Bear & Son Bird Shears + mini comparison to Remington Wingmaster.

[Chako]

Previously, I wrote a short review on a Remington Wingmaster. I had bought that tool at a gun/archery shop, so it stood to reason that it was primarily directed at bird hunters. Now what I didn’t know is that there were precursor models to the Wingmaster. A forum member mentioned that the first one was created by Bear & Sons, a company I had never heard of until I joined Multitool.org.  The same member also informed me of a cheap Chinese knock off of the Bear & Son model.  The model I did a short review on was the next step in this lineage. I found this all rather fascinating, and thus, set about getting these other two tools for my collection.

This brings us to today. Last night, the first one came in. I am still waiting for the other model. Once I get them all, I will be sure to post either a photo essay or a review of all three birding MTs.

Bear & Son Bird Shears:
The Bear & Son Bird Shears is a rather large imposing piece of equipment. It easily dwarfs the Remington Wingmaster as you will see in later photographs.


Interestingly enough, the handles say “Super Bear Jaws” even though there aren’t any pliers on this model. You do get a very large pair of shears however. They are huge. Easily dwarfing the much smaller pair found on the Wingmaster. I would have to assume that Bear & Son uses a standard set of handles for most of their larger sized multi-tool line. I could be wrong on this however, but from the writing on the handle, I think it is a safe bet.


The shears have a rudimentary lock system. It consists of a rectangular pivoting piece of metal with a slight raised center part to make it easier to lock and unlock the shears. In comparison, the method that the Wingmaster uses is a little more elegant and secure.


Once the lock is disengaged, the shears are spread open due to the fairly large and exposed spring. This is very effective, and makes the tool a lot easier to use. In contrast, the Wingmaster has a hidden spring mechanism inside the head. Not sure which is better. I would imagine the exposed spring on the Bird Shears would be easier to clean, maintain, and replace. With the Wingmaster, the spring won’t get caught up in things, or generally get in the way.


There are only 6 functions listed for this tool. Seeing the above photograph, it is easy to see why there aren’t many folding tools in this model. The Shears take up most of the space available in the handles when folded away. However, what tools there are, should prove most useful for the bird hunter.


We have in one handle:
-   A saw and a partially serrated blade.

In the other, we have:
-   A gutting hook and a flat head screwdriver.

The major difference between the tool set of the Bird Shears, and the Wingmaster, the Wingmaster has a shotgun choke gauge instead of the flathead screwdriver. Also note in the following second photograph, how the Bird Shear has a longer knife blade and implements. This is due to the larger size of the overall tool. This is a big plus for the Bird Shears over the Wingmaster, especially when doing field dressing of game.


From left to right: Remington Wingmaster, Bear & Son Bird Shears.


From left to right: Remington Wingmaster, Bear & Son Bird Shears.

Conclusion
I was told that the Bear & Son  which is made in the United States, would be a higher quality tool compared to those made off shore in China. I personally have some mixed feelings about this. It is true that the tool feels nice in the hand, has a fantastic weight, and the larger size is a giant plus in my book for messy work. However, not all is well from my standpoint. I may be nit picking here, but I much prefer the locking mechanism on the Wingmaster. The Wingmaster also gives you a small LED light in the handles, which is always a nice touch providing it isn’t expensive on small watch batteris. The Wingmaster also has a better grip to the handles. I find the highly polished finish on the Bird shears to be slippery as all get out. Mind you, the Bird Shears look a lot nicer and far more expensive due to the high gloss. However, if looked at from the point of view of how it would handle in the field, I would have to give some points to the cheaper Wingmaster.  So we have two similar tools but very different handling characteristics. I am uncertain which one I like best. There are good and bad points to both designs. Lucky for me, since I have both, I won’t have to make any decisions.

Bear & Son Bird Shears:
Pros:
-   Nice quality feel and weight.
-   Smooth opening and folding.
-   Larger size means larger folding tools.
-   Super nice shears.
Cons:
-   Glossy finish makes holding them a bit of a shore at times.
-   Locking mechanism could have been better designed. I have found that the metal can pop out of the notch built into the shears. This means they swing open unexpectedly on you.

[zepla]

Nice wright up and excellent pictures as usual  Those seems as giant pair of shears indeed!

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Another fine review mate

[scrappy]

nice writeup. I own both and would definetly agree.
the bear handles are different. I own the super bear jaws and thay are not the same handles.

[scrappy]

my remington shears do not not have an led though

[jzmtl]

So has anybody ever used those hooks? 

[J-sews]

So has anybody ever used those hooks? 

Yuck. Not me!

[J-sews]

Good rough draft of a review Chako. Now you need to get yourself a couple of chickens and put those tools through a proper shootout comparison.

[Chako]

This is going to be a quick and dirty addition to the above mini review.

Well well well, it looks like my other bird hunter tool has arrived in the mail. I had the postal ticket yesterday, but could only pick it up today. That is perfect timing.

First impressions with the Remington Bird Hunter's Tool:

I am in complete agreement about this being a knock off of the Bear & Son Bird Shears. On the vacuum packaging, it does clearly say that it is made in China as opposed to the Bear & Son which is made in the United States. Now what does that actually mean for you and me?

If I compare the two like MTs, this is what I get.

1. The Bear & Son's folding tools have a better positive spring action into the open position. The Remington Bird Hunter's Tool has a wishy washy feeling when you open the tools. They don't have a very satisfying spring when you open or close them. In fact, there is very little resistance that you encounter when closing a tool…that is a bad thing. Score 1 for the Bear.

