Simple and Surprising, Texas
Tackle's SSplit Ring Pliers
Date: |
5/22/08 |
Tackle type: |
Tools |
Manufacturer: |
Texas Tackle |
Reviewer: |
Zander |
Total Score: 7.50 +
EDITORS CHOICE!
Introduction:
Can
something as simple as a pair of pliers offer any real innovation? Texas Tackle
thinks so and is selling pliers designed with a single purpose, to be the very
best split ring pliers available on the market.
Texas Tackle
SSplit Ring
Pliers specifications |
Overall Length |
5"
|
Material |
Stainless Steel |
Weight |
1.9oz |
Additional Features |
Compact size, bright orange grips |
Price |
$16.99 |
Impressions:
We often
take for granted how important pliers are, and pliers simply don’t give the
respect they deserve, that is until you forget to bring them on your boat.
Trying to unhook treble hooks from fish without pliers can be a feat in itself,
and changing out bent out or broken hooks can wreak havoc on your fingernails.
Many companies have released rebranded OEM pliers, offering little in terms of
design improvement, or even distinguishable differences save for dissimilar
style grips.
The Texas Tackle SSplit Ring
Pliers are a patented tool designed for the application its name implies
Other
manufacturers have released pliers that they claim can do it all, or are the
last pliers that you will ever have to buy. Texas Tackle’s patented SS Pliers
(SSplit-Ring Pliers) are designed with an exclusive tip made specifically to
better handle split rings. Changing out hooks can be a pain, especially on the
water if you have to fiddle with your tools. When I first learned about the
Texas Tackle SS Pliers we were skeptical, after all is it really possible to
make a pair of pliers that much better than what is already out there?
The unique triangle tip on the SS
pliers
My first
impression of the SS pliers was that the pliers were simple in design, small in
size, had a peculiar tip, and overall utterly unremarkable. Our tests included
changing out a variety of split rings both in the lab and in the field. We
changed out split rings of varying sizes, on different types of lures ranging
from slender jerkbaits to foot long swimbaits.
The SS pliers are small enough to
be stored with lures
Operation: The SS pliers are made out of surgical grade stainless steel for
corrosion resistance and the grips are a bright orange, making them easy to
identify. You can’t miss the bright orange grips, even if you put them in a box
or boat filled with other tools. As I started playing with these small pliers I
started realizing that though simple in design the minimalistic approach is what
makes this product work.
The SS pliers have a durable hinge
and spring
The first
split ring you remove with these pliers and a little light bulb appears, the
Texas Tackle pliers do work, and they work well. Simply insert the wedge into
the center of the split ring and the ring will open, but unlike other pliers the
elongated lower nose will hold the split ring in place. To put the ring on a
hook place the wedge in the split of the ring and the pliers will hold the ring
open for the hook to be placed into the ring. Once the hook is in position
simply rotate the pliers and you will find that the split ring is easier to work
with the Texas Tackle SS than with any other pair of pliers.
The pliers work so well it is
possible to switch hooks in seconds even on the boat
The SS
pliers are able to accomplish this superior split ring management with a
combination of two main elements. The uniquely designed triangle tip really is
an innovative improvement over traditional pliers. The SS nose holds split rings
in place by themselves while gapping the rings widely and still supporting the
ring better when working hooks on or off. The second design element that gives
anglers more control over split rings is the overall short length of the pliers.
The shorter design allows anglers to get in tight in relation to baits and
better control the split rings without having to rotate or twist the pliers too
far away from the lure. It is this combination that gives the Texas Tackle
pliers a higher level of precision than traditional pliers.
I often have to change out damaged
hooks on jerkbaits I use for striper fishing
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