buy a kit or do it piece meal?

[Dryrod]

[font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3]Everyone has to start some place and that is usually at the beginning. With that in mind if one was interested in tying their own flies would you recommend that they buy a starters' kit or buy the equivalent material each separately? The latter consideration would let one upgrade some of the hardware. What did you purchase when you first started tying?[/size][/green][/font]
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[Scruffy_Fly]

I bought a kit which had a very cheaply made vise in it. From using it I figured out that I liked tying my own flys.

By the time I had tied all the flys in the kit the vise was about toast. So I bought another vise. $80 Danvise. that I still use today which is about 6 years later.


But I am now Hundreds of dollars later in fly tying materials. I think the only material that I have run out of and had to replace is pheasant tails, peacock herl and some black thread.

Buy the kit and go from there...... Unless you have an experienced tier who can spend a lot of time with you while you are learning.
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[Dryrod]

[center][font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3]In case anyone is interested pictured below is the $80 Danvise. No chrome or brass gliter, but so what just so long as it get the job done.[/size][/green][/font]
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[flygoddess]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]We had a kit at Orvis that was pretty decent. Had the materials for tying basics like wooly buggers, haresear, pheasant tails, etc. The vise was fair. I started out with a cheap little vise (which I still have for drying my flies) moved up to the Dyna King and the Renzetti rotary, and just buy the materials for what I need. The tools can add up and that is where the kits are nice. Hackle pliers, hair stackers, bodkin, bobbers (which ceramic is the only way to go) scissors, etc.[/size][/black][/font]
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[Scruffy_Fly]

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[center][font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3]In case anyone is interested pictured below is the $80 Danvise. No chrome or brass gliter, but so what just so long as it get the job done.[/size][/green][/font]
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It does a good job. I am sure that the TMH, renzetti, etc will do somethings better and certainly look and feel prettier but for the money it is hard to beat. I have tied size 4 to 26 on it.

I don't really use the rotary feature much except to look at the back side of the fly and to tilt it so I can rest a bobbin on it (usually ribbing material such as wire or thread) I do both of those things a lot.
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