Lawrence A. Waldron, of Seisdon, England, is a precision machinist who produces a limited line of fly-tying products that includes three models of vises. Two of which are reviewed here and are available by individual order.

The LAW Bench vise is an on-axis rotary model with lever-type jaws. One jaw is held stationary on the rotating arm , while the other moves on a fulcrum. There is no adjustment required between hook wire diameters, the jaws are simply closed on any hook by a star-shaped thumb screw. Lock-up is straightforward and secure for the entire range of hooks and is achieved by less than half a revolution of the star wheel. The jaws incorporate two hook pockets behind the lightly scored jaw tips. On large saltwater irons, placement of the hook into the appropriate pocket may take the hook shank slightly off axis but perfect alignment of hook shank is rarely required.

For added clearance behind the jaws for small hooks, the vise body can be tilted upward, though moving the angle from horizontal renders the vise non-true rotary.

The barrel of the vise is machined Delrin®, which also serves as the bearing for the vise's rotation. Disassembly is accomplished by removal of a single brass fitting at the rear of the vise, which also serves as the adjustment for rotary tension.

The vise comes with either pedestal or C-clamp, or both at additional charge. The pedestal is sufficiently heavy with a footprint of approximately 6" x 8". The bottom is lined with closed-cell foam. The pedestal incorporates a depression for hooks or other small materials. The C-clamp is a machined aluminum, hard anodized piece, with a gap of 2 3/4", leather lined to protect furniture. The vise comes standard with a bobbin holder that is articulated at mid-shank so it can be folded out of the way when not in use. At additional cost, a profile plate of machined Delrin® can be ordered. The profile plate has a mirrored top half that offers a view of the back of the fly during the tying process. The lower half is white - good for dark flies but offering less contrast for light flies.

The vise also comes with a two-piece standrod. Standard length is used with the pedestal base, and a 4" screw-in extension is added for C-clamp use.

This is the finest all-around vise available today. It performs its function with an elegance and simplicity that no other vise matches. At £400 (about $700), the vise is within the highest price range of those currently available, but you get what you pay for.

(The original LAW Bench vise was made by Lawrence Waldron to my functional requirements and specifications in 1989. Lawrence turned a detailed wish list into a tangible product and all credit for the result is his. While I have no commercial interest in this LAW product other than a very satisfied user, it would not have been proper for me to review it for this article. Hans Weilenmann)

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