I echo gfen's whip finish thoughts.
Before you drive yourself crazy with head cement, learn the whip finish. I never used a whip finish tool, it may be worth the investment, because the whip finish with your hands is just one of those things that comes to you eventually, and when you try to describe it to someone it is just impossible. Whip finish is how you complete the tying process so the whole creation doesn't unravel.
Look on youtube for a video demonstration of it.
For nymphs, globs of head cement doesn't really matter, but for dry flies it does, especially small ones. And, there is nothing worse than having feeding fish in front of you and cleaning out glued over hook eyes. Uh, not sure how far along you are in the process, but you either head cement the tie, whip finish it, or do both to complete the tie.
Don' t go buying expensive hackles. Deer hair, peacock, cheap dubbing, marabou, and CDC are the best bets for simple ties that will catch loads of fish. CDC feathers are tiny duck plummage that is great for tying emergers, and nymphs.
And, perhaps, most importantly, keep in mind that a creation just needs to catch fish, it doesn't need to look like what you see in the fly shop boxes.
for the vise, I'd look at a big box store that has returns, get the vise home and see if it can simply hold a hook extremely well. If it can't, return the kit. you want to get your hands on the vise, that is one thing you shouldn't buy sight unseen, unless you know it is from a quality seller.
