Nippers

O

outsider

Active member
Joined
May 28, 2010
Messages
1,538
I'm in a real quandary here. I can't decide between the Abel nippers which sell for $69.95 plus shipping or the Hatch Premium nippers which sell for $99.95 plus shipping.

Any thoughts, comments?
 
I have the abel nippers. They actually will slice right through your finger if you arent careful. I can cut through those tough to get off the line without breaking split shots as well. Worth the 70$ in my opinion.
 
I'd go with the $99 Hatch nippers. Trout appreciate a nicely trimmed improved clinch on a fly and are more likely to strike. One wouldn't want to put an old belt on a new pair of pants so why match a 99 cent nail clipper off the CVS counter with an $850 rod and $800 pair of chest waders?
 
I only nip mono with my nippers so the ones for a dollar at the counter work perfectly for my needs.
 
Well, I just got my Social Security Check so I have money to burn.

Seriously, until I received a catalog from Feather-Craft a few days ago, I never knew nippers sold for this much money. I just wanted to read your comments and reactions.
 
Outsider, I meet you once on the Tully so I suspected you were being facetious with your original post. Depending on one's type of fishing, there is probably a need for quality nippers. And I won't tell anyone how to spent his money or how to enjoy his sport. But I shouldn't tease. There is absolutely nothing humorous about $100 nippers.
 
I have Orvis nippers that are about 12 yrs old. If I had to replace them, I'd spend $15 to $20 but I can appreciate someone wanting to buy high end nippers. If you're going to spend $400 to $500 on a reel, you may as well spend $50 on nippers. It's a tool that's used very often.

Don't know about Hatch, but I think Abel replaces the blades for free when they wear out.

Abel
Abel-nippers-300x244.jpg



I like Fishpond stuff but I don't like the design of their barrel nippers.

pitchfork-clippers.jpg





 
I have a pair of fishing "forceps" that have a scissor blade below the jaws. I have had no need for anything else that may be called a "nipper." I do think I have one of those small finger/toe-nail clippers buried deep in one of my vest-pack pockets as a backup should my forceps become lost. Incidentally, you can see them hanging on a zinger ($0.99) in the middle of my chest in my avatar.
 
Ain't gonna apologize for the sarcasm in my post. There is always point-counterpoint when it comes to the price/value of equipment. The high price of some rods (note the opinions recently about Sage rods) is a good example. Way back when, I paid the premium for Sage rods. And I don't disagree when someone pays a high price for a good reel (especially for big game fish).

But $100 for nippers? My opinion was stated via a bit of sarcasm. And I will not disrespect anyone's opinion on the subject. Have to add I do like to stir the pot once in a while.
 
Well i bought my 60$ nippers because i also always cut braid with them at work. And abel will replace them for free before the first 2 years. Why do guys on this site always rag on high end gear? I dont get it. So what if you have a 500$ real. Or 60$ nippers. Im sure you work hard for the money you spend on pricey items, i know i do.
 
60 bucks with a warranty for replacement jaws? I can understand that. But $100? What next? I certainly get your point about braided line. It is a beotch to cut. But Feather-Craft targets people who fly fish, and I don't know many people that use braided line for fly fishing.
 
Ive been using these for over a year now -

http://www.walmart.com/ip/SuperFly-Nippers-with-Nail-Knot-Tool/17130419
 
I like Fishponds nippers and have had the same pair for the last 5-6 years. I think I paid about $20 for them and I thought they were expensive! Wow $70 to $100 make mine look cheap, I mean less expensive not cheap!
 
fisherboy3 wrote:
Well i bought my 60$ nippers because i also always cut braid with them at work. And abel will replace them for free before the first 2 years. Why do guys on this site always rag on high end gear? I dont get it. So what if you have a 500$ real. Or 60$ nippers. Im sure you work hard for the money you spend on pricey items, i know i do.
Click to expand...

I can tell you why I do. Because they are nippers and for most people they simply cut mono. I'm also willing to bet that 75% of the people with 60 and 100 dollar nippers are the people complaining about the cost of education and why they can't retire. Just saying.
 
I just bought a knife for $80, my wife looked at me and said all you do is cut stuff.....oh well. I definitely understand the desire for sharp precise tools, but the ones I carry I picked up from orvis for $15, I replace them every 4 years or so because they dull and that drives me crazy.
 
yo rya

next time dull nippers threaten to drive you crazy, pull out a drill or maybe even a Dremel and use a sharpening stone bit to sharpen up the tool.

Yo poo - Not to go too far off topic, I wonder if 75% of peeps in general complain about the cost of education and why they can't retire. (re: " I'm also willing to bet that 75% of the people with 60 and 100 dollar nippers are the people complaining about the cost of education and why they can't retire. Just saying.")
 
Speaking of nippers.........A certain forum member here who is on my Facebook friends list,and also a FF guide,recently posted that he broke his tooth while using his teeth to bite off leader material. He vowed to buy a nipper after all these years!!
He is now trading a $500 ?tooth repair job for the cost of from $3 to $100 for nipper.
This is a good lesson for me,because every once in a while(especially if fish are rising),even though I have nippers on my vest,I actually bite off extra leader material with my teeth.
 
I use the 99 cent drug store ones, but the ones I've bought were dull. It's more like "gnawing" through the tippet than nipping.

Maybe I should try a different drug store?

Or, I'd be willing to spend more for better quality. I'm no cheapskate.

I'd be willing to pay TWICE as much!
 
Here you go, Dwight...

http://www.thefishguy.com/other_tools.htm

Scroll down to item 862A, I think it is.

I buy these 5 at a time and distribute the spares around my vest pockets. I lose far more nippers (and zingers) than I ever wear out. I catch them on brush and don't notice they are gone until they are, well, gone. Anyway, they're OK and are a good fit for what I am willing to spend on nippers ($2 apiece..).

Plus, Les (The Fish Guy..) seems a decent sort and has lots of other decent deals on stuff that is of at least acceptable quality.
 
Crap i used to bite my line all the time. I dont mean 3-7x tippet i mean 30-40 lb test. I bought the abel nippers simply because i have had nippers get cuts in the blades. And free blade replacement for 2 years is a pretty good deal.
 
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