2. Both tools do not feature locking mechanism other than for the main Shears. If we looked closely at the main locking feature of the shears, the better implementation goes to the Remington. The metal is slightly bent downwards, giving a more positive locking action. The Bear’s is slightly bent upwards, meaning that you can bypass the mechanism while you are trying to engage it. I believe a pair of pliers will help in bending it downwards. This could be my copy alone..who knows. Score 1 to the Remington.

3. The handles are nicer looking on the Bear, but due to its high polish, are harder to grip. The Remington doesn’ t have as nice a finish. Because it is not so polished, it has a better grip. Cutting hairs I know, but I don’t like a tool that slips and slides on you when you are using it. Score 1 to the Remington.

4. Handle shapes are far superior on the Bear. The Bear has rounded sheet metal edges. They didn’t fold it over, but somehow finished the edge itself . The Remington has square sheet metal edges that dig into the skin. Score 1 to the Bear.

5. The folding tools selection is very similar. However, the Remington goes that extra step with a shotgun choke wrench and a flathead screwdriver combo. Compare this to the flathead screwdriver that the Bear has, and it’s a score of 1 to the Remington.

6. Fit and finish of the folding tools  is rather different. The Bear has the better quality folding tools in both fit and finish. Score 1 to the Bear.

7. The sheaths are very different. I am sort of likeing the shape of the Remingtion camo version, however, in all truth and honesty, doesn’t quite fit the tool properly. It is in fact a tad small. Hopefully, in the field with wear and tear, It will get a little larger and will fit better, but who wants to break in a new sheath like a pair of shoes? The Bears is larger, and has some leather on it. Score 1 to the Bear.

8. The shears on both are the same shape except that there is a notch cut out of the Remington. This feature is actually carried over to their newer Wingmaster model. This bone notch is supposed to make it easier to cut through bones, and I can believe it. Without something to hold a bone in place, there is little to prevent it from getting pushed away by the scissoring action of the shears.  It also can double as a wire stripper and wire cutter. You can do these features on the Bear, but it would be just a little harder. Score 1 to the Remington.

That is 4 for the Bear, and 4 for the Remington.

Conclusion

To sum this up, yes, the Remington Bird Hunter’s Tool is a rip off of the Bear & Son Bird Shears model. Anyone who takes a look at them side by side cannot help but see the resemblance. With that said, if I had to buy one, I would go with the Bear simply because the fit, feel, and finish all speak of a quality tool. The only thing that I do not like (the shear locking mechanism) can be easily fixed…that is if your copy needs it. I can’t slash a whole tool based upon one sample. The Remington Bird Humter’s Tool does add a few extra features, building upon the Bear’s solid foundation. The bone notch, although weird, does add some functionality to the shears that would be much appreciated by people who need to field dress game. That tie was rather surprising. I was prepared to give more points to the Bear until I gave the various items some thought. Although the Remington may feel cheaper, and the quality isn’t as good as the Bear, it is a very serviceable tool. Besides, the price is commiserate with the quality.

You can see a further refinement in the newer Remington tool, the smaller LED bearing Wingmaster. The Wingmaster does increase the quality fit and finish over its older Bird Hunter’s Tool model.

All 3 have their good and bad points. It would be up to you to figure out which one you would prefer for your hunting needs.

Now time for some photographs.

Showing their respective Sheaths. From left to right: Bear Bird Shear, Remington Bird Hunter’s Tool, Remington Wing Master.


The reveal.


 

From left to right: Bear Bird Shears, Remington Bird Hunter’s Tool, and Remington Wingmaster.


From left to right: Bear Bird Shears, Remington Wingmaster, and Remington Bird Hunter’s Tool. Note that both Remington models have a bone notch cutout into one blade.


Showing their tools. Note that both Remingtons have a shotgun Choke wrench.


Showing the knives. From top to bottom,  Bear Bird Shears, Remington Bird Hunter’s Tool, and Remington Wingmaster. The Bear blade is nicer, and sharper then the Remington models. Also, both knives are serrated, but the Bear does a better job of this.



Showing off the saw. Top is the Bear, bottom is the Remington.


The gut hook. The Bear is better made.


And last but not least, showing the screwdriver tool. Note that the Remington has an additional shotgun Choke wrench on their screwdriver. The Bear is lacking this feature.

[Benner]

Your reviews are all top notch. 

[Chako]

That sort of reminds me of when I was 6 years old...a city boy off to visit the Grandparents who owned a farm. My Grandfather kept a few chickens in the barn. He invited me over to see the chickens. Unknown to me, it was times up for a male rooster that was causing some problems. He took the rooster, chopped off its head in from of me, and let it go. It ran around the barn for a few minutes. Terrified the crap out of me. I can still see it in my mind as clear as day. Lucky for me, I still like eating chickens. Man oh man, I remember my parents being very angry when they found out about my Grandfather’s little bit of fun.

So no thanks.  

[J-sews]

Great comparison pictures and additional information Chako. Well done!


Incidentally, the original Remington Bird Hunter's Tool - made by Bear in the USA - did include a choke wrench tool on the screwdriver blade. Odd that Bear included this feature on the tools they made for Remington, but did not include it in the nearly identical tools they made for themselves.

[Chako]

Now that is interesting. I bet that is a Remington specification then. Could it be a licensing issue?

[Poncho65]

Great review Chako I have 1 of these as well and they are very well built I haven't ever used the hook yet though