Anyone use a Regal Vise?

[1flyfisher]

I have had my regal vise for decades. Now when I put a hook in the jaws it sometimes pops out and goes flying across the room to be lost forever. This has been going on for well over a year and is getting worse now I am getting really pissed losing hooks in the carpet, (hooks ain't getting cheaper these days). I must have lost a few dozens of hook.

WTF is going on?
Are the jaws finally worn out?

Anyone have this problem and did you send it in for repairs and what happened? I think it is supposed to be warranted for life.
Did the co try and bilk money out of you for warranty repairs and bs shipping and handling costs like Sage does?
I have to get this fixed or get a new vise. I am very ready for a rotary but have been clinging to this old vise.

[Darian]

I've been using a Regal Vice for about 5 years now and haven't experienced the problem yours exhibits.

What appears to be going on is probably normal wear and tear. The metal surrounding the area where your hook is held in the vice has worn smooth and maybe a bit cambered (hope that makes sense). When you place a forged wire hook (flat surface in the bend), it may hold; where a round wire hook is propelled by the pressure applied by the jaws. So, the jaws are apparently worn out for your application.

The only way to find out about warranties or charges for repairs is to call the company and ask or check out their website.

An alternative to sending it back is to buy a new set of jaws. They come in various sizes and are cheaper than buying a new vice. I bought an extra set of jaws that accommodate a larger size fly as I tie a bunch of salty flies these days.

[Mike O]

They do repair them, but it ain't free. check your jaws. a lot of times when the hook goes flying out, the jaw metal will chip. If the regal is not holding the hooks, try turning the jaws upsided down. That's what I do, and I still love my regal

For info:

http://regalvise.com/index.php/Customer-Service.php

[YEM]

I've had a Regal vise for 15 years and never had a problem until this month when I tied some #18 and #20s. Several times I didn't put the hook far enough into the jaw and *PING* the hook goes flying across the room. Totally my fault and I knew it could happen. Andy Puyans warned me when he sold me the vise. Okay, I was cheating on the edge of the jaw to get a little extra space to work. After two or three chips I decided to send my vise back to Regal for repairs (haven't done it yet). I'm considering getting Regal's midge jaw, but I think my standard jaw will work for #20 if I'm careful.

[Steve Potter]

I had the same problem but my hooks inbedded in the sheet rock in my tying room wall. I fixed the problem by replacing the jaws and buying another vise with midge jaws. Most of my fly tying is in size 1thur 3/0 hooks. The regular jaws work great,but with my trout flies I go to the midge model. Lately I just use my Abel for everything especially at the shows. The last post is basically the same as mine so youre not alone with this problem, good luck
Steve

[Darian]

Seems like a very good pastime (waster) could be had by painting a bullseye on the wall board and testing the accuracy of your shots out of the vice.... At least that's better than losing hooks in the carpet. It would be just my luck to step on one (or more) while walking around bare foot.

[RSK]

Does the newer stainless jaws have the same trouble with chipping? I have tied quite a bit on a regal knockoff and really like the vise but never wanted to invest in the regal because of the known problem with chipping and the fact that they gave such a hard time with their warranty. Also the recommended hook sizes for their jaw did not fit a nice window for me and I knew that would be an issue with them if I did have a problem. I have been tying on a norvise for quite some time and when I had a problem with one of my jaws I called and Norm answered and had a new jaw in the mail that day without even needing to see the old one. I really appreciate that kind of product support. I have allways wanted to pick up a regal for travel though.

[1flyfisher]

Can you elaborate on the "hard time with their warranty"

I am not looking forward to hassles and getting charged for repairs. I do know that when I bought it long ago it had a "Lifetime Warranty"...LOL...I do not know what that means these days. I know other FF manufacturers are trying to stick customers for $50 for shipping? Sage tried to stick me for $50 for shipping on an old rod with a "LifeTime Warranty". I am supposed to have a bumper to bumper 3 year warranty on my new 2010 GMC but every time I go into the dealership they try and stick me for repair costs. It's pissing me off.

I will call them and/or email them and see what is up. I'll let you folks know what happens. I'll keep my fingers crossed. Maybe they'll do the right thing and honor their Lifetime Warranty. If they try and bilk me for $$$ I'll just get a new rotary vise. I've been long over due for one anyway.

never wanted to invest in the regal because of the known problem with chipping and the fact that they gave such a hard time with their warranty.

[RSK]

I was looking at picking a regal up about 15+ years ago and the shop guys told me that the jaws sometimes chipped if you did not put the hook in right or use the wrong size hook, or something like that, and that it was not covered under their warranty. I have no first hand experience with them and you should contact them and expect them to cover the problem if it is a defect. I would expect that you would pay shipping though.

[Hairstacker]

According to Regal's website, "improper use and hook placement" that causes chipping will cost you $40 ("shipping and handling") for replacement jaws -- here's the link:

http://regalvise.com/index.php/Customer-Service.php

You'll also have to factor in the cost of shipping the jaws to them for examination and determination.

So, I suspect that unless you can convince them the cause was other than "improper use and hook placement," you'll be stuck. They probably deal with this issue a lot, since it invariably comes up when folks talk about Regal vises. In fact, the company recommends always wearing eye protection when using their vises, suggesting it happens enough they feel the need to cover themselves from a liability standpoint.

On the other hand, the above cost of replacing the jaws is still significantly cheaper than buying any new quality vise unless, of course, you have to do this repeatedly.

The company-stated range of hooks that the standard jaws will accept is 22 - 1/0 but it seems many start running into issues when they go smaller than size 18, maybe 20 at the smallest. That's a relatively limited size range compared to many other vise options -- something else to consider if you're weighing the jaw replacement route.