Renzetti Apprentise jaws

Renzetti, erstwhile holder of the U.S. patent on the "bent arm" true rotary vise, has entered the traditional vise market with its Apprentise vise. The vise is a simple, non-rotary, push collet design - a cam lever forces the jaws forward into a conical collet, causing the jaw tips to close.

Retailing for $79.95, the vise comes with C-clamp only. The non-padded aluminum C-clamp has a generous total gap of 2 3/4", adequate for streamside tying at a picnic table. The standrod is approximately 8" long, providing for adequate height adjustment. The head angle is not adjustable, and the jaws will not rotate. Jaws, cam and collet are tool steel, while the jaw housing, standrod and cam lever are aluminum.

On my tester, initial operation was rather sticky, and the jaws would not open when the cam lever was released, but these problems were resolved with liberal lubrication of the collet threads and jaws, as directed in the instructions.

The business end of the jaws are rounded, such that mounting of hooks at the small end of the range was a bit fidgety. "Midge" jaws are apparently not available presently, and it is unknown whether Renzetti will offer a finer tipped version for this model. On the smallest hook sizes, access to the rear of the hook was adequate, though somewhat limited by the proximity of the jaws to the collet. When properly adjusted, lockup was secure throughout the advertized range of hooks (28 to 1/0), and I was unable to make a size 2 6xl streamer hook slip under heavy thread tension.

I was advised that there was a problem with "over-tempering" of one batch of jaws, resulting in the jaw tips breaking, but that Renzetti provided replacement jaws without charge.

While this vise does everything that Renzetti advertises, "tool junkies" will likely find it unsatisfying. Machining of the collet and jaws is less precise than other premium manufacturer's similar models, and materials are selected to keep the price low.

Renzetti Apprentise

Verdict:
For those in the market for a relatively inexpensive, no-frills, traditional vise, the Apprentise is worth a look. Overall fit and finish and materials do not match the low-end of the Dyna King range, the Kingfisher, or the HMH Silhouette, but the MSRP on the Apprentise is also less than the other two similarly featured tools. Midge tiers will likely find that the blunt tipped jaws make hook placement a bit difficult. Constructed primarily of aluminum, the vise is very light, and would serve well as a traveler. If $80 is your absolute budget cap, this vise will fill the bill. If fit, finish and feel are important to you, consider spending a little bit more and check out the other offerings in the sub-$100 range.