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Fishpond Barracuda Pliers offer a lot, but not enough
(continued)
 Operation
cont'd: The Barracuda is also armed
with stainless steel cutters which we found exceptional for mono, gel spun, and
even certain wire lines. What surprised us was how poorly the Barracuda
performed when it came to cutting braid, which was exactly what I hoped it would
excel at. The stainless steel cutters also required a great deal of pressure to
cut through the many fibers in braided lines, and in many case I found myself
peeling away fibers or having to saw through the lines leaving a very messy cut.
The only time that it would cut through braid quickly and effortlessly if there
was a very heavy lure pulling the braid absolutely taught. This is fine when you
have a 6oz saltwater iron on the end of the line, but not so good when you are
cutting off a bass drop shot rig above the leader. Unfortunately as months went
by the stainless steel blades only got duller, and it is a good thing we could
switch them out, but in comparison the very Rapala Stainless Steel pliers I had
complained about cut through braid better than the Barracuda.

Watch out, don't hold the
Barracuda too high up the handle, it is possible to pinch yourself on the back
as you compress the jaws
Pliers like the Van Staal
FP7000 cut through braid much easier due to the fact that they are armed with
tungsten blades rather than stainless steel. While stainless steel offers
quality corrosion resistance it doesn’t have the best wear resistance. Tungsten
carbide is widely used in tools that require wear resistance because of
Tungsten’s high strength and high hardness. In fact Tungsten tooling is
sometimes used when machining materials such as carbon steel and stainless
steel. If Fishpond had an optional Tungsten cutter selection we would definitely
pursue the upgrade.

A look at the back side of the
pliers
Throughout our tests we
remarked how good the Barracuda’s sheath was designed. Fishpond shows off their
expertise in the sheath’s quality construction and not only is it very
functional but it just looks plain cool. The sheath is molded to stay open at
all times and is the perfect fit for these pliers. Unlike other pliers that fold
shut or leather ones that you sometimes feel like you have to fight your pliers
into the Fishpond sheath just plain works. Not only does it hold the Barracuda
securely it also feels light and comfortable when strapped on your belt.

When it came time to cut braid the
Barracuda struggled
Durability: Throughout
our tests the Barracuda’s spring never lost counter pressure in our tests and
continues to perform as intended, an area that we have seen fail in lesser
pliers in the past. The jaws remained as good as new throughout or tests and we
had to change out the cutters once. Changing out either the jaws or the cutters
takes only a few seconds and a 3/32” Allen wrench. The sheath proved to be very
durable as well, and even as I was climbing over rocks while fly fishing or
throwing the holstered pliers back and forth in the boat the sheath not only
protected the Barracuda but looks just as good as the day it arrived.

Even when pressing hard we had to
work the braid a bit and sometimes it still wouldn't cut through...
It is important to note that
the stainless steel jaws and cutters will rust after contact with saltwater, and
to prevent this it is good to use a rust inhibitor to treat these surfaces. At a
very minimum it is a good idea to rinse and wipe the pliers after use in any
saltwater application. In our tests we deliberately did not use an inhibitor and
only rinsed the tool off after inshore fishing, and it proved to be enough to
stay clear of any signs of rust.

....resulting in a messy cut.
Scissors worked much better
Price & Applications:
The Barracuda retails for $139.00 and replacement jaws or blades cost $20.00
each. In comparison the Abel 6.5” pliers retail for $150.00 for standard black,
or $225 dollars for gold or platinum and a leather sheath is an additional
$40.00. The Van Staal Titanium 7” pliers are the most expensive and retail for
$329.99 per copy, and come with a leather sheath. Both the Fishpond and Abel
pliers are machined while the Van Staal is forged. On the opposite end of the
spectrum you have our traditional Rapala Stainless Steel Pliers which retails
for $10.99 for the 6.5” model.

