Griffin Enterprises, located in Kalispell, Montana, has long been known in the tying community for functional, moderately priced tying tools, including a line of relatively inexpensive vises. Griffin's earlier entry into the rotary market was certainly functional, but to keep the costs down, the design was basic to a fault.

Griffin Montana Mongoose

With its new Montana Mongoose, Griffin has taken a big step toward satisfying the tool junkies among us.

The Mongoose comes in a foam-padded travel case, and includes both C-clamp and pedestal bases, and bobbin cradle. Also included is a Griffin hackle gauge, and Griffin bobbin holder. The standrod is a two piece affair--both pieces are screwed together for use with the C-clamp, and the top piece alone is used with the pedestal base. The sleeve on the pedestal base, into which the standrod is installed, allows for almost 2" of adjustment of the vise height when using the pedestal. The 3 ½ pound, rubber-bottomed pedestal base is finished in black powder coat, and the footprint and weight are adequate to hold the vise securely.

The vise is machined aluminum, with a pleasing, matte silver finish. The arm from which the smooth finished, parallel clamping jaws are suspended, angles diagonally downward from the bearing housing. While this is a substantial piece, approximately 3/4" square in cross section, it has a large drilled-out slot which reduces weight, and serves as a place to hold a material clip which can be positioned anywhere along the slot, or folded flat against the arm when not in use. The clip is a simple coil spring stretched between two small tabs on a U-shaped mount. The spring will pop off when bumped, and the user might find that bending the tabs down to secure the ends of the spring is a beneficial modification.

Mongoose Case

The tool steel jaws are remarkably long (3.25") and slender, and adjustment between hook wire gauges is accomplished by a small thumb screw located near the jaw tips. Lock up is by a larger thumb screw located at about the mid-point of the jaw assembly. The jaws are opened by a rubber o-ring, similar to the Renzetti Traveler and Abel Supreme designs. Adjustment of the jaws to place the hook on axis is accomplished by selecting one of three screw mounting positions, and the change is quickly accomplished without tools. Finer adjustment is made by sliding the jaws up or down in a slot on the arm.

Griffin claims hook capacities from 4/0 to 28, and I tested from 2/0 to 22 without difficulty. A size 30 TMC 2488 took significant fiddling to hold securely because the jaw tips are rounded, and somewhat blunt. Access to the rear of the hook on this long, slender jaw design is better than average, and the vise can be tipped upward for better access, if desired.

The vise, while quite compact, offers adequate space to rest my medium-sized off hand while tying.

Mongoose Jaws

Rotation is on a plain bearing. The rotary shaft rides on four neoprene o-rings mounted in slots on the shaft, lubricated by a healthy dab of grease. Because one side of the bearing surface is neoprene, it will flex, but the wobble was not noticed in tying. The vise is subject to a lifetime warranty, which covers o-ring replacement, if needed. Rotary tension is adjusted by a large, knurled knob at the rear of the bearing housing. On my tester, there was no discernable difference in rotary tension until the final quarter turn of the knob to complete lock-out of the rotary function. (Griffin advises that the rotary tension, accomplished by a spring pressing against a nylon washer at the rear of the bearing housing, will begin to function as the vise gets worn in. On the new vise, with the tension adjustment loose, there was sufficient stiffness in the bearing to hold the vise in any position, while retaining the ability to rotate the vise freely.)

The supplied C-clamp is also a machined aluminum piece, and the tolerance between the standrod diameter and the hole into which it fits is such that a great deal of torque is required to obtain a secure hold on the standrod. Also, if the joint on the two-piece standrod is above the C-clamp, a bump on the vise jaws will cause the standrod to unscrew (for a right handed tier). The C-clamp is unpadded, with a usable gap of 1 3/4".

Verdict:
I must wonder about the longevity of the neoprene o-rings within the bearing. If, as stated, the vise's tension adjustment becomes more functional as the o-rings wear in, it follows that they are subject to wear (or, perhaps, deformation). As the o-rings wear further, the bearing may develop noticeable play. Only time will tell.

At an MSRP of $175, the Mongoose falls between the Renzetti Traveler and the Dyna King Barracuda Jr. Trekker, which is about where it should be. Fit and finish do not match the Trekker, but overall, this is a handsome and functional tool. It is light and compact enough to serve well as a traveler. The inclusion of both C-clamp and a functional pedestal base for this price is a further plus.