I’ve been tying flies for around a year now with mixed early success but I think I’m getting better. The vice I’ve been using was part of a kit I got cheap from Ebay which works fine but is a fairly basic clamp vice.
I’ve had my eye on a Snowbee Pedestal fly-tying vice for a while and lo and behold it turned up for my birthday (thanks to the missus). I’ve been trying it out over the Christmas holidays and I’m very impressed. The pedestal is heavy and heavy enough to keep it steady when tying without being cumbersome to move around. It also means its easy to find somewhere to sit and tie a few flies, which is great for me as space is at a premium with three kids. The fly clamp is excellent and very strong while the adjustable angle makes it easy to get your hands in around the fly. The thing I really love about this vice is being able to spin the top of the vice around 360 degrees which really helps to see all around the fly when tying and varnishing.