Start Fly Tying
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HMH Spartan Vice
If you are going to adopt a new vice, make it an expensive one, that's what I always say. This fits the bill perfectly. It isn't the most expensive vice in the world, but it is perhaps the simplest and best engineered. I might be biased, because this is the vice I use. It comes with a life time's guarantee. I think HMH are safe though - I have tied hundreds and hundreds of flies with this vice, and there isn't a mark on the jaws. An investment providing you are planning to tie alot of flies!
Weaver Type 1 Vice
This is a good, solid vice that will perform more than adequately and is built to last. It is also British made, if such things sway your purchasing decisions. If you are sure you are going to take to fly tying like hare's fur to a hook-shank and want something that will last, then this vice will do the job.
Super II Vice
If you are working to a tight budget, this is the ideal vice to get you started for a relatively small amount of money. This is the vice I stated with myself. If you remember that the purpose of a vice is to hold your hook securely while you tie things onto it, then for hook sizes around the 14 mark, this vice will do the job as well as the HMH featured at the top. What it won't do, is to do the job for as long. Nowhere near as long. The difference is in the kind of steel used in the jaws. On this vice, the steel is softer, and a groove will soon wear if you tie a lot of flies. But, if you don't see yourself tying that much, or you just want to see if fly tying is for you, then this is a cheap and cheerful way of getting started.