Looking to purchase a gift for a relative and would like to get him a new
vise as the no-name one he has is pretty useless. I don't know a thing about
tying flies other than what I've read, so I have no experience with what
works and what doesn't.

I see that prices are all over the place so for a starter - let's say the
budget is good for $200 - maybe a bit more. Not asking "what's the best",
but rather, what vise would you recommend and maybe a little rationale as to
why you prefer one type over another. The fly fishing he does is all
freshwater, streams and lakes here in the northeast and mainly fishes for
trout and bass. Yep, I'm planning on uses the flies he makes - so they gotta
be done right....;-)

Is a weighted base preferable to a C clamp base? I'd like to get him one
that really works well and essentially becomes transparent to the tie flying
process -or- in other words, it doesn't become a pain in the butt to use.
Would rather cry once and get one that he'll enjoy using and not just tuck
it under the bench - but there is a budget so the $600+ models are out of
the picture.

Your comments and advice are appreciated,

Bob S.