Best-of guide

Best tools & sharpeners: our top-scored picks

1. Tools & sharpeners

   84%

   RidgeMonkey

   RidgeMonkey VRH300X USB Rechargeable Headtorch

   VRH300X USB Rechargeable Headtorch (RM513)

   RidgeMonkey's VRH300X is a rubberised, USB-rechargeable headtorch with adjustable white and green beams, a dual-orientation design that can't be put on upside down, and a battery life RidgeMonkey say stretches to 360 hours on its lowest night-location setting.

   • Twin colour output: adjustable white and green beams, 50–200 lumens
   • IP64 water and dust resistant rubberised shell
   • Dual-orientation design, so there's no wrong way up

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2. Tools & sharpeners

   83%

   Fox Rage

   Fox Rage Crimping Pliers

   NTL036

   Making your own predator traces? These purpose-made pliers give you a more sensible starting point than flattening crimps with whatever’s knocking about in the shed.

   • Fox Rage product code NTL036.
   • Carbon-steel construction with a gunmetal-grey finish.
   • Ergonomically designed hard-plastic handles in bright red and black.

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3. Tools & sharpeners

   83%

   Deeper

   Deeper Flex Arm 2.0

   Flex Arm 2.0

   Got a compatible Deeper and a boat or kayak? This clamp-on arm keeps your sonar alongside while you explore. Proper handy for afloat sessions — rather less useful if you never leave the bank.

   • 79 cm overall length and 640 g weight.
   • Wave Rider mounting bracket allows up to 20 cm of wave-motion adjustment.
   • No-drill G-clamp fits suitable mounting surfaces up to 70 mm thick.

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4. Tools & sharpeners

   81%

   Savage Gear

   Savage Gear Magic Scissor

   Magic Scissor · Item 43844

   Braid scissors, wire-cutting blades and a titanium split-ring nose in one handy tool. Add the supplied pouch and zinger, and this is a tidy little helper for the roving lure angler.

   • Titanium split-ring nose for opening lure split rings.
   • Blades designed to cut braided line and wire.
   • Storage pouch and zinger included.

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5. Tools & sharpeners

   81%

   Deeper

   Deeper START Fishfinder

   START · Black and orange · FNG0026

   A castable Wi-Fi fishfinder that puts depth and sonar readings on your phone. Proper useful for getting your bearings, provided you treat it as a clue-finder rather than a shortcut to a PB.

   • Castable sonar with readings displayed on a smartphone or tablet.
   • Advertised casting range and maximum scanning depth are both 50 m / 165 ft.
   • Connects over Wi-Fi rather than Bluetooth.

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6. Tools & sharpeners

   80%

   Fox Rage

   Fox Rage Pistol Pliers

   8-inch NTL041 and 12-inch NTL042

   Heavy-duty predator pliers with an angled grip and two size options. A sensible tool for controlled unhooking, rather than another gadget rattling round your bag.

   • Heavy-duty, angled pliers with carbon-steel construction.
   • Pistol-grip handles designed to help apply pressure and leverage to hooks.
   • Ergonomically shaped hard-plastic handles in bright red and black.

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7. Tools & sharpeners

   80%

   Fox

   Fox Predator Deadbait Oil & Air Kit

   FAC062

   Two syringes, three colour-coded needles and a handy way to tweak your deadbait presentation. A useful little extra for predator anglers who want buoyancy, added scent or both.

   • Product code: FAC062.
   • Includes 10 ml and 20 ml syringes.
   • Comes with three colour-coded needles of different thicknesses.

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8. Tools & sharpeners

   80%

   Fox Rage

   Fox Rage Side Cutters

   NTL039 · 28cm / 11 inches

   Big, easy-to-spot cutters for the moment a predator hook-up gets fiddly. The 28cm Fox Rage Side Cutters put fish care ahead of saving a treble.

   • Product code: NTL039.
   • Overall length: 28cm / 11 inches.
   • CRV steel construction with a gunmetal grey finish.

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9. Tools & sharpeners

   80%

   Drennan

   Drennan Big Grip Scissors

   Big Grip Scissors · TAAE01

   Roomy handles and serrated, titanium-coated blades make these a sensible shout for trimming braid and mono, especially when tiny scissors leave your fingers feeling wedged in.

   • Product code: TAAE01.
   • Oversized ergonomic handles accommodate larger hands.
   • Stainless high-carbon blades have a titanium coating.

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10. Tools & sharpeners

    80%

    Deeper

    Deeper Range Extender Full Kit

    Full Kit

    A tidy way to extend your Deeper connection and organise a bait-boat sonar setup. Just remember: extra Wi-Fi reach isn't extra sonar power, and the advertised 200 m isn't a promise for every swim.

    • Advertised Wi-Fi connection range of up to 200 m / 656 ft.
    • Range extender battery life of up to 14 hours, with a full charge taking 3 hours.
    • Phone clip adjusts across a stated width of 5–8.5 cm.

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11. Tools & sharpeners

    79%

    Deeper

    Deeper Chirp+ 2 Smart Sonar

    Standard Desert Sand edition (Deeper also sell a Limited Edition Yellow version and Long Range Kit)

    Deeper's Chirp+ 2 pairs a 3-frequency CHIRP sonar with its own Wi-Fi link to the Fish Deeper app, aimed at anglers who want to scan swims, build bathymetric maps and check depth and temperature from the bank without a boat.

    • 3 Frequency CHIRP: Narrow 675kHz (7°), Medium 240kHz (20°), Wide 100kHz (47°)
    • Target separation of 1cm in Narrow CHIRP, 2.4cm in Medium and Wide CHIRP
    • Depth range from 15cm down to 100m

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12. Tools & sharpeners

    78%

    Fox Rage

    Fox Rage Forceps

    NTL037 · 24cm / 9.5-inch

    The 24cm NTL037 gives predator anglers a long-reach hook-removal tool with carbon-steel construction and soft-touch handles. Just check the model code before you buy — there’s another 9.5-inch Fox Rage forceps listing with different details.

    • NTL037 measures 24cm, also listed as 9.5 inches.
    • Carbon-steel construction with a gunmetal-grey finish.
    • Soft-touch handles in bright red and black.

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13. Tools & sharpeners

    78%

    Fox Rage

    Fox Rage Long Nose Pliers

    22cm / 8.5in · NTL038

    These 22cm carbon-steel pliers combine long-nose jaws, a wire-and-line cutter and a crimping notch. A useful predator-fishing tool, provided you don't mistake them for a complete unhooking kit.

    • Product code NTL038.
    • 22cm overall length, also listed as 8.5 inches.
    • Carbon-steel construction with a gunmetal-grey finish.

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14. Tools & sharpeners

    76%

    Daiwa

    Daiwa N'ZON EVA Bait Sieve

    NZEVABS

    A compact mesh-bottomed insert for draining pellets and chopped worms. Proper handy if you already use Daiwa’s matching bait box, but that box costs extra.

    • Model NZEVABS measures 130 × 130 × 60 mm.
    • Tough EVA construction with a mesh bottom for drainage.
    • Sits in the top half of the NZEVASB2 2-pint EVA stacking bait box.

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15. Tools & sharpeners

    75%

    Daiwa

    Daiwa Serrated Scissors

    DSSCIS

    Steel serrated blades, red handles and a protective cover. Daiwa’s line scissors keep things simple, with the right ingredients for everyday rig-making.

    • Daiwa model code DSSCIS.
    • Tough steel blades with serrated cutting edges.
    • Suitable for cutting nylon and braided line.

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16. Tools & sharpeners

    74%

    Deeper

    Deeper Smartphone Mount Phone Holder

    FLACC04

    A lightweight way to keep your Deeper screen beside your reel hand. The catch? Its stated 3.5–5-inch phone compatibility leaves plenty of modern handsets outside the range.

    • Designed to fasten a smartphone to a fishing rod grip.
    • Stated phone compatibility: 3.5–5-inch screen diagonal.
    • Weighs 14 g and measures 120 mm.

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