SORD frequently gets asked why their titanium pliers are worth $295. To begin, it's important to emphasize that SORD creates every product with a specific group in mind: the most passionate of anglers. These individuals are the ones who will not be deterred by any obstacle, driven by an unrelenting urge to chase the largest fish in their area. Fishing is not just a hobby to them; it is part of who they are. That is why we developed our titanium pliers - they are designed to withstand the extreme wear and tear that this subset of anglers will inevitably subject them to. In short, SORD's titanium pliers were created with the most demanding and dedicated fishermen in mind.
To understand why titanium pliers are so expensive, SORD breaks down the market into four tiers based on price and quality. Tier 4 pliers are the cheapest and are basic, often found in plastic buckets at tackle shops near the cash register or stuck into a foam pad littered around the shop. These pliers will last you less than 24 hours in a saltwater environment and are designed for someone who is going to throw them away after the fishing trip is over.
Tier 3 pliers are more expensive, ranging from $10 to $100, and are usually found hanging on pegboards in clamshell packaging. The body of these pliers are typically made of aluminum or a carbon steel and they often advertise "titanium jaws" that are screwed onto the weaker frame. The effect of putting stronger jaws onto a weaker body is that they will torque and twist when you are trying to get a deeply embedded hookset out of a fish. These pliers will last you around three months of consistent use before something within the pliers ends up failing while you are out on a fishing trip.
Tier 2 pliers range from $100 to $250 and are made from carbon steel or a stronger version of stainless steel. Some are marketed as full titanium, but they will only contain a titanium coat over a lesser-grade steel’s frame. There are also a few that are full titanium, but the body is hollowed out. The pliers in this tier should all be extremely well made and worth the money that you would spend on them. The one thing that we would caution you when you are looking for pliers in this category is to see if the brand is using the same technology and design across every tier of products, or are they beefing up the design to fit the stronger metals.
Tier 1 pliers are the most expensive, with prices starting at $250. Most of this tier, like the SORD pliers, are machined from a solid block of T5 titanium. They are intentionally designed with extremely tight tolerances and use only the highest grade of stainless steel. You can take these pliers and dunk them in saltwater and it will not affect the functionality. These are the pair of pliers that you buy and replace the cutters each year. They should be passed down to your kids and then passed down to your grandkids, that is how well this tier of pliers is designed.
To break this down cost wise, SORD has created a chart to show you the total cost of investing in each tier after 5 years.
TITANIUM PLIERS COST COMPARISON
You can see above that your titanium pliers end up being cheaper in the long run, due to being made to last a full lifetime and designed for anglers who we know are going to abuse their products. We recommend fully steering away from any Tier 3 and 4 products because it starts getting much more expensive after just the second year.
Titanium pliers are worth the investment because they are intentionally designed with the most passionate and dedicated anglers in mind. These pliers are made from the highest grade of materials, such as T5 titanium, and are machined to have extremely tight tolerances. This makes them able to withstand extreme wear and tear in saltwater environments, which is something that cheaper pliers simply cannot do. While the initial cost may be high, investing in a pair of tier 1 pliers like SORD’s can save anglers money in the long run. For those who are truly passionate about fishing, titanium pliers are a necessary investment that will not disappoint.
