Question for the Lefties

[NittanyBearcat]

I’m right handed but I have a young son who is a lefty. He is too young to really tie flies on his own yet but he is showing an interest in it and likes to sit with me and help a little as I tie. As he helps I want to be able to show him small things here and there but wanted to check and see how I should show him to do things since he is left handed.

Those of you who are left handed do you just turn the vise around and use the bobbin in your left hand? Also, do you need a different vise for left handed tying (I have a standard regal vise but saw that renzetti makes left handed models)? Thanks!

 

[redietz]

I'm left handed, but tie right handed. It's not a big deal; the only thing that's tougher to do is manipulate scissors near the head of the fly. Some things, like holding material is probably easier.

 

[riverwhy]

I tie left-handed and have an older Renzetti but have no idea if I bought a left-handed model or not. It faces left so I wind my bobbin with my left hand. I do the following: throw balls, cast rods, and write left, but use scissors, shoot basketball, dribble righty, bat and pour beer righty!

 

[Beweav]

We lefties are a weird bunch! I tie with the vise pointed to the left and hold the bobbin with my left hand. But it seems more comfortable to do the whip finish with my right.

 

[Str8outtapowerbait]

I’m right handed but I have a young son who is a lefty. He is too young to really tie flies on his own yet but he is showing an interest in it and likes to sit with me and help a little as I tie. As he helps I want to be able to show him small things here and there but wanted to check and see how I should show him to do things since he is left handed.

Those of you who are left handed do you just turn the vise around and use the bobbin in your left hand? Also, do you need a different vise for left handed tying (I have a standard regal vise but saw that renzetti makes left handed models)? Thanks!

Lefty here too and I tie all left handed (bobbin in my left hand, vise facing left). I also have Regals and a Zetti. The Regal you can loosen the hex nut that holds the lever that opens the jaws and switch it to the opposite side. My Renzetti is not left hand model but it’s no big deal. I believe on the left hand models there’s just a few adjustment screws on the opposite side. So to answer your question, no you do not need a left hand vise if you’re tying lefty.

 

[redietz]

My Renzetti is not left hand model but it’s no big deal. I believe on the left hand models there’s just a few adjustment screws on the opposite side.

Some of the Renzettis have a ratchet mechanism for rotary operation. It will only turn in one direction, which will be the wrong direction for left handed operation if you wind over and away from you. If that feature is important to you, you'll need the left handed model, or to wrap "backwards."

 

[krayfish2]

Lefties are weird! My brother plays hockey lefty and golf righty. Baffling how he can do it.

If you and your son sit down on opposite sides of the table and you tie a fly right-handed while he watches, you then push the vise straight across to him and now he's tying left-handed 😉.

 

[Bamboozle]

One thing I can tell you as a "righty" Renzetti owner is the "fine tune" adjustment screw for the jaws on the cam operated versions drives me nuts facing me so I reversed it to the other side on my Master.

That makes me think a lefty will be happy with it as is.

As far as the adjustment screws being on the opposite side on the left hand versions...

I BELIEVE only the Presentation 4000 & Traveler are "handed" but I also BELIEVE the adjustment screws on the LH versions are on the same side because they consider the other vises ambidextrous and the screws are all facing the tier if they were right handed.

 

[redietz]

One thing I can tell you as a "righty" Renzetti owner is the "fine tune" adjustment screw for the jaws on the cam operated versions drives me nuts facing me so I reversed it to the other side on my Master.

Those "fine tune" screws are why I switched to a Regal.

 

[Bamboozle]

Those "fine tune" screws are why I switched to a Regal.

I also have a Traveler but that adjustment crew can't be reversed. However I only use it on the road so I just deal with the few times I use it.

The simple fix would be if Andy would put mounting holes on BOTH halves of the Presentation and Traveler vises. That way you could flip around the jaws which would put the adjustment screw on the opposite side.

I think I'll ask him about that.

 

[Bamboozle]

Those "fine tune" screws are why I switched to a Regal.

I found out from Renzetti that the handing option with vises supposedly puts all of the adjustment knobs facing the tier however I don't see knob placement as an option on vises sold as ambidextrous.

That being said, as a "righty" the only knob I DON'T want facing me is the fine tuning adjustment screw on the jaws. It just gets in the way, at least for me. As I mentioned before it is a quick fix to flip that screw to the other side on a Master but not on a Traveler however...

I also learned that the jaw handing on a Traveler and similar vises with a "rotary bent shaft" that is open on one side where it holds the jaws is really all about the rotary bent shaft as those shafts are handed.

Bottom line, IF you could order a right handed Traveler with a left handed bent arm (or vice versa, pardon the pun), the fine tune adjustment screw would be on the opposite side.

In the meantime, I ordered a left handed rotary bent shaft for my "right handed" Traveler.

Yea it sucks I have to spend $70 to make it the way I want, but considering I bought mine when they were around $100 I can deal with it.