Where the Barracuda proved to be
excellent was putting leverage on big hooks even when they were embedded deep
So why would someone spend so
much more on a pair of pliers than the $10.99 Rapala Stainless Steel option?
After all the cost of replacing the cutters alone on any of these pliers is more
than a whole new set of the Rapala pliers, or countless other versions available
from manufacturers like Bass Pro, Rising, or XTOOLS. As with expensive reels the
answer is refinement. Pliers like the Fishpond Barracuda offer fine machining,
reduced weight, and a unique feel, and even though they may not have all the
features of a much cheaper pair they still shine in certain categories. There
are also pliers that bridge the mainstream to premium price gap offering many of
the features of premium pliers but not all the refinement or light weight,
Browning pliers are a good example of a quality mid-range option.

The stainless steel jaws and
cutters can be changed out with a Allen wrench
Most anglers will simply go
for the sub 20 dollar pliers option, and what really motivated me to look for a
premium pair of pliers was one that I hoped would do everything normal pliers
can do but also slice through super lines like butter. Unfortunately the
Barracuda cut through everything well apart from braid. The Barracuda is usable
for a wide range of applications, but is missing some of the necessary features
for proper lure tuning. This is not a pair of pliers that can do it all, but it
is among the most cleanly machined and lightweight designs out there. If I had
to rank the usability in order I would say the pliers are best for bass fishing,
then fly, then salt.
Ratings: (We've re-calibrated our ratings standard for 2008 and have included a key at the bottom of the following matrix as a guide)
Fishpond
Barracuda
Pliers Ratings
(?/10) |
Construction/Quality |
The
Barracuda makes use of quality materials and the construction is actually
what we would consider "great" when it comes to both the pliers and the
sheath |
8 |
Performance |
The
overall performance had me torn somewhat. The positive features like light
overall weight a quality spring were evened out with lackluster performance
cutting braided lines and no option for different replacement jaws or
cutters |
5 |
Price |
Any
pair of pliers, even premium ones over 100 dollars is going to be expensive
for anglers but when you consider the price versus other premium pliers like
that from Abel or Van Staal the Fishpond Barracuda looks a whole lot more
reasonable |
6 |
Features |
Perhaps the best feature of the Barracuda is the light overall weight of the
tool, the second is the very well designed holster other than that the tool
lacks some of the features found on even the most common pliers, this isn't
out of character for premium pliers but still something to consider
nonetheless |
5 |
Design
(Ergonomics) |
The
overall design of the Barracuda is appealing but there are some flaws like
the ability to pinch yourself if your hands are too far up the pliers. We
would have ranked this a 5 (mediocre) overall but gave the pliers bonus
points once again for the excellent and very ergonomic sheath |
5.8 |
Application |
The Barracuda can be used in a number of different applications ranging from
fly fishing to saltwater, unfortunately the jaws of the pliers make it a bit
more difficult to handle very small lures, and the lack of a split ring nose
limit the ability to work with large hooks/split rings |
6 |
Total Score |
5.96 |
Ratings Key: 1 = terrible : 2 = poor : 3 = lacking : 4 = sub par : 5 = mediocre : 6 = fair : 7 = good : 8 = great : 9 = excellent : 10 = unbelievable!
For More
Details
of the
updated
rating
system
visit
our
explanation
here |
Pluses and Minuses:
Plus
Minus |
J
Quality construction |
L
Cutters are not great for braid |
J
Lightweight design |
L
No split shot crimp or split ring option |
J
Excellent carrying sheath |
L
Costly for pliers, reasonable in
comparison to other premium pliers |
J
Spring loaded |
|
J
Replaceable jaws and cutters |
|
Conclusion:
The Barracuda offers a lot but is missing some of the features to make it a
truly great solution. The lack of a split
ring tool or ability to sever braided superlines with ease hurt the Barracuda’s
usability and the thick flat jaws while great for gaining leverage on large
hooks made it difficult for detailed precision handling of tiny lures. The best
part about the pliers may not actually be the pliers themselves but the
brilliant sheath that comes bundled with the tool. The sheath looks great, is
perfectly form fitting, durable, and actually comfortable to wear. As far as
premium pliers go the Fishpond Barracuda is actually on the reasonable side, now
only if those cutters were sharper and harder wearing and until that time my
quest for a “do it all” pair of pliers continues and I find myself still
carrying a small pair of scissors with me on the boat just for braid.

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