Review courtesy of Courtney Neal:
In my previous life in horticulture, my tool of choice for pruning and cutting was my Felco #4 bypass pruner. I've spent unmeasurable hours squeezing those things and have the hand strength (and arthritis!) to show for it. I switched from basic hemos to mitten clamps a couple of years ago simply to reduce any further torque on my joints, but have missed the robustness and features of a traditional hemo like closed finger loops and the ability to position my hand so as not to obstruct my vision.
This season I've been using the SA Regulator Ergo Hemo and have found them to be the perfect combo tool and truly ergonomic in design. The angled jaws and cutter are out of the way of my vision and the spring/squeeze action is like a mitten clamp, but with a loop for a finger or thumb on one size so they stay put in my hand and I'm less likely to drop them in the river.
They do have a hole for a lanyard, but I prefer to clip them off my pants/waders on my retrieve side. The grip is padded exactly where it's needed and they are large enough to grip comfortably but not too large for my smaller hands. The shape is well designed in that it can be easily used by a wide range of hand sizes. The cutter works well for mono and fluoro tippet material and the flat jaws pinch barbs and remove hooks easily. It looks like a complicated mash up of tools but is super simple to use and easy on my hands.
Five stars! ★★★★★
