At the moment I’m doing a fast evaluation on a pair of Danco Premio 7.5″ Titanium Pliers. Earlier this yr again once I took a visit all the way down to Daytona to strive for some snook within the surf, I misplaced my trusty pair of pliers within the tough surf. They weren’t something fancy however had been a good pair of metal pliers that had lasted me a couple of years. So I’ve been wanting round to discover a good pair of pliers to exchange them. I wished one thing lighter and nicer, cry as soon as purchase as soon as type of factor. I didn’t need one other set of metal pliers due to weight and corrosion. Aluminum pliers, that are fashionable for freshwater fishing, don’t maintain up offshore as a result of they torque and flex an excessive amount of. So I requested round, to see what my good friend who runs constitution use.
I stored getting the reply of to go together with a pair of titanium Van Staal Pliers, however yeah a worth beginning at $330 is kinda arduous to swallow for fishing. So I appeared round for different titanium pliers and located two extra choices. The primary is the Visser pliers which got here out earlier this yr and look very good however price much more than the Van Staals. The opposite possibility is the Danco Premios. The Danco Premio Pliers are available a big number of sizes ranging from 5.5″ pliers as much as 7.5″ pliers that I purchased. I must additionally make clear that there are two sorts of Danco Premio Pliers, there may be the usual Premios and the Premio USA pliers. The USA line of pliers additionally reaches the identical worth level as the opposite two producers, however the usual Premio Pliers are an excellent chunk cheaper. The 7.5″ pliers have an MSRP of $199.99 and might be discovered for cheaper on-line on Amazon. I paid about $180ish after taxes in comparison with the $380 for 7″ Van Staals earlier than taxes. So proper off the bat that’s an enormous plus for the Danco Premios.
First have a look at the pliers proper out of the field, they give the impression of being good. Nice lock up on the enamel of the jaws. No misaligned enamel, no gaps alongside the size of the jaws, they give the impression of being good. Simply taking some copy paper and pinching them within the jaws present that they’re very well machined. The lock-up is tight sufficient that the paper will intervene with the enamel meshing. The cutters are the identical as nicely, no gaps or something alongside the size. On cheaper pliers, this may be a difficulty the place the cutters are simply junky. Both they don’t line up nicely or are simply free. The Premio has neither or these issues by the appears of them.
For the equipment for the pliers, they arrive with a well-made leather-based sheath and lanyard. Truthfully, these are simply as necessary because the pliers, my earlier pair got here with a junky sheath and low-cost lanyard which made me ditch them fairly fast, which in flip let the ocean declare them. The sheath is a pleasant full-grain leather-based with good stitching and has a beltloop and ring constructed into it. There’s a drain gap on the backside nice work tough days offshore. The lanyard is a chunk of elastic bungee wire as a substitute of a budget coiled plastic cords you usually see. The benefit of the bungee being they’ll’t be twisted and tangled just like the coiled cords. I do want to notice that the lanyard is fairly completely hooked up to the pliers with a giant stainless ring.
Sadly, the pliers have some side-to-side play within the hinge although. When any sideways power is placed on the pliers the jaws splay out about 1/16″. Additionally when the jaws are torqued like that they turn out to be gritty. I’m assuming it should be the end texture rubbing on one thing within the hinge. The final situation I’ve with the machining is whenever you look carefully you’ll be able to see the information of the jaws aren’t the identical size. One of many jaws stands out about 1/16″ previous the opposite. I do know it feels like a nitpick however once more these are $200 pliers.
The cutters at the least work nicely, making straightforward work of fluorocarbon and monofilament traces. The cutters additionally work decently on heavy hole core braided line. You wanted to make use of some power however they’d nonetheless clip by the braid cleanly as soon as you probably did.
General, I’m a bit disenchanted for the Danco Premios 7.5″ Titanium pliers. At first look, they give the impression of being nice, glossy, and classy coming with good equipment and a lifetime guarantee. However as soon as getting my fingers on them I believe I received’t be holding onto them or recommending them to others. The play within the jaws kills it for me, I don’t mess with aluminum pliers for a similar purpose. The play makes twisting and popping hooks out of huge fish troublesome and can solely worsen over time. Even costing half the worth of the opposite obtainable choices it’s nonetheless rather a lot for a pair of pliers.
I want these extra budget-friendly pliers had been “simply pretty much as good” however I say when you really need that holy grail set of titanium pliers look elsewhere. If these points aren’t a giant deal for you although go for it, the smaller fashions of Danco Premio pliers are even cheaper on-line. I’d say stick to six″ and smaller pliers for many anglers except you’re fishing offshore for pelagics or for sharks. The pliers are extremely gentle for his or her dimension and nonetheless perform as they need to so don’t be turned off Danco pliers simply know there’s a purpose they price much less.
