the Renzetti allows ample room for the tiers hands to work from any angle on patterns of all sizes.  This element above all others has helped me to improve the quality of flies that I create during my journey as a fly tier. 

If I could take home a Ferrarri for the price of a Toyota, I would.  Renzetti provides tiers with that option in the 2300 Traveler.  With its solid construction and sleek function this vise can help you continue to grow in your journey as a fly tier.  

To see Bob Reece fly tying videos, click on the link below:

http://www.thinairangler.com/tying-videos

To shop for Bob Reece’s current Umpqua Fly Patterns, click on the link below:

http://www.thinairangler.com/flyshop

To explore connect with Bob Reece as your personal Fly Coach, click on the link below:

http://www.thinairangler.com/fly-coach