Orvis Pliers? - Striper Talk Striped Bass Fishing, Surfcasting, Boating

luds · 03-09-2006, 10:59 AM

Just curious how those of you who purchased a pair last season liked them. I've heard they do get a little corroded. I started leaning towards the VS pliers but realized they're just not in my budget. I figure I'll send them back for a new pair when they get to corroded.

Any feedback is appreciated.

MAC · 03-09-2006, 11:08 AM

Not very easy to come by. My wife ordered me a pair approximately 3 months ago and am still waiting. I called Orvis direct and the woman said they have them in stock but it doesn't show that on their website.

luds · 03-09-2006, 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MAC

Not very easy to come by. My wife ordered me a pair approximately 3 months ago and am still waiting. I called Orvis direct and the woman said they have them in stock but it doesn't show that on their website.

They are available now on the Orvis site. I had to hit the order button several times before they showed in my basket. It kept on telling me that they had been added to my basket but when I went to the basket it was empty.

Pain in the a$$. The're still sitting there. I can't decide. LL Bean has the Donmar Checkpoint pliers with their %100 guarantee. I'm considering those too.

In The Surf · 03-09-2006, 12:31 PM

They weren't even available till August of last year. They had issues with the quality of construction and scrapped several runs (made in china). We all know titanium isn't cheap so that's quite a hit to take. I tried to get them most all of last season and got somewhat frustrated when they kept pushing back the delivery date. After a few calls I was able to speak to a manager who explained the issues and got me one that passed their inspections. They were only able to get several small runs that met their standards for quality and satisfaction and couldn't meet the demand for orders they had on them. I noticed they took them off the web and out of their catalogs for quite some time. When I ordered some mirage fluoro not too long ago I inquired about them. I was told if they could get the manufacturing issues straightened out they may be available in the future if not just assume they were discontinued. I was also told don't worry if I had issues with mine I would get a full refund or whatever it took to be satisfied. Got my latest Orvis catalog 2 weeks ago and they were in there so I guess the issues were addressed.

I have been quite satisfied with my pliers so far, no rust or any other issues. They got a good work out and plenty of use from Aug into early Dec. In my opinion they're the best pliers in that price range and you can't beat the guarantee.

My girl didn't know I had the orvis pliers and bought me a pair of the Accurate Piranhas a month ago as a gift. They were a good $50 more and felt rather flimsy compared to the orvis.

SAXATILUS · 03-09-2006, 12:51 PM

I like mine, one problem I had was the cutters started to corrode slightly, sent them back and they sent me a brand new pair, so I really cant complain, except you cant purchase just the cutter blades so when they get dull you have to send them back. I had the accurates also and like the orvis better.

luds · 03-09-2006, 03:12 PM

Thanks for the feedback. I ordered them so I'm going to give them a try.

InTheSurf,

Thanks for the detailed background. It's nice to know they are trying to meet some quality standards.

luds · 03-17-2006, 09:00 PM

I received my Orvis Pliers today and they are really nice. I'm very impressed with the pliers themselves. Only complaint is that the sheath that comes with the Pliers sucks. The Pliers fits in tightly but the sheath has a metal clip to connect to your belt. Basically when you try to pull out the pliers the sheath comes with them. This is going to cause a problem when I have a fish in the other hand. I compared it to what comes with the VS pliers and that sheath is connected with a strap rather than a clip so it can't come off.

Looks like they might be going back.

On top of that I ordered waders from them and they sent me waist highs instead of chest high. I confimed that I ordered the right ones.

Pete_G · 03-18-2006, 07:08 AM

I think a lot of these pliers that are modeled after the VS are inherently going to feel flimsy made out of aluminum. I just don't think there is enough aluminum around the pivot point on some of these pliers. If they were Ti it would be different. I'm just guessing that is why, as both the Orvis and of course the VS have a different feel then many of the aluminum alternatives, as in In The Surf noticed.

The pivot bushing on some of them looks smaller the the bushing in the older and more fly fishing oriented Abel pliers...

JoeP · 03-18-2006, 08:20 AM

I was able to buy a pair last fall. Almost within the 2nd or 3rd trip wearing them on my surf belt the cutters (or the screw holding the cutters in) began to rust. By the end of the season (aftering wearing them maybe 10 times), the corrosion was worse.

