Just over a year ago, Mayfly Outdoors completed the acquisition of Dyna King Vises. As word spread and enhancements were introduced to the vises, we seized the opportunity to thoroughly assess this tool, considering both the improvements made and the overall usability of this meticulously crafted apparatus.
Let’s delve into the specifics of the Barracuda Deluxe Vise. This vise is available in two variants: pedestal and c-clamp. Whether you prefer the comprehensive features of the pedestal model or the flexibility of the c-clamp style, allowing you to affix it wherever you please, the Barracuda vise has earned the trust of fly tyers worldwide due to its remarkable features.
Hand-crafted and manufactured in Montrose, Colorado, in the same facility as Ross and Abel Reels, the Barracuda Deluxe boasts high-grade brass knobs and stainless steel construction. Delving into technical details, its jaws are forged from hardened tool steel, establishing this vise as one of the premier models in terms of material quality. This true-rotary vise glides smoothly on precision ball bearings and offers easy height adjustment for optimal comfort during extended tying sessions. The Barracuda Deluxe is equipped with a 90° handle for rapid cranking, a convenient material clip, notch lock cam, and exceptional hook-holding capability spanning from the tiniest flies to hefty 8/0 hooks. Additionally, the packaging includes a bobbin hanger.
Now that we’ve covered the essentials of the Barracuda Deluxe vise from Dyna King Vises, let’s explore our initial impressions upon unboxing, our firsthand experience with tying, the rotary features, and a few minor drawbacks we observed.
Upon Opening
The vise comes nearly assembled in a large cardboard box with minimal plastics. It has a sleek, sheen coating that feels protective without being gooey. The first two things I noticed upon removing the vise from the package were the scale and finish. It’s a rather large vise, 1.5x + the overall footprint of my Regal Revolution. It feels like the skeleton of a dedicated tying workstation. The size of the vise makes it less than ideal for travel, however it’s poised as an art piece on any tying desk.
First Impressions: First Tying Experience
The first thing I noticed when I secured a hook in the jaws were the size of the jaws themselves. The tip of the jaws are small and precise allowing you to secure the smallest of hooks. I secured a #size 22 thin wire dry fly hook and was able to bend the hook out without issue. I tie a lot of streamers, bass flies and saltwater flies. The ability to hold small hooks is important, but what really excited me were the two grooves set for larger hooks. I can hold anything from a size #22 to an #8/0 without issue. I can hold any size hook with confidence without the need for different jaws or accessories as required by many other vise manufacturers.
Rotary Tying Feature
A lot of vises claim to be “rotary” vises, they have bearing housings and spin but many lack the key components to be true in line rotary vises. That’s where the Barracuda Deluxe comes in. Adjustable jaw height allows you to ensure your hook shank sits in line with the rotation axis. This allows you to apply materials with even pressure as the vise is rotated, without having to follow the hook with the material you’re applying.
Setbacks
The only issue I found with the vise is its ability to hold shanks. The jaws are designed to hold the vertical bend of a hook and they struggle with articulated shanks from manufacturers like Fish Skull. Don’t get me wrong, you can still do it and I’ve tied dozens of game changers on this vise, it just takes more finessing than I’d like to dial in the right placement and tension to properly secure shanks.
Final Review:
In conclusion, I was very pleased with the quality of this vice. Upon opening, it was great to see that Dyna King uses minimal plastics when receiving the Barracuda Deluxe Vise, which is something Ross, Abel, and Airflo all have in common–reducing the amount of plastics and striving to be more sustainable.
Set aside the packaging, having the ability to tie size #22 flies up to an #8/0 hook was something to note. Many vises on the market don’t have the features the Barracuda Deluxe has to offer, and creating a tool that allows you to tie a variety of different fly sizes was eye catching to me. However, one thing that drew me back was the jaw design. With the jaw designed to hold the vertical bend of a hook it struggles with articulated shanks. With a little finesse and proper tension you can still secure shanks, but something I noticed when tying a variety of different flies.
Design:
Features:
True Rotary:
Price:
(MSRP: $695.00)
Conclusion:
All in all, the construction of the Barracuda Deluxe is bombproof. It holds features like the true-rotary style and accommodates for big and small hook sizes. If you’re looking to upgrade your fly factory, check out the Barracuda Deluxe–offered in two different styles, the pedestal and the c-clamp.
Review by @teamflylords | @fiskamedia Creative Director, Max Erickson (@dot_max_dot). To learn more about the Dyna King Barracuda Deluxe Vise, be sure to visit @dynakingvises on Instagram and visit the website at https://dyna-king.com.
