Being on the lower end of the evolutionary spectrum, my thumbs are not-so-opposable. This means I need to contort my hand into painful positions to use your average nippers. The Nip n Sip XL cures this. The action is smooth, the cut clean, and the size allows me to use them without straining. Your average nippers are 2” in length while these puppies are 3”. That one inch makes a world of difference at the end of a long day snipping tippet.

My thumbs are too big for the handles in your average forceps. They get stuck in the bows and it’s a PITA trying to free my first digit while my other hand is holding a rod, or a net, or a fish, or a beer... Not so with the Quickdraw Forceps. The smaller bow is large enough for me to easily slip my thumb in and out. (Its interior dimensions are ~15/16”X1-3/16”). Like the nippers, the action is smooth and does not strain my wrist when opening or closing.

But there is one minor thing I don’t love about each of these tools. There's a hook-eye cleaner tucked away inside the Nip n Sip XL and it’s also larger than what you find on your average nippers. This makes it difficult to clean hooks #18 and smaller, but that’s if you can get your fly on it. It’s recessed too deep to reach when holding a small fly with my hot dog fingers. I would prefer a hook-eye cleaner on the rear or side of the nippers over a bottle opener. I just snap the necks off bottles with my massive mitts, anyway. As for the Quickdraw Forceps, I find clamping to the dock on my lanyard requires significantly more force to close the boxlock than your average forceps which becomes tiring after awhile. I suppose I could use the carabiner…

Perfect kit for my guide bag on the boat. Great nippers at a great price

Can’t stress enough how great this set is. Iconic Set is a fitting name. Loon Outdoors is my go to source for fly fishing tools and accessories. Thank you!

The nippers are amazing and affordable I like them better than others in this class who are very expensive. I also really love the clip on forceps! Definitely safer from losing them due to the handle carabiner but also it is very functional with the hook eye poker on both forceps and nippers. The forceps really come in handy with its scissors and flat jaws. I love these two pieces and together they really really make guiding new clients faster and more efficient for getting back on the river.

Tremendous set of forceps which effectively retired all other pairs. I use for both salt and fresh. The carabiner means is super convenient to clip onto a belt loop but if wading, stick it on a lanyard for peace of mind. The ergonomics of the design make it super easy to operate even with my big mitts! I also use it for most of my line cutting, making leaders though the clippers would give a closer stub trim.