Tying Kits on Ebay?

[Guillaume]

From your experience, are there decent beginners kits available on ebay (read: I'm on a budget)?
Obviously you can find everythign on ebay, but I have seen new kits such as this: http://cgi.ebay.com/FLY-TYING-DELUXE-BRASS-NEW-Tool-Kit-In-Lined-Box_W0QQitemZ230154488935QQihZ013QQcategoryZ44916Q QssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

and have been wondering if it's fine for a beginner or if I shouldn't even bother.

[Be Jofus G]

From your experience, are there decent beginners kits available on ebay (read: I'm on a budget)?
Obviously you can find everythign on ebay, but I have seen new kits such as this: http://cgi.ebay.com/FLY-TYING-DELUXE-BRASS-NEW-Tool-Kit-In-Lined-Box_W0QQitemZ230154488935QQihZ013QQcategoryZ44916Q QssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

and have been wondering if it's fine for a beginner or if I shouldn't even bother.

It's a decent kit for 20 bucks and has just about everything you need to get started tool wise. I have one and still use some of the stuff it came with. The vice holds a hook. The vice clamps are sort of cheesey and require some monkeying every now and again. They are made in india so the tool quality isn't the best. Keep in mind you're just trying to get hair and feathers on a hook, not launching a rocket to Mars. At worst, It's a cheap route to find out f you like tying your own. :beer2:

[Dr Bob]

I started out with a kit when I was starting/trying fly tying. I still have some of the tools. It got me started. However, after a short time I began upgrading my equipment and saw an improvement in my tying.

I would say if you are not sure you are going to tye flies long term, a kit is a way to go. If you think you will be tying flies longer term, I would buy better equipment to start. You don't need to start with a $300 vise, but even a $60 vise is better than what is in the kits.

Another approach to beginning tying is to go to a fly shop where they will let you use one of there vises in the shop. This way you can tye some flies and try different tool and vises. I know Ron at All About the Fly could give you some help if you are interested.:thumb:

Dr Bob:beer2:

[Guillaume]

Thanks B Jofus G and Dr Bob this is great info! I'll probably get the kit just to play with and see if I'm tying for the long run :)

[riseform]

I agree they've provided good advice. I bought a Cabelas kit when I first started tying. I don't use a single instrument from that original kit and the tying materials were low quality, but it did get me hooked on a lifetime of continued tying.

[FT]

In general, cheap tying kits are false economy. They have very poor quality tools in them, poor quality hooks (usually in sizes not all that useful for the person buying the kit), and extremely poor materials. As a result, I always have recommended folks go to a local fly shop and see if the owner (or the guys working there) would let you use a shop vise and teach you how to tie a simple fly (an offer to pay them say $5.00-$10.00 to do this is wise).

If after you tie a few flies at the shop and find you like it, start with purchasing a decent vise because that is the most important tool for fly tying.

Decent vises don't even have to cost $60.00, but they do need to be made out of good material and have jaws that both hold hooks well without undue pressure and hold up over time. Griffin makes a very good vise for under $50.00 they call their Model 1A, Crest Tools offers a decent imported one for around $35.00 and Thompson has the granddaddy and first of the modern cam lever vises the Model A (it has been around since about 1900). Oftentimes, you can find a Griffin 1A or 2A for around $20.00-$30.00, Thompson Model A and Thompson Pro (the same as the Model A, just all black in color) can be found used for the same $20.00-$30.00. Many times fly shops know of someone who has recently upgraded to a more feature laden and expensive vise and thus might know of where you could get a decent vise for little money.

Griffin also offers a fly tying tool kit with either the 1A or slightly larger 2A vise, good scissors, bobbin, bodkin, whip finisher, and hair stacker. These are a great way to get very good tying tools at a very reasonable price. The 1A tool kit sells for around $60.00 and the 2A tool kit for around $70.00. Sometime you can even find these for less.

Don't forget, the best way to buy materials for learning how to tie flies is to start with simple flies that will work for the fish you are going to be fishing for. Then, buy hooks in 1 or 2 sizes to tie them and only the materials needed to tie that one or 2 flies. For instance, if you are targeting trout, a Grey Hackle or Brown hackle is about as simple as they come and neither needs expensive materials. Some hooks in #12, #14, or #16, some really cheap brown or grizzly hen hackle, and yarn (which you might be able to borrow form wife, mother, or relative for the body and you're in business. Add a Woolly Bugger to it (some 3xl or 4xl long shank hooks in #6 or #8, black chenile, black marabou, and cheap black saddle hackle) and you then have flies that will work in 95% of the water trout live in.

If you are targeting steelhead, a simple hackle fly tied with bright orange, hot pink, purple, or black yarn body and the same cheap hen hackle in grizzly, black, or dyed orange, hot pink, purple, or black and salmon hooks in #4, #6, and #8 and you're in business. Add the Woolley Bugger in black and any other color that strikes your fancy and you can fish for steelhead anywhere.

Notice, by getting the materials to tie a specific, simple fly you don't spend a lot on materials, all the materials and hooks you get are useable, and you can catch fish on the flies you tie. Just add materials as you decide to tie a different fly that uses something you don't have. Heck, just getting some good quality dry fly hackle (like for instance the Whiting hackle packs) and you can turn the simple wets into dries through nothing more hackling them with the dry fly hackle and adding a tail of microfibbets (much easier to use than spade hackle, which is getting hard to find). And stay with the simple flies until you have been tying for a while (like until you have tied around 300 flies) to avoid frustrating yourself. Then add wet flies with wings, dry flies with hair wings, etc. as your skill improves.

The bottom line is if you don't care about having a vise that actually holds hooks well and has jaws that last for years, and don't care whether or not you get materials to tie flies that will actually work well for the fish you are going to use them on, go out and get one of the cheap fly tying kits.

However, if you really do care about whether the hook will stay put and not slip, the vise will last for bit before it starts falling apart, and whether the hooks and materials you get will tie flies that actually work for the fish you are fishing for, getting a good vise, good scissors, bobbin, etc. and hooks and materials to tie flies that work is much better and much cheaper in the long run.

[Guillaume]

Thanks FT for the time spent explaining all this - I will definitely look into what you recommend. If I am going to spend under $100, I might as well spend it on a decent vise :)

[jfh9]

As a self confessed hobby hopper, I would recommend the $40 kit from Sportsmens Wherehouse. I wasn't sure that I was going to get into tying so I didn't want to spend a ton of money. It's worked fine and I have tied quite a few flies with it. It also gives you a chance to figure out what you want and don't want in tying tools without spending a ton of money.