Tyflyz Toolz Hackle Pliers

[Uncle Jesse]

Has anyone tried these? I found this link on another bulletin board. I am thinking I can duplicate these were a little effort.
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Tyflyz Toolz Hackle Pliers

Posted on January 31, 2012, 5:53 pm, by Gary Borger, under Fly Tying, Production Tying, Tying Tools.
Every once in a while someone creates a new and better mouse trap. Here?s the best hackle pliers I?ve seen in many a day. It holds a hackle feather like you can?t believe. It?s super light so it doesn?t break delicate feathers, and it?s formed in a loop so that one can merely insert an index finger in the loop and wrap the feather under constant pressure. It?s my go-to hackle pliers for serious production tying. Try one, and it will be your go-to pliers, too.
You can get them for $12.00 each, postage paid, from Tyflyz Toolz, P. O. 94, Cascade, CO 80809. Dealers inquires are welcome.

The Tyflyz Toolz hackle pliers are high quality, light weight, and super easy to use.

[Hans Weilenmann]

I will pass. The design makes no sense to me.

YMMV

Cheers,
Hans W

[sandfly]

I had one sent to me, but did not like it. did not hold all that well. its now on a shelf in my collections. spring steel and brass tube..

[herefishy]

I'd like to see them make one that had the jaws 90 degrees to the handle. I have had one for a long time and it seems to break the stems.

[Buddy Sanders]

I;m happy with my hackle pliers...

But I think those would work much better if you inserted the hackle stem straight into the 'jaw' part, rather than across it like in the picture.

It would certainly wrap easier that way, and probably hold better too.

Just going from the photos, though, since I've never actually used a pair.

Buddy

[Jackster]

I think those would work much better if you inserted the hackle stem straight into the 'jaw' part, rather than across it like in the picture.

It would certainly wrap easier that way, and probably hold better too.


Buddy

BINGO!
I have quite the collection of hackle pliers and just knew there had to be something better. These are better by a very long shot.

How do I love thee my new hackle pliers...? Let me count the ways...
1 - You are light weight with just enough weight to stay put when needed.
2 - You are compact to slip into tight spaces and allow me to use every last part of a biot or feather.
3 - You are well polished and smooth. At the business end attribute #2 is great but being polished you don't grab, snag, break or fray the thread.
4 - You follow both the 'less is more' and the 'form follows function' rules of elegant simple design that works and works well.
5 - With the material being held in line with the brass tube you grip more than adequately for most any job. There is some sort of substance in the tube to aid in gripping.
6 - The price is as good as it gets. I would have the Petitjean pliers but like being married. After using this Tyhlyz tool I'm glad I held off on that purchase.
7 - You are just plain simple and intuitive to use and are extremely ergonomic and not in the least cumbersome.

Every so often a product comes out that breaks convention and sets a new high standard. This is one of those products.

ps... the above picture with a feather in the jaw in my opinion has the feather inserted about 90 degrees off from being mounted properly. Putting the stem perpandicular to the brass tube as pictured above just seems to defeat the purpose of the design of these pliers.

[herefishy]

Maybe I am inserting the feather wrong - do you put the end of the feather up into the brass tube? How can you grip the feather if it isn't perpendicular to the "gripper"?

[Jackster]

This is the way I grip the feather.

T1332.jpg

I might be wrong on this but the feather really gets a grip this way. Maybe it's the black substance that is in the cut-off end of the brass tube that helps with the grip. Holding the feather in line with the brass tube also makes the whole deal compact and easily worked into position.
All I can suggest is either give it a try both ways to see which way works best for you or call TyFlyz and ask their opinion.

[herefishy]

I've tried it with the feather perpendicular, now I'll try the other way - at least with it parallel to the tube it would be easier to wrap. I like the concept.

[Silver Creek]

Jackster is correct. The hackle is placed in line with the stem.