Peak Rotary Fly Tying Vise Review

Peak Fishing is a division of Peak Engineering and Automation. Peak fishing was started almost 20 years ago out of the need of owner Al Schultz who wanted to create affordable fishing equipment locally. Born was the Peak Rotary fly-tying vise. The Peak is the perfect vise to get started on or to have as a second vise. It has great features and will last a lifetime. So, the chances that your kids will use it, are pretty good.

If you are starting out or a seasoned veteran on the vise, we all know the importance of having a good quality vise. The main job of the vise is to hold the hook so we can tie feathers and synthetics onto it.

This all needs to happen without any slipping or pulling off the hook. This is the first sign of a poor-quality vise when the hook starts to slip in the jaws. The other vise add-ons, like rotary capabilities, hackle clamps, light brackets, etc, attribute to a more sophisticated vise, but more on this later.

What vise came out on top in my review and what vise do I recommend? 👉 Peak Rotary Fly Tying Vise

Overall Rating Compared to Other Popular Fly Tying Vises

In my comparison the Peak Rotary Fly Tying Vise came in FIRST Place out of the 6 fly tying vises tested. (This is purely my opinion using a vise I personally purchased) Check out my Review Summary 👉 HERE

Guide Recommended Pro Tip: Download the FULL Fly Tying Vise Comparison PDF here 👉 Fly Tying Vise Comparison and Review

Description of the Peak Fly-Tying Vise

The Peak fly-tying vise comes in a well-sealed, foam-padded box. It has an alley wrench and bobbin cradle added to the package. These are welcome extras and will be needed at a later stage. The Allen wrench will be used to assemble the vise and secure the locking nut to hold the vise stem securely in place.

The vise jaws are well-machined out of hardened steel and have no rough edges. The hook test, which we use to test the jaw strength, went very well, and the Peak vise jaws are some of the strongest we have tested. We gave the strength of the jaw rating a 10/10. Along with the strength test, the ease of use is great, and there aren’t any funny lever settings or anything like that.

The base plate is nice and heavy, which helps when tying the heavier patterns or spinning deer hair when you need to apply more thread pressure. The lighter base plates don’t balance well, and the vise tends to tip.

Pros and Cons of Peak

Hook Clamping

The Peak vise is very simple to use and set up. It has a nice wide clamping lever that allows you to apply the tension in an upwards motion, this is more natural for some and thus comfier. The lever locks upwards smoothly, remaining in that position until you unlock it. At times, this lever will start to slip and loosen on other vises. This is not the case with the Peak.

The hook clamping test went really well, awarding the vise full marks on strength. The hook didn’t slip at all, and we could have actually kept on bending the hook in circles. This is what you want all vises to be able to do. This jaw strength and the size of the jaws make the Peak ideal for all types of tying. The factory advertises the sizes from a 2/0 down to the smallest you can buy, and we agree.

Guide Pro Tip: Hey, I’ve got a FREE Fly Tying Class. Videos, and written instructions can be found with this shortcut link 👉 How to Tie Flies Step by Step

Base and Weight

The base plate weighs in at 4 lbs. 13oz, which isn’t the heaviest of plates, but it will certainly get the job done. You can be sure that it will remain in place. It has non-marking feet to protect whatever surface you choose to tie on. The base plate comes in a coated white enamel paint which is a clever addition. It is always handy to tie with a white background, it just makes the fly pop.

The base plate has an integrated bead/hook pocket, which is very helpful and has two extra mounting holes should you need to add to the base. They also made cool little tool caddies and hackle gauge mounts for these extra holes. All the other things are sold separately.

Rotary Function

The rotary function is super smooth and elegant, and it has no rough edges or areas which could cause some concern or issues when tying. The rotation of the vise is done so with a smooth handle extension on the back of the vise.

Fit and Finish

The fit and finish is great, and the hardened steel jaw locks well and looks the part. The base plate is coated in a white enamel paint which not only looks good but is also great when tying.

Ease of Assembly

The Peak vise is one of the easiest vises to assemble. It has one alley wrench screw to tighten and secure the vise stem to the base plate, and you are on your way to tying your patterns. In the same breath, it is just as easy to break down and pack up for the next stop.

What vise came out on top in my review and what vise do I recommend? 👉 Peak Rotary Fly Tying Vise

Extras Included with the Peak Vise

The Peak vise doesn’t come with much other than a bobbin cradle. This isn’t an issue because, at $169, you can’t expect too many free things, considering the quality of the vise you are getting in this price bracket.

One Last Fly

To wrap things up on the Peak fly-tying vise. It is a great piece of equipment to have and own. The lifetime warranty is an added bonus. It is comforting these days to know that Peak will be there to sort out whatever the issue is. Not only is the aftersales service great but the vise is really good, comfy to tie on and doesn’t break the bank on the initial purchase. Lastly it is proudly made in the USA. So, what’s not to like?

Happy Tying!

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