View Full Version : Quality Pliers


Tattoo
02-21-2003, 05:16 PM
So I made it through the season with only having to buy three pairs of pliers. My lost another f#$^$$%ing set ratio has dropped so I figure I'll buy something worth the money.


WHICH ONES? VS, DONMAR, MANLEY?

Something that could cut a hook burried deep in your hand while your headlamp battery dies and your way out in the middle of now where would be nice....

DaveS
02-21-2003, 05:32 PM
Donmars are nice, but a Super Leatherman aint too bad, and costs less. I also always carry some Manley side cutters w/me just in case I get that hook buried and I need to cut it.

CowHunter
02-21-2003, 05:33 PM
I used to go through alot of pliers myself. Now I've got the Donmar pliers on my belt. What I did to prevent loosing them was cut a piece of telephone cord, epoxy a very strong snap to each end. I wrapped tightly with thread and epoxied it. One end is attached to the pliers and the other to the sheath. I have my pliers, 60lb Boga, and a Randal knife attached to my belt which is a nylon Police special Ops belt with a 3 way snap...Can't loose the belt. I really like the Donmar, not a speck of rust on them. Weather they will cut some of those heavier trebles, I don't know. I keep a pair of Manley Heavy Duty pliers in the truck. Would never take them on the water, rust up way to quick.

Striper SniperX
02-21-2003, 05:45 PM
Vic "SNS" has a nice pair of SHIMANO TITANIUM 8" pliars- they are pretty nice, awsome grip. you should check them out, they were like 25 bucks or something

VS pliars are like 200 bucks- that's crazy

i have a 6.99 pair of Pliars i bought at Bennys and they lasted me 1 season in fresh water and 1season in salt- and they are still ready to go.... my secret is WD-40 :D

good luck

Fishpart
02-21-2003, 06:12 PM
I never know what to get. I have a set of cheap needle nose that I use and am thinking of a very heavy set of side cutters in case I need to cut that forged Mustad hook off......

bassmaster
02-21-2003, 06:14 PM
I yac about My VS plyers But dont want to get flamed:smash: :smash:

CowHunter
02-21-2003, 06:25 PM
Striper Sniper, I am glad that you were able to get one season out of you're $6.99 Pliers. However I have to ask,
-How often do you fish?
-Are they on you're belt and How often are those pliers in the saltwater? You Deep wade or stay dry?
-How well do they still cut after 1 year?
-How often are they used for removing trebles, cutting line and so on?


Remember, you get what you pay for!

Christian
02-21-2003, 06:34 PM
i think i went through 3 pairs. 1 rusted, 1 20+ miles out on a cod boat, and 1 is in the merrimack river. i use these ones, i dont know what the brand is but it says MiT drop forged on the handles. you can cut pennies in half with these things. $6 i think at hardware store. to keep em from rusting i use silicone spray lube. lubricates and leaves a protective layer of silicone on there.

UserRemoved1
02-21-2003, 07:16 PM
BM, I won't beat you up...I am interested in this too, I am tired of having rusty pliers on the boat all the time.....
I'm more interested in cutting mono etc but also in the occasional hooks should something happen.....hope I don't jinz myself here.

Is it really worth spending $$$ on a pair of pliers or are the cheapies just as good?

bassmaster
02-21-2003, 07:23 PM
use what works.
seems im plyer man on the surf. My friend Mike lost His pair now Im plyer Boy:smash:
I like the cheepeis to...
I know Nuttin

UserRemoved1
02-21-2003, 07:26 PM
u sand sissy spill the beans :evil:

fishweewee
02-21-2003, 07:49 PM
Well, I got a bunch of cheapo Shimano "stainless" pliers.

Just rinse 'em off every trip. Every few trips, scrub them down with a toothbrush and some comet scouring powder, follow up with a spray of WD-40.

-WW

Tattoo
02-21-2003, 07:53 PM
CowHunter,

Can the jaws be changed out on the DonMar?

StriperSniper,

VS pliars are like 200 bucks- that's crazy

As said, you get what you pay for. If you can't pay, you shouldn't play.

When it comes right down to it for me, money has nothing to do with making a purchase. QUAILTY COUNTS.

Tattoo
02-21-2003, 07:57 PM
OK, Maybe I need to add to this thread a bit.

Pliers I am looking for should be able to:

1 - Not rust

2 - Be able to stay in the holder sitting in the back of the truck on the wader belt from a nights fishing, only to be hung in the garage in the AM when I head to work, then be taken down put back in the truck after 6:00pm when I head out fishing the next night.

