I've just trashed my upteenth pair of Manley cheepies with cutter. Where do I go from here.
I need something to cut singlestrand, braid, braid wire and a hook if need be.
Money is no object cause my wife may pay for this one <for a change>

I have a pair that cost well over $100.00 that are junk and have not been used in years.
I get mine at Job Lot now for a buck a pair, and they have lasted three seasons and will cut anything.:spin:

I use the Gerber multi tool as they can cut braid but you are asking alot to cut wire and hooks. I have a set of "linemans" pliers to cut wire and hooks but keep that tool in the truck.

Asking them to cut a hook is alot. I have Van Staal pliers and love them but my buddy shattered the cutters on his the other night trying to cut a hook. The VS cutters do cut braid well.

High end pliers are nice, but you hit the nail on the head, the ability to cut a hook is an important safety feature you don't want to be without if you walk in to fish.

what size hook are you trying to cut to break the manleys? I don't believe you will find a single pair of pliers to do everything you want. It is kind of like buying a rod and expecting it to throw 5/8 oz bombers up to 6 oz jigs.

I think the ability to cut a 7/0 hook is a great safety feature, Even if it means that I need new cutters after that I would gladly buy them. Hey.... how much are replacement cutters?

I feel your pain. Been down this road and have a a number of dead ones. There are two schools of thought on this, go cheap and get something like a oil encased holder...which works well but does not address the braid cutting ability. OR, go expensive. But let me tell you all expensive pliers don't cut braid all that well. I have a pair of donmars which are great a rigging tool, don't rust and stand up to severe abuse but once you cut wire it will not cut braid. However, this spring I went to a fishing event that had a blind auction and I bid 60 bucks on a pair of Accurate offshore pliers. I won, let me tell you this is the best tool I have ever used. Cuts everything like butter and it is completely replaceable (fixable) should something wear out. Really a great pair of pliers, very lightweight but very strong. I have been using these all season and so far so good. The bad news it lists for 165 and then you need the sheath and lanyard. You really need the lanyard, you don't want to drop these overboad. But I still have 3 pair of $17 shimano pliers in a oiled sponge holder and these do a good job on board but don't cut braid very well after a few uses. That is my 2 cents.

OH, for cutting heavy hooks, I keep a pair of heavy cutters just for this purpose, I rarely use them but they are in the bottom of the console seat should they be required. I think it is a bit much to ask that your rigging pliers cut a shark hook but you should have a tool on board to do it. I think the accurates could cut a smaller hook but I don't know how the cutters would hold up.

I know your not going to believe this, but for cutting braid, keep a pair of good, $3.00 blunt nose kids scissors in a plastic bag in your waders.Just make sure they have large enough holes for your fingers. Go ahead and laugh, but they work and won't poke holes in your waders. :doh: :D

Ok - I found the cheapest and best tool for cutting braid. My pliers gave it up after cutting wire and I reached in my pocket for the tiny Swiss knife that I carry on my keychain. The scissors on that knife handles braid easily. I now carry one on my hooksharpener and pick chain. Cheapo pliers on the belt.:D

Dr Slick Barracuda pliers.

van staal
last pliers you will buy

can cut hooks if need be it, you'll just have to replace the cutting blade

IMO , The van stall are way, overpriced...On Steves recomendation I went with the Acurate Pirahna pliers, made of the same stuff as the VS and just as good ....half the price, I paid $150

Any tips on size; is bigger better? 8inch, 6inch, etc.
After reading everyones opinion I thought I would try the Accurates as well.
Where do you suggest getting them. Mailorder is OK for me...

Accurate Piranhas (http://www.saltwateredge.com/PROD/SG8J/TL10) are very good pliers. Tough to beat for the money. Aluminum construction versus titanium for the VS.

The handles on both sizes of Accurates are long enough for most peoples hands, so either size is good. We sell far more of the 7 then the 8 inch model.

Don't expect the Piranhas to cut a big 7/0, it's not going to happen. Even a 3/0 4x might be asking a lot. The plier will tweak or the cutter will break first, which has happened. Many companies have copied the VS design but neglected to add more material around the pivot to make up for the fact they're using aluminum and not titanium so there have been occasional breakage issues.

I'm still partial to the Van Staals due to the fact they are the ultimate in corrosion resistance. Other then rain mine haven't seen freshwater since winter.

Lastly, pliers that cut hooks. I lifted this from a post I made elsewhere on the matter.