I sent them back after the season & got a full refund. I think they mix some cheaper metals with the carbide in the cutters or they use a cheap metal for the cutter screw that easily corrodes. They also seemed not to be as smooth opening & closing.

Good luck - hopefully these issues are fixed.

I did like the style though.

luds · 03-18-2006, 04:12 PM

I returned the Pliers to the Orvis store in Boston today. They don't carry them in the store but guess what they do carry.

I'm now the proud owner of 7 inch VS Pliers.

tattoobob · 03-18-2006, 06:38 PM

Hey congrats, I bought the Browning and the were 50 bucks
I am cheap. I only used them once ice fishing but I will let you
know how they do mid season

CAL · 03-19-2006, 11:17 AM

I was thinking of getting these, but now having second thoughts. What's the point of having replaceable cutters if you can't buy replacements?

Pete_G · 03-19-2006, 11:26 AM

I'll hopefully get some answers out of the Orvis rep this week regarding some of the issues with these pliers; in particular the cutters and whether they can be replaced, corrosion issues, and that clip on sheath. I just sent an email now...

In The Surf · 03-19-2006, 09:00 PM

No major issues or anything I couldn't rectify on my own so far. The cutters are replaceable but probably still aren't available. First they had get their manufacturing issues straightened out. I was told they would replace the pliers if an issue with the cutters had occured and that my satisfaction came first. I can live with that. I may have tried to swap out a rusty screw on my own first but if I couldn't come up with one then next day me a new set no biggie (both bean and orvis have replaced stuff next day when I wasn't happy or needed a replacement and expressed that I shouldn't be the one inconvenienced by being without, they even paid for return shipping, bean even did this with waders). I had the same issue that luds48 had with the sheath, no biggie 5 minute fix, bent the clip back reversed. These babies were used 5-6 times a week from mid Aug into the second week of Dec. Now don't get me wrong I like most anything Van Stall but compare these at $129 to a little over $300 and it's a no brainer. It would still be nice to see Orvis address the issues others are having with these ASAP.

In The Surf · 03-19-2006, 09:01 PM

a couple more

In The Surf · 03-19-2006, 09:02 PM

another

luds · 03-20-2006, 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by In The Surf

No major issues or anything I couldn't rectify on my own so far. The cutters are replaceable but probably still aren't available. First they had get their manufacturing issues straightened out. I was told they would replace the pliers if an issue with the cutters had occured and that my satisfaction came first. I can live with that. I may have tried to swap out a rusty screw on my own first but if I couldn't come up with one then next day me a new set no biggie (both bean and orvis have replaced stuff next day when I wasn't happy or needed a replacement and expressed that I shouldn't be the one inconvenienced by being without, they even paid for return shipping, bean even did this with waders). I had the same issue that luds48 had with the sheath, no biggie 5 minute fix, bent the clip back reversed. These babies were used 5-6 times a week from mid Aug into the second week of Dec. Now don't get me wrong I like most anything Van Stall but compare these at $129 to a little over $300 and it's a no brainer. It would still be nice to see Orvis address the issues others are having with these ASAP.

It scares me a little that I didn't even think about modifying the clip. I think subconciously I really just wanted th VS pliers. Definately makes sense to go with the Orvis for the $$$ but I'm keeping my Van Staals. Thanks for the feedback again.

SAXATILUS · 03-20-2006, 03:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tattoobob

Hey congrats, I bought the Browning and the were 50 bucks
I am cheap. I only used them once ice fishing but I will let you
know how they do mid season

Hey Bob, I bought a pair of those at the begining of last season and the cutters started rusting almost immediatley, when I went to replace it the screw head snapped off. The pliers are great and never showed any signs of rust but the cutters forget about it. I would keep them well oiled and replace regularly.

tattoobob · 03-20-2006, 05:10 PM

Well before I take them to the Saltwater I am going to put some never seize on it and see what's up with them. I also bought the replacement cutters when I got the plyers

luds · 03-21-2006, 12:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by luds48

It scares me a little that I didn't even think about modifying the clip. I think subconciously I really just wanted th VS pliers. Definately makes sense to go with the Orvis for the $$$ but I'm keeping my Van Staals. Thanks for the feedback again.

Just rememberd why I didn't consider the modification. I wear a RIP OFF belt that is alot wider than most wader belts. The clip was barely long enough to use with that belt. If I had to bend it over it would have never fit.