Have unpacked the vice, assembled it, and tie a couple of flies. Bottom line: very smooth, jaws grip a hook easily, and all the parts have been machined well. I did order the brass thumb screws simply due to the fact that they make the vice stand out. Plastic simply does nothing for me.
So why only four stars? Two reasons: 1) there are some minor machine tool scratches on several parts; 2) there is no 1/16 inch allen wrench that would allow the user to disassemble the vice for maintenance (the instructions neatly lay out disassembly so why no wrench?).
I contacted Peak directly and spoke to one of the engineers. He recommended that I use WD-40 and the green side of a Scotch-Brite pad to remove the scratches. He also said that if I sent the vice to Peak that this is the method they would use. I am more that capable of completing the task.