Striper Talk Striped Bass Fishing, Surfcasting, Boating - View Single Post

Pete_G · 08-20-2006, 10:03 AM

Accurate Piranhas 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."

08-20-2006, 10:03 AM	#10
Pete_G Registered User iTrader: (0) Join Date: May 2003 Location: Newport, RI Posts: 2,316	Accurate Piranhas 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."