In the salt, a good pair of pliers are as critical as most gear items. For everything from removing hooks from toothy critters to testing knots, pliers are both necessary and important. Unfortunately, many companies see pliers as an easy way to get some easy extra revenue from their machine shop without paying much attention to quality and on-the-water functionality. Gerber is not such a company, and it is clear that the Gerber Magnipliers are what come from a company dedicated to getting things right.
We tested the Gerber Magniplier Salt. These pliers are 7.5-inches and are designed for saltwater needs but are surely ideal for freshwater anglers as well. Among the many features and highlights, several qualities stood out the most:
The Feel
When it comes down to it, pliers are a tool, and you can’t get what you want from a tool that feels clumsy, heavy, or awkward in hand. The first thing we noticed with these pliers is how light they felt. Made of anodized aluminum, they felt lighter than you’d expect from aluminum. Additionally, they feel great in hand. Designed for actual on-the-water use, they have a grip that suits anglers who are quickly grabbing them from the sheath. With a trigger on the grip, it’s easy to place your hand (left or right) in exactly the right place. This is especially important for those chaotic moments on the water when you need to act fast. Also, Gerber designed the pliers to best function when the hand is in the near-fist position. Naturally, this is how you work, thereby eliminating awkward hand movements to open and close the pliers.
Longevity
Serious anglers tend to abuse gear, and in the salt, gear tends to take more abuse than normal. Despite being very light, these pliers are tough. Even the lanyard (which is often the most vulnerable part of a pair of pliers) is designed for hard use. Gerber’s Salt RX technology protects the pliers from salty environments and has corrosion resistance to keep these pliers in use for the long haul. Finally, exchangeable jaws allow anglers to replace the jaws when necessary rather than the whole pliers.
Features for fishing
From the cutter to the intelligently designed sheath (that keeps the pliers in while also easily taken out), Gerber has considered everything when designing these pliers. It’s clear that Gerber didn’t simply make a decent product worthy of their name, but they sought to innovate with these pliers. (And they did.)
The Gerber Magnipliers come with the Gerber Guarantee and cost $85. To learn more about the Gerber Magnipliers, please click here.
Disclosure: Gerber is in a professional relationship with The Venturing Angler. Though potentially benefiting from this relationship, we do not post what we do not believe to be true. To read more, click here.