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ESP and Fox Braid Blades by Chris Netto

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Steve Williams

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ESP and Fox Braid Blades by Chris Netto





Introduction

It seems I have become the self-appointed, braid scissors geek on BFW;so if you have read my first review of the Owner braid cut scissors - no I don't have a scissors fetish - this additional review has only been written because I lost a pair.

At £12 a pair I have yet to find anything better than the Owners. However, at £12 a pair their loss is very annoying, and it was after loosing my first pair in the dark last New Year's eve that I was prompted to have a look at what else is on the market.

I still have a second pair of Owners, but I make most of my hook lengths up at home, so I use them from the relative safety of my sofa, leaving me in need of something for the bank. As it happened, a planned fishing trip last May saw me at a rather well stocked tackle shop in Farnborough and I subsequently bought two different brands of scissors to try. One was the mid-priced Fox Braid Blades at £6.99, and the other a pair of braid scissors by ESP costing about £3.99. Like the Owner review, tests were carried out using Drennan sink braid in 6, 8, 10 and 15lb BS and Spiderwire in 30lb BS.

pic1.jpg

(Fig 1 - Both pairs)​


ESPOn first impression I have to admit to being a little sceptical about the ESP pair, as they looked (and were) cheap, but one thing I did like was the size. They were so small they fitted into my half-size, roaming, tackle box making them easy to find and less likely to loose.

In operation they could not cut limp braid very well, but if you tensioned it, they worked every time. They are of a slightly different design from most scissors in that one of the blades has a serrated edge. But they are small, so may not suit a person with big fingers.

pic2.jpg


(Fig 2 - ESP close up of serrated blade)​


Fox Braid Blades
Out of the two pairs I thought the Braid Blades would win hands down. They are larger and have a different sized finger/thumb holes and appear to be made of higher quality materials. The handles are sturdy and strong and the blade design is traditional in that they are not serrated. In terms of cutting ability they (like the price) come between the Owners and the ESPs. Once again cutting limp braid wasn't so successful, but again if you don't mind tensioning the braid, they work well and better than the ESPs. Unfortunately none of my tackle boxes could accommodate them so they had to live in a bag pocket, which made location and loss more of an issue.



Conclusion
In my opinion the Owners are still king of the hill for their cutting effectiveness, but fishing and loosing the occasional bit of kit go hand in hand, and they aren't cheap. Unfortunately for the Braid Blades, for me compact size (plus a measure of effectiveness of course) is everything, and as their performance was only marginally better than the ESP scissors, it meant the larger Braid Blades have been consigned to the home storage box.

In contrast, the ESPs go with me everywhere, as they do a reasonable job, fit in all of my tackle boxes, and if I did loose them �3.99 is not a king's ransom. I still make up my hook lengths at home using the Owners, so the ESPs are in fact used for 'in-the-field' things such as line cutting and occasional braid cutting only. The only draw back I can see is if you have huge fingers, in which case you may prefer something with larger finger holes.

Rating

ESP

Source: Most good tackle shops
Effectiveness 6.5/10
Value for money 10/10

Braid Blades

Source Most good tackle shops
Effectiveness 8/10
Value for money 8/10

Owner Braid Cut
See previous article

Would I buy another pair? ESP - most definitely.





Chris (felix333) Netto
Aug 2006
 
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