I was Christmas shopping for a few close friends at the local Wal-Mart. They are into fishing, and I thought a few fishing centric MTs might just be the ticket for them. Well I was a bit surprised to have noticed something different with the Coast Pro Pocket Fishing-Pliers that was on display for sale.
I bought myself a copy, curiosity being w hat it is. At the house, I was able to compare the older version to the newer one. This is what I found.
I really do like this cheap and cheerful tool. I have used the old pair for a few fishing outings, and found it to be of great value, and more importantly, handy for my fishing needs. The sheath is a great design in my opinion. The bright colours ensure you won't lose it on a river bank. It doesn't float...so if you drop it into the drink, all bets are off.
On top of that, there is a zippered pouch that opens to reveal 12 driver bits and a small hex nut wrench. Each bit is in its own individual elastic pocket. The nice thing about the zipper, it should capture any bits that may fall out of these elastic pockets. I also pack a few Band-Aids in here for convenience.
The tool itself features rubber outserts that do help keep the MT in place on a hard surface. I know from experience that it helps on a fiberglass boat. Note in the following photo that the older version is on the right, the newer copy is on the left.
In the next photo, there are a few thing to note. What I originally saw in the store, was that cutout near the plier head on the newer tool which is left in the next photograph. The older tool on the right does not have this feature. Also note that the older tool has a rivet between the 7 and 8 cm ruler position. The newer version does not have this rivet.
In this next photo, you can see the older version on the right, and the newer version on the left. Larger rubber outserts are located on this side, along with the manufacturer's name and model designation. What I found funny, the newer model is missing an arm on the E. More on this later.
Continuing our roll over, you can see the differences around the plier pivot point. note that the ruler is more accurate in the newer version when using both handles in a T shape for measuring.
Now that extra rivet noticed on the outside of the handles are for a metal plier head resting stop. The older tool is on the right, with the newer version on the left. The newer version does away with these.
Taking a closer look at those pivot points, you can see the differences between the older tool on the right, and the newer tool on the left. Interestingly enough, the older tool has thicker metal at the plier pivot. Note also a thicker metal washer and the handle splayed out slightly in the older tool compared to the nice sharp and parallel handle sides that bookend the handle/plier pivot points. There are a few other small differences.
The pliers themselves are changed. I am happy to see that there was no changes to the actual plier head functionality. However, not only are the pliers slightly thinner in the newer version, they also removed a lot of metal. You can see what I mean by comparing the older version on the right, and the newer version on the left. A big surprise for me, the new version features a spring loaded pivot. That is an excellent feature for a pair of fishing pliers. I am just not sure how much weaker the new pliers are compared to the older version.
A few very slight differences were also spotted in the folding tools themselves. Here, you can see both knife blades. the older version on the top features a larger China stamp on the ricasso. You can see the missing E arm on the newer tool. I don't think they wanted to say PLIFRS.
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The new awl is slightly improved in shape. The older awl (on top) was more squarish with a sudden transition to a sharp point. The newer awl is more subtle, and streamlined.
Differences are also seen in the scissors. The older version on top feature scissor blades that are deeper, and also have a larger pivot point. The newer scissors are more delicate in construction.
The last difference I noticed was that of the bit driver adapter. The newer version on the left features a slightly longer adapter.
I always find it interesting to compare newer tools to older ones. In this case, the newer tool gains a spring loaded pliers at the cost of thinner metal in some key areas. The tool selection is the same, but with some minor difference that point to a slight cheapening of the tools...or that is what it looks like to me. Even so, many of these cost cutting features would be hard to spot if not directly compared to the older tool. Even so, the plier head is not something I would want to see thinner, but that is what you get with the newer version. A plus for the newer tool is the whole pivot action, which has a snap that the older tool lacked.
For 20 bucks, you still can't go wrong. This is a great fishing centric MT either way.
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