There has been some discussion on these two lists about the Griffin Odyssey vise. As a matter of fact, I first heard about it here.
I have been using a Renzetti Traveler for a little over a year, and I am extremely pleased with it. Before I purchased the Renzetti, though, I had a Griffin rotating (not rotary) vise. The model number for the Griffin I have is #3ARP. Since getting the Renzetti, I have not used my Griffin, except on a couple of occasions. When I found out there is an upgrade kit available to make the Griffin a true rotary vise, I decided to purchase it.
The purpose of this post is to present *my* view of the Renzetti Traveler versus the Griffin Odyssey in case anyone is considering purchasing a new vise.
The upgrade kit for the Griffin vise only works with models that begin with #3, or with their Patriot vise. If you have a Griffin vise which is a model #2xxx, the upgrade kit won't work.
As shown in Cabela's catalog, the Odyssey comes in a C-clamp base.
However, my existing Griffin has both a C-clamp base and a pedestal base.
The Renzetti is available in either a C-clamp or a pedestal base.
The Griffin's pedestal base is a good deal heavier than is the Renzetti pedestal base, providing more stability while tying.
The Odyssey includes a material clip. A material clip is available for the Renzetti, but it must be purchased separately and may not be easy to find.
1. Price
Cabela's catalog lists the Renzetti Traveler at $129.95 and the Griffin Odyssey at $84.95. The upgrade kit for an existing Griffin is $49.95. (Editor's note: all items are available from FlyBuy, Renzetti products are factory authorized items)
2. Construction
IMHO, both vises are well-made. The Traveler is mostly aluminum, while the Griffin is mostly steel, so the Griffin is somewhat heavier. This is a disadvantage when travelling, but an advantage with the pedestal models because the heavier vise has less tendency to move during tying.
In the rotating mechanisms, the Renzetti utilizes plastic washers. The Griffin has one plastic Delrin washer and two rubber O-ring washers.
3. Jaws
Both vises hold hook sizes #8 down to #28 just fine. It looks like to me they would both hold larger hooks, but #8 is the largest I have in my arsenal.
Both vises utilize the same clamping mechanism - two screws with an O-ring at the rear of the jaws for tension.
Both vises are adjustable so the shank of the hook can be aligned on the center of the rotational arc. The Renzetti, though, has 3 distinct positions for jaw placement, while the Griffin has a continuous adjustment.
This means that with the Renzetti, fine adjustment of the hook shank withthe center of the rotational arc must be made via depth of hook placement in the jaws. With the Griffin, the hook can be placed in the jaws and shank alignment can be made by adjusting the jaw position.
4. Bobbin cradle.
Both vises include a bobbin cradle. A couple of months ago, the plastic tip on my Renzetti bobbin cradle cracked and had to be replaced, which Renzetti did for no charge. The bobbin cradle on the Griffin is also plastic, but it is larger and appears to be a little more rugged.
Both cradles can be easily swung out of the way as necessary.
The horizontal support arm for the bobbin cradle is significantly longer on the Griffin than on the Renzetti. I, personally, like to work with the bobbin cradle fairly close to the fly I am tying so that I don't have to rewind too much thread. Thus, the Renzetti is better suited for small flies.
I find that with the Griffin, placing the bobbin cradle close to small flies causes the far end of the horizontal support arm to extend too far beyond the vise vertical support post and get in my way as I am rotating the fly. For large flies, though, the longer support may prove to be beneficial.
Also, the Renzetti has a metal disk which supports the bobbin cradle on the vise's vertical support post. The Griffin uses a rubber O-ring for the same function. Adjusting the height of the bobbin cradle is somewhat easier on the Renzetti.
5. Height Adjustment
The Renzetti, at least in the pedestal model, comes with a single-height vertical post, with the jaw assembly fixed at the top of the post.
The Griffin jaw assembly clamps onto the vertical post and can be adjusted up or down. Also, I don't know about the Odyssey itself, but my original Griffin has two lengths of tubing for the vertical post which can be screwed together. Thus, I can use one or both tubes, and I can then adjust the jaw assemble height on the vertical support.
6. Jaw Clearance.
The Renzetti has a longer horizontal support arm, which provides more clearance between the jaws and the vertical support shaft.
Perhaps the biggest drawback, in my opinion, to the Griffin is that the jaws are too close to the vertical support shaft. I find that the rear tightening screw on the jaws is too close to the wing nut which tightens the bobbin cradle on the vertical shaft. When inserting or removing hooks, it is not always easy to turn the rear adjusting screw on the jaws.
The Griffin, though, has longer jaws and, thus, has more clearance between the jaws and the jaw support arm. I find this a significant advantage when tying materials in at the rear of the hook.
7. Rotational Feature
Both vises are true rotary vises. The rotating handle on the Renzetti is a simple straight shaft with which the tier can rotate the hook by placing a finger behind the shaft and "spinning" the jaw assembly.
The Griffin rotating handle has a 90-degree bend away from the hook. This allows the tier to either turn the jaw assembly in the same manner as with the Renzetti, or he/she can grasp the end of the handle between thumb and forefinger and hold the handle while rotating the hook.
Both vises utilize two jam nuts to adjust rotational tension. The Renzetti has a plastic washer between the rear jam nut and the rotating handle. On the Griffin, the rear jam nut fits directly against the handle. I find that sometimes, particularly when rotating the Griffin in a "reverse" direction, the rear jam nut loosens. This can probably be solved by inserting a plastic washer as on the Renzetti.
If you have any questions about either vise, please feel free to contact me.