"There's definitely a weird division among plier owners; there's the camp that believes any surf plier MUST cut hooks and then another camp that doesn't feel it's necessary. I'm definitely in the latter camp because IMO this is all about having the right tool for the job and has nothing to do with $$.

I'd bet it's extraordinarily rare to find a plier that can both easily and repetitively cut hooks and then go repetitively and easily cut braid for more then a year. If someone has such a plier please let me know. These two tasks are very different and a plier biased to do one or the other doesn't do the task it was not designed for very well. Most surf pliers from $20 to $300 can cut a hook, just don't expect to cut braid afterwards. Cutting mono is a whole different game. There are pliers out there (Manleys in particular although they still won't do it for long) that can do that.

For the surf I just need a plier that lasts, most importantly cuts braid, mono, and wire (and it has to cut a lot of wire yet still cut braid), can firmly grab hooks for removal from fish, and can in a pinch cut a hook if needed. If I put a hook in my hand though I'm certainly going to try and get back to my truck where I have pliers built to cut wire and hooks.

For cutting hooks, it's worth getting something designed to do it, such as compound leverage pliers. Not only will they cut hooks, but it will do it for a long time, and it won't hurt your hands when you squeeze down. Compound leverage pliers are perfect for this as they give you a lot of control and will make a clean cut. Cutting hooks with surf pliers is risky, if you slip or something while squeezing down you can imagine the pain that is going to cause. At the same time this plier probably can't even put a dent in braid. It is also great for opening VMC's for plugs that you don't want to use split rings on.

Most surf pliers are not built to cut hooks, and something built to cut hooks is not built to cut braid. They're VERY different tasks that have different solutions."

If you want your pliers to last a long time wipe'em down with this:

http://www.sentrysolutions.com/MarineTufCloth.shtml
http://www.sentrysolutions.com/TufGlidekew.shtml

This stuff works.Your cheapies will last much longer.

Buy a Bunch of $3 pliers and a few $3 cutters from Ocean State Job Lot and your worrys will go away ;)

I'll second the cheap Job Lot plyers and cutters in couple of sizes. I also always carry a pair of nail clippers either hanging around my neck or hanging on the console. They cut mono instantly, braid so so but they work. :wid:

Don't try to cut the hook in the surf or on the beach.
Just chop the splitring (much easier than trying to cut the hook) or swivel.

THEN go grab the manleys and chop the hook back at the truck.

Gerber makes a nice little pair of scissors that cut braid and mono very nicely that you can hang around your neck.

When I shattered the cutters on my VS pliers it was an "emergency" situation and I'm not blaming the pliers for it, I never intended to try to cut hooks with them. I hooked a schoolie on the tail hook of a hydropencil an the way it was hooked there was no way to get it out without tearing the fish apart. I was trying to cut the tail hook hanger (the only thing I could reach) to try to get the lure out of the way and hopefully save the fish. Its really a pain not having the cutter now and having to carry scissors until the end of the season when I can get new cutters installed. Having pliers that cut braid very well is very convenient.

3 out of 5 OSJ $2 pliers will cut braid :p

Kid's scissors for cutting braid, $3 max ... as for good pliers for short money, check out M&Ds, they have a new pair of pliers, retail for reasonable amount and don't last on the shelves that long ... cannot remember their name, but I'm sure Mike would. They are designed to cut braid.

Mike has plenty of those pliers now. They run about $60 give or take. They don't cut braid all that well, but they'll suffice in a pinch. Fortunately, I haven't had a chance yet to see how well they cut a 4x 4/0 VMC :eek:

Best thing I've found for braid is the scissors on a Leatherman Micro. They're like $15 or so at Wally World. It folds up to about a 2" by 1" rectangle and fits almost anywhere.

Seriously, for the life of me I can't understand what all the hub bub is about cutting braid. I cut 30 lb fireline w/ $1.99 nail clippers all the time. I am definitely in the Job-lot camp when it comes to pliars also. I am on my second year w/$3 pliars. Are the corroded? yup. Do I need to oil them once a week? yup. Do they still work? absolutely.

Actually I'm torn between the Van Staal's and the $3 Job Lot kids scissors. Actually I don't cut braid much; mostly wire and wire cable...

numark pliers and sheath 7 bux

1 can of 3 in 1 oil I dunno 4 bux

1 pair bolt cutters form job lot I dunno 10-12 bux..

I need a cabo for when i retire so Im thrifty :laugha: