Originally bought the 6” pair and upon receiving them was not licking the size. Immediately initiated a process to return them and simultaneously ordered the 7”. I feel the processing was even faster given I was returning the other pair. No complaints with customer service give them a chance to call you back and they certainly did. 7” had a much better feel in the hand I have zero regret about up sizing. Can’t really speak to longevity yet. I bought these for salt water fly fishing and keeping my orvis pliers for fresh water. What I can speak to is these pliers are over built and solid as hell. People that complain about not having a life time warranty behind the product I just don’t agree with the complaint. These have been well designed, over built and serviceable…. Enough said should be the only ocean pair I need.

You inquired about the pliers. But, I own a number of Van Staal reels. I like to fish for Roosterfish. I have a couple of big Van Staal spinning reels I use for this purpose. Big rooster will pull a hundred yards of line in an eye blink following the strike. Te fish in the photo was caught with a Van Staal. 70+ lbs. Smooth reliable drag is critical. I have also used Shimano Stellas. Your reels are just as good and a much better value. I bought my first set of these pliers in Key West about 6 years ago. This pair was a gift for a friend to take on a rooster trip in June. Great product. Don't go fishing without them.