3 - Repeat #2 as many times as possible unless full moon, tides suck, or going out to eat with wife.


In other words, I need a pair of pliars that are close to zero maintenance.

Striper SniperX
02-21-2003, 08:07 PM
Hey dude- maybe you should buy some of them "plastic-pliars"
they are like high impact- unbreakable plastic or something like that.

They are sharp as normal pliars because and they NEVER WILL EVER EVER RUST, and they even float if you drop them!!!!
and i belive you can interchange the 'jaws' on some of them.

I can play- but i will never spend 200 bucks on pliars no matter how clean they cut.

but if you have $200 to spend on pliars- go for it!! :)

my 6.99 pliars work for me, and if i loose them- it wont kill me!

BTW- i also have a $45. pair of Coleman leatherman type all in one tool- it works awsome also!



Mike

Krispy
02-21-2003, 08:48 PM
and what about Abels?

I have the plier problem too.
The small Manleys didnt work for me. The cutter stopped cutting after a couple uses.:smash:

Tattoo
02-21-2003, 08:54 PM
Abels, I just sold a pair on EBAY.

Biggest waste of money there is.

UserRemoved1
02-21-2003, 09:07 PM
Interesting as I was just looking at a pair of them the other night. I been through just about every pair Cabelas sells now.
Tattoo what you said about maintenance would be the ideal pair of pliers for a boat too, problem with stuff that rusts and wd40 is that it leaves rust spots/stains...no look good on white gelcoat :eek:

The VS pliers are titanium, isn't titanium ng for saltwater?


Originally posted by Tattoo
Abels, I just sold a pair on EBAY.

Biggest waste of money there is.

Got Stripers
02-21-2003, 09:35 PM
I'd have to check, but I think I bought a pair of rapala's last time and they are good after a 1-1/2 year full season, which as you know for me is a 12 month deal. They have the little split ring deal at the tip, which comes in handy for more than just splitrings. The key to pliers, reels, electrical, sh** anything coming even close to saltwater is maintanence. Not that I'm great on it, but I try to WD40 them frequently, so far so good.

Striper Sniper Y
02-21-2003, 09:37 PM
how do i sign on to e-bay?

why do they call them stainless when they rust?

how much should i spend on pliers?

can you use pliers to eat your dinner?

Christian
02-21-2003, 09:39 PM
john R- can you please stop this idiot.
:af: :af:

Striper Sniper Y
02-21-2003, 09:44 PM
why am I an idiot?

will you show me how to make your cool plugs?

can you show me how you fish them?

Bill L
02-21-2003, 09:45 PM
For the cheapos, I got a pair of Rapala's last year too - anodized, with wrist lanyard and velcro sheath. Not bad for the price, but need to keep lubed. I use mine on my surf belt, in and out of the trunk wet, and in the boat too. Just checked them to see how they held up, a little rust but working good -- should be able to milk another season, or at least until they go overboard. Bad news is they came in a combo pack with a pair of forceps that busted the first time I tried to get a hook out of a fishes mouth :smash:

Christian
02-21-2003, 09:49 PM
ssy- your just wicked anoying.
yes i will show you how to make my cool plugs, and yes i will show you how to fish them. JUST SHUT UP! please?:)

JohnR
02-21-2003, 09:55 PM
SSY - lay off of Christian please - he's no PIA, OK? He's a good lad...

Christian - I think you are witnessing history, no harm no foul...

Too bad Ididn't have time to get in this thread - a little crazy in Romper Room today...

Ocean State Job Lot - 3 pair at the beginning of season, 1 left. Every nice pair I get I lose and I hate cables so for pliers I go cheap, & in the belt...

Striper Sniper Y
02-21-2003, 09:55 PM
Christian -

Okay big guy. For you Sir I will finally shut up (I'm running out of steam anyways).

Didn't mean to annoy you or anyone - honest.

Okay?

:D

Got Stripers
02-21-2003, 09:57 PM
Don't worry Christian the "Y" factor hasn't anyting to put in the pliers, the boga or anything else, I fear the young lad is adrift in life. See this pour boy only needs a very small sheath, not much to put in it you know, sad really.

Christian
02-21-2003, 09:58 PM
thanks, it was funny the first five posts then it just got a little old. was still funny though.

About ocean state- i got a hole bag full of forecepts last year. it was like $5 for 20 pairs. ocean state always has random useful stuff.:D

Mike P
02-21-2003, 09:59 PM
I don't buy good pliers for the same reason I don't buy good sunglasses--I lose the friggin' things :smash:

One pair of cheapo stainless in a sheath on my belt to remove hooks, and one pair of Manleys just in case I wind up wearing a bass attached to a treble hook as a fashion accessory.

I've heard the cutting jaws on the VS pliers get trashed after heavy-duty cutting.

SSY--yer killin' me here. I'm blowing vino all over my monitor and keyboard.

bassmaster
02-21-2003, 10:16 PM
I cant wait to loos My Vs Plyers. I wade with them and there under water. I got them as a Gift and I do like them.
I do Buy My sissy reels:D
Buy what You can afford, If I didnt have these I would have a pair of them rusting type with the cutter on top what ever there called.

CowHunter
02-21-2003, 11:30 PM
Tattoo, The jaws on the Donmar pliers can be changed. I used to have a pair of the 850's, (Stainless), and really liked them alot, especially liked how easily they cut the braid. They are around $80. agian for the stainless. The replacement line cutters are around $21. or so. The 900 series is a step above and looks to have the same line cutter as the 850 the 900 is around $100..agian for the stainless. I currently own the 950's which are around $110., bought them because I was interested in the heavy duty wire cutter which I really haven't abused yas of yet. The 950's are nice, however I dislike the fact that they don't cut braid as well as the 850's did. Now the Titanium Donmars are an extra $100.00. I don't know, but these things do not rust! I leave them on the belt with no maintanence for days when I take a multi day trip, in and out of the salt all night long. They hold up great! I do spray them down but sometimes go many weeks. They will get a little bit of a rust color right around the cutter/jaw areas, but it does not build up, just kind of stains and comes off with WD. Agian, When I go fishing, I go fishing...I go away days at a time and don't want to be bothered with equiptment maintenance, scrubbing, cleaning and so on..i fish all night, sleep all day, and start up agin the next day. I always wanted to try the VS pliers, don't know if they made any improvements with the cutters, I did hear the same thing that Ditch said a while ago.

Best of Luck!

CowHunter
02-21-2003, 11:33 PM
By the way, I lost my 850's because I was stupid and left them on the bumper of my truck after rigging! Alway had a habit of losing stuff on the water .I now have everything attached to my belt like I had posted in the earlier post. I was good for loosing pliers, scales and so on until I attached everything to the belt like I stated...

SeaWolf
02-22-2003, 12:02 AM
tattoo, i've used the same pair of manley's for 6 years now. they rusted very lightly after a few times of missed wd, but have not rusted anymore really since. i've used them to cut 2/0-4/0 trebels on more occasions than i can admit, including cutting a trebel out of a friends' hand this past year. the cutter just started to dull for cutting line this past year and i put a new edge on them w/ a file. but, they are now my backups as i got a new pair of manleys for this year. 6 years w/ the same pair and i cannot complain. can't be $30 for what they can do. just rinse them in h20 when you get a chance if they've been in saltwater and fish oil and a good spray of wd40 and they are good to go. i have a nylon holder for them. just buy the large, spring tensioned ones and the ones w/ the rubber handle grips. less slippery. the larger ones have more torque for cutting hooks. i'd rather drop a $30 pair into the drink than a $100+ pair. i hear they are making a newer version w/ a bottle opener on one side too...

VSrick
02-22-2003, 09:19 AM
Originally posted by #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&
Interesting as I was just looking at a pair of them the other night. I been through just about every pair Cabelas sells now.
Tattoo what you said about maintenance would be the ideal pair of pliers for a boat too, problem with stuff that rusts and wd40 is that it leaves rust spots/stains...no look good on white gelcoat :eek:

The VS pliers are titanium, isn't titanium ng for saltwater?

The VS pliers are in fact made from titanium forgings and will NOT rust. The carbide side cutters are at least according to my experiences and our testing the best cutters on the market today in terms of cutting braided line. They will cut hooks on an emergency basis but that portion of the cutter may become compromised. The cutters are user repalceable for approx $ 28.00.
The pliers themselves carry a lifetime guarantee.
Hope this info is helpful
Regards
Rick

Slipknot
02-22-2003, 09:42 AM
Welcome Rick

fishweewee
02-22-2003, 10:41 AM
Hi Rick! :D :smash: