Sometimes you come across a product that simply has everything you need, the ‘Complete Fly Tying Tool Kit‘ from our friends at Loon is one of them. We recently had the opportunity to tie a few flies with this kit and wanted to share our thoughts with you.
The complete kit comes with a convenient carrying case with ten fly tying tools laid in a firm foam fitted insert – a pair of scissors, bobbin, bodkin, whip finisher, hackle pliers, dubbing spinner with a hook attachment and D-Loop tweezers, dubbing brush, medium hair stacker and vise pawn. All of the tools in the kit are powder coated in the signature Loon yellow, they’re all ergonomically shaped making them easy to pick up and hold in your hand.
The scissors are fantastic. The blade edges are sharp and have pinpoint tips that will get you into tight spaces. Loon’s All Purpose Bobbin works great on any size hook you have planted in your vise, it’s easy to hold and light or heavy thread reels out nicely. If you had to pick just one bobbin for your table, this certainly would be a front runner.
The Ergo Bodkin, again easy to pick up and easy to hold, it’s a sturdy tool with a sharp tip. Be careful kids… don’t poke your eye out! Whip finishers are a staple with fly tyers, the unique feature here is a sharpened base for clipping your thread at the end of a tie, all in one tool.
Simply a super hackle plier, ingenious really. Shaped bent metal with tension on the jaws, they are easy to open and hold material without any slips. Loon’s dubbing spinner comes with two attachments, one is your standard dubbing loop hook, while the other is a versatile Gator-grip tip. Both attachments are easily threaded into the spinner which allows the fly tyer to perform complex dubbing twists with a variety of materials.
The D-Loop tweezers might be our favorite tool in the kit. The blades are long and hold a considerable amount of material. Because the edges pinch tight through the length of the blades, dubbing rabbit fur for a sculpin head or holding composite loops for an Intruder is a breeze. We really like these tweezers!
We can’t emphasize enough how easy these tools are to handle and the dubbing brush is no exception. Like all of the others, it’s a sturdy and functional tool for your small or large ties. The kit also comes with a medium hair stacker (there are three sizes available). It’s a one-piece unit – the material slides into the top, you stack it and the base opens on a hinge (held by a magnet) for easy removal of evenly stacked tips. It’s simple and really easy to work with.
And last but not least, the Vise Pawn. What a great addition to this kit. Rubber legs in your way, don’t know what to do with that bunny strip or hackle you’re waiting to tie in? Loon gives you the Vise Pawn. A super helpful magnetic pawn that will hold those extra materials out of the way while they’re waiting to be tied in. Just pull them back and place your pawn. Disclaimer: Regal vise owners will have a significant advantage with this tool.
Whether you’re an advanced fly tyer or a novice who has recently formed a new obsession, this complete fly tying kit is one you’ll have and use for many seasons to come. Let us know if you use Loon fly tying tools and what your likes and dislikes are, we’d love to hear from you!
Tight lines and tight threads, – The Deneki Team
I recently purchased the Loon core tool kit(haven’t received it yet). I was so impressed with the Loon hackle pliers that I went out and bought this kit. I have Dr. Slick stuff also, so this isn’t my 1st time with quality tools. I’m not the best fly tyer so quality tools makes a crazy good impact to my product.
I was quite impressed with the core kit. I was taking baby steps here and I’ll get the other kit soon. My favorite tool are the tackle pliers. Maybe I never had high quality pliers before. These are incredible. Has made me a much better aging tyer.