"JEB's Tackle Review"
Cobra Marine JAWS Staniness Steel Wire Cutting Pliers
Author - John E. Brady, Hanover PA-USA
Copyright 2008
e-mail - jeb@jebswebsite.com

Note: This review is "Part A " of a 3-Part Review.
Part "A" (here) is the overview; Part "B" is the review of the 7" pliers; Part "C" is the review of the 5 1/2" pliers.
Please read "Part A - Overview" before reading the other sections.

Product: JAWS 7” and 5 ½” Stainless Steel Wire Cutting Pliers Manufacturer / Supplier: Cobra Marine Manufacturing Manufacturer Website: www.cobramarine.com

Product overview - Initial Review - 2/20/08
These stainless steel wire cutting pliers are a brand new product just introduced (February 2008) by Cobra Marine Manufacturing (www.cobramarine.com).

Size: Overall - Jaw - Cutter Lengths:
There are two sizes of these wire cutting pliers: 7” and 5 ½”.

7 Inch Pliers:
Overall length is 7 ½”. Head width (jaws fully closed) is 11/16”. Jaw length is 1-1/8 Inch from tip to box joint. The tungsten carbide cutter inserts are 3/4" long.

5-1/2 Pliers:
Overall length is 5 ½”. Head width (jaws fully closed) is 9/16”. Jaw length is 3/4" from the tip to the box joint. The tungsten carbide cutter inserts are 9/16" long.

Construction:
Both pliers are made from 100% Quality Surgical Stainless Steel, with box joint construction, hard wire Tungsten Carbide Cutter JAW Inserts for Maximum Hardness in excess of Rockwell Scale HRC 64. Each pliers has PVC coated grips and gentle Return Spring.

Testing overview:

Initial overview and impression:
Before I started using each of the pliers, I’ll thoroughly inspected each one, checking for smooth swivel action, any side to side play, how well the jaws close and/or whether they have any gaps. I’ll also review and comment on the overall quality of the machined parts and their cosmetic finish.

Test objective:
The object of this review is to see if these pliers will be suitable to be used by freshwater fisherman. I live in the northeast part of the country, where there’s ice on the lake, and as I write this, we’re having a good snow fall. Since I just received them, I can’t actually put them to use in the field (I mean boat). Therefore this review will only be an initial one, to see if their quality is as advertised, and if I will have confidence to put them to use and offer an opinion on whether they will hold up to long term use. Then I’ll continue testing when (my) fishing season begins in a month or two.

Test procedure:
In order not to put too much force on the pliers for these initial tests, all cuts will be made at the bottom most section of the cutting blades (near the throat). This should allow me to exert the most cutting force with the least stress on the pliers. Although cutting closer to or at the tip would probably be more of a real world test. I state this because when the time comes, cutting out a hook swallowed by a bass or trout, a fisherman may not have the leverage or access to be able to use the lower section of the blades to cut out a hook. After my initial tests, I may have enough confidence in the pliers to make some test cuts from the tip of the blades. If I do, I will post those results as an addendum at the end of this review.

After each cut, I will inspect the item cut to see how well it made the cut, and inspect the pliers to see if the cut had any affect on the pliers such as leaving any indentation on the blades, or any other type of wear or damage. I will also take photo’s of the pliers and the item cut after each test cut and include them where appropriate.

Photographs: The camera used for all photo’s is a Nikon Coolpix 995 3.2 mega pixel digital camera with 4x optical zoom.

Test items:
For my initial tests, I will be using two different materials: 1) a heavy gauge stranded electrical wire; 2) several sizes of the most popular brands of freshwater bass fishing hooks.

OK! Lets get started…Link to Part B - Cobra Marine JAWS 7" Stainless Steel Pliers Review

Link to Part C - Cobra Marine JAWS 5 1/2" Stainless Seel Pliers Review (Please read Parts A&B before reading Part C).

Link to: JEB's (fishing) Website - Tackle Reviews

If you have any comments or questions about this or any review, please contact me at the email address at the top of the page.

Remember - "They call it fishing, but the goal is catching."

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