The Regal vise has been on the market, basically unchanged, since the early '80s. Next to the Thompson A (and its Indian copies) the Regal must be the vise most commonly used by 'tying farms', i.e. a group of tiers tying flies on a commercial scale.

Unlike most vises that require the tier to close the jaws via one of a variety of mechanisms, the jaws on a Regal are permanently closed except when forced open by the tier to clamp down on a hook, or to release it. This operation is carried out by squeezing a lever towards the housing in much the same layout and manner as the clutch on the handlebar of a motorcycle.

The hold on a hook by the Regal is very positive. Smaller hooks are held by two parallel flats, and for larger size hooks there is a small curved hook pocket machined into the flat inside of one of the jaw sections.

On the subject of small hooks: Positioning these hooks in the jaws is a fairly critical operation. When mounted too close to the tip of the jaws they have been known to jump free and traverse the space to the nearest opposite wall at great speed, leaving a chipped set of jaws behind in the process.

Operating the Regal is simplicity itself and clamping or releasing is a very swift procedure. The Regal holds the unchallenged distinction of being "the fastest vise in the West", a commodity well appreciated in the commercial tying arena where time is money indeed. The downside is that controlling or influencing the amount of pressure on a hook is taken away from the tier.

The profile of the jaws is fairly blunt, and the Regal in its standard form is less than perfect for tiers mainly tying flies on small to very small hooks. The optional midge jaws work much better in this respect. Due to the design of the regal, the jaws are an integral part of the housing. As such purchasing the midge jaws in essence means purchasing another complete vise, without stem and C clamp or pedestal.

For large saltwater hooks Regal has released a large Saltwater head.

The Regal vises are of a rotary design, but with a difference. Where most rotary vises allow you to rotate the jaws within the housing, on a Regal the jaws are an integral part of the housing. Rotation is achieved by manually twisting the whole jaws assembly. This means the tier can twist the jaws through the full 360 degrees, but not very smoothly. One cannot rotary tie on any Regal.

The stem on the Regal is somewhat thinner than the standard 3/8" size used on most other vises, which may make finding suitable accessories somewhat awkward. The stem used on the pedestal is fairly short, and the pedestal itself is made of aluminum and fairly lightweight. For deer hair bass bug tying, or similar, where extra thread pressure is norm, then Regal's optional brass pedestal may offer better service.

The Regal is an excellent choice for tiers looking for a no-nonsense workhorse vise which will perform reliably over many years. The low cost fixed-head Regal Inex ($10) is just priced outside of its sub-$100 price competitors. The rotary Regal at $135 (with C-clamp) is also a strong proposition but the pedestal version seems inexpensive. Tiers who use predominantly small hooks may wish to opt for the Midge jaws version.

The permanent clamp design of the Regal is a mixed blessing. It clamps reliably and swiftly but it also takes control away from the tier. For a self-professed 'control person' as I am, this lack of control is a negative. Your mileage